100,000 km in A8 4.2q

[Tom Nas <tnas@euronet.nl>]

Hi all,

Some time ago, I wrote about the German VW/Audi magazine Gute Fahrt and
their long-term A8 test car. I promised to do a write-up about what went
wrong and what was done, if I got requests- so, here it is.

2986 km
Brakes squeal when applied lightly

9695 km
Swapped standard wheel/tyre combo for Dunlop SP Winter M2 225/60 R16H on
standard alloys 7.5Jx16 (DM 1463)

11784 km
Rear screen heater works insufficiently when screen is frozen or misted

15980 km
Oil change/service incl 7.5 l oil (DM 245.05)

20377 km
Wildlife encounter, hood and windscreen damaged

21286 km
Trim strip on righthand front door damaged by attempted break-in, replaced
(DM 89.02)
Wildlife damage repaired, windscreen replaced, hood straightened and
painted (DM 2136.06)

24228 km
Winter tyres Bridgestone WT11 225/60 R16H mounted (DM 1135.06)

29125 km
Right front tyre loses pressure/ valve replaced

31166 km
Inspection: front seat belt doesn't retract fully (replaced), electric
window left front moves rather stiffly (adjusted)

32570 km
Right front door squeaks (lubricated)

36310 km
Winter tyres become quite loud

36790 km
Summer tyres Dunlop SP8000 245/45 ZR18 on 8Jx18 wheels remounted

39825 km
Parking damage- scratch on left rear wheelarch (repaired, repainted) (DM
708.67)

45890 km
Oil change/service (DM 249,66)
Paintwork polished (DM 287,50)

47885 km
Left interior light on for two days- battery flat

48260 km
Steering creaks intermittently, steering column creaks while adjusting to
memory position


49325 km
Engine refuses to start sometimes. Diagnosed: immobilizer active. Fix:
replaced cable between immobilizer and ECU.

51124 km
Breakes squeal. Pads replaced using special glue to fix them to the brake
calipers, stronger springs on outer pads.

55364 km
Glove box lid hard to open (readjusted), brakes shudder when braking at
higher speeds (new discs), valve cover gasket leaks (new gasket), switch
for seat adjustment memory intermittent (switch replaced)

55807 km
Rock damage on windscreen, imbalance in wheel at 110 km/h (wheels balanced
and rotated) (DM 78.66)

58985 km
Inspection/ATF change (DM 895.34)

64582 km
Replaced wiper blades (DM 82.19)

69715 km
Lost oil filler cap after oil fill-up (DM 27.77)

70604 km
Winter tyres Michelin XM+S 330 225/60 R16H (DM 1596.30)

74508 km
Oil change/service (DM 250.77)
Trim strip on righthand front door damaged by attempted break-in, replaced
(DM 89.02)

75323 km
Oil stain visible on undercarriage after oil change. Oil seepage at filler
cap (gasket replaced, oil refilled)

75898 km
Windscreen washers freeze up while driving at high speeds, parts of
dashboard and headlining creak when outside temperature goes below freezing

82600 km
Steering creaks regularly, steering column play, creaks when adjusting to
memory position (steering column replaced, paid for in part by Audi) (DM
763.31)

84625 km
Front brake pads shudder (replaced) (DM 620.77)

84959 km
Windscreen cracked (replaced) (DM 1187.24)

89186 km
Power steering heavy to operate at low speeds

89404 km
Inspection, alternator belt and rear brake calipers replaced (DM 1029.24)

91818 km
Rear brake light bulb replaced (DM 3.60)

96151 km
Standard summer tyres Dunlop SP8000 remounted

96167 km
Driver's side window won't close any more due to misaligned window guides.
Window has small crack (window and mechanism replaced, partially paid for
by Audi) (DM 283.60)

100498 km
Test ends.





 _______________________________________________________________________
 Tom Nas                                          Zeist, The Netherlands
 tnas@euronet.nl
1988 Audi 80 1.8S, Tizianrot metallic, 212,000km

              Analyzing humor is like dissecting a frog:
     Nobody really enjoys it and the frog generally dies as a result.