My Audi A8L saga

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FRUNKenstein
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My Audi A8L saga

Post by FRUNKenstein » Tue Jan 30, 2018 10:59 am

Alright, back in August, I decided it was time to get the wife a new ride as her 2006 MBZ S430 4Matic had over 210,000 miles. Something newer and with less miles. So, I moved up to a 2008 Audi A8L with only 149,000 miles. Hey, baby steps. You have to understand that this is a lady who tears the shit out of any vehicle she drives, so I'm not getting her anything expensive. I can't say enough about S class Benzes - we've had 2 of them and they are freaking tanks, very reliable and both of them were still going strong at well over 200k miles. I like the S-class so much, I did the smart thing and replaced it with an Audi. :roll:

What I'm looking for here is anyone with advice as I'm tackling, ahem, let's just say "various" issues with the car. At the moment, the wife is driving a 955 S that I was using as my daily driver. This is because the Audi has been a dumpster fire literally since the day I bought it at the auction. My oldest son loves Audis and he convinced me to buy it when we were at the auction that morning. Nice enough looking car - a metallic navy blue with dark saddle interior. The rear legroom is even greater than the S430. Quattro of course, for those horrific KC winters (we sometimes get 3 or 4 snows per year, each about 2 inches, so I gots to have AWD). After I bid on it, I went out to test drive it (it came with a "ride and drive" guarantee, so anything significantly wrong with it would allow me to decline the sale). On pops the brake warning light, followed shortly by ABS and Traction Control warning lights. OK, so I drop it off at the auction's arbitration office for an inspection. The report comes back that it is just a brake pressure sensor, easy fix with a $130 part, so I can't decline the sale. OK, I like the car, no big deal. I go pay for the car and head back out to drive the car off the auction lot. On pops the Headlight Warning. I figure, hey, it's just a headlight bulb, I'm not spending another $75 to arbitrate a burned out bulb, so through the security gate and off the auction lot I go. There's no turning back now, my ride and drive guarantee evaporates the second I drive it off the auction lot.

I jump on the internet at home to see what type of bulb I need for the headlight and realize that the Headlight Warning is actually an Adaptive Headlight Warning. The good news is that the bulbs are working fine, they just aren't moving as I go around corners. OK, I can live with that, because the most economical repair is about $1,500 per side. The problem is that Audi made the Adaptive Headlight Warning a big yellow icon in the middle of the dash that flashes on and off constantly. Never goes away. Well, I shouldn't say "never", because when there are multiple warnings, it is replaced temporarily by those other warning indicators - kind of a parade of annoying, flashing warning lights right there front and center in the instrument panel for me to enjoy. My own Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade of warning lights, so to speak. Oh, and even better are the ear-piercing audible warnings that appear at random times - sometimes you drive half an hour in peace & quiet, other times you get multiple angry, blaring beeps every minute or so. Kind of a Russian Roulette of audible warnings. And, at the moment, my Audi is apparently on a quest to have every one of its warning lights illuminated at the same time.

But, before I go into the Cavalcade of Lights, let me tell you what happened on the third day I owned the car: it rained. Hard. About 6 inches overnight. And I made the idiotic mistake of leaving the A8 parked outside. Where it could get wet. Apparently Audi didn't design the sunroof drains so good. They get easily plugged, which means you get water all over the inside of the car. You can read all about it in the class-action lawsuit that A8 owners filed against Audi. About 3 inches of it in each footwell. The good news is that Audi engineers decided that the ideal place to locate the electronic control modules for several different systems is under said footwells. The museum curator, a wise man whose advice I should have heeded, said to just turn it into insurance and move on. I persisted, and thanks to dozens of hours of internet research and a couple of hundred bucks spent on several used control modules on ebay, I was able to dry the car out and get it back on the road.

Over this past weekend, the Airbag Warning light popped. My scanner says "01 21 9 Rear Airbag Igniter: Driver Side (N201) - sporadic 002-Lower Limit Exceeded." As soon as I clear the code with my scanner, it comes back on.

