Hi Pottsy
I see you got the site working.
Welcome to the network.
Hopefully the problems the administrators are having will be sorted. There is a lot of information on here about the cars, we probably have information on problems encountered by hundreds of owners.
Although the gearbox is problematic and costly, otherwise the car is very reliable. I find mine very quiet, secure, safe on the road and a joy to drive.
[Rob, the previous owner of A5, will contact you by email, by the way]
If the gearbox is going or gone, you should budget around 2K to fix it properly. This would include fitting an extra cooler if one was not already fitted. The box is complex, and if you ever have to repair it, get real experts. Done properly, your refurb box will last 60K or much more with proper maintenance.
If you hear a growly sound, that will be one of the rear bearings, they go. Not wildly expensive to fix, but again, needs fitting by an expert to prevent a relapse.
Not much else goes wrong, except the driver's visor can get floppy, and the driver's window switch can break with rough use. Otherwise the cars are bordering on bulletproof.
Best of luck with it, I think Rob is regretting selling that car
Joe