hello
i went to a audi dealer today and got a quote for a 2005 A8L. but when i asked about 04 models, he said that they don't get
04 models b/c they have too many problems and kept forcing me to get into 05 model. I talked to people from other dealer
and they said there is no major problems with 04 model. who am i supposed to believe?? also, what are some problems
that 04 and 05 models have??

thanks in advance.

Jay

 

Sounds like he has an 05 that he really wants to get rid of. However it is true that the 2004 being the first year of the redesign may be prone to more problems. I am 3 months and 10,000kms into my 2004 A8L and have no major problems to report.

 

it's funny b/c he said that 04 and 05 have a totally different engine and tranny and everything. but how is it possible to have different
engine and tranny with same chassis? i mean it can be possible but they are both 4.2L and pretty much same car...

 

Yeah that dealer is beating you in head and he trying to rid of that 05. The real change didnt occur until 06. The only extra option for a 05 from a 04 is the push button start(which is nice to have) and the blue tooth(later models in 05). Not really a big change to me. They changed over to FSI 4.2 in 06 or 07.

 

Do a search because I think some of the audi techs here said the '04's are an issue.

 

I have Audi A8L 2004 since new.To make a long story short,I would never recommend Audi to anyone.Yes,they are nice cars,but they have tons of problems.I can not even list all the problems that I have had with this car.Horrible reliability and extremely expensive in service and repairs.When it was under basic warranty I was ok more or less,but after my warranty expired it has been a nightmare.I spent well over $15000.00 + for repairs and services and looks like it is not the end.Every month I have new problems.All possible warning lights are on.Only timing belt(75000 miles service) was over $2000.00.Bottom line DO NOT buy Audi unless you are rich person and you do not care how much you will end up paying for all the problems that Audi cars have.

 

Don't know the stats on 04's, but not my (and others here) experience with A8 in general.

All brands of cars are like humans...some get sick young and die early....others live to very old age, despite heavy drinkin and hard livin.

I bought a new VW Passat wagon in 1990, even with warnings about the first year production US model...consumer guide gave em hell. 21 yrs and 200K miles later and minimal maintenance, I drove it today...no smoke, no oil usage, never garaged, original exhaust, original paint in great shape and no rust.
6 years in an A8 has cost me less than the speeding tickets I got in my last Porsche.

Cars are also like people, in that some like there bosses and some don't

 

Hey SOI, wanna sell your car?

It is true that an A8 costs major $$ to maintain if you can't do any of the work yourself. But if you're willing to get your hands dirty, it's not really any more difficult to maintain than most other cars. I've found that the dealer parts sales guys/departments are actually reasonable and helpful ... it's the service department that is your main enemy. Point-in-case, on my old D2 A8, I needed to replace the CD-changer - service department quoted me $600. Walked over to the parts counter and bought it for $288 ... go figure.

l8r)

 

"It is true that an A8 costs major $$ to maintain if you can't do any of the work yourself. But if you're willing to get your hands dirty, it's not really any more difficult to maintain than most other cars."
--ludikraut



Amen....and ditto

 

Parts and service are the same for 2004 to 2005 that I have noticed, also if you do not want to get your hands dirty look for a mechanic around your area that can do the same job but cheaper.

They are used vehicles, try to get their past history reports on service. If one is in the shop all the time then that is not the one to go with. Just ask if they would give that info.

Just my 2 cents...