Thinking of buying an A8 4.2 V8 diesel

[mondie]

Looking to move the M5 on soon and want something with AWD and fun that's not too expensive. These look like a great car for the money, a 2012 can be had for £24-27k. The depreciation curve looks to flatten right out after 3 yrs so the ownership cost is not too bad at all. Reckon in 5 yrs they drop to 16-19k. Had considered the A6 but the A8 looks like a better buy and is often praised for its better handling. I would definitely have a remap, I need nearly 1000nM in my life!

Any owners experiences? Issues to look out for, common faults, remap recommendations?

Love to hear from owners.

Cheers,
mondie

[Burwood]

I've been driven around in ken a lot. Very refined from a back seat passengers perspective. Can't really tell it's a diesel. Loads of torque. Genuinely quick car.

[alanyork]

Ive had mine since April last year, real good car , Its just on 20k now , I dont use it a lot, just weekends, with a remap 400bhp + &920 nm. Only trouble is if you want to change after a A8 4.2 D4 , Its got to be a S8 .

Edited by alanyork on Sunday 30th August 11:07

[Dilligaf10]

Did over 270k miles in a D3 A8L with the V8 diesel in. Just such an immense car in every sense of the word. I had it remapped soon after I got it, very little to touch it in the real world.

I now have a D4 with the 3.0 V6 disel in and that is a superb car. Haven't tried the D4V8 but to be honest the V6 is nearly as good as my old D3. It is nearly as quick and returns over 40mpg, bit lighter on the front end as well which helps the handling. Knocked up 40k since February in it already. Still got a D3 3.0Tdi with over 210k on it as well.

[alanyork]

thats some mileage, So my 4.2 V8 has a lot of life left in it at 20K

[mondie]

alanyork said:

Ive had mine since April last year, real good car , Its just on 20k now , I dont use it a lot, just weekends, with a remap 400bhp + &920 nm. Only trouble is if you want to change after a A8 4.2 D4 , Its got to be a S8 .

Edited by alanyork on Sunday 30th August 11:07

Fantastic Alan, where did you get the remap done?

How pronounced was the torque increase and responsiveness after the map? Would an S8 even touch it? Any improvement in fuel economy?

Cheers

[HannsG]

Can you fit 3 baby seats in the back?

Thanks

[alanyork]

mondie said:

alanyork said:

Ive had mine since April last year, real good car , Its just on 20k now , I dont use it a lot, just weekends, with a remap 400bhp + &920 nm. Only trouble is if you want to change after a A8 4.2 D4 , Its got to be a S8 .

Edited by alanyork on Sunday 30th August 11:07

Fantastic Alan, where did you get the remap done?

How pronounced was the torque increase and responsiveness after the map? Would an S8 even touch it? Any improvement in fuel economy?

Cheers

Remap done in York , he has mapped 6 cars for me over the years, He does remaps for a few higher end garages ect, the increase in torque sits me back in my seat , Abit like my old scooby sti what was 550bhp, fual wise round town 33mpg normal A road upto 40mpg , driving fastish 30mpg >> S8 is 513bhp dont know what torque, but with a remap can see 650bhp + , And Ive no idea about baby seats ?? lol

[mondie]

Thats some serious grunt and great fuel economy Alan. I can only imagine what 900nm+ feels like in the midrange.

Has anyone heard of any problems with the air suspension? I have had this suggested to me and expect it must be expensive to fix.

[alanyork]

And the 4.2 D4 has a sports diff.

[mondie]

It does Alan, another tick for the 4.2

[mondie]

I am swinging between the A8 4.2 and A6 3.0 BiDi. As I have got more familiar with the Audi options game I have come to realise the A8 has most of the good stuff standard that remains options on the A6. There is no doubt the A8 is better value, but its bigger and I am still deciding if I am comfortable with the size.

I was hoping to hear from owners that have gone from an A6 to A8. Specifically the size difference on the road and the general feel and handling. I really would prefer the A8 but need that final convincing, and I also need to get my wife off the idea its a grandpa car, or maybe it is?

[rassi]

If you don't need the A6 as Avant and can find parking for the A8, I think the 4.2 V8 diesel is a fantastic choice. I needed the Avant and am limited by a garage length of 5 metres, so the A8 was not an option for me, but the quality of the interior and the amount of standard kit + that engine makes it very interesting indeed.

Parking it would be the biggest drawback for me, as it is XXL sized, while most parking places are S sized...

[Dr G]

I'll stick another hand up for the A8 over an A6 - unless it's crucial you have an estate the A8 is so much more of an occasion to drive whilst remaining absolutely practical and outstanding value for money.

As has already been pointed out the 4.2 is quite surprisingly quick too.

[Witchfinder]

mondie said:

I was hoping to hear from owners that have gone from an A6 to A8. Specifically the size difference on the road and the general feel and handling.

You'll always get used to the size of the vehicle you're driving, and you tend to do it surprisingly quickly. I moved up from a VW Polo to a Skoda Octavia, and was worried about the size for about a week. Then I ended up in a Mondeo. Then an S-Max. Now I drive an S8. Once you're used to it, it's really not all that massive, unless you do a lot of driving around city centres, multi-storey carparks or small villages.

Handling is a different matter, and is a personal taste thing.

[alanyork]

I was hoping to hear from owners that have gone from an A6 to A8. Specifically the size difference on the road and the general feel and handling. I really would prefer the A8 but need that final convincing, and I also need to get my wife off the idea its a grandpa car, or maybe it is?
[/quote]




I had a S6 then a A6 just before my A8 , I went to Shaks at Huddersfield for mine bought it at 2 years old, I had a good test drive in the A8, we talked money ect, I said I would think about it, I did as soon as I sat back in my A6 I said to my wife , Im getting the A8 , Its just a better place to be, Owned it for over a year now, Its the best car Ive had , and Ive had lots. good luck with your choice.

[mondie]

You are all convincing me I am ok with the size especially when its weight is compared to many other large cars that don't have such a stonking engine and so much kit. Now how do I turn my wife around on the 'grandpa car' tag?

Has anybody looked into carbon wrapping the wood trim most A8's are kitted with? Some think like the S8 would be perfect!

[charge]

Had a A6 avant with a 4.2 V8 from new in 06, then a 3.0 tdi version in 2010 (in which I missed the V8 badly) so got a 2012 A8 4.2 tdi which I have had for 2 years now.
Has the great soundtrack, awesome midrange poke, great seats and Bose system and picked it up for £35k at 14 months old (£82k new!)
Came with £8k of extras inc. the evil looking Led lights, 20 inch 10 spokes, cooling seats and extra leather.
Only a few inches longer than current A6 so size no biggie, but did struggle to find a good spec SWB car, as most are LWB 3.0,s
Summary, great ecconomy (over a petrol V8) lovely noise and power, and understated enough not to piss anyone off!
Its a no brainer!

[Witchfinder]

mondie said:

Has anybody looked into carbon wrapping the wood trim most A8's are kitted with? Some think like the S8 would be perfect!

http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/showthread.php?t=7220

[mondie]

Sounds like a fantastic buy Charge, I haven't dug one up as good as that and 14 mths old yet.

Thanks for the link Witch, Googling threw up nothing but I felt somebody must have had a go. Its good to know there is a service if I find that perfect A8 that's spoilt by some horrid wood.