RE: The Brave Pill: Audi A8 4.2 TDI

[dubbs]

Augustus Windsock said:

Hi all! It’s my car up for sale and this seller certainly isn’t devious, he simply was mid reg transfer to my M2 (a sleuth may have seen it in the background on the photos) - might be worth getting some fact right before throwing around accusations MadDog..... the M6 was stolen in 2009 which a browse either on here or indeed a simple google would tell you as the thread details the whole thing in a very undevious way.”

The unseasonably warm weather must have got to my brain as I can’t work out why a plate that shows its registered to a BMW that was written off in 2009 is on a car for sale now (and I presume it’s a recent image as you mention the M2 in the background)
Surely the plate should have been on the Audi at the time of this article?
Or am I one burger short of a bbq?
Can anyone supply some mayonnaise to sooth my heat-addled brain?

I don’t think it’s you, it’s the DVLA. My M6 was blue and a 5 litre v10.... my M2 (seen in the photo) is white and 3 litre.... it’s quite easy when you know but I can see how not wanting to delve deep in to the detail on a lovely BH weekend would cause concern when seeing DVLA mistake.... especially as they clearly show it as a 2018 white 3 litre when my M6 was ten years older, 2 litres more, and a different colour

Thanks for pointing it out though as I saw all this on vehicle smart after your comment so I can give them a ring and get it sorted as it may confuse someone else just as easily :thumbsup:

[jp-sr71]

Biggest headlines for the V10 5.0 TDi in the Phaeton/Touareg??!!

Pah!

What about the V12 6.0 TDi in the ultimate Q7?

313hp isn't close to 493hp!

[pcvdriver]

alorotom said:

I’d love one as a family wafter but they’re a bh to park in Morrisons and the train station

They're easy enough to park if the original owner opted to have front and rear parking sensors fitted.

[1781cc]

Sandpit Steve said:

Yes, it’s the S8 with the V10, hopefully will be enjoyable fast motoring and not a massive money pit!

Good on you - have a search on the main pistonheads site for V10 S8 - mine was featured 3 times and I posted extensively about things to look for, issues and so on, had mine 2 years and loved it.

Anything you want to know about them after reading DM me and I’ll helps she’s some light where I can

[Nors]

cognac1979 said:

I have always fancied one of these, I think the D3 is the smartest looking of the bunch.

I have to agree, I think the D3 is the sleek one of the A8 family and the 4.2Tdi was always a big want for me as 300+bhp in a diesel was bonkers back then.

I opted for the 3.0Tdi in sport trim with a remap due to my high mileage and did 4 years and 140k miles in it. Without a shadow of doubt it was the comfiest car I've ever driven (sport seats a must) and the best at 'shielding' you from the outside world regardless of conditions I've ever been in.

This 4.2 is still very desirable to me!! One like this that is well maintained isn't that brave, my mate has one with 220k on it and it's still faultless.

[Riley Blue]

Nors said:

cognac1979 said:

I have always fancied one of these, I think the D3 is the smartest looking of the bunch.

I have to agree, I think the D3 is the sleek one of the A8 family and the 4.2Tdi was always a big want for me as 300+bhp in a diesel was bonkers back then.

I opted for the 3.0Tdi in sport trim with a remap due to my high mileage and did 4 years and 140k miles in it. Without a shadow of doubt it was the comfiest car I've ever driven (sport seats a must) and the best at 'shielding' you from the outside world regardless of conditions I've ever been in.

This 4.2 is still very desirable to me!! One like this that is well maintained isn't that brave, my mate has one with 220k on it and it's still faultless.

I think that the face lifted grille spoils the purity of the original D3 visage. The 4.2TDI wasn't within reach financially when I was looking so I opted for its petrol powered brother. Other than a complex electrical gremlin that was costly to fix it has been good as gold and super comfy for long distance voyages wit reasonably fuel frugality, I have seen 31mpg at +/- the motorway limit over a 300 mile non-stop trip.

[thiscocks]

ruprechtmonkeyboy said:

dubbs said:

bloomen said:

A Mk4 Ford Mondeo is only 5 inches shorter and a 3/4 inch narrower and yet the bulk is rarely mentioned. Is it more of a turning circle thing?

No, it tends to be more of an “I’ve never owned one but still have an opinion”, thing ??

I haven’t had a problem parking it anywhere, it has camera and pdc all round plus a decent turning circle... people assume so much with very little exerpience... aside from using it as my commuting car when I was doing 400 miles a week or more, it has also been a fabulous family holiday car with us driving to Spain in supreme comfort, kids love the comfort in the back and the boot is huge so all luggage including belly boards fit in.