If you're keeping score at home, currently I have the following warning lights on the dash:
Brake Light
ABS Light
Emergency Brake Light
Adaptive Headlight Failure
TPMS Warning (yes, tire pressure is fine, the system only reads the sensors intermittently, though)
Airbag Light

I have a slow leak in the cooling system, so I get a low coolant warning from time to time.
To its credit, the car has used/leaked only one quart of oil in the past 5 months, so I've only seen the low oil warning once.

As the weather warms, I'll have a little better opportunity to get this car sorted out. Any pointers/suggestions/advice appreciated. I'll keep the thread updated as I solve the problems as well as list the inevitable new problems as they arrive.
www.kansascityautomuseum.com
Current:
2002 996TT X50, Guards Red
1987 928S4, Guards Red
1987 951, Guards Red
1973 914 2.0 Bahia Red

2006 955S, Lapis Blue
Other toys:
1988 BMW 325i Cabriolet, Alpin Weiss
1987 Bertone X1/9, Verde Chiaro
Gone but not forgotten: 1975 914 2.0, Laguna Blue; 1999 996 C4 Aerokit Black; 1990 964 C2 Guards Red; 2006 955S Arctic Silver

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Dgi 07
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Re: My Audi A8L saga

Post by Dgi 07 » Tue Jan 30, 2018 11:30 am

kcattorney wrote: Tue Jan 30, 2018 10:59 am.......Any pointers/suggestions/advice appreciated..
kcattorney wrote: Tue Jan 30, 2018 10:59 am......... a wise man whose advice I should have heeded, said to just turn it into insurance and move on.
The musuem curator gave you the best advice possible, but in the interest of avoiding the well that's not helpful comments, I'll play

Arnott for Air suspension when it goes out.

VagCom (Calm down gents) is a must for code reading, diagnosis, etc. It gets into all the modules that a generic scanner won't.

If I remember correctly, you are pretty handy with working on your own cars. Bentley manuals, Torx and Inverted torx are common fasteners.

Suspension noises are common, Audi has a complex set of control arms. There are a few companies that will sell you complete kits.

Electrical issues....not really much i can say about that. You have already figured that out.


Good luck. Don't rip your hair out.
5chn3ll wrote: Fri Aug 24, 2018 10:48 am ...an eternity of being sodomized by a giant phallus made of crushed, reformed ghost peppers.

Kalashnikov
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Re: My Audi A8L saga

Post by Kalashnikov » Tue Jan 30, 2018 1:50 pm

Dump the car immediately. I can't believe you would even buy that shit box.

Everyone who ever was in the car game knows to avoid late model high mileage audi cars, A8 being the Lucifer of the bunch. Cars are nightmares when it comes to reliability, diy friendliness, and electronic complexity.

Example for you, my buddy has 2013 or 2014 A5 couple. He went to the Prescott Rally with me last October. 20 miles total of dirt road driving for a car with 70k miles. His tally:broken AC compressor, broken oil level sensor, constant smell of gas when tank is over 1/2 full. Tally for 230k mile Acura, lots of dust.

If your wife wrecks cars, get her a used mitsubishi lancer or outlander sport with under 50k miles and under 5 years old. You would have full power train warranty for 5 years.

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Dgi 07
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Re: My Audi A8L saga

Post by Dgi 07 » Tue Jan 30, 2018 3:26 pm

Kalashnikov wrote: Tue Jan 30, 2018 1:50 pm Dump the car immediately. I can't believe you would even buy that shit box.
Jeez, I was trying to be nice about it.!
5chn3ll wrote: Fri Aug 24, 2018 10:48 am ...an eternity of being sodomized by a giant phallus made of crushed, reformed ghost peppers.

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FRUNKenstein
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Re: My Audi A8L saga

Post by FRUNKenstein » Tue Jan 30, 2018 6:44 pm

Kalash - I knew you'd get a kick out of this one!

