2005 Audi A8 TDI 3.0 turbo diesel
Summary:
Great ride
Faults:
Nearly nothing!
Apart from:
The parking brake is electric. I was under the impression that the less you use it, the less chance of it breaking down, since I was sceptical about how robust the solution was. I was absolutely wrong using only 'P' when parking the car. It turns out, the less you use it, the bigger the chance that it will malfunction when finally using it. The rear right brake caliper ended up giving misinformation about the retraction of the brake due to a sensor malfunction. A very costly job to fix; the caliper had to be replaced costing (in Norway) nearly £800 for the part + £300 for labour. The dealer was so service minded that they took the whole bill. Fantastic customer service!
Apart from this failure, the car runs like clockwork.
General Comments:
It runs quite well; fast, and with enough torque to give you a good kick in the back.
Its air suspension gives both a smooth or a sporty feeling, depending on the setup.
It has a very good fuel consumption, 0.67 litres/10 km, which is very good considering the weight, engine, auto transmission and four wheel drive.
The interior quality is great, and you feel like you're riding in a tank when it comes to safety.
The trunk swallows quite a lot of luggage. I have two small children with child seats installed, without having forsake leg room in the front seats.
The sound system is amazing; I prefer listening to music in the car instead of the living room :)
A superb car, which I think, if you get a well looked after car, will be quite cheap to run and maintain.
I will keep it for many years to come :)
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 20th March, 2013
27th Dec 2005, 18:08
This author sounds unprepared and ill-suited for dealing with typical maintenance and repair costs for high-mileage high-end European or Japanese luxury cars. His experience sounds very much like my past experience dealing with my 1994 Mazda 929 and my 1994 BMW 740iL. I also own a 2002 Audi S8, but it has been virtually problem free thus far. If you want a used luxury car that will be virtually problem free for all of eternity, buy a Lexus, but do so knowing that those cars are expensive used car buys and are considered by many to lack the personality of European luxury performance cars. If you want something more exotic, such as the groundbreaking aluminum space frame and Quattro systems, then buy an A8, but be prepared to spend a considerable amount of money in upkeep for an older, high-mileage model.