RE: Shed Buying Guide | Audi A8
Discussion
I’m currently running a 2000 facelift S8. Really enjoying it as a running resto. Slowly chipping away at the deferred maintenance. Metallic black with a black interior, it’s a nice old bus.
Great forum brim full of knowledge to keep it going. Knocking on 152k. Needs the dreaded gearbox rebuild, but I’ll pull the engine and box myself and take the time to do some preventative work on the engine.
Like it for its docile waft-mode and decent pace when you need it. I only do a 15 mile round trip to work, so fuel not too horrific. Longer journeys it’ll get to 29mpg (regular 4.2, non S8’s have a higher final drive so a bit better on mpg).
One of the few cars that’ll ill possibly keep long term.
Great forum brim full of knowledge to keep it going. Knocking on 152k. Needs the dreaded gearbox rebuild, but I’ll pull the engine and box myself and take the time to do some preventative work on the engine.
Like it for its docile waft-mode and decent pace when you need it. I only do a 15 mile round trip to work, so fuel not too horrific. Longer journeys it’ll get to 29mpg (regular 4.2, non S8’s have a higher final drive so a bit better on mpg).
One of the few cars that’ll ill possibly keep long term.
The article refers to the pop-up MMi screen. MMi was not available until the D3 model.
My dad still has his face lift 2.8 that he purchased in 2001 as an ex-demo, It's only done 50,000 miles.
IMHO it wasn't as good as the 1998 2.4 A6 it replaced. The thing constantly lets in water, it's had suspension arms, steering pumps, a steering rack, 6 new brake calipers, three aerials etc. The list goes on. There is also an ever growing list of things that keep failing which you can't fix such as the drivers window regulator as everything is now obsolete.
I had to use it for nearly a month in July when the oil separator and coolant bottle on my 986 failed simultaneously. For all its faults it's a fantastically over-engineered car and lovely place to be (despite having to unblock the air con drains whilst I borrowed it due to water ingress!) It also comes from a time when Audi made genuinely good looking, classy cars and not the complete mess they are these days.
Sadly, Audi refuse to support their older models like BMW and Mercedes do. I popped into my old workplace (Audi Dealer) today to get a price on some brake pads for it as they are nearly metal-on-metal. I couldn't believe it when they told me they were obsolete. Fair enough if it was a colour specific trim but brake pads???
My dad still has his face lift 2.8 that he purchased in 2001 as an ex-demo, It's only done 50,000 miles.
IMHO it wasn't as good as the 1998 2.4 A6 it replaced. The thing constantly lets in water, it's had suspension arms, steering pumps, a steering rack, 6 new brake calipers, three aerials etc. The list goes on. There is also an ever growing list of things that keep failing which you can't fix such as the drivers window regulator as everything is now obsolete.
I had to use it for nearly a month in July when the oil separator and coolant bottle on my 986 failed simultaneously. For all its faults it's a fantastically over-engineered car and lovely place to be (despite having to unblock the air con drains whilst I borrowed it due to water ingress!) It also comes from a time when Audi made genuinely good looking, classy cars and not the complete mess they are these days.
Sadly, Audi refuse to support their older models like BMW and Mercedes do. I popped into my old workplace (Audi Dealer) today to get a price on some brake pads for it as they are nearly metal-on-metal. I couldn't believe it when they told me they were obsolete. Fair enough if it was a colour specific trim but brake pads???
Edited by Crackfox on Tuesday 24th September 21:23
Here was a summary of 7 years of ownership of my 4.2 D2 that i did in 2017. https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=16...
I still have the car, now on 160K and this year had a second new cam belt/water pump in my ownership. It is off to garage this week as it has a water leak from somewhere. Wife managed to scrape it along the gatepost wall last week so it now has a 18 inch scratch and a dent in the bottom of the passenger side door. Guess is adds to it's sheddiness !
I must update the running costs stuff just for my own interest. In my ownership the average fuel consumption is sitting on 25.6mpg but it is not used for a lot of town driving (mostly dual carriageways) so you could see FAR less than that in daily use.
I still have the car, now on 160K and this year had a second new cam belt/water pump in my ownership. It is off to garage this week as it has a water leak from somewhere. Wife managed to scrape it along the gatepost wall last week so it now has a 18 inch scratch and a dent in the bottom of the passenger side door. Guess is adds to it's sheddiness !
I must update the running costs stuff just for my own interest. In my ownership the average fuel consumption is sitting on 25.6mpg but it is not used for a lot of town driving (mostly dual carriageways) so you could see FAR less than that in daily use.
Crackfox said:
Sadly, Audi refuse to support their older models like BMW and Mercedes do. I popped into my old workplace (Audi Dealer) today to get a price on some brake pads for it as they are nearly metal-on-metal. I couldn't believe it when they told me they were obsolete. Fair enough if it was a colour specific trim but brake pads???
While its true that Audi themselves don't stock a great deal of items for cars of this vintage anymore, one has to ask why you'd go to Audi for brake pads in the first place - given there are a plethora of after market and off the shelf options at (probably) a fraction of the dealer price - moreso given the age and thus cost of the car itself..Edited by Crackfox on Tuesday 24th September 21:23
Crackfox said:
Sadly, Audi refuse to support their older models like BMW and Mercedes do. I popped into my old workplace (Audi Dealer) today to get a price on some brake pads for it as they are nearly metal-on-metal. I couldn't believe it when they told me they were obsolete. Fair enough if it was a colour specific trim but brake pads???
Try Audi Tradition for older model parts:Edited by Crackfox on Tuesday 24th September 21:23
http://trshop.audi.de/konakart/Welcome.do
Couldn't discourage people enough from buying one of these heaps of junk. I had a colleague who was addicted to them, had 4 in a row (1st generation to 3rd) and every single one had utterly shocking reliability. Suspension, brakes, electronics, gadgets, driveshafts, even the wheels failed on a weekly basis. I'd say he averaged 1 day out of 5 out of action with something being repaired, and I often had to give him a lift to work in my Rover or TVR. How ironic.
He kept buying them because he was convinced Audis had great build quality and he'd just picked a bad one. Plus he thought he looked cool in it. But he looked like a berk - a poor, deluded, broken down berk.
He kept buying them because he was convinced Audis had great build quality and he'd just picked a bad one. Plus he thought he looked cool in it. But he looked like a berk - a poor, deluded, broken down berk.
the cueball said:
Have they changed their policy back to allowing shipment to the UK? I've ordered from them a handful of times to buy NOS bits, but recent forum experience suggests they won't ship hereBack in the early 2000s I used to do quite a bit of overseas travel for work, and my employer had an account with a chauffeur company we used to getting to, and back from, airports that had a few A8s (as well as all the usual suspects like A6s, E-Class, R Class & S Class Mercs, BMW 5s & 7s, an XJ8 and a Range Rover).
I remember the 1st time I got picked up in an A8 LWB and thinking it was a lovely wafty way to travel. These early ones are pretty understated, and seem to have aged well in the looks department.
I don't think I'd ever be brave enough to buy one though - but fair play to anyone who does. Must be a great way to cross a continent!
I remember the 1st time I got picked up in an A8 LWB and thinking it was a lovely wafty way to travel. These early ones are pretty understated, and seem to have aged well in the looks department.
I don't think I'd ever be brave enough to buy one though - but fair play to anyone who does. Must be a great way to cross a continent!
Adrian E said:
the cueball said:
Have they changed their policy back to allowing shipment to the UK? I've ordered from them a handful of times to buy NOS bits, but recent forum experience suggests they won't ship hereGassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff