RocketSurgeon

I'm very seriously looking at getting an 04 to 06 A8 or A8L. I'm aware that these cars are maintenance intensive, and I'm prepared for that as an avid DIYer (I do everything from brakes to transmission rebuilds). I'm wondering what are some common problems with these cars, especially around the 100k mark? What are some things to check out before buying, or things to use when leveraging pricing?

Nick Conlon

Well first off I'll start by saying the A8 is an excellent choice. While yes an 04-06 is a little older now I can honestly say unless i am getting a newer A8 or equivalent merc/bmw series there is not many cars that would have more to offer me than this car doesn't. Get ahold of someone with VCDS/VagCom and scan the car before you buy it, trust me everything will look great until you scan it and realize some sensors are wonky or the 5 billions little motors in the air vents are acting up.

As far as issues here are some common ones,

Air suspension goes bad after about ~10 years, each strut is 1800 to replace, the compressor is another 700, control valve block another 400. When one system fails if you don't fix it quick then its like dominoes and you will have to end up replacing a more parts than needed. This by far is the most common and costly problem with these cars.

The sunroof visor motor is known to make a grinding noise, not a deal breaker but its there.

The flip up screen uses plastic gears that are known to break easily be conscious of that.

The trunk motor tends to go bad quickly.

The clips on the coil packs are known to snap while changing the spark plugs, however there was a TSB or recall cant remember which.....anyways call up a dealer with the vin and they will let you know if it has been replaced or needs replacing as well as any other recalls.

At 100k the timing belt should have been done, if not it way overdo and needs to be done ASAP. this can be costly and generally the water pump and thermostat are done along with it.

When changing the oil there is a smaller coolant pipe that gets in the way and can be easily banged into, this causes it to crack towards the back of the engine causing a slow coolant leak. The O-ring in the oil cooler is also known to go out quickly which can be another source to a coolant leak. These are not deal breakers but should be noted.

I would only pick up an A8 if it has an almost full service history and is proven that it was taken care of. The engines and transmissions on these vehicles are damn near bullet proof and should last a long time as long as the rest of the vehicle is maintained.

If it looks like it was neglected even in the slightest pass on it. These cars take a lot of TLC to keep them in good running order and it will be an investment of time and money.

You should also be somewhat handy, if you cannot do an oil change then this car is not for you. 250 dollars for an oil change at the dealer on this car, do it yourself and it will still set you back ~$100. It is a quattro so you can't buy tires in pairs, you have to buy all four. which is roughly ~$1000. You get a puncture in one tire....there goes another 1000.

Spill soda in the MMI controls there's 2 grand, (cup holder is not great in this car).

Make sure every single little button works. Don't be fooled by dealers and know what options come of the vehicle. Parking sensors were an option on the 04, same with adaptive cruise control. The cold weather package, again, was an option.

There is a known "whoop" noise when switching from 3-4 and back down 4-3 with the transmission, it can be fixed with an expensive 2500 dollar transmission flush at the dealer. As far as I have read this is common and most people just live with it. Once you are at 100k or more miles it is best not to flush the tranny, only horror stories seems to come from that.

Yes this car is high to maintain, but it's a 100k dollar car that you are getting, depreciated yes, but the parts are full price. The parts you are buying are 100k dollar car parts, so expect that.

With all this in mind like I said it is an amazing vehicle, luxury everywhere, features every. Try to find another car under 30k that will give you more in a vehicle and not many will come to mind. While a lot of the things above are circumstantial and will be different from vehicle to vehicle and person to person it is a good generalization of the ownership of an A8.

Nick Conlon

Oh yeah, front upper control arms and bushings as well, this car is heavy and they just chew through those like crazy. Squeaking over bumps due to them is normal though, a lot of people have tried to cure that with little success.

nathanwind

Is this right? Do you mean past 100K actually DON'T change the fluid, or just don't do a generic "flush"?

Nick Conlon

it's recommended to just not change it at high mileage. There is a proper way of doing it but it takes about 3 full flushes with new filters. The issue is you flush it once, and if it has never been done before there will be a lot of deposits breaking down and clogging that filter, once clogged you get transmission trouble. So two to three flushes is generally what it takes to get to a point where there are very little deposits left and the filter is clean and can do it's job effectively. This of course is pricey and since Audi claims the fluid in there is lifetime and a change is never needed, its just best to leave it be if you are in high miles with it never being done before.

krazzz

I'm just guessing but I think he meant don't do a power flush. In my opinion it should never be done on any car, at any mileage, ever! A simple pull the plug and drain can never hurt your car. Last month I pulled the pan and did the filter too at 123k. Everything looked fine and knowing what I know now I would have just done the fluid only. There was almost no build up on the pan or magnets. I do feel better knowing it isn't full of metal shavings so I guess it was relatively cheap peace of mind. I do plan on draining the fluid again after 5,000 miles just to get more of it out. I think I had about 50% drain.

Donal Lyons

I bought a 2006 (56 plate) Audi A6 middle of last and everything was working great in it until recently. The phone was connecting perfectly to the MMI system but all of a sudden the phone no longer connected and the radio/cd keeps cutting out for a second or two every 30 seconds or so. Would anyone know the solution to this problem. I've called my local Audi Dealer who wants to bring it in and book it in to be checked over with a cost of £140.00 and then they could let me know what's wrong but if it is a new module it could be a couple of thousand pounds to be sorted. Any help greatly appreciated

Nick Conlon

I'd make a new thread in the A8 forum dedicated to your issue, might get more responses.

mishar

Your list of potential problems is good but you exaggerated here and there. Strut is $1500 new and $700 rebuilt. Compressor $400 new.

Easy and cheap to fix.

This part is not true at all. You can change and combine tires as much as you like. They just should be same nominal size.

New module is $500. Replacing takes 15 minutes if you do it first time.

Wrong again. It is easy fixable by just simple ATF change. 5-6 liters at $16 and no hoot at all. No need for a pan drop or filter at all. No deposits of any kind.

Part about 100K+ is just plain wrong.

You are quite right here, but you forgot growing market of used parts. Nobody would use them on a $100K car, but on a $15K car why not.

At the end I can add electric/electronic gremlins, 2004/05 special. Most of them caused by a week contacts. Easy to fix if you can find it.

Nick Conlon

I thought the hoot was fixed by switching to the new purple fluid instead of the gold which is more costly? Also, can you link the compressor at 400 new cheapest I could find was 700 and I need a new one :/