any Audi R8 4.2 manual owners?

any Audi R8 4.2 manual owners?

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200Plus Club

Original Poster:

10,668 posts

277 months

Tuesday 29th November 2016
quotequote all
after some specific assistance please from anyone who owns/has owned one of these beasts!

clutch life- how long/how much to replace on average?
magnetic shocks- yes or no, heard some horrendous horror bill stories for odd failed unit
servicing costs and intervals

seen a couple of cars circa £40k with 40-60k miles and pondering what pitfalls may be at that mileage.
cheers

VR6VR6

253 posts

242 months

Tuesday 29th November 2016
quotequote all
I had a supercharged (APR stage 3) V8 manual for a couple of years.

Had to replace all 4 mag-ride shocks and new front diff plus brakes and tyres.

All maintenance was done by Ricky Elder (now working for himself at http://reperformance.co.uk) who was head R8 technician for Audi for a few years and REALLY knows his stuff.

Give him a shout as he may know of "good" cars coming to market.

200Plus Club

Original Poster:

10,668 posts

277 months

Tuesday 29th November 2016
quotequote all
VR6VR6 said:
I had a supercharged (APR stage 3) V8 manual for a couple of years.

Had to replace all 4 mag-ride shocks and new front diff plus brakes and tyres.

All maintenance was done by Ricky Elder (now working for himself at http://reperformance.co.uk) who was head R8 technician for Audi for a few years and REALLY knows his stuff.

Give him a shout as he may know of "good" cars coming to market.
very helpful thanks for that

Trev450

6,314 posts

171 months

Tuesday 29th November 2016
quotequote all
Get yourself over to R8talk.com and you will find all the info you need and then some.

akadk

1,477 posts

178 months

Tuesday 29th November 2016
quotequote all
this needs to go in the VAG forum ... not super cars ...

;o)

DJR 7

1,413 posts

256 months

Tuesday 29th November 2016
quotequote all
I've owned two, first was an 09 coupe, every thing that could go wrong did! Within 25k miles I'd had 4 new shocks (mag ride) oil cooler, air con condenser, and most body panels repainted due to the alloy corroding. All of these were covered by warranty, that said the cost would have been in excess of 15k.

The second one I bought was a 2012 spyder ( which I still own) to date it's covered 18k miles and to date has had a failed exhaust and a microphone in the seat belt.

More specific to your question, both cars are/where on there first clutch, Mag ride, whilst nice for the tick box isn't a must for road use.

If you are contemplating a purchase get it checked, a few bob spent now could save you a small fortune later.

Edited by DJR 7 on Tuesday 29th November 20:13


Edited by DJR 7 on Tuesday 29th November 20:47

200Plus Club

Original Poster:

10,668 posts

277 months

Tuesday 29th November 2016
quotequote all
Mag ride does seem to be an extra faff and potential cost.
Insurance quote was surprisingly 380 quid pa on a 45k car. Potential for large bills however is slightly concerning. Wonder if you got a bad un or is it indicative of woes?

cgt2

7,092 posts

187 months

Wednesday 30th November 2016
quotequote all
Spend more and get a V10, well worth the difference.

200Plus Club

Original Poster:

10,668 posts

277 months

Wednesday 30th November 2016
quotequote all
Love to but want to stick to budget this time tbh. 40-45k. If it's too much of a minefield at that sort of value because of potentially expensive wallet wrecking bills I would look at something else still.
The 993 has had 8-10k spent on it this year but I bought it knowing what needed doing plus what extra I wanted to do to get it right.
There are loads of good independent inspectors available for 911 reports before buying, is this available for the R8 or better to stick to main dealer sales?

Trev450

6,314 posts

171 months

Wednesday 30th November 2016
quotequote all
The R8 is no different than any other car so long as you go into it well prepared. Mag ride dampers are one of the most popular options and do make a difference to the ride quality. They are prone to leaking, however, so should be checked prior to purchase. The other fairly common failure is the A/C compressor, and while the part itself is not too costly, it requires an engine out on the V8 to change it. Otherwise, it really comes to consumables which can also be costly if not inspected before buying.

A ppi is essential on a car like this and Audi offer a 'health check' which goes some way to addressing this but not overly thorough. Either an independant inspection or at least a main dealer pre sales examination is more comprehensive.


