Questions from a new S8 owner

[Daz.g]

Hi all, One day on and loving the new S8. It's a 2000 facelift (AQH) with 80k on the clock. FSH,bose,tv,heated everything,xenon's,18" rims ( soon to change ), Dark blue with black leather .

Will post some piccies up but going to wait for the weekend to give it a good clean first

Got some questions already, as though everything seems to work there are a couple of things that don't ( unless I'm being stupid ).

1) I've got a clicking noisy that comes from the vicinity of the climate controls. It goes click click click clickclick, repeats this three times and then stops for about 10 minutes before doing it again. Any ideas what this is and if it should be doing that ?

2) The passenger's front seat doesn't appear to be heating up, I'll get it in my local garage for a vagcom soon but is this a common problem with a loose connection or dodgy pressure sensor maybe ? Any one had this ?

3) I havn't tried the tiptronic yet because the full auto seems to redline nicely and I can't see that much point in the tiptronic. Does anyone favour the tiptronic or is the concensus just to use full auto ?

4) Occasionally when I engage reverse I get the long beep which the manual says indicates a fault condition, but it doesn't do this all the time. Another loose connection or crap on the sensor ??

5) I need to replace the front discs and pads so anyone got a rough figure for the cost of this ??

6) Looking at new alloys but not sure what would look right. I've always been a fan of deepdish alloys but don't think they would look right on the S8. What do you all think works and what doesn't ?? I don't think deep dish or 5 spokes would go. Then again, should I just go for the 20" oem alloys ??

Cheers for all your help guys, ( Gleaming pics to follow ).....

[SINGH]

1. Can't help you here.

2. Someone needs to be sitting on it for it to heat up, have you tried this? Go on Http://Forum.A8parts.co.uk and see if someone local to you has Vag Com, this will save you having to pay the garage!

3. Tiptronic is very handy, no matter how good the auto gearbox is, it can't predict what's coming up ahead. Sometimes it will change down/up when you don't want it to slowing you down through a bend. I would have long chopped the S8 in for an E39 M5 had it not been for the tiptronic. Play around with it, and you will see you need it to get the most of out the S8. I get frustrated waiting for the car to 'decide' what gear I should be in when I put my foot down about a 1.5 secs beforehand. A good example is if you are going down a country lane 'making progress' and you see a bend coming up that requires you to slow down. The car will have to be in that bend and for you to have slowed down for it to realise it needs to change gear, with tiptronic drop it down a gear beforehand and shoot out of that bend like sh*t of a shovel.

4. Could be a bad parking sensor, get a Vag Com on it.

5. Not had the pleasure of doing this yet, but I hear that Ferodoo DS2500 pads are the dogs bolloxs.

6. I bumped into a guy with an S8 at the petrol station with deep dish alloys on his S8, check it out again on the A8 Parts forum in the 'spotted' section. I would go for the 20'' final edition alloys. Cheapest I have ever seen these for is £1,100.

Get some pics up please

Edited April 12, 2010 by SINGH

[B@fink]

fairly sure i've read something about climate actuator motors going a bit wrong and producing a click click noise from the climate area. They alter where the air flow is heading and if they go sproing they just keep moving. I think i saw something on a8 forum or audi world. I could be wrong though!

[PsYcHe]

1 - It's a climate motor gear... Almost every facelift car has it by the sounds of it. Beginning to think my D3 is developing the same (or similar) fault too. Turn up the radio or the revs and you don't hear it

2 - There's a VCDS register on here too which might turn up someone closer

3 - Tip... Oh yes.... In roadworks where you might be on the point between gears, definitely on the windy bits.

4 - Likely a sensor on the way out, but just make sure they're seated properly and clean.

5 - I'd budget about 250-300 for good pads and disk. The Ferodos get a good write-up, as does the black diamond stuff. EBC seems to get varied write ups, so I think it's more down to your driving style than a problem with the kit.

6 - They do look nice, but if you're planning some spirited driving, you might want to think about the air getting to the disks. Not sure if they're still up for sale, but Roberto was selling a set of 20s recently (not deep dish, but very nice nonetheless).

[cruiser647]

Have you had the cambelt changed?

It needs doing at 80K.... Hopefully the previous bod has had it done.

[IT_S8]

1) I've got a clicking noisy that comes from the vicinity of the climate controls. It goes click click click clickclick, repeats this three times and then stops for about 10 minutes before doing it again. Any ideas what this is and if it should be doing that ?

2) The passenger's front seat doesn't appear to be heating up, I'll get it in my local garage for a vagcom soon but is this a common problem with a loose connection or dodgy pressure sensor maybe ? Any one had this ?

