Eharmz

New to me 2001 S8 with 120k with a few electrical glitches that I am trying to hunt down. I purchased the vehicle for a steal so I don't mind taking the time to get these items sorted. When I purchased it the sunroof wouldn't open, central locking didn't work, drivers side headlight wasn't working, drivers side window doesn't work and the car thinks that all of the doors are open all the time which means it dings for 60 seconds every time you turn the car on and again when you turn the lights on).

The previous owner drove down gravel roads all the time and said that everything worked fine until one day when all of the issues started. The sunroof and central locking came back online after I took my air compressor to the fuse box in the trunk and passenger footwell. The headlights ended up just being missing fuses but the rest of the issues remain. This is my first Audi and I would really appreciate the help of trying to get everything sorted. I also forgot to mention that the low oil pressure message is present when you hit the check button. I missed this when I purchased the car and when I got home I realized it was low on oil (no low oil warning message though) topped it off immediately.

Today I did a full oil change because I thought it could have been a clogged filter from the previous owner not doing maintenance. I ordered a timing belt kit and will be doing that in a week or so to baseline it. On top of the remaining electrical issues I am also open to any recommended maintenance to be performed to get her back into shape. Drives really well and has a great interior all for $2,100 so I am willing to sink a bit more money into it. This has been a dream car of mine and I really appreciate the help.

4Driver4

I'd hold off on the timing belt until you fix the other stuff.

Eharmz

Any reason why I should hold off on the t-belt? It has 120k on the original.

Stromaluski

Missing fuses?? That doesn't seem good.

Also, check your timing belt kit when you get it. Be weary of cheap bearings in the rollers. Also, while doing the timing belt, do the thermostat and water pump. Otherwise, you'll have to pull the timing belt back off later to do them.

jfrahm

If it was driven with low oil pressure I'd hold off on the timing belt until you are sure the engine not damaged. The oil level sensors get pretty balky as the cars get older, thank goodness there is a dipstick. If it were my car I'd check the oil pressure when hot to make sure the engine is not too whipped to waste a timing belt service on.

Number48

Welcome to the family! You are going to develop a love/hate relationship with that car, but the gratification of driving it will outweigh the woes. Don't be afraid of the timing belt, just get the right tools and follow the book. I bought the "camshaft holder timing tool" set from FCP Euro. It was $80, but well worth it. I agree with others here, might want to hold off on the t-belt until you get the other issues sorted. Check the cowl drains under the hood, they clog easy and fill the cowl with rain water and could swamp the electrical components under the passenger cowl covers. Clean that area out good. If you had to clean water out of the cabin, might want to check the AC drains too, you will need to pull the center console side panels off to get to them. It's tricky but too terrible. I just had to do mine last week, I had so much water sloshing around it was coming out the floor vents and even out the center rear vent when I hit the gas!

tozoM8

They could cause a lot of faults.

icsamerica

You need a vag-com or find someone that has one. Sound like a failed module and sometimes a failed module will ground the CAN line or dump stray voltage on the line. Any flood or water damage history on this car? I'd scan it with vag-com and disconnect all modules and then re-plug each one, and re-scan one at a time until you find one that has a problem. You have to understand the car and go step-by-step and a clearer picture will emerge.