elenamaria

Now, don't get me wrong--I'm a real German car enthusiast. And I know I would enjoy every moment in this car. But, in reading these posts, it seems that they're in the shop more than they're on the road. Granted, as long as you have a good warranty, the costs are covered--but my time's worth money, too.

Considering I live an hour from the nearest Audi dealer (or even a qualified mechanic), I'd appreciate any advice from A8 owners regarding whether I should make the investment in this car.

PaulW

They don't have as many problems as they might seem to have. Great car, incredible value!

RCBENZ2

Usually hear about the problems, not the joys!

ryoung

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Don't forget that we're posting problems. If nothing goes wrong, there's really not much to say.

All of my problems have been electrical; they've been annoying, but none have been serious. If it wasn't for these, after 20k miles my S8 would have been back to dealer only for the 5K mile service intervals. Since I schedule these visits in advance, I just wait at the dealer (looking at new Audi's) for the hour or so that it takes these to do the checks and oil changes.<ul><li><a href="https://forums.audiworld.com/a8/msgs/8167.phtml">Electrical Gremlins</a></li></ul>

RCBENZ2

I think little problems will crop up from tracking the car! Agree?

ryoung

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two problems did crop up on the track,

1. I was experimenting with new front brake pads and melted them within about 70 miles, but that certainly wasn't the fault of Audi or the S8. This is somewhat a trial and error process, and the next time I'll be using the Pagid 14 black and try to duct some air to the rotors.

2. The cooling system is marginal on the track, and even running with the passenger compartment heater on max, the car comes within a tick of overheating. OK -- I do wish the cooling system was designed to handle the loads from running the motor at full throttle 95% of the time, but very few cars are. I'll probably end up adding an oil-to-air oil cooler.

I am very careful, though, to not abuse the car on (or off) the track. Like Paul and some others, I change all fluids more frequently than recommended by Audi and use synthetics whenever possible. Besides my own thorough pre-track "Tech Inspections", I don't push the car until motor, brakes, and tires are up to normal temperatures; and I always run a good cool down lap before coming in.

So will little problems crop up from tracking the car? Maybe, maybe not. At least compared to Pennsylvania roads, tracks are billiard table smooth ... no potholes to bend wheels or cut tires, and no cobblestone roads to test the tightness of every fastener.

RCBENZ2

Do you think the belly pan holds the heat?

Egil A64.2s - S6

posts on these pages. A good indicator of problems is to look at the cost of an extended warrany whan comparing similar priced cars from MB and BMW. You might be surprised to leard that there is not a big difference in the cost of the warrany. Don't as us do your own check. I agree with StrA8 on this. My 99 A8 had very few problems over its 80,000+ Km of travel.

wws03

I have owned many other cars, including Jag, Mercedes, and BMWs. I can't say they're any better at not breaking down nor less expensive to maintain. The only headache-free car I have owned is a Lexus LS400, but the ride doesn't compare to the a8. I rather keep my A8.

PaulW

We do need help, don't we? ;-)