OberklasseA8

Unless
@BunnyHadger is getting a super deal, like almost to good to be true >15k... I would move on. Carmax has 17 cars nation wide. I know it sucks to give the car back after getting excited but we have many other options on the market to try to make this work..

MP4.2+6.0

You're stuck w/ Audi dealer service backlog bottom line. Yep, send back, or have them take risk w/ dealer, etc and then you buy again once sorted.

Agreed w/ some of the comments--this seems like it was obviously visible, so either they are clueless on car or have some ethics questions, or maybe both.

In a "normal" market (not right now) a 3.0T D4 was probably one where buyer had most of the leverage, and being prior generation which is now even facelifted, yet more so. Big German sedans are normally a big depreciation bath, maybe more so the ones that attract the younger buyers who commonly move into these. Those are often the higher powered ones, though market always clears at some price. And 3.0T does have power of prior NA V8 pretty much, so not a slouch.

BunnyHadger

The Audi shop got me in today. Here's a brief rundown. I stopped writing at a certain point of doing math in my head as the repair bill was looking larger than the car.

tl;dr the A8 is going back to the dealer under the 7 day money back.

They found that the front air suspension stayed at the proper ride height when they left it inside, but after they pulled it out of the shop and parked it out back it dropped again after an hour or so. They didn't get it to throw any code in the computer though.

The cruise threw up a lot of errors. There was a camera module incorrect installation error, an alignment angle error, aftermarket glass, and a couple others I can't remember. (I left my notes at the office) They said they would need to do a calibration on the adaptive cruise before they could determine if any parts needed to be replaced.

Beyond those items, he mentioned a crank case vent item which he said was around $3000 to repair due to labor, water pump and thermostat, an issue with the exhaust system door control, a window controller, humidity sensor, and some other odds and ends.

The number of items that make me feel like this car was an abused show dog make me believe it will keep finding ways to break down. Sadly it is going back and I have to (get to) start my search again with a bit more information thanks to all of you and my unfortunate experience with this transaction.

A8L_New_England

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Words of wisdom
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OberklasseA8

Smart Move. It sucks for now but you will be way better of when you find a gem. A story like this is too good not to add to the Legacy ..

MP4.2+6.0

FWIW, the suspension leaks probably most commonly do not throw any errors. And if they do, it's a pump overheat error--which is a symptom not the root cause. Shows actually the limits of the code reading approaches. To work on Audis long term its really BOTH standard diagnostic techniques and quality code reading.

A further hunch reading these combo of issues is this car may have been in an accident, beyond just a paint scrape. Maybe not disclosed?? Put the pieces together--aftermarket glass, sensor stuff out of whack and not aligned, etc. Maybe the front suspension, which is where it looked like leak was from picture. Unfortunately this sleazeball baloney happens even at dealer level. First S8 I looked at was supposedly Audi certified. On the dealer lot, a year old. Hopped in and went for a solo test drive, though before heading off I already noticed for a year old high end interior (was Vermont Brown exclusive) looked kind of beat and had a cigarette burn. Driving, all good except the cruise control errored out as soon as I hit the road--maybe like you are mentioning given w/ the sensor errors. Got back, started looking at it more in front. Pushed on bumper cover and noticed everything was sort of loose and flexing. About then I realized the majority of screws across the whole lower front end body/bumper area weren't even there. Huh? And this supposedly passed one of those 300 point wunderkind inspections by a dealer? Only if the guy was smoking something... I ran. But, what it did on positive side was give me a reference point, reinforce what to look for yet more carefully--even low mileage CPO--and allowed me to price haggle the CPO one I next bought that was in proper shape.

BTW, the pretty obviously amateur hour doctored car was conveniently also "washed" through an auction. In retrospect, that was a clue too. They are older now, but I really would not expect to see a low mileage, year old car pass through an auction on way to CPO. Unless...perhaps you re trying to wash the history somehow, and then it's all "Sergeant Schultz" time, almost laughably. "I know nothzing, I zee nothzinng..." Consider that as you look at them. A single owner car is best bet typically. A multi owner car, especially washed though an auction and then sold by Joe Nobody "Quality" Used Cars is a big dice roll. Another variant: half of all Audis are leased, but one that first goes lease, then second owner, then one you look at as potential third owner is also often more risky.

tx170754

MP, you're absolutely right , unfortunately these were very different times, today it is a seller market, used car prices are to the roof. To me, a reputable OEM dealer ( if you can find one ) would be a better choice even probably more expensive...

Andrew12

I had the front right strut go bad. The blown strut will create a number of faults throughout the car. I recall the adapt cruise went offline, the ABS went into a failsafe mode. The compressor was on for such an extended time that it created enough water to overcome the descant and fill the lines up with water. The water then damaged the pneumatic control block. Not a great situation... Especially if it is ignored for an extended period of time. There are a number of A8s out there. Personally, I would give this one back and keep looking. Try to find a W12. I hear gas is cheap!

2turbos4rings

Hey, I get about 20-21. It’s not that bad..

I know you’re joking but I think about this all the time: even with gas as expensive as it is, if you drive the national average of miles, at $5/gal you’re only saving like $700 the entire year with a 4.0T or 3.0T. That’s why I never understood that specific justification.

OberklasseA8

Wow the W12 MPG is nice! I agree. Like I told someone the other day.... I didnt acquire a twin turbo V8 to save money..