Discussion
Audi S8
Welcome to the thread about my 2015 Audi S8.
My car ownership history has always been littered with more Audis than any other marque. My first Audi was a MK1 TT roadster then I had a C6 S6 avant, a C6 S6 saloon, a D4 A8 3.0 TFSI and most recently a C7.5 S6 saloon.
The S8 has been my grail car for the past couple of years. I only bought the S6 because I couldn’t really find the right S8 and opted for the lesser model as it had a decent spec and was quite local to me. Although I loved the S6, the interior and switchgear wasn’t really up to the quality of that of the A8 I had previously.
Due to the cheap lease deals that were offered and discussed at great length in the VAG section of this forum, there are quite a few quite basic spec A8s on the market being sold by car supermarkets and independent dealers. These would typically have slightly lower than average mileage coupled with standard 20” wheels, be in black or silver and have no sunroof and limited options.
Having kept an eye on Autotrader for a few weeks, there always seemed to be around 25 facelift models for sale at any one time. Then a few weeks ago I found this for sale on EBay with a very, very detailed description. This was followed by the same car being advertised on Autotrader.
It was a private seller who had owned it for circa 3 years. Lovely spec. Daytona grey, 21” wheels, black interior, sunroof, heated steering wheel and self park amongst other options.
What drew me to the car however was the fact that it had been stage two modified. I’m the wrong side of 40 now and thought that my modified days were behind me, but on the flip side I thought I’d take advantage of (relatively) cheap insurance and the fact that somebody else had paid for the mods.
In the previous owner’s tenure, he had spent over £10k in mods. Initially it had a Stage 1 ECU and TCU tune by a local specialist. Then a few months later, he decided to go the whole hog. This involved the car being sent to QSTuning who fitted APR downpipes and sport cats coupled to a resonated Milltek system. BMC air filters and NGK race plugs were fitted as well. They also remapped the engine and gearbox with a stage two APR remap. The car hasn’t been on a rolling road but it’s estimated that it’s pushing out circa 700bhp.
The standard 21” wheels had been refurbed with powder coat and all of them remain unmarked. Tyres are Dunlop SportMaxx R0 Audi OEM fitment.
Apart from the exhaust tips, the car is cosmetically standard which I quite like.
So, after a few lengthy phone calls and invoices being emailed to me for my perusal, a provisional deal was done subject to inspection of the car. I’m a Northern monkey and this was based down on the south coast. A long train journey culminated in me being picked up from the train station in the S8. After a long test drive, the deal was done and my four and a half hour drive back up North commenced…
Let’s start with the sound. On a cold start, the thing is brutal. On my first morning, it actually set off the car alarm of the vehicle parked next to me. I actually thought I had hit it but then realised it must have been the sound! In comfort mode, it’s pretty quiet with only the slightest burble. The exhaust is resonated and valved so can be quite respectable when needs be. However, if you put it in sport mode, the gearbox hangs onto the gears and it does sound special. Not ASBO loud but you can definitely hear the V8.
I don’t profess to be a highly talented driver so haven’t really pushed this car hard at all. On motorways and dual carriageways, the acceleration is brutal. I’ve never driven a car so powerful. It’s straight line speed is unbelievable. My previous S6 was stage one remapped and I managed to obtain a 0-60 tome of 3.7 seconds using the Dragy app. This car feels a lot faster. Unfortunately, I no longer have the Dragy unit and in any event, doubt I could safely launch this car on anything but an airfield!
On the long drive home mostly on motorways I was getting around 26mg. I live and work in the city centre so this drops to around 15mpg for day to day driving.
Anyway, onto something pictures:
My future plans for the car are quite limited. Although it had a service in December 2021, I’m going to do an oil and filter change. I’ll probably revert the BMC air filters back to standard ones. I’m also going to remove the Milltek tailpipes and replace them with a more OEM looking oval pipes. Other than that, I don’t think I’ll do much else.
