Does the facelifted 2012 A5 Audi (B8.5?) suffer from the piston ring issues?

[u/_182loulou]

I have the opportunity to trade my old work truck for a A5 Audi that I believe is a 2012 facelifted model. I have no knowledge of these cars, but in my research have read about the pre 2012 having oil consumption/piston ring issues. Being the face-lift but 2012 would this car still have the problematic oil consumption issue?

[u/Niran078]

Main difference is between ea888 gen 2 and gen 3 engine, gen 3 had the better timing chain and tensioner, and they fixed the piston rings as well. At least in the Netherlands all b8.5 have the newer gen 3 engine.

Maybe I am lucky but my b8.5 has 350k km and still on its original chain and tensioner, with vcds showing only a stretch of 0.8 degrees (over 5 degrees is the limit)

Oil consumption is not zero as it was when it was new, however mine consumes around 1L every 4500km which translates to one whole liter I have to add between services, this is fine by me

PS you can check the exact engine type you have on the sticker under the boot floor. There should be a code like CJEB (my case)

[u/_182loulou → u/Niran078]

Can you show me the exact location of the engine code sticker? I'll be viewing the car tomorrow and I would love to know where to look.

[u/megaeverything → u/_182loulou]

There should be a white sticker with a bunch of black text codes on it near the spare tire in the trunk somewhere, normally next to it on the body or on a compartment just above it. Google the pr code sticker for that model and somebody should show you what it looks like and where to find it. Its in the trunk near the spare tire somewhere

[u/my1999gsr → u/_182loulou]

There should also be a white sticker on the upper timing chain cover with the engine code on it.

[u/Niran078 → u/my1999gsr]

Am not near my car but you can easily see it in the enginebay as well, if you take a look at your oil filter, if it's the old metal screw on filter it's a gen 2 engine, if it has the newer plastic case with a cartridge style filter it will be a gen 3 engine

[u/_182loulou → u/Niran078]

Fantastic, thanks for that information. Is the filter located on the left or right side of the engine

[u/Niran078 → u/_182loulou]

It's on top of the engine on the front right side when looking at the engine while you are facing the car

[u/MiniGiantRiverOtter → u/Niran078]

Gen 3 ea888 only started with the B9 models in the U.S. to my knowledge

[u/mihaajlovic → u/MiniGiantRiverOtter]

In EU it’s in B8.5. I have gen3 in 2015 A5 from switzerland, great engine so far, 230k km

[u/vulkanspecter → u/Niran078]

Try valvoline restore and protect

[u/reikoda01]

Some owners report they do.

[u/my1999gsr]

Both of my B8.5 2.0t, cars were horrible oil burners by the time they hit 200,000 kms

[u/Thick_Working4017]

Yes, a family member has a 2013 q5 with the same engine and it burns oil which is most likely from gunked up piston rings. I think that using valvoline restore and protect could help with this issue but I can't prove this.

[u/Annh1234]

In Canada, 2012-2014 are the ones with the piston ring issues that burn oil...

[u/Big-Touch-1808]

Can you send in a photo of the engine bay? Gen 2 and 3 look different. I had an MY16 B8.5 A5 and it had Gen 3 engine. Before that I had an MY13 B8.5 A4 and it had Gen 2. This was in Australia which gets Euro spec Audis.

Edit: You seem to be in Australia, too. Google says B8.5 A5s/A4s in Australia got Gen 3 engines from MY14. This fits the pattern I saw in my own cars I said above. Therefore, this particular car you're looking at should have a Gen 2 engine and depending on its mileage, can have the oil cosumption issue. That said, Audi Australia offered a plan to fix the issue under their loyalty program. Not sure if this car has had the fix. Maybe if you take the VIN to an Audi dealer service, they can search for it.

[u/_182loulou → u/Big-Touch-1808]

I will view the car today and get as much information as possible. Under the Audi loyalty plan, will they still do the fix being the 3rd owner in 2026/2027?

[u/_182loulou → u/Big-Touch-1808]

I've direct messaged you

[u/frodan2348]

The facelift B8.5 doesn’t have the piston ring issues to the extent that the B8 did, but they still burn oil. It varies how much, mostly depending on the life the car lived.

These things still aren’t what I’d call reliable. Brutal turbo wastegate issues mean it WILL fail, and you need to replace the entire turbo to fix it. They also do need timing chain replacements, which from my understanding is typically going to be a problem before 100k miles on most of these motors (some people get randomly lucky and have very little stretch). Many small/medium issues, such as pcv valve, carbon buildup on intake valves, water pumps, generally expensive parts, etc…

If you need something dependable and reliable like a work truck, shocker, but this isn’t a work truck. They are solid cars that feel great and look great for their age but I don’t suggest higher mileage ones - I’d say ignore it all together if it’s got more than 120k miles - at that point, you’re going to be suffering the truth that “there’s nothing more expensive than a cheap German car”

[u/Optimus_Shatner]

No. Entirely different engine.

