R8 V10 inspection in Norfolk

R8 V10 inspection in Norfolk

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Discussion

Mario149

Original Poster:

7,754 posts

178 months

Tuesday 8th May 2018
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Mornin' all, contemplating an R8 V10 and want to get an independent inspection done. Can anyone recommend someone to do this in the Norfolk area?

PompeyReece

1,494 posts

89 months

Tuesday 8th May 2018
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Mario149 said:
Mornin' all, contemplating an R8 V10 and want to get an independent inspection done. Can anyone recommend someone to do this in the Norfolk area?
No idea in the Norfolk area but the RAC will do a PPI on an R8 nation wide. I had the most comprehensive report done in December 2016, cost me £500, but it was fully detailed and highlighted some issues (I pulled out of the deal and 18 month on the exact car is still for sale...it's quite a story!) in a very comprehensive written report under-written by an insurance policy.

A local independent will probably charge £200-£250 but it'll just be a verbal report and you'll have no route to come back on if something goes wrong. And you've got to find one too.

Mario149

Original Poster:

7,754 posts

178 months

Wednesday 9th May 2018
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Thanks, have gone with RAC one thumbup Fingers crossed!

Mario149

Original Poster:

7,754 posts

178 months

Wednesday 9th May 2018
quotequote all
What was wrong with the R8 you had inspected my I ask? Paranoid it's the one I'm looking at now :P

Trev450

6,322 posts

172 months

Wednesday 9th May 2018
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Ensure that the RAC inspection pays particular attention to the mag ride dampers for leaks, trouble-free functioning of the A/C and the front top damper mounts for any signs of fracture.


Durzel

12,267 posts

168 months

Wednesday 9th May 2018
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R8 uses the same magnetorheological shocks as the Ferrari 458 from memory, and from personal experience you do not want to be on the hook for replacing those out of warranty.

Zippee

13,463 posts

234 months

Wednesday 9th May 2018
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Durzel said:
R8 uses the same magnetorheological shocks as the Ferrari 458 from memory, and from personal experience you do not want to be on the hook for replacing those out of warranty.
Out of interest do any R8 owners replace the mag shocks with normal ones when they fail? From what I understand the ride is not that different but the standard shocks actually last and are a lot cheaper.

Durzel

12,267 posts

168 months

Wednesday 9th May 2018
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Zippee said:
Out of interest do any R8 owners replace the mag shocks with normal ones when they fail? From what I understand the ride is not that different but the standard shocks actually last and are a lot cheaper.
I don't really know many R8 owners, but I'd be surprised if many didn't take up that option.

Trev450

6,322 posts

172 months

Wednesday 9th May 2018
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Zippee said:
Durzel said:
R8 uses the same magnetorheological shocks as the Ferrari 458 from memory, and from personal experience you do not want to be on the hook for replacing those out of warranty.
Out of interest do any R8 owners replace the mag shocks with normal ones when they fail? From what I understand the ride is not that different but the standard shocks actually last and are a lot cheaper.
Yes I did exactly that when two of mine failed last year. I elected to go for the Plus dampers that are a bit more uprated and the ride although stiffer than the mags,is still well within acceptable levels. As for the cost, including fitting and a module kit that is required to prevent error messages, total was under £2500 which is a good 50 percent less than the mags would have been.

PompeyReece

1,494 posts

89 months

Wednesday 9th May 2018
quotequote all
Zippee said:
Out of interest do any R8 owners replace the mag shocks with normal ones when they fail? From what I understand the ride is not that different but the standard shocks actually last and are a lot cheaper.
In my experience most replace like for like, OEM (£1k per corner) or refurbished from a company in Poland (£1k a pair).

Mag ride is always on, a common misunderstanding, so its integral to the cars performance but annoyingly failures are common. Depends how deep your pockets are!

PompeyReece

1,494 posts

89 months

Wednesday 9th May 2018
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Mario149 said:
Thanks, have gone with RAC one thumbup Fingers crossed!
It’s very comprehensive and please do update us on the results. Intrigued if you are dealing with a good or bad seller :-)

Mario149

Original Poster:

7,754 posts

178 months

Friday 1st June 2018
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So, bit of an update....

Inspection went well, couple of minor bits but nothing unusual for an 8 year old car. Overall I'm not massively enamored with the RAC though. Claimed they couldn't do an oil test as it doesn't have a dip stick. 30s of googling showed that it does unless I'm being an idiot. They refused to send the bloke back out to do it unless I paid £125 or something ridiculous.

Biggest PIA about the whole thing is the fact that the car was financed and on SOR. Garage wanted a 50% deposit before the owner would clear the finance (from his own pocket, not with that money), I pushed back as it was not a garage I was familiar with, didn't want to hand over mucho cash to strangers, and I can only collect on weekends so there's no opportunity to ring up, clear finance on the day etc. Anyway, long story short, owner decided to clear the finance in advance of his own back and I got confirmation the other day. Can see it from his side as you only want to go to the hassle of doing that if you're entertaining a serious buyer (and of course they don't know me from Adam either), but equally, selling an 8 year old car with outstanding finance at a small non-specialist outfit doesn't massively instill confidence in the punter.

Anyway, notwithstanding all of that, it's seems to have turned out okay in the end (famous last words!) - I'm picking the car up on Sunday, so rather excited to say the least smile

Roof down

301 posts

126 months

Friday 1st June 2018
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Well done, nice of you to keep us informed it’s always nice to know the outcomes, enjoy Mike

BlackR8

459 posts

77 months

Friday 1st June 2018
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well done on the purchase mate...having owned many cars in my time I honestly think the R8 is amongst the best cars (in its price bracket) in terms of the whole package of performance, reliability, sense of occasion and theatre. I also can't see the V10 R8's dropping much more in value (assuming Gen 1 here).

PompeyReece

1,494 posts

89 months

Saturday 2nd June 2018
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Thanks for the update and glad the PPI went well.

Clearly the RAC guy is talking arse - my oil check proceeded fine!

Trev450

6,322 posts

172 months

Saturday 2nd June 2018
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Congrats. let us know your first impressions.

70proof

6,051 posts

155 months

Saturday 2nd June 2018
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Congrats, you'll love that v10

Mario149

Original Poster:

7,754 posts

178 months

Sunday 3rd June 2018
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Teaser pic of the car after the 190-odd mile drive home smile Will try and write down first thoughts in the next day or so...


Trev450

6,322 posts

172 months

Sunday 3rd June 2018
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Lovely. Red really does suit them. Congrats.

Superleg48

1,524 posts

133 months

Sunday 3rd June 2018
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Congrats OP. Great looking car. Look forward to reading more...