Hey im new to the forum and looking to buy an 04 audi A8L. was wonderin if you guys can help me make my final decision and give some advice.

ive been reading a lot and really want to get one but a lot of peopel are telling me that maintance is a huge issue with the d3 a8s and a lot of them have had terrible problems.
I was just wondering if i could get some comments on that. Specifically how reliable are they? whats prone to break. What to look for...

Im looking for one with around 40,000 on it, am i going to have some huge headachs? or am i going to be alright besides the major services. I like to keep cars for a while so how many miles does the average audi get if cared for properly. Im looking at a long term investment here and i love the body style! please help with some info!!! Any other comments, suggestions would be awesome and appricated!

thanks,

Rob

 

Little interior crap breaks all the freaking time, nothing too major. The trunk hinges, trunk motor, and trunk pull down motor all have issues.
One of the major problems your gonna have is the upper control arm links, they use the same size bushing as an A6 but they use a larger link. The problem with this is the A8 is a lot heavier and tends to beat the living **** out of the bushing to the point where the links start floating around hitting the strut tower.
I see them have a complete failure at about 40k. Chances are the A8 your looking at has shot ones already. Repair cost for this you ask? $600+ for the links and about $400 in labor. Un-less your one hell of a mechanic and loves to swear, these links aren't as easy to replace as an A4 or A6.
Other than that crappy problem.... the air suspension seems to hold up nicely, oil changes suck on a D3 A8, and the MMI screen motor gets jammed a lot which is another pretty costly repair.
Overall if you have the money and don't mind paying the price for the repairs on it, get it. It is hands down the most luxurious and comfortable car i have ever driven (including very pricey mercedes) and i would recommend it to anyone that want's the best money can buy. But like i said, if you don't have the money to repair the sucker it will be a headache and a nightmare.

 

Ok, thanks for the input. Im pretty close to buying an A8 here, 2 last questions. What kind of mileage can i expect to get out of an 04 A8 without any major headachs. My prvious car was an 00 S class that i bought with 55k on it and just sold with almost 200k on it. I did not have any any major headachs and i expect to put somehwer around the same mileage on my next car (hopefully an a8). Is it reasonable to try and get aound 200k out of an audi a8? I need a reliable car because i am in sales and i drive all over the country. Basiclly im looking for some feedback on people that have high mileage audis. Additionally, i read in one of the formus that audi did not us synthetic oil in their v8s in 04, should this be a major concern? Should i try and get an 05? Basiclly im trying to spend aroudn 40 which means i can get an 04 with less then 50k on it or an 05 with more then 50k on it. What do you think is the better move? 04<50k or 05>50k. Ive had some people tell me to go with the higher mileage 05 because they worked out some of the problems, any truth to that?

Thanks!