Audi A8 2.8 Quattro - Going to look at one (any advice)?

[richard300]

Hi, I am off this afternoon to go and look at a 51 Registration (1st Generation) Audi A8.
Its the 2.8 Quattro model (Sport pack) with 129k (Full Service History)

The car had a cambelt change in 2011 and was recently serviced. It has a good amount of MOT and TAX and in dark blue with beige Recaro interior and 18" wheels, looks stunning.

However a friend tells me they are nothing but trouble? Is this true? He warns me that EVERYTHING electrical can fail, that the car has air suspension that fails, the ECU's fail, the heating system fails and the gearbox's fail....

Are they really that bad?

Does anyone have any recommendations for things to look or listen for, when i go to view?
Obviously i can check everything electrical works and make sure the box changes up and down smoothly.
What signs show that air suspension is failing?

Thanks,

Richard.

[J4CKO]

That will be a bit slow, perfect storm of not much power versus the weight, 4wd, auto and biggish wheels, may well be fine but on paper it sounds like a recipe for frustration.

[TonyRPH]

richard300 said:

Hi, I am off this afternoon to go and look at a 51 Registration (1st Generation) Audi A8.
Its the 2.8 Quattro model (Sport pack) with 129k (Full Service History)

The 2.8 (190bhp) had a 0 - 60 of around 8.4 sec. so not *that* slow (for such a big car).

richard300 said:

However a friend tells me they are nothing but trouble? Is this true? He warns me that EVERYTHING electrical can fail, that the car has air suspension that fails, the ECU's fail, the heating system fails and the gearbox's fail....

Are they really that bad?

AFAIK they're not that bad. Gearboxes do fail (the autobox - I forget which type).

Everything electrical can fail on any car.

I didn't know they had air suspension...?*

The 2.8 is prone to emitting oil smoke on a cold start (I know, I had one).

The monocoque is aluminium, which helps to keep weight down and keep rust away too.

• ETA a quick Google and "Stiffness of shock absorbers is electrically controlled."

Edited by TonyRPH on Saturday 4th May 09:15

[garycat]

Are you sure it is a quattro? Some 2.8s were FWD.

I ask because my neighbour had a 2.8 FWD, but the previous owner had put a 4.2 quattro badge on the back.

[richard300]

Thanks....

I'm not to fussed about speed or brisk pace.... This is to be used as my daily, so it just sits in traffic on a 4 mile commute with a stop off to drop the kids at school/child minder.

The priority is comfort, equipment, AutoBox and something that will see 100miles on £30 of fuel.

Would it be obvious if the air/electronic part of the suspension had failed?

Tony: Is the emitting of oil smoke on the cold start, anything to worry about?

[richard300]

This is the advert for the car:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&am...

my intention is to pay £1750 is its nice enough.

[Baryonyx]

They do not have air bag suspension. But they do have weak gear boxes, they are prone to water leaks and electronic failures. They have the potential to ruin your savings! But when they do work they are stunning. I had a facelift 4.2 and I loved it. I wouldn't bother with the 2.8 though, especially on such a short commute. You will see very little difference in MPG there, on a cold engine!

I must have covered all the points to look for a few times in the bargain barge threads.

[TonyRPH]

richard300 said:

<snip>
Tony: Is the emitting of oil smoke on the cold start, anything to worry about?

When I asked on the Audi forums (vwaudiforum.co.uk), I was told "they all do that sir" and it's nothing to worry about.

[J4CKO]

richard300 said:

This is the advert for the car:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&am...

my intention is to pay £1750 is its nice enough.

Wow, looks superb

[Goldmember1]

If I mind correctly it's the 5 speed Auto that is the chocolate one / best to avoid, the 4 speed is fine .. ( pretty sure a '51 plate will be the 4 speed )
There's a chap on here , Barry-something , (sorry I cant remember his name ) that bought a lovely silver A8 and posted a thread about it . Lovely car

Doh! Just seen it's Baryonyx and he's posted already!

Edited by Goldmember1 on Saturday 4th May 13:05

[confused_buyer]

A 51-plate will be 5-speed but the worst were the early (97-99) 5-speeds combined with the 4.2 engine so it will probably be OK.

They did make a 2.8 Quattro but only for the last year or so of production so a 51-plate 2.8Q is quite possible.