[u/_182loulou → u/Optimus_Shatner]

Care to elaborate?

When I googled it, the AI overview (I'm aware ai is not reliable) stated that being a late production 2012, although it received the facelift, it doesn't guarantee that it has the updated engine which came into production in 2013

[u/therealharbinger → u/_182loulou]

The difference here being, some countries are weird calling a 2013 model, a 2012... Like right now, some countries are taking deliveries of 2027 plates.. which is just weird.

In the UK, the facelift came in 2013... Along with the engine.

[u/_182loulou → u/therealharbinger]

Ok. I'm in Australia so the problematic cars were delt with on a case by case basis, which would mean there are probably plenty of cars that didn't have the issue resolved.

[u/therealharbinger → u/_182loulou]

But that engine only came in the facelift. There wasn't an overlap. But the model year just seems to be plucked out of thin air depending on country

[u/skidaddy86 → u/therealharbinger]

In the US all cars coming in now from most manufacturers are 2027 models.

[u/Optimus_Shatner → u/_182loulou]

I assumed you were referring to the possible piston skirt issue in the 2018(ish)+ 3.0s, so my bad. However, I've literally never heard anything about issues with the 2.0 piston rings.

[u/_182loulou → u/Optimus_Shatner]

Apparently there was a global issue with the 1.8 and 2.0 petrol variants. They had problematic piston rings that caused excessive oil consumption and can lead to catastrophic failure. It was resolved with updated piston rings in the facelifted 2013-2017 models. The car in question is a late 2012 production with facelift but I'm not sure if it received the revised engine also.

[u/Big-Touch-1808 → u/_182loulou]

I replied to you seperately. You need to understand when you use years, you need to distinguish MY from calendar years a car was on sale. Your 2013-17 above is a mix which can can confuse you. EA888 Gen 3 was used in MY14-16. These cars were on sale from end 2013 to 2017. MY production date for Audis usually is in August. So an MY14 A5 built in September 2013 can reach Australia and get its 2013 compliance plate in December 2013. As such, this car is quoted as a 2013 (MY14) A5 and could have been bought in 2013. A similar looking A5 built two months earlier would be a 2013 (MY13) A5. The second car would have a Gen 2 engine. Your 2012 model regardless of its MY will have to have a Gen 2. Maybe you can find out if it had the Audi fix done already by the previous owner.

[u/_182loulou → u/Big-Touch-1808]

Ok that makes sense. I think the owner isn't too sure on its year. Searching it's vin number in my countrys registration database (Australia) it says 2013. Can the VIN number be used to determine this?

[u/Big-Touch-1808 → u/_182loulou]

There are a number of ways you can look at.

1. I see the photo is from Carsales and looks like the seller is a dealer. In the ad, the built date should be provided. Dealers even provide the compliance date. Look at those dates and see if the build date is before or after September 2013. If after, you should have Gen 3.

2. Check the compliance label on the car. IIRC, it's somewhere in the engine bay.

3. There is also a factory sticker in the front door jamb on the drivers side near steering wheel. It provides the VIN number and built date. Again after September 2013 is what you want.

4. Google images for EA888 Gen 2 and Gen 3 in Audi A4/5. Compare it with what you see in the car and see which engine it has.

5. look at the sticker either inside the cover of the car's service book, or inside the spare tyre space in the boot. This is more involved because you need to have the Audi options code table to figure out the engine/transmission type on that car.

6. Take the VIN number to an Audi service and asked them.

[u/skidaddy86]

I have a US version 2014 A4 2.0 which has the gen 2 engine. If you take a picture of that sticker near your spare tire and put it into AI like Chat gpt or Grok it will tell you exactly which engine and transmission configuration you have.

[u/Frosty_Hedgehog_4515 → u/skidaddy86]

Or you could just do a Google search, which is basically what the AI will do, minus poisoning the environment as much.

[u/Lunt1kk_]

Be careful. The B8.5 facelift (2012+) has a revised engine, but early 2012 models still used the older EA888 Gen 2 engine. The piston ring issue was primarily a problem for the pre-2012 engines (Gen 2), but many 2012 models still suffer from it. Audi made improvements to the oil scraper rings later, but it's not a guaranteed fix. Before buying, check the oil level and service history carefully. Also, look at the engine code — if it's the older CAEB, the risk is higher