As a former 7 series owner I have to agree. That car is complete garbage. To much plastic and weak suspension parts used throughout the drivetrain for a car that costs this much new. Horrible car for reliability! I'm here thinking of a getting an A8 and hoping for a more pleasant experience!

 

I bought mine with about 66K miles on it for only $16K. It is a lot of car for the money. Just think about it for 16K all you can get out there is some cheap Japanese garbage. As of now I never had any serious problems with it. I understand such a technologically advanced car is expensive to drive and maintain. As far as comparison with 7 series BMW goes I have to say that I looked for more than 3 years for a good 7 series but all of them were still expensive especially the certified ones. I am not willing to pay $75,000+ for a new Audi A8 or BMW7 series either, so all in all I am happy with the A8 I have now and as long as it doesn’t cause me trouble I will keep it. In general you take care of your car and it will take care of you!!
Regards,
A.

 

my 04 has 92k miles and the engine has a little issue. It seems like the valves are making some sort of ticking noise or something else, not really sure. it only makes this noise once the engine warms up. am i due for a timing belt replacment?

heres the video to the engine noise...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aaJ9SstfpU

 

that ticking noise is bad!

i just had my timing done in january now 1500 ive been hearing the ticking noise driving down the road to the store the car starts to stumble than the timing comes off 3 weeks later the dealer paid for all repairs the engine works better than when i bought it at 50k and im at 80k now car works great from my understanding the 4.2l engine is one of those engine you haft to tinker with befor its perfect

 

How much is replacing the timing belt? I hared that the whole front of the car need to be disassambled in order to do it. Can an independ Audi mechanic do it or should it be done by the dealer? Does replacing it change the performance of the car? Mine does not make any sounds but is a little sluggish from zero to 60!

Thanks,
A.

 

$1800 for the belt to be done and the dealer messed it up and they paid to fix it again, i woudnlt let anyone touch the a8 now on my a4 i would just pay a normal mechanic replacing the belt and everything helps gas by 1 to 2mpg is what several people with an a4 has told me it does help a bit you will notice a difference in the engine it should be smother than before

 

You're way overdue for a timing belt replacement. Should have been done in the mid 70K mile range. Granted, people have successfully stretched that a bit (all puns intended), but IMO it's not worth the potential kaboom.

l8r)

 

Great Thread..........I have 50K miles and the service light is on.
What is the typical dealer charge?
I have 19in. Pirelli M&S H.P.tires that need replaced. Who has the best deal on these $200ea. tires?
The Turbo alloys have cosmetic damage. Do Audi dealers repair these?
I know there are indep. that do for about $100 per tire.

Notes:
I Routinely drive the car on 800-1000 mi. trips, non stop. Avg. speed 70-80MPH. It reminds me of a corp. jet.
The only extra it didn't have was Sat radio, which I installed myself and integrated with the MMI system.
Bought the car used with 22K, 2+ yrs. ago. Also purchased an ext. warranty from Zurich.
So far only a few minor problems that the warranty covered

 

I had the Michelin Pilot sport A/S on my car when I bought it. I did not want to spend a fortune on Michelin Pilot Sport SP's. After a few weeks of research I decided to go ahead with Yokohama S-Drive. Very quiet and smooth tires and a great value for the price. Discount tire usually has good deals on them. In terms of the ride of this car,....it beats a corporate jet! Mercedes S-Class,...go home!! I have he OEM Sirius Radio on mine, works really well. I have about 72K miles on it, hope hat I can enjoy this car for a few more years. By the way the completely new Model 2011 is also nice !!

 

Thanks alot for the feedback "abarmard". I'm leaning toward replacing the tires with the OEM Pirelli's.
They are quiet and the mileage and handling has been OK.
Looks like Tire Rack has the best price for them.

Do you have your service work done by the dealer?