[ItsJustARide]

I had a '98 S8 that I picked up in 2000 with 20k on the clock. I think I did another 40k over the next 6 years in it. The gearbox went but thankfully I was shelling out £1500 pa for the warranty. However, in fairness to the gearbox, I had been an arse and accelerated hard on a number of occasions whilst towing a trailer with an Alfa Spider on the back for my brother. It was just childishness as I played traffic light grand prix with a trailer on. Satisfying but mechanically unkind. So at the very least I hastened its demise.

Otherwise very little went wrong. One of the heater elements in the front seat went and that would've been £400 to replace. So I didn't. A few other consumables like boots etc. Oh I think the sunroof lost where it was and some sensor had to be replaced so it shut properly. I think. I averaged 17mpg but I always drive enthusiastically. I didn't see the point in owning an S8 and worrying about fuel bills.

On the whole it was an extraordinarily good car for what it was. Steering was dead in comparison to my Scooby (and Caterham but that isn't a fiar comparison) but for effortless pace in absolute luxury in any weather - pretty much unbeatable. I'll never forget a drive down to Tuscany in it...mmmmm....

Not a 2.8 though so not sure how helpful all that is.

[V8RX7]

A mechanic friend bought a FWD 2.8 with 180k on it for £1k

He loves it and finds it very frugal on his 20 mile commute.

He did get a big bill for the brakes - IIRC something about the calipers only being made for 2 yrs hence OEM only.

[carinaman]

http://www.pistonheads.com/doc.asp?c=162&i=269...

[richard300]

I have not yet been to view this car (as my plans changed over the weekend) however I think I may still go and have a look (as its only 12miles away) - They do sound like trouble though!

[Liquid Tuna]

There seems to be a disproportionate amount of doom in this thread. The 2.8 engine you're on about is as old as the hills and is used in everything from the A4 up to the A8. I regularly see A6's for sale with the same engine in with well over 200k and still going. The biggest problem I'd imagine is as with any luxury barge and that's the cost of repairs in general. There's a premium to be paid. It might only be £3k to buy the car now but you've still got £40k car running costs. Just buy it.

[TonyRPH]

Liquid Tuna said:

There seems to be a disproportionate amount of doom in this thread.<snip>

I couldn't agree more.

You are dealing with the same level of risk as buying any 12 year old 2nd hand car.

So long as you avoid the known pitfalls (primarily, the auto box) you should have no issues.

I ran a '99 A4 Quattro (1.8t) with 148k on the clock, and apart from normal servicing, it was fine.

I also had a 2.8 A4 Quattro - and it was fine, apart from the smoky start issue mentioned higher up the thread.

I'm currently running a '51 B6 A4 Quattro 3L V6 - and I've had to fit a cambelt, new disks and pads (+1 caliper) and serviced it in the past year. It drives nicely, and has probably cost not an awful lot more than a basic hatchback of the same age (taking into account the purchase price too).

If you plan to travel any longish distances, you won't regret the comfort factor.

[anonymous-user]

richard300 said:

However a friend tells me they are nothing but trouble? Is this true? He warns me that EVERYTHING electrical can fail, that the car has air suspension that fails, the ECU's fail, the heating system fails and the gearbox's fail....

TBH, your friend is full of sh!t.

We've run a 4.2 since early 2000. It's been a great car, and the main reason we still have it is finding something to replace it that does everything it can do, but better (after a lot of umming and erring, a D3 S8 had been identified as the best fit).

The car doesn't have air suspension, so scratch that little myth. The heating system fails how, exactly? If you have a coolant leak in the rad system you'll lose heating. Much like any other car. The ECU on ours got drowned many years ago due to rainwater overflowing into the electrics box. Audi replaced it gratis as a goodwill gesture and put a drainage hole in the electrics box. Never missed a beat since.

The gearbox on the 4.2s can be a weak spot. IIRC Dr G posted a little piece on a test you can do to identify whether it's weak. But AFAIK, the 2.8s are OK.



A8s are quite well loved on the Internet and there are a few forums you can go to find out about common problems and cheap fixes for them.

[Crafty_]

Have a mate here who is an Audi tech, he repeated the FWD (rather than quattro) thing so check that out.

He says the electrical systems are quite simple compared to modern canbus systems - i.e. get you multimeter out rather than a plug in diagnostic system.

He says there should be nothing critical to rob your wallet.

[fjord]

No disrespect, but it's what, 12 years old? I cant imagine the electronics will be all that mind boggling...

If it were something like the 2005 model, i'd be more warey of things like nav etc breaking.

Also, if you buy it, you'll look like a drug dealer.