So far from what I read,

Control arm issues.
Timing belt/water pump needs replaced about 60k.

Anything else to look for? I will be looking for a 2000 or newer. Any help would be great. Maybe some of you guys with A8s can list problems you have ran into?

Thanks,
Paul

 

Hello vwbuge, hopefully I can give you a bit of insight as to what you will be looking at.

Fist and foremost, have a pre-purchase inspection done by a reliable mechanic. It will cost money, but in my opinion it is a worthwile expense, look at it this way, you wanna drop $200 on the inspection or a couple grand down the road? A carfax report is somewhat helpful too and the dealership will foot the bill for that should you choose to buy from one. Additionally, if you do choose to buy from a dealership take advantage of an after market warranty because that will cover the major things that would otherwise cost you THOUSANDS down the road. Some people swear against these warrantys, and they are not cheap, but, as you read my list of problems below, I actually saved a few bucks on the majority of those repairs.

I have a 2000 A8L, purchased it at 60k miles (it was a lease return from a Texas dealership) in early 2006 and here are the problems I encountered so far, in no particular order.

- brake light bulb replacement
- instrument cluster replacement / reprogram (LED burnout/odometer unreadable)
- cam adjuster gasket replacement
- valve cover gasket replacement
- passenger side upper rear control arm replacement
- CV boots on both sides replaced
- Trans output shaft seal replacement
- oil pan gasket replacement
- trans pan gasket replacement
- cracked drive belt replacement
- fuel level sending unit (C & J) replacement



total cost to date:
1. $525 (4 x 17" tires)
2. $744.55 (fuel level senders)
3. $1,864 (cv boots, control arm, alignment, brake chamfer, and a couple interior trim peices, 75k service)
4. $3954.14 (all covered by aftermarket warranty: gaskets, seals, cluster, belt)
5. $18k for car
6. $ 2750 for service contract (2yr/ 24k mile)
--------------------------
$ 27,837.69
- $3954.14 (work covered by service contract line 4 above)
----------
total = $23,883.55 (close to the cost of a '04 S4 with 60k-ish miles for comparison)

The aftermarket service contract paid for itself and 1204.14 over the cost so far, and it's still valid for another couple months.

When looking at your prospect A8 check the ashtry and housing because if that stuff is broken the whole dash has to come apart to replace it. See if the phone is there. Make sure the retractable sunshade in the back is in good order. Make sure the changer in the trunk and GPS work and the GPS data CD's are present. If any of this stuff is missing it gives you a little more leverage to haggle with at the very least. Also make sure the tires match because I had an oddball tire and I belive it contributed to the control arm and ball joint problems.

As you can see my A8 experience has been a complete and total nightmare, but I just love the damn car. Call me a masochist.

Lastly, I got all the services on the schedule through 75k (car is at 77k now) and I just got new tires for christmas.
The only existing problem I have left is the oil pressure indicator light just came on (today actually) with a little wavy line below the indicator that does not appear in the owners manual. I am going to assume it's just the oil pressure and I'll have it looked at soon and update this post if any problems arise from it.

 

As mentioned, definitely get an inspection. Here's a great link that gives you a checklist to go over while looking at cars:
http://www.audipages.com/usedA8.html
It was very helpful in my recent search. Good luck either way. Hopefully you'll find an awesome car.