Dgi - Thanks for the advice. I'm not into the car for much, so no worries if I have to end up running it back through the auction to dump it. I have a soft spot for older luxury cars, even if that means keeping it on the road turns into a hobby. I've definitely noticed the suspension noises, especially when the temps get frigid. I'm real familiar with air suspensions. Actually I forgot to mention that I already replaced the rear struts on this one with a set of low mileage used ones ($300 for the set). And yes, I work on my cars myself - I've got a decent set of tools and two 4-post lifts. I probably will buy a VagCom since the boys on the Audi forums won't even tell you how to unlock your doors unless you post a VagCom readout first.

And as for fearing a potential maintenance nightmare/money pit, all I can say is "I already own a 928." :D
www.kansascityautomuseum.com
Current:
2002 996TT X50, Guards Red
1987 928S4, Guards Red
1987 951, Guards Red
1973 914 2.0 Bahia Red

2006 955S, Lapis Blue
Other toys:
1988 BMW 325i Cabriolet, Alpin Weiss
1987 Bertone X1/9, Verde Chiaro
Gone but not forgotten: 1975 914 2.0, Laguna Blue; 1999 996 C4 Aerokit Black; 1990 964 C2 Guards Red; 2006 955S Arctic Silver

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Dr_Strangelove
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Re: My Audi A8L saga

Post by Dr_Strangelove » Tue Jan 30, 2018 9:00 pm

I call dibbs on his Turbo when this thing does him in.
2003 Carrera: Dark Teal Metallic

Kalashnikov
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Re: My Audi A8L saga

Post by Kalashnikov » Tue Jan 30, 2018 9:13 pm

You fancy yourself a transporter KC? Cause you will be spending a lot of time dealing with one...AAA style one! :lol: :lol: :lol:


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FRUNKenstein
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Re: My Audi A8L saga

Post by FRUNKenstein » Tue Jan 30, 2018 9:27 pm

Dr_Strangelove (whew!) wrote: Tue Jan 30, 2018 9:00 pm I call dibbs on his Turbo when this thing does him in.
Har har. I'm gettin' buried in the Turbo.
www.kansascityautomuseum.com
Current:
2002 996TT X50, Guards Red
1987 928S4, Guards Red
1987 951, Guards Red
1973 914 2.0 Bahia Red

2006 955S, Lapis Blue
Other toys:
1988 BMW 325i Cabriolet, Alpin Weiss
1987 Bertone X1/9, Verde Chiaro
Gone but not forgotten: 1975 914 2.0, Laguna Blue; 1999 996 C4 Aerokit Black; 1990 964 C2 Guards Red; 2006 955S Arctic Silver

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FRUNKenstein
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Re: My Audi A8L saga

Post by FRUNKenstein » Tue Jan 30, 2018 9:29 pm

Kalashnikov wrote: Tue Jan 30, 2018 9:13 pm You fancy yourself a transporter KC? Cause you will be spending a lot of time dealing with one...AAA style one! :lol: :lol: :lol:

Hey, that's my car in that movie! (except no blondes in mine :? )
www.kansascityautomuseum.com
Current:
2002 996TT X50, Guards Red
1987 928S4, Guards Red
1987 951, Guards Red
1973 914 2.0 Bahia Red

2006 955S, Lapis Blue
Other toys:
1988 BMW 325i Cabriolet, Alpin Weiss
1987 Bertone X1/9, Verde Chiaro
Gone but not forgotten: 1975 914 2.0, Laguna Blue; 1999 996 C4 Aerokit Black; 1990 964 C2 Guards Red; 2006 955S Arctic Silver

Alan A
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Re: My Audi A8L saga

Post by Alan A » Wed Jan 31, 2018 5:44 pm

Don’t feel bad - you aren’t alone.

I too broke rule #1 - never ever ever buy a used Audi.

I was seduced by the test drive and went out and bought a CPO 15 A8L. It’s fast, comfortable and quiet.

I picked it up on a Saturday afternoon and drove it 5 miles home. Started it up Sunday to go to the store and the CEL and a bunch of other stuff came on. It spent a little over a week in the shop having a camshaft actuator changed out.

I’ve had it back a week. The lane departure failure light came on, but it cleared itself and hasn’t come back. Yet.

I’m waiting for the next problem. The only saving grace is CPO...

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