wilfred2k5

Some of the noises made by the A8 reek of quality; others, not so much.

Good sounds

1. Door close sound
2. Heavy industrial electric sound when you hit the engine start switch without your foot on the brakes (sound system activating)
3. Sound of the car lowering the suspension after the doors are closed and locked.
4. Sound of the rear armrest as it slowly retracts (highly underrated)
5. Thunk when the car turns off as you open the door
6. The chime of the "low fuel" alert...perfectly matches that airline chime.
7. The ding when ACC (adaptive cruise control) has stopped the car and you then hit the brakes to activate auto start/stop.
8. Trunk opening noise

Bad sounds

1.. MMI lowering/raising - sounds frail
2. Sound of the steering wheel tilting into/out of place (sounds like it's struggling)
3. Sound of the seats adjusting up/down/left/back (struggling again)
4. Trunk closing noise (sounds cheap)
4.

Dr.Aronis

Tell me more about the rear armrest retracting. Mine is manual?

wilfred2k5

Mine is manual too, but if you lift it about 1 inch above the bench, it retracts fully over about 15 seconds. It's simply the coolest thing. I sat in the garage one night just trying to see how gingerly I could lift it and have it cantilever itself closed. I presume there's an air shock on it. It's one of those things that reeks of quality.