200Plus Club

Original Poster:

10,668 posts

277 months

Wednesday 30th November 2016
quotequote all
Test driven one today. Lovely driving position. Lovely engine noise, nice drivers car, decent brakes. Could easily see me liking one long term.
This one was non mag suspension and tbh I think I'd go for one over the more complex version just as less to go wrong.
I like how the doors open ultra wide :-)
Lovely gear change and alloy gate, nice B&O stereo. A lot of car for the cash

Sussex V8

12 posts

105 months

Saturday 10th December 2016
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This is a great thread, as I'm thinking exactly the same model (V8, manual) and the same budget. Need to sell my 308 GT4 first though. Interesting about the Mag Ride woes. The article in this weeks Autocar said similar....circa £800 a corner. I'd only do two track days a year in one, so standard set up probably ok? Many have said the interior is a little glum, so extended carbon and / or leather seems desirable. Tan Nappa leather lifts the experience too, especially for a black one, which I want.

200Plus Club

Original Poster:

10,668 posts

277 months

Saturday 10th December 2016
quotequote all
Hens teeth without mag ride! Already viewed 2 cars, service histories variable at best!!

j3gme

883 posts

193 months

Sunday 11th December 2016
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I had a V8 manual with no mag ride sold it 4 years ago, but a great car never had any problems with it, and the service costs were very reasonable.

200Plus Club

Original Poster:

10,668 posts

277 months

Tuesday 13th December 2016
quotequote all
Viewed 3 locally and driven two. Very impressive cars, nice drive, look superb.
Just a case now of selling my 993 and fining the right spec cherished R8.
Way too many are at second hand backstreet dealers with sketchy history or slightly tired condition. There are some minters out there though in the 45-50k bracket

Trev450

6,314 posts

171 months

Tuesday 13th December 2016
quotequote all
Yes I found a similar situation when looking for mine. Imo, it's worth spending a little extra to get an honest one as this will reap the benefits in terms of maintenance and resale.

There are a couple of people over on R8talk.com who are UK based looking for V8's around that price, so you will need to act quickly when the right one comes along.

Veeayt

3,139 posts

204 months

Thursday 15th December 2016
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VR6VR6 said:
Ricky Elder (now working for himself at http://reperformance.co.uk) who was head R8 technician for Audi for a few years and REALLY knows his stuff.
Bare with us while we update our site

Apparently the same Ricky Elder who prepped the 200mph Bonneville Skoda

andy97

4,691 posts

221 months

Monday 20th March 2017
quotequote all
Interesting thread, and very useful as I am thinking of satisfying my mid life crisis by buying one. Have posted on the Audi forum already.

Have driven the RTronic on track (I occasionally instruct on Suoercar experience days) and thought it was ok, but road tested one yesterday around the edge of town and on a ring road punctuated by lots of roundabouts and thought the gear change was very clunky.

Mrs 97 really wants an auto/ semi auto but I may have to work hard to change her mind. Hope to road test a manual in the next few days.

I'm afraid that £40k is my absolute max, and even that involves man maths. There does seem to be a few about but the RTronic one I saw yesterday had been wrapped and I just didn't get a good feel about it.

What's the view on depreciation? I have read views that they have bottomed out but not sure I agree with that yet.

Would a 996 Turbo be a better bet, particularly as they are climbing in price? Just not sure I want a 996 T.

It's not an investment but any prospective purchase would be easier to justify if I could make myself believe that depreciation was negligible, or that they may eventually start to climb a little.

JiggyJaggy

1,449 posts

139 months

Monday 20th March 2017
quotequote all
R8 prices have been fairly static for circa 3-4 years now. I have had 3 during that time. Fantastic cars for the value.

Edin430

940 posts

203 months

Monday 20th March 2017
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Wherever possible just stay away from Mag Ride. People can say check them out - fine - but I did when I bought mine and all four were fine as had been replaced a year prior. Under two thousands miles later and three of the four were gone. Two were misting and one was having a wee on the floor.

I was being quoted £1200 a corner all in from Audi and they wouldn't budge on the fact they were barely used since being replaced. Jokers.

Replaced all four with coilovers for £1800.

Other than that - the car is great and I do enjoy it. Spent some money on the exhaust, oil cooler, brakes and tyres. Pretty much what others are saying actually.