Phil3315

I've been considering a used A8 ('01 or '02) for about 6 months now, I drove one Saturday, and it was everything I expected and more. Safety and the Quattro AWD are the main factors influencing this decision, not to mention that it's an amazing car. I drive about 40k per year business and personal, so I need something that will handle the mileage well. I usually put over 200k on a car before moving on, and this looks like a great car to spend that kind of time in, but I'd like to hear that other people have high mileage A8's out there. I have a few questions on options: heated stering wheel, how do I know if the car has it, where is the switch for it. Has anyone tried to add rain sensing wipers? my '01 Passat has them, they work perfectly, and I hate to give them up. How prevalent are the engine ring/block wear problems? that really scares me, I don't want to be afraid to drive the car and constantly worry about mechanical engine failures. How common are MMI problems? The car I test drove had one, I could get the menu to display, but couldn't move to different options. I've read some A8's have glass that blocks UV and can interfere with cell phones and radar detectors, was this an standard or optional in '01? Thanks for the info, sorry the post got so long. Looks like you have a great support/enthusiast forum here, I look forward to getting involved.
Thanks,
Phil Calhoun

ryoung

Audipages has an excellent <a href="http://www.audipages.com/usedA8.html">Used A8 Buyer's Guide</a> that's worth reviewing. To answer some of your specific questions,

1. Heated Steering wheel: My S8 doesn't have it, but it's probably just as well. It's something that seems to fail early and often.

2. Rain Sensing Wipers: I don't think I've ever seen anyone here comment about addng this feature. For myself, I use Rain-X Deicer windshield washer fluid and just never need to use the wipers on the highway, and only use them occasionally in city driving.

3. Engine Block/Ring wear problems: If you use a good synthetic oil and change it at 5k mile intervals, you shouldn't expect any problems. I only have 59k miles on my S8, but 2500 of those miles are on track at full throttle, and oil consumption at the 5k interval is unmeasureable. That 4.2L V8 is a great motor.

4. '01 Glass: Cell phones and portable GPS units work fine in my '01 S8. No experience with radar detectors.

Dan McBoost

Mines still working great (knocks on wood). Honestly I would not love the A8 in the winter without it.

Phil3315

Thanks for the answers, I do plan on using Mobil1, I've been using it for years in other cars, and I'm convinced it's worth it. 2500 miles on a track, that sounds cool, where do you race?

Phil3315

I can appreciate your attachment to the heated steering wheel. I've been dreaming about heated steering wheels ever since I read about Volvo developing one in the late 80's. Before I had heated seats, I didn't think I needed them, but now I'm attached to them. I'm hoping to find an A8 with the heated steering wheel, how will I know if the car has it? I've never seen anything about the controls for it, or where to look. The car I test drove had a little button behind the joystick for the tilt/telescoping control, is that it?

ryoung

See audipages <a href="http://www.audipages.com/on_track.html">On Track</a> :-)

And I also use Mobil 1, for the same reason.

ttuling

The steering wheel heat comes on automatically for a few minutes after you turn on the driver's seat heater if the ambient temperature is low enough. It doesn't have its own switch. Was it part of a cold weather package that also included a ski sack? Someone around here should remember.

Make sure you sat in the seat long enough to really assess it -- like a couple hours. People who fit within the size &amp; shape parameters for which it's designed say it's really comfortable. But if the bend two thirds of the way up the seatback hits too low in your back, no adjustment will fix it. If you sink too far into only the back half of the seat bottom, a crossmember in the seat becomes an underthigh fulcrum. (My seat has since been modified...)

With good maintenance including transmission fluid &amp; filter changes, I don't think you have to worry about major failures over 200k miles. But how tolerant of little ones are you? When the check engine light comes on three times in six months (as mine did between 80,000 and 87,000 miles: O2 sensor internal resistance, evaporative emissions valve, MAF sensor underreporting), do the car's good qualities make up for it? How about a wheel bearing replacement followed in 5000 miles by a thermostat which goes from slightly hot to you're-not-leaving-town in three days, then takes a day to replace because it's behind the timing belt?

Safety and AWD are also exactly why I chose and keep this car, but as a predictable appliance, even the restored 1971 French car I drove 180,000 miles from 1990 to 2001 had it beat. So... you really have to like it. Many of us do.

Tom

JimR

Paraphrasing, "You should look at Audis as reliable Italian cars".

If reliablity is paramount, buy a Lexus.

Cjshutts

My cell phone does not work too well, and I had to get an external auto toll pay thing.

I kind of like the fact that I get less calls in my car.

This may have been changed on later models.

Mattsaudi

I was looking at an STS, but chose this one for the legroom and interior (plus Quattro, sex appeal, etc). I put 2600 miles on it over Christmas vacation, some of it in the snow, with one day driving 14 hours. I had no problems with comfort.