karthick

Hi All,
An Audi newbie here. I am trying to join the Audi club by getting a used 2001 S8 (with about 50k miles). The question I have is about the reliability of the 2001 S8. The car does not come with any warranty. 3rd Party extended warranties on S8 are pretty expensive. Most 3rd party warranties will not cover items like shocks, brake pads, belts and hoses which seem are the most likely to break. Keeping this in mind, I was wondering if I could get the S8 without any form of extended warranty. I guess I wouldnt want any major components to break on me which will probably drive me bankrupt. What do you experts think about the S8, reliable daily drive? Exotic high-bucks-maintenance car? I heard that the BMW 7 series can be expensive to maintain, is that true with the S8 as well. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Karthick

Dave G

https://www.audiworld.com/pureprotection

I am also considering purchasing a 2001-2003 S8. However, after reading the A8 forum for over a year, and having owned a 2000 Audi S4, I do not think the S8 would be as reliable as a Japanese luxury car such as Lexus, etc. I've heard others on here say that you should expect, on average, to payout $2,000 per year in maintenance and repairs. If you have a transmission failure, or other costly item, you're looking at thousands more than that, in one lump sum.
I think an extended warranty from Audi is worth a couple thousand up front, for piece of mind.
For me, I will not buy an A8 or S8 without the Audi Certified (Audi Assured) warranty, which will have to come through the Audi dealer.
I haven't looked into Audi's "Pure Protection", because I just found it today. If its just like Audi Assured, and its no more than $2K-$3K, then I'd probably be willing to buy an S8 (less than 50K miles) from a non-Audi dealer, and then I'd immediately buy the Audi "Pure Protection" warranty. But again, we need to find out the exact details of Audi's "Pure Protection" warranty, and the cost of it.


As for service:

It is abundantly clear that the auto transmission needs its fluid changed at 40K miles (despite what the Audi dealers say). If you are buying a 50K miles car, you will need to change the fluid right away, and it needs to be done correctly. I've heard people say it will cost roughly $400 for that change, unless you do it yourself (see www.AudiPages.com for instructions). Apparently, the parts and fluid alone are over $100.
Whether you do it yourself, or have it done professionally, print the directions from www.AudiPages.com, and take them with you, so the service technician can see how to do it properly.

At some mileage near 100K miles, you will have to change the timing belt. I've seen prices on this forum, which were service quotes from Audi dealers, in the range of $900 to $2000 for that timing belt change. You could do the timing belt change yourself, but its a big job (see www.audipages.com).

I think some people have found independant service/mechanics that specialize in Audi's, etc, and thats saved them some money, plus gotten them some better quality service. But its still gonna be costly.

Good luck.<ul><li><a href="https://www.audiworld.com/pureprotection">https://www.audiworld.com/pureprotection</a</li></ul>

Mitaka

i wish I knew the answer to your question. Yes it will be expensive to mainain, No doubt about that especially if you bring it to the dealer for repairs. Research your area for a good independant mechanic who has experince with VW Audi. With all the support you get on this board and great parts prices from Wendy you should be able to do it. GOOD LUCK!

skiwi

that maintenance has been normal. i had a failure in a vent motor (air con), and difficulty in chasing a brake whine which meant 4 visits to the dealer. other than that annual services. i am about to go out of warranty and am looking at keeping the car or trading up to a 2002 s8 with factory warranty. if i keep the car i would go with an audi extended warranty. here in nz they only do this after a comprehensive check of the vehicle.

the s8's are wonderful cars.

ryoung

at 47k miles is probably not that much different than an A8 owner's. See the audipages <A HREF="http://www.audipages.com/usedA8.html">Used A8 Buyer's Guide</a>. Actually, you probably should take a close look at the entire audipages website. My main problems were,

1. Transmission output seal leak, a common A8/S8 problem but an easy fix

2. Transmission fluid leak at an electrical connection (provided a cheap opportunity to change the ATF at 30k miles

3. Power steering fluid leak output from the high pressure hose between the pump and steering rack

4. Fuel vapor leak at the gasket of the gas tank level transmitter (A8's were eventually recalled for this)

5. Several minor electrical glitches, most of which fixed themselves

6. I expect I'm in the minority here, but I've never been satisfied with the brakes of the S8. This is a long story and perhaps my expections are just too high; but in 2001 the S8 was, after all, Audi's top-of-the-line performance car. See <A HREF="https://forums.audiworld.com/a8/msgs/39669.phtml">The Block</a> for a bit of the story.

The S8 has definitely been a reliable daily driver for me, and I track the car regularly. [See audipages <A HREF="http://www.audipages.com/on_track.html">On Track</a>.] In 3 1/2 years, I've never had to leave the car overnight for service. Maintenance can be extremely expensive, though, and I will be getting an extended warranty.

Berrie

I think reliability and costs should not be different than for any other A8.

My 2000 A8 3.7 Quattro has driven 126K miles, and I've paid about $ 1,600 for maintenance and repairs over the last two years ($ 800 each year). I drive 25k miles a year. Luckily I got a two year Audi warranty when I bought the car 2 years ago, which saved me some money. Three oil leaks were fixed under warranty and suspension parts (also the weak part of older A4's) were renewed twice.

docmusolf

Randy, did they ever fix your windshield after grattan??

ryoung

It wasn't a crack; it came off with Windex!!

I have no idea what it really was or how it got on the inside of the windshield; but if you recall, you could feel the "crack" with your fingernail. When I go home, I was feeling the end of the "crack" with my thumb, and it disappeared! One spray of Windex and a rag took care of the rest.

ElmerJFudd

with 50k miles and opted to get an extended warranty after some good advice from this forum.

So far I had a leak in the power steering system fixed (~$400) and I'm taking it in tomorrow to have them look at the a/c and possibly the steering again. Both systems are covered under the warranty.

For what it's worth, the car has been an absolute pleasure. I've had Audis, BMWs and Porsches and so far this one's my favorite.

Good luck to you.

Paldi

A little dried spit! Turn three when you shouted "Yahoo!" LOL