[A8] *New Lister* -- Upgrading ??

[quattro8880 at aol.com]

 Ed,
 
I've had a 98 A8 for exactly 2 years now. I've been an Audi owner for about 20 years. Compared to the other Audi's the A8 is obviously the best you can buy (with the exception of the S8). They are no more or less reliable than the remainder of the brand. Everything you love/hate about your other Audi's will most likely be in the A8 as well.
 
"Problems" with the A8 in general. They are not a common car like the A4 therefore you are NOT going to find parts easily or cheaply. Maintenance is less frequent than a 4 but is more expensive so it balances out. The transmission is always a concern - mine was rebuilt when I bought it (80k miles) and is still fine today (115k). It has the same type of vacuum and oil leak issues as most of the other Audi's but it's a little more difficult to troubleshoot as it's a much more complicated car. It does go through front end parts, but if you replace them with "upgraded" components you'll be fine.
 
As far as working on it - If you work on your car great - you save money. If you don't, you're not going to pay anyone any more money than what you would if you had an A4. You *might* pay a little extra time if they are not totally familiar with the A8, but usually an Audi Indy mechanic is usually happy to check these things out.
 
That being said - I've spoiled myself - best car I've ever owned!
 
Good Luck
 
Scott
 

-----Original Message-----
From: Etdmail at cs.com
To: a8 at audifans.com
Sent: Fri, 17 Feb 2006 13:13:48 EST
Subject: [A8] *New Lister* -- Upgrading ??



 Hi Jack & All ..
 Have recently subscribed to this list ..
 Looks very quiet here compared to the very helpful [V8] List.
 Have been a long time [V8 Owner] subscriber there ..
 
 And am wanting to up-grade my Audi stable to an A8.
 So far at least - the A8 is at the top of my list - But
 with fuel and other running costs high on this model - 

 Maybe it would be the wiser to look strongly at the smaller 
 end of the Audi spectrum - Though I must admit growing 
 quite comfy in the large car.

 I've read through the posts - AudiWorld's Forums and
 Paul W's great site .. It seems, there is quite a list of
 issues to contend with on these cars (Like the V8's and
 other Audi models too of course!) 

 Things like; weak/poor transmissions - (lots of) front-end 
 parts - Sealing/Hoses - Firmware & Electrical maladies too!

 The quietness (and the long list of potential needs) is giving
 me some pause .. Is everyone too busy fixing their A8's or
 are they dependable and everyone - is not needing to post?

 Anyone have any early year recommendations? - suggestions? 
 BTDT's? - Stay clear stories? - Boston area service-techs?

 Thanks in advance if you can reply,
 Best to all,
 Ed 
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