Yeah, us Audi techs at the dealer are always out to screw the customer, NOT! Ticks me off that there are some dealers who are that way though.

Now that I've got that off my chest..................The D3 does indeed have two fuel transfer pumps and two fuel sending units. There's one in each side of the saddle tank. I would find it odd that both pumps would fail at the same time though. It is possible that, under warranty, Audi would want both to be replaced especially on an A8.

 

You know I meant no offense...you'd have to meet the techs and advisors at my local dealer. Just for fun, I'd like to have you call em sometime to ask a question for which you know the answer. You will NOT believe the line of crap they'll hand you. THEY are the dealer (one of em) that dealer-haters are talkin about.

Anyway, as I understand D2's have one pump, but 2 fuel level sending units (which average the 2 sides of the tank) ? ...correct?
You refer to the 2 pumps in D3's as "transfer pumps". I have no schematics on D3's...just my D2 Bentley CD. Do the transfer pumps also provide full pressure to the regulator/injectors or is this done by yet another unit(s) elsewhere. Is that done differently in D2's or simply 2 of the same type pump?

I ask the above because the fuel pump set up in my old '90 VW Passat involves a "transfer pump" (low pressure) in the tank (which I replaced myself when it failed), which only transfers fuel to a small reservoir outside the tank which is connected to a larger "pressurizing pump" that provides full pressure to the regulator/injectors. When the transfer pump failed (completely...no movement), the full tank of gas I had actually gravity fed the reservoir and would run a minute or so, on the fuel then pressurized by the big pump. With about 50 stop-wait-restarts, I made the last 7 miles home

 

No offense taken. I am no expert but have owned a few cars and we are all just throwing out possibilities. In 1993 I was delivering pizzas (Dodge Aries K) and when I got back to the car. Crank no start. Shop "replaced" a timing belt. Had to walk back to the job.

Then in 1994 (86 Honda Accord) the car stalled, crank no start in front of a car dealership. I wanted to use their phone, they said I should be looking into a new car.

I said all that to say this. If it is a timing belt please do not continue to crank it if no troubleshooting is being done. If he is checking the cam or fuel pump then fine. If he is turning the key out of frustration then he may cause more damage. I know that the above cars are not A8's but it was still communicated to me to be timing belts.

 

Understood...personal experience does shift our thoughts in different directions. Maybe not related (in your mind), but I flipped a car on it's top when I was 15 (drivers permit and fearless of physics until then). Had it been a rag top, it would have ripped mine and my friend's heads off. I have never once considered a convertible and will likely never own one...I don't feel safe in a car unless I'm surrounded by metal.

Anyway, on T-belts...I've owned several VW's, 3 P-928's and my present D2. I changed the timing belt in all of them at high mileages (one VW at 150K miles) and all old belts were in great shape, esp my A8 at 100K miles...it looked almost new.
But, admittedly, if I had a crank-no-start with my A8, I probably would look at worst case scenario first (I'm like that) and work my way down.
So good advice indeed, esp not knowing the mileage on his belt(?).

 

Hey guys, didn't mean to come off sounding like an a-hole with my post. Just proud to work at a dealership that really does put the customer first and all the techs are honest and try to always do the job cleanly and right the first time and hate when a few other dealers give us all a bad name. Ooops, going off on a rant again!

About the fuel transfer pumps. Don't forget, it's translated from German to English and sometimes the translation is a bit odd. You should see some of the things on Audi/VW Elsa-Web. You read it 3 times and go "say what"! That's just Audi's terminology for in tank electric fuel pumps. They "transfer" fuel from the tank to the fuel rail.

Word on timing belts. It's one of those things you should do at the recommended intervals. If it breaks, very bad things will happen and not worth taking the chance. I put it in the same category as any other maintanance such as changing oil, flushing the brake fluid or rotating the tires. It costs a certain amount to have these things done BUT, will save a person a whole lot more over the life of the car.

So, any updates on the no start yet? Curious to find what it is/was.........

 

Did the OP ever get this figured out?