Turning circle? Bah.... anyone with half a sense of how to park and knows how a parking sensor works can park it easily.... ??

Why get so defensive? It's a big car so of course it can be tricky to park sometimes.

Hes not being defensive, just saying like it is from an owners perspective. Yes its a big car but people go on about it as if its a bloody hummer.

[budgie smuggler]

thiscocks said:

ruprechtmonkeyboy said:

dubbs said:

bloomen said:

A Mk4 Ford Mondeo is only 5 inches shorter and a 3/4 inch narrower and yet the bulk is rarely mentioned. Is it more of a turning circle thing?

No, it tends to be more of an “I’ve never owned one but still have an opinion”, thing ??

I haven’t had a problem parking it anywhere, it has camera and pdc all round plus a decent turning circle... people assume so much with very little exerpience... aside from using it as my commuting car when I was doing 400 miles a week or more, it has also been a fabulous family holiday car with us driving to Spain in supreme comfort, kids love the comfort in the back and the boot is huge so all luggage including belly boards fit in.

Turning circle? Bah.... anyone with half a sense of how to park and knows how a parking sensor works can park it easily.... ??

Why get so defensive? It's a big car so of course it can be tricky to park sometimes.

Hes not being defensive, just saying like it is from an owners perspective. Yes its a big car but people go on about it as if its a bloody hummer.

I wonder where Bloomen got his numbers from? Parkers has it at 14 inches longer and 1 metre larger on the turning circle than a mk4 Mondeo (5137mm vs 4800mm).

I had one of those Mondeos for a bit, it was pretty much exactly the size of a car parking space in a lot of areas, and hung out of the front on some. I can't imagine an extra foot and a bit of length will help a great deal!

Edited by budgie smuggler on Tuesday 23 April 10:12

[pancholi]

A8's have been my daily drivers for several years now.
having had:

D2 4.2 petrol sold at 180,000 miles. apart from wear and tear was faultless
D3 4.2 Tdi sold at 165,000 miles, again from wear and tear was faultless
D4 4.2 Tdi LWB chipped with Celtic tuning sub 5 seconds. current car 80,000 drives like new, service items only. the best car i have owned.

the quality is head and shoulders above an S class or 7 series. i am not brand biased as we has also consistently had mercs and BMW's estates as doggy taxis.

find a good indie and enjoy.

[anonymous-user]

budgie smuggler said:

thiscocks said:

ruprechtmonkeyboy said:

dubbs said:

bloomen said:

A Mk4 Ford Mondeo is only 5 inches shorter and a 3/4 inch narrower and yet the bulk is rarely mentioned. Is it more of a turning circle thing?

No, it tends to be more of an “I’ve never owned one but still have an opinion”, thing ??

I haven’t had a problem parking it anywhere, it has camera and pdc all round plus a decent turning circle... people assume so much with very little exerpience... aside from using it as my commuting car when I was doing 400 miles a week or more, it has also been a fabulous family holiday car with us driving to Spain in supreme comfort, kids love the comfort in the back and the boot is huge so all luggage including belly boards fit in.

Turning circle? Bah.... anyone with half a sense of how to park and knows how a parking sensor works can park it easily.... ??

Why get so defensive? It's a big car so of course it can be tricky to park sometimes.

Hes not being defensive, just saying like it is from an owners perspective. Yes its a big car but people go on about it as if its a bloody hummer.

I wonder where Bloomen got his numbers from? Parkers has it at 14 inches longer and 1 metre larger on the turning circle than a mk4 Mondeo (5137mm vs 4800mm).

I had one of those Mondeos for a bit, it was pretty much exactly the size of a car parking space in a lot of areas, and hung out of the front on some. I can't imagine an extra foot and a bit of length will help a great deal!

Edited by budgie smuggler on Tuesday 23 April 10:12

It's longer than an L322 Range Rover and virtually the same width. Land Yacht would be a suitable description

[1781cc]

The key thing about the size is that it’s not unwieldy to move, or difficult to park in itself, it’s more the lack of space that leaves when other cars park next to it, and because the panels are so exotic it’s expensive when it does get thumped, I know this from bitter experience.

I think anybody who cares about their car will park further away then needed in order to give it a fighting chance of not getting dinged, if said car fills the space entirely then chances are reduced further.

