[V8] Facing Reality

[Professor GT gmail]

Steve,

In reading your last post quite honestly it sounds like you long for exactly the car you have- a V8Q!
You do however need to accept certain things if you wish to keep this dream alive, so to speak.
Firstly, to own one of these rides, you have to either really know a lot about them, AND have the skills and equipment to properly repair and maintain them, OR, be able to afford to pay someone else to repair and maintain it for you, that is if you can find someone who really is qualified AND takes the time and care to do things right. (sorry for the run-on sentence!) If you can do things yourself, that's great because these cars, when running well, will provide great satisfaction, and DIYing will save you lots of cash - in spite of pretty expensive parts.
That said, these cars are like Jaguars of years past, meaning they need constant attention, especially as they age, and while that's not a bad thing, it's just one of the things that goes along with owning one of these jewels.
My best advice is to start with one in the best shape you can find. Believe me, the extra cash you spend up front will save you lots in the long run. If the one you have now is so-so, keep it as a parts car, and get another in better shape if you can.
Of the many Achilles heels these cars have, one which you have begun to understand, is that with the high under-hood temps, the harnesses deteriorate fairly quickly. Hoses and all rubber parts and lines, including vacuum and fuel lines all are effected by the heat as well. As you have probably read in other posts, fuel lines can leak, and lead to a total loss due to what the factory likes to term, "a thermal event", as they are in total denial over the word "fire". 
Anyway, you may wish to check the engine harness grounds near the back of the left side cylinder head, as well as the condition of the harness overall.
These cars suffer from something many cars do - lack of proper serviceability engineering! It's great to engineer these fantastic performance machines, but the ability to repair and maintain them - serviceability engineering - as well as the important aspect of planned component life expectancy, in many cases is less than desirable. One glaring example of this is the all aluminum engine block! While for a true race engine this is preferable, the lack of cast iron cylinder liners is a service nightmare which in the case of these engines makes them basically boat anchors when the cylinders go away. To be fair about it, Audi is not the only offender in this respect, but this is one of those really nagging issues that is a huge negative.
Now, if you really appreciate the true beauty of these cars, you can always find ways to deal with issues like these - in my case, a 4.2L is replacing the 3.6L with wiped out cylinders in my 5-speed 91 V8Q.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that if you can really appreciate a V8Q for the marvelous car it is, and you are willing to put the time and money into it, they can be very rewarding to own, as long as you understand that they are somewhat analogous to owning a boat - which is a hole in the water you throw money into! :)
Okay, I've rambled on enough for one night. I'm going to peek out the window at my "V8 in waiting" (for the engine swap that is), and then get some sleep.
Sweet Dreams!

Thanks,

ProfessorGT
(Sent from my iPhone4)

On Jan 8, 2011, at 7:47 AM, v8-request at audifans.com wrote:

> Steve