I’ve read a lot about this engine having problems with the turbo oil screen getting clogged up and starving the turbos of oil thereby trashing them. PCVs can go too. I might consider replacing the oil screen at a later date when I decide whether I'm going to keep this car long term or not. Other than that, I just plan to keep on top of maintenance and do 6 monthly oil changes on top of routine servicing.
Welcome to the thread about my 2015 Audi S8.
My car ownership history has always been littered with more Audis than any other marque. My first Audi was a MK1 TT roadster then I had a C6 S6 avant, a C6 S6 saloon, a D4 A8 3.0 TFSI and most recently a C7.5 S6 saloon.
The S8 has been my grail car for the past couple of years. I only bought the S6 because I couldn’t really find the right S8 and opted for the lesser model as it had a decent spec and was quite local to me. Although I loved the S6, the interior and switchgear wasn’t really up to the quality of that of the A8 I had previously.
Due to the cheap lease deals that were offered and discussed at great length in the VAG section of this forum, there are quite a few quite basic spec A8s on the market being sold by car supermarkets and independent dealers. These would typically have slightly lower than average mileage coupled with standard 20” wheels, be in black or silver and have no sunroof and limited options.
Having kept an eye on Autotrader for a few weeks, there always seemed to be around 25 facelift models for sale at any one time. Then a few weeks ago I found this for sale on EBay with a very, very detailed description. This was followed by the same car being advertised on Autotrader.
It was a private seller who had owned it for circa 3 years. Lovely spec. Daytona grey, 21” wheels, black interior, sunroof, heated steering wheel and self park amongst other options.
What drew me to the car however was the fact that it had been stage two modified. I’m the wrong side of 40 now and thought that my modified days were behind me, but on the flip side I thought I’d take advantage of (relatively) cheap insurance and the fact that somebody else had paid for the mods.
In the previous owner’s tenure, he had spent over £10k in mods. Initially it had a Stage 1 ECU and TCU tune by a local specialist. Then a few months later, he decided to go the whole hog. This involved the car being sent to QSTuning who fitted APR downpipes and sport cats coupled to a resonated Milltek system. BMC air filters and NGK race plugs were fitted as well. They also remapped the engine and gearbox with a stage two APR remap. The car hasn’t been on a rolling road but it’s estimated that it’s pushing out circa 700bhp.
The standard 21” wheels had been refurbed with powder coat and all of them remain unmarked. Tyres are Dunlop SportMaxx R0 Audi OEM fitment.
Apart from the exhaust tips, the car is cosmetically standard which I quite like.
So, after a few lengthy phone calls and invoices being emailed to me for my perusal, a provisional deal was done subject to inspection of the car. I’m a Northern monkey and this was based down on the south coast. A long train journey culminated in me being picked up from the train station in the S8. After a long test drive, the deal was done and my four and a half hour drive back up North commenced…
Let’s start with the sound. On a cold start, the thing is brutal. On my first morning, it actually set off the car alarm of the vehicle parked next to me. I actually thought I had hit it but then realised it must have been the sound! In comfort mode, it’s pretty quiet with only the slightest burble. The exhaust is resonated and valved so can be quite respectable when needs be. However, if you put it in sport mode, the gearbox hangs onto the gears and it does sound special. Not ASBO loud but you can definitely hear the V8.
I don’t profess to be a highly talented driver so haven’t really pushed this car hard at all. On motorways and dual carriageways, the acceleration is brutal. I’ve never driven a car so powerful. It’s straight line speed is unbelievable. My previous S6 was stage one remapped and I managed to obtain a 0-60 tome of 3.7 seconds using the Dragy app. This car feels a lot faster. Unfortunately, I no longer have the Dragy unit and in any event, doubt I could safely launch this car on anything but an airfield!
On the long drive home mostly on motorways I was getting around 26mg. I live and work in the city centre so this drops to around 15mpg for day to day driving.