[dvs_dave]

pancholi said:

A8's have been my daily drivers for several years now.
having had:

D2 4.2 petrol sold at 180,000 miles. apart from wear and tear was faultless
D3 4.2 Tdi sold at 165,000 miles, again from wear and tear was faultless
D4 4.2 Tdi LWB chipped with Celtic tuning sub 5 seconds. current car 80,000 drives like new, service items only. the best car i have owned.

the quality is head and shoulders above an S class or 7 series. i am not brand biased as we has also consistently had mercs and BMW's estates as doggy taxis.

find a good indie and enjoy.

Yes, they are on the whole very solid and reliable with very little in the way of serious Bork. These days the forum community knowledge base is very deep, so there isn’t much that can’t be easily diagnosed and fixed, especially if you’re vaguely handy. Helped massively by the fact that dealer level diagnostic equipment (VCDS) is readily available and easy to use and understand. You don’t have that luxury with Merc or BMW. This plays heavily into why you often see old Audi’s (and other VAG products) still going strong long after their less easily fixable contemporaries have been consigned to the scrap heap because of a simple part failure that only a dealer can diagnose and fix.

[nobrakes]

dvs_dave said:

pancholi said:

A8's have been my daily drivers for several years now.
having had:

D2 4.2 petrol sold at 180,000 miles. apart from wear and tear was faultless
D3 4.2 Tdi sold at 165,000 miles, again from wear and tear was faultless
D4 4.2 Tdi LWB chipped with Celtic tuning sub 5 seconds. current car 80,000 drives like new, service items only. the best car i have owned.

the quality is head and shoulders above an S class or 7 series. i am not brand biased as we has also consistently had mercs and BMW's estates as doggy taxis.

find a good indie and enjoy.

Yes, they are on the whole very solid and reliable with very little in the way of serious Bork. These days the forum community knowledge base is very deep, so there isn’t much that can’t be easily diagnosed and fixed, especially if you’re vaguely handy. Helped massively by the fact that dealer level diagnostic equipment (VCDS) is readily available and easy to use and understand. You don’t have that luxury with Merc or BMW. This plays heavily into why you often see old Audi’s (and other VAG products) still going strong long after their less easily fixable contemporaries have been consigned to the scrap heap because of a simple part failure that only a dealer can diagnose and fix.

A chipped 4.2tdi?

“The 8.10am for Kings Cross will be departing Paltform 6 and is attached to the towbar of Pancholi’s Audi”

Impressive.

[alorotom]

pcvdriver said:

alorotom said:

I’d love one as a family wafter but they’re a bh to park in Morrisons and the train station

They're easy enough to park if the original owner opted to have front and rear parking sensors fitted.

It’s the physical size compared to the parking bays that make them more challenging, not so much the need for sensory guidance.

[skyrover]

To be fair, parking spaces are too small for almost every car on the road these days.

[Riley Blue]

skyrover said:

To be fair, parking spaces are too small for almost every car on the road these days.

To be accurate, they're not.

[skyrover]

Even a mini is over a foot wider than the original.

Width is the issue, not length no pun intended.

[tomic]

The only sensible luxobarge buy at this age is a Lexus LS460. My SE-L has cost me precisely zero since I bought it last summer. It does 32mpg on a run and 18/19 around town. It's also a 376bhp V8 Petrol so doesn't sound like a tractor, is welcome in any of the ULEZ areas and is properly quick. If you find one with full Lexus history you should have no issues.

[JamesyBoy1975]

Lovely cars, the Danish really don't like diesels on their roads so an annual bill of £1637 for the tax really changes the barge status on these. My hunt for the sweet spot continues.

[dubbs]

1781cc said:

The key thing about the size is that it’s not unwieldy to move, or difficult to park in itself, it’s more the lack of space that leaves when other cars park next to it, and because the panels are so exotic it’s expensive when it does get thumped, I know this from bitter experience.

I think anybody who cares about their car will park further away then needed in order to give it a fighting chance of not getting dinged, if said car fills the space entirely then chances are reduced further.

I checked this before I bought it and there's no issues at all with regards to body panels - most body repair shops can repair them no problem at all - they've been working with Aluminium for many years now and none were concerned whatsoever.

It is a wide car for sure so you'll end up parking where the other merchant, Porsche, LR, RR, large BMWs park.... although of course it's cheap enough you may be less concerned as a station car or motorway commute mile muncher - luckily my station has loads of spaces and anywhere else I am always at work early enough to get good spaces