23rd Mar 2010, 03:19

All you guys with headrest problems – not going up/down – all that has happened is that the drive cable has dropped out of the upper gear mechanism, and the noise you hear is the cable rotating just short of engagement. On the back rest – starting at the back bottom left or right strip, the leather out of the seat back. It is just pushed into a channel in the backrest cover/map pocket. Once out, fold back and expose the backrest mounting screws – remove and remove backrest cover. Logic will dictate how to remove the drive motor – remove and then relocate the drive cable into the upper mechanism. Reassemble and test – all OK? Refit backrest/leather. Simple.

17th May 2010, 22:11

I just bought a 1998 Audi A8 Quattro. WOW!!! What a car. Only problem is I hear the fan motor running, but very little air coming through the vents???

21st May 2010, 07:30

I Own a 97 A8 Quattro. Brought it with about 85K 3 years ago, now has 160K. Already had the timing belt replaced due to strange noise coming from front of engine. Turns out it was the torque converter. Tried to have a tranny filter and fluid flush done by a "BMW, Benz, Audi Specialist" and got screwed. Guy didn't replace the oil pan properly and leaked tranny oil. Tranny was already on last leg. Tried to get a rebuilt, but the guy I took it to, said he couldn't find one, so winded up buying a new tranny directly from Audi America.

Now I have an oil/coolant leak that I'm told is the oil cooler seals. Seals are no more that $30, $40, but the labor to have them replaced is $500! I'm refilling coolant every month or so now.

In addition, I've broken down several times on the highway. Turns out when the gas gauge hits around half a tank, it stops reporting the correct amount of gas in the tank. Had the fuel pump replaced last year, but has not solved the problem. I don't let the tank get past half way without refilling, but sometimes I get caught between gas stations. If I let it get too far down, the fuel pump fuse will blow (without fail). I was told (by another so called specialist) that the secondary sending unit is what needs replacing (another $800). I just make sure the tank is full all the time now.

Can't say this is a not a nice car. Best in the snow. But if you don't have the funds to keep up with the maintenance, it could be a nightmare.

8th Aug 2010, 15:35

I own a 97 A8 Quattro, which I bought with 30,000 miles on it in 2000. It now has 95,000 miles.

I absolutely love this car. We have always experienced the low RPM transmission lugging at low speeds (RPMs below 1,200), so I just keep it in 3rd until the RPMs exceed 1,500, and then move into 4th or drive. A minor inconvenience, but no problem.

We had the timing belt replaced at 92,000 miles as a precaution, which really tightened up the feel and performance of the car. We've had some CV joint/boot issues, and the driver's headrest no longer goes up and down (I'll try the fix suggested by another post!), lower exterior door trim wants to fall off. We replaced the tie rods, control arms, and wishbones assemblies at 75,000 miles, and have replaced all brake pads.

Otherwise, this has been a great car. The repairs are expensive, but the car performs extremely well.

I am now experiencing small whisps of smoke (vapor?) rising from the right front wheel area after hot weather driving. We replaced the valve cover gaskets, but that didn't stop the issue. I've noticed that the front wheels, and especially the passenger side front wheel, get extremely hot after even a moderate amount of driving. Is this typical? I never paid attention until I saw the smoke (vapor?) rising from the wheel well.

Let me know if anyone has any thoughts on this issue.

28th Apr 2011, 17:55

My love/hate relationships with 3 Audis.

1970 LS100, great driving car, maintenance nightmare.

1974 Fox, fun car, still maintenance headaches.

I waited more than 20 years before I gave Audi another chance.

1997 A8, by far the best driving car I have ever owned. Then the trans went out. I called up the Audi dealer who was 50 miles away and told them about the problem. They said to have it towed in and they would take a look at it. Got a call from the dealer, and they said it was bad, they did not do repairs or rebuilds, only replacements. Gave me a price of $13,000 to replace the trans. I found a local trans shop that rebuilt it for $5000. Six months later, the trans went out again. Rather than repair it again, I traded it in. Got about a thousand bucks. I don't know if I'll ever own a car that I enjoyed driving as much as that A8, but I'll never buy another Audi in my lifetime.