R8 - single garage advice and buying tips please....

[will_]

I'm looking to buy an Audi R8. I've done a search but couldn't find a "buying guide" for the car - the recent PH one is fairly generic, so if anyone has any tips about what specifically to look out for I'd be really grateful.

Also I have a single garage to keep the car in - it will fit, it will be tight, but will it be impossible to get in and out? Does anyone have an R8 which they keep in a "normal" garage where they can get in and out? I think I have about 20cm or so to spare.....

Finally if anyone is thinking of selling please PM me.

Thanks

[Dr G]

If you've only 200mm spare all in then you won't be able to get out. They're low and have very long doors, even a standard size multi-storey space is very tight and involves squeezing/shuffling out.

R8s are generally strong but you'll want to watch for:

Crap paint/repairs - they all have their noses painted for chips but make sure it isn't hiding anything.
Tyres - rears in particular are dear.
Brakes - front discs/pads are ~£1400 fitted.
Clutches - generally durable and long lasting but expensive to replace if worn/abused. Think ~£3k.
Seat wear - make sure not excessive, not an expensive repair though.
B&O very nice to have, the standard stereo is a bit underwhelming.
Mag ride nice for resale. Most people don't know what it is or how it works but 'need' it. Standard car rides really well too!
Heated seats nice, adds even more to its usability.
Parking sensors a real bonus, rear visibility a bit poo and steering lock is just OK.
The little squeak behind your head is the high level brake light, easily fixed.
Exhaust heat shields rattle and new ones don't last long.
Front tyres/diff noisy on full lock.

Lots of owner around here I'm sure can add a few to the list for you.

[will_]

Thanks very much Dr G.

Nothing too catastrophic on that list, but all very helpful.

Will have to get the tape-measure out I think, and go on a diet, but it should be do-able.....

ETA - I thought parking sensors and heated seats were standard?

[Shaun400se]

Just sold my R8 V8 Will and would agree with the previous poster on a lot of things to watch for.

Parking sensors are a must for resale, and BOSE recommended. The rain / light package is a nice add on to and frankly it's inconvenient not to have it and on a car of that value, it should be standard anyway (that's auto lights, auto wipers, heated mirrors etc.). Cruise control is another silly non standard omission. I ordered mine in June 2013 for December delivery and forgot to put it on because I 'presumed' it would be standard - I was lucky as someone flagged it up to me that it wasn't and I managed to amend the order in time, but a £100k plus car without cruise is just plain daft.

I've got a house with a single garage and ran shy of ever putting the R8 in it until I found I had an empty garage for about 6 weeks late last year when my Noble M400 was away being serviced / MOT'd etc. So I tried and guess what? It fitted in perfectly and that's with one side of my garage being completely covered in boxes! For some reason I can't upload an image of the Noble which shows the width of the garage door and then the garage space available within, but I'd be happy to e mail them to you if it helps, or to measure up overnight tonight.

Also, if you do buy an R8 don't buy new luggage! I have two large bags and one small bag, all genuine Audi leather pieces, and now surplus to requirements. I've advertised them on the Audi parts classified with pictures but can advise you direct if you're interested.

Rgds,
Shaun+

[will_]

Thanks very much Shaun, let me get the car first and then I'll think about the luggage!

I think the garage is just big enough, I've got carpet on the walls which also gives a fraction more space as you don't need to worry about the door edges.

Amazed that parking sensors weren't standard on the car - will certainly look out for them.

Thanks again

Will

[Nedzilla]

You will need to be at least 2 feet away from your garage wall to be able to get out with any degree of ease unless you are a matchstick man. Be aware of mag ride dampers,they are prone to failing In as little as 20k miles and cost £830 for the part alone!
Brakes and tyres are not that expensive if you shop online. OE front pads and discs can be had for around £800 and I'm sure any local mechanic will fit them for you for £50 and a set of pirellis or mpss will set you back £750-£850.

[Dr G]

Stop being surprised stuff isn't standard; it's an Audi.

They'd deliver cars with no bloody wheels if they thought they could get away with it

[graeme4130]

The doors and door cards are pretty thick in an R8 (probably 15ish cm), so you'll probably need to get out the car outside the garage and push it in and out by hand if you've only got 20cm spare to play with

[Dr G]

Nah, be fine. Do this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnKoGN2oaTk

[will_]

That's excellent

I did some measuring up and there's about 80cm spare so I should be OK (although it will be tight).

The hunt continues!

