Do I have sport suspension or not on my 2004 A8L?
 

I was looking for new shocks/struts and I have been asked if it has sport suspension or not. How do I tell if my car has this or not?

You would know if you had the sport suspension. It is a key feature you would have been known about when buying the car. Guaranteed you don't have the sport suspension. It would be a bit more rough of a ride and the car would sit lower as well. Usually they come on fully loaded A8's, as the sport package is a few k more.

Is there an options tag on my car somewhere that I can tell for sure?

There should be one in your trunk...maybe in the spare tire well (that's where it is on my '01). And there's a copy of it attached to the inside page of my original owner's manual.

Question,

How much are new shocks all the way around for an A8? Especially if you get it from an independent dealer?

Thanks

Varies widely depending on year of your car (huge difference from D2 to D3), OEM originals, cheapest OEM equivalent, stiffer high performance, etc..

If only replacing with OEM or equiv (not stiffer), what gives you reason to believe they need replacing?

Actually, will be in the market for an A8 soon. But i went on a parts site to see the cost of replacing a strut for a 2007 A8, and it looks like 1 strut alone was $1400 just for the part without labor!!!!:eek: That is completely insane. What if i had to replace all of my shocks? The bill would be over $5,000 it seems like. I'm not sure if owning an A8 would be a smart choice now.

In my experience I've never heard of anyone having to replace a strut. Only control arm bushings.

That's a pretty weird (paranoid?) way to go about car shopping...struts? What have you been driving?

The front air springs on D3's are said to maybe have problems at 100K miles or so...self replace of both is about $500...dealer $2000+ with labor. The front control arms may be a problem before that.

All cars, especially exotic ones have their problems. If you're shopping by looking at unrealistic worst case scenarios, you might want to look at Subaru or even an AWD Ford Taurus...nothing ever goes wrong with them, right? And you can get your parts from J.C. Whitney. ...and they're just as much fun to drive, NOT.

Think about your priorities...just looking for transportation or a car that'll make you smile when you drive it? Here's a couple of recent links talkin about A8's:

https://www.audiforums.com/forum/sho...d.php?t=112161

https://www.audiforums.com/forum/sho...d.php?t=155986

I drive a 2002 Lexus GS430 that just turned over 100,000 miles and is paid off. I just ordered front and rear struts because the ride was beginning to get harsh going over bumps and bouncy. The price for OEM front left and right struts were $62 and the rear right and left were $73. Of course, those prices are vastly different from $1400 per OEM strut that i have seen on parts.com for an A8 strut. Or maybe i'm mistaken and the struts are really not that much? Am i correct, but don't the struts on all cars wear and will need to be replaced by 120K miles, or is the A8 different where the struts will always last? I know nothing about the A8, thats why i came here for some knowledge before i just hastily jump into a decision to buy one.
I know things on a car will need replacing. I just replaced my factory amp on my Lexus ($600), master window switch ($340) and door lock actuator ($200). Those are just prices for the parts. I can live with that. But i don't want to own a car where every single repair will be $1,000 plus. I am not a diy type of guy, so i will find an independent dealer to avoid the inflated cost of the dealers.


Thanks so much for you guys help!! I need advice