KaMaKaZieP -ALUMIN8-

Where I do not plan on getting rid of my car anytime soon I do plan on getting it back to 100% or as close to it as possible. It is just frustrating that I do not have any dealer or mechanic within an hour drive of me that will work on the car. It is very frustrating that the dealership cannot get me an open appointment until January 18. The funny thing is that I will bet money that they will keep it for a week then tell me its fixed, I get in the car and 1 out of the 10 items that I requested repair on will be fixed.

When I was in IL with Gabor, Paul, and Tony I saw people who were not afraid to work on A8's, I was with crazy mechanics that had no fear of ripping apart the car and put it back together. I work on my car as much as I can, I do not trust anyone around the NJ area to open this car and be able to put it back together.

I drove a 95 A6 and had 210k miles on it. That car had its multitude of failures as well. The dealership was asked to fix my HVAC system because 3 of the 4 servomotors broke and it was stuck in defrost mode. I got the call that it would be $1950 to fix. I oked it and I get the car back. To my surprise, my entire dash is in pieces and the car was not put back together. The cracked my wood grain surrounding the HVAC unit and could not order a replacement because the only wood available would not match. After fighting for 3 weeks, I got a partial refund of $500 for damages. The A6 was also an oil leak disaster. Two Head gasket leaks. Both of them were the driver side. The dealer cannot even fix the car right. I am a heavy driver, I can put 40k miles on a car in a year, so Audi problems tend to rack up very quickly. My parents had an 87 5000s that lasted to 89k miles, this car leaked oil every day of its life. Went through 3 catalytic converters and 3 O2 sensors, faulty front brakes and a nice jolt forward when you started it in park.

My parents had a 91 Maxima with 250k miles on it and we needed to replace the tranny 1 time. Everything else was maintenance. Their 2000 I30 has 190k miles on it and it went through 2 alternators, and 2 pair of Xenon lights.

Is there a happy medium? I must agree with dstott that there is no car like the Audi A8 but when will it all end.

Now that I have ranted enough... on to the solution:

I would like to start redesigning the car so that it will work.

1. Starting with the door/trunk latches. I plan to get the old-fashioned push button switch that is in the frame of the door. When the door is shut it pushes the button which turns off the light. Simple and flawless.

2. Remote Range: I am installing a remote start that has its own lock/unlock transmitter. I did this on my A6 and was able to open the doors from at least 100ft away.

3. Seat Motors: Fixed by cutting cable jacket and extending the interior part

4. Heated Steering Wheel: Nothing to do but replace

5. Heated side mirrors: Replaced with new redesigned owns with temp sensors on them

6. Armrests: Replaced with 00+ armrests

7. Airbag sensors: Ill look onto this once I get the others fixed.

tonypai

I had the same love/hate relationship with my BMW, I still miss it from time to time.

I'm lucky Paul and Gabor live close by and have been able to help me out. Gabor is the crazy one. Seriously, who buys a 6 speed manual and takes it apart and puts it back together like a jig saw puzzle.

Jack, look on the bright side, you don't have to deal with all the hunting and thumping like some of us.

tozoM8

If you have a looooong range remote, they can stay between you and the car and catch the signal with a learning remote. Next time you leave your car ............................gone.

KaMaKaZieP -ALUMIN8-

TRUE!

Acceler8

The issues I have delt with Im sure anyone with a better working knowledge of our cars wouldnt mind, excluding the tranny issues. Your rants couldnt emphasize that any better. I feel that audi portrays the "IDEA" of an excellent automobile to which could be held in the highest regaurd, but in all actuality is providing nothing better than a comfortable, elegant, moving money pit. I could possibly foresee in the very distant future having another audi in my garage but it will be of the S or RS nature and purchased new. From dealership issues to company issues I find audi lacking across the board.

Now from all of this negativity I can still say that the pleasure I took in owning/driving my 8 was second to none, when I wasnt fixing something. I could wake up any day no matter how I felt and go out to my car with nothing but a big grin on my face. now how many car owners do you know can do that? there sure arent too many around here.

KaMaKaZieP -ALUMIN8-

Gabor, i have to literally have the remote touching the car for it to work..

skiracer

but the new remote that I just bought from the group ebay buy works at least 30 feet away. You may have a bad transmitter, or a weak battery in it.

svxit

When first got my A8 more than two years ago, I contemplated getting rid of my Subaru SVX, but I'm soooo glad I held onto it. Now, if anything were to go, it would have to be the A8; the SVX is a much $impler (and exponentially le$$ expen$ive) car to maintain. I enjoy them both for completely different reasons, but the Subaru is the keeper for me.

In the time I've owned my A8, it has never been 100%, and I have come to accept that it never will be. Even though I enjoy driving the car immensely (few can hold a candle to the A8 on a long road trip), it's the first car I've owned that I will not take a long trip in without tools in the trunk.

Mitaka

Not true. My 01 A4 and Passat worked up to 100 feet or more, A8 remote SUCKS and that's it

Bvarghese

Amen!