[will_]

Dr G said:

R8s are generally strong but you'll want to watch for:

Brakes - front discs/pads are ~£1400 fitted.
Clutches - generally durable and long lasting but expensive to replace if worn/abused. Think ~£3k.
Mag ride nice for resale.
Front tyres/diff noisy on full lock.

Just focusing on these items, what are the symptoms to look out for?

Brakes - presumably corrosion and "lipping" on the disk
Clutch - high bite point, resistant gear changes? How long should the clutch last (I know this is dependent on use, but approximately given "normal" use?)
Mag ride - weeping shocks - would this be evidenced by oil on the shocks?
Front diff - what sort of noise to look out for?

[rick355s]

will_ said:

I'm looking to buy an Audi R8. I've done a search but couldn't find a "buying guide" for the car - the recent PH one is fairly generic, so if anyone has any tips about what specifically to look out for I'd be really grateful.

Also I have a single garage to keep the car in - it will fit, it will be tight, but will it be impossible to get in and out? Does anyone have an R8 which they keep in a "normal" garage where they can get in and out? I think I have about 20cm or so to spare.....

Finally if anyone is thinking of selling please PM me.

Thanks

Will,
I have owned a V8 R8 for three years now and and enjoyed the car immensely. Dr G's advise is spot on - he is an extremely clued up fella;)
Re: Garage dimensions, I just opened my driver door to its 'first position' and you will need about 63cm clearance. The door opening is 40cm (ie the space you have to exit the car). Hope this helps.
I will be selling my car later this year.... let me know if you do not find the right car/spec!

[Nedzilla]

will_ said:

Dr G said:

R8s are generally strong but you'll want to watch for:

Brakes - front discs/pads are ~£1400 fitted.
Clutches - generally durable and long lasting but expensive to replace if worn/abused. Think ~£3k.
Mag ride nice for resale.
Front tyres/diff noisy on full lock.

Just focusing on these items, what are the symptoms to look out for?

Brakes - presumably corrosion and "lipping" on the disk
Clutch - high bite point, resistant gear changes? How long should the clutch last (I know this is dependent on use, but approximately given "normal" use?)
Mag ride - weeping shocks - would this be evidenced by oil on the shocks?
Front diff - what sort of noise to look out for?

You will be able to visually check the wear of the brakes through the wheels but also check for brake judder over about 60 mph. This could point to warped discs though pad material transfer from light braking use can also be the cause and a few hard stops usually cures the problem.
Not sure how long clutches last.
Mag ride dampers will leak when they are on their way out though I have heard that Audi will tell you this is normal! Listen for a knocking noise over rough ground,kind of like bouncing a golf ball on concrete.
The front diff locks up when on full lock manoeuvring,especially when cold which causes the font wheels to skip which doesn't sound or feel too clever but is perfectly normal and nothing to worry about. Does it worse on Pirellis than michelins so I'm told.
Also don't be put off by a bit of smoke on cold start up. Something to do with the cylindrical oil separator (whatever that is) and also normal.
They tend to use about a litre of oil every 1k miles so check oil level and make sure this hasn't been neglected.

[Dr G]

^spot on

[will_]

Guys, many thanks indeed - all advice is much appreciated.

Rick, feel free to send me the spec of your car if you'd like to discuss it.

63cm opening is do-able in the space I have - thanks v much for measuring!

[graeme4130]

V10 prices are quite stable the moment, bottoming out around £60k
IMHO, it's a much better car than the V8, but you'd need to make your own mind/budget up for that

[will_]

With apologies for the delay in updating the thread, I've just bought an 08 manual car - and it fits in the garage with no problem at all as it turns out!

So far the car is great - not driven it much but intend to do some miles this summer. First impressions are that it feels smaller than it is, is well screwed together and properly fast. It also has real presence and I love the looks with the glass engine cover.

Thanks very much for everyone's help.

Will

[Dr G]

When you've had quite enough fun playing with it get us some photos

[Debaser]

How wide is your garage door opening? I'm thinking about an R8 but I'm not sure whether keeping it in a single garage will be practical.

[will_]

Debaser said:

How wide is your garage door opening? I'm thinking about an R8 but I'm not sure whether keeping it in a single garage will be practical.

2100mm. The R8 is 1904 wide without mirrors (electric folding mirrors are very helpful!) It's actually much easier than I thought, albeit my garage opens out to 2500mm once through the doorway. Carpet on the walls provides a bit more "give", and I've got a tennis ball on a string hanging from the roof so I can now line the car up perfectly.