Anyway, onto something pictures:
My future plans for the car are quite limited. Although it had a service in December 2021, I’m going to do an oil and filter change. I’ll probably revert the BMC air filters back to standard ones. I’m also going to remove the Milltek tailpipes and replace them with a more OEM looking oval pipes. Other than that, I don’t think I’ll do much else.
I’ve read a lot about this engine having problems with the turbo oil screen getting clogged up and starving the turbos of oil thereby trashing them. PCVs can go too. I might consider replacing the oil screen at a later date when I decide whether I'm going to keep this car long term or not. Other than that, I just plan to keep on top of maintenance and do 6 monthly oil changes on top of routine servicing.
Driving in the rain yesterday and the car had a little wobble when driving through some standing water. It also torque steers when accelerating swiftly. First port of call is going to be a change of tyres.
The Dunlops will make way for whether Michelin PS4S or Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport.
The Dunlops will make way for whether Michelin PS4S or Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport.
Lovely! I've had a couple of D2 S8s, and a D3 S8 for a number of years. I had a D4 S8 as a loan car for a couple of weeks when an Audi recall on my D3 went wrong, and loved every second of driving it, and used D4 prices have really come down in the last couple of years, even the top-spec W12s.
Agree about the Milltek system, and you can still get good money selling it and finding some original tailpipes/full system. You can always tinker and replace the centre resonators for a straight pipe if you think it's too quiet.
Agree about the Milltek system, and you can still get good money selling it and finding some original tailpipes/full system. You can always tinker and replace the centre resonators for a straight pipe if you think it's too quiet.
thiscocks said:
These look great. What do you get out of a tank? Bet it cruises well on the motorway.
I averaged around 26mpg on the motorway. 70mph results in 1700 revs. I think I could have got better economy on the drive home from picking it up but the temptation to use the loud pedal got the better of me.I’ve come from an L405 Range Rover so this a little more involved when on the road. Even though both cars had double glazed windows, the Range Rover was quieter.
olliete said:
Lovely car, I think the stock look is great too. A real sleeper
Agreed. That’s why I’m going to remove the Milltek tailpipes and replace them with something a little more in keeping with a standard S8. Due to that fact that the current tailpipes are titanium, they’re currently being sold for £500 on EBay. I reckon I should get at least half of that for mine. In anticipation of attempting to sell them, as these tailpipes also fit the Golf R system, I’ve joined the den of iniquity which is the Mark 7 Golf R Facebook Buy and Sell…Expenditure Report:
Genuine oil filter and sump washer £29
10 litres Quantum LL3 5w30 £37.50
Total £66.50
I decided to do an interim oil and filter change. I always do this after buying a new car regardless as to when it was last serviced which was December 2021 in this case.
To be honest, I’m glad I did as when I removed the undertray it revealed a slightly weeping oil filter housing. The housing has an alley key drain hole in the centre where some oil had leaked from. Nothing major but glad I caught it. I think the previous garage hadn’t nipped it up tight enough or didn’t replace the o-ring.
Anyway, the car took around 8.8 litres of oil which leave me a litre for top ups if needed.
Just had a look at Audi’s website and they wanted £305 for an oil and filter change. Man maths dictates that I’ve saved £240 to spend on other parts of the car
Genuine oil filter and sump washer £29
10 litres Quantum LL3 5w30 £37.50
Total £66.50
I decided to do an interim oil and filter change. I always do this after buying a new car regardless as to when it was last serviced which was December 2021 in this case.
To be honest, I’m glad I did as when I removed the undertray it revealed a slightly weeping oil filter housing. The housing has an alley key drain hole in the centre where some oil had leaked from. Nothing major but glad I caught it. I think the previous garage hadn’t nipped it up tight enough or didn’t replace the o-ring.
Anyway, the car took around 8.8 litres of oil which leave me a litre for top ups if needed.
Just had a look at Audi’s website and they wanted £305 for an oil and filter change. Man maths dictates that I’ve saved £240 to spend on other parts of the car
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