1) - Very common fault, easy fix, documented here: Faulty flap motor clicking behind dash - A8 Parts Forum

2) - The front seats will heat irrespective, only the rear ones use a pressure sensor on 5 seaters or seatbelt sensor on the 4 seaters. The heating pad can fail, but its bonded to the foam of the seat which incorporates the pressure pad for the airbag occupancy also, so its a £300 part from Audi. I wouldnt expect a 2000 car to be failing like that though, and note that the oull out bolster has a seperate heating element to the main part of the seat, which is seperate to the backrest. For all 3 to fail is virtually impossibe, so if its all cold then its definitely worth checking the fuses, and make sure all the connectors under the seat are plugged in - There is a square green one for the heating, if that was out, it would certainly stop the heating whilst everything else would work....

Enjoy

[Goz]

Hi!

6) go for these. They are forged, weigh 2kg less than the stock 18" Avus wheels, fit the same tyres, and are easier to wash (apparently).

Reducing unsprung weight is (realistically) like 2.5xsprung weight, so thats the equivalent of making the car 20kg lighter. And another 2kg if you go for a spare.

Orig. Audi A6 8x18", ET48 Felgen Vollpoliert A3 A4 S3 on eBay (end time 09-May-10 19:46:42 BST)

[A8_Tony]

They are a nice rim that's being suggested, indeed they are an Audi design too, and rarely, if ever, seen on a D2.

In response to some of your questions:

3 - Tiptronic. If you don't use these on the tight & twisties, get a 2.8

4 - I have the same problem, it is a faulty sensor....just need to swap it out

5 - Brakes. Now there's a question. I've upgraded mine to Audi 8-pot calipers & 365 mm disks....and they work a treat. However, I've also had EBC Redstuff pads, and they were significantly better when compared to standard. You also get a 15% discount from EBC direct if you're a member of the A8Owners Club. Darrenjoe90 has EBC Yellowstuff & grooved disks, and is much happier with them, than he was with the standard set up.

There are a number of sites out this with pictures of alloys on '8's, but take your time, and pick something you'll like. They are a personal taste thing, and it's likely that you'll keep the '8 for some time :D

Edited April 14, 2010 by A8_Tony

[Daz.g]

8 Pots you say ???!!!! Sounds lovely, I had porsche 4 pots and 356mm discs on my golf mk4 and they were amazing..... Got to say I'm one of these people that just finds standard brake setups a bit poor ( though the S8 ones seem quite good even tho I've got low discs and pads. You can't beat the confidence a good set of brakes gives you on the road...... What car are they off then mate, an RS6 ?? How much did that set you back ??? ( So I can dream )

@Cruiser647 - Yes cambelt service was done 1.5K ago.....

@IT-S8Cheers for tips on the heated seats and that damn clicking noise ( cheers everyone else for info too ) , I'll have a look on saturday - gonna be a busy day !!!!

Edited April 14, 2010 by Daz.g

[Daz.g]

Oh and with the alloys, I'm not going to have that much to spend on them unfortunately, those ones on german ebay do look nice !!

Whats the deal with lowering tyre widths ?? I've been looking at the cheap 'audi style' wheels ( Don't shoot me down guys - just got no cash after the S8 purchase ) but the 20's available all seem to be 235's. Bearing in mind I've got 245/45/R128's fitted is this gonna cause issues ???

[A8_Tony]

Oh and with the alloys, I'm not going to have that much to spend on them unfortunately, those ones on german ebay do look nice !!

Whats the deal with lowering tyre widths ?? I've been looking at the cheap 'audi style' wheels ( Don't shoot me down guys - just got no cash after the S8 purchase ) but the 20's available all seem to be 235's. Bearing in mind I've got 245/45/R128's fitted is this gonna cause issues ???

Don't lower the tyre width/walls!!!!

You'll have all sorts of issues with your speedo etc!!!

Oh, and the brakes are awesome!!! The 8-pots come off RS4's & RS6's, the disks are RS6, but I'm aware that RS4's fit too

[Daz.g]

so what size were the original oem 20,s ??? I understand that increasing the size would affect the speedo accuracy but isn't there something audi do with the cars engine management to tell it its wearing 20's?. also would lowering the tyre width affect speed ?

Surely it would just affect handling ??

[PsYcHe]

I think the 20's were 255s (or maybe 265s)... I'm on 255/40/19s with my D3 and the D2 is usually the same setup

If you change the overall rolling circumference of the tyre it will affect the speedo (not usually by huge amounts, but if you're not careful you could end up 10%+ out).

[SINGH]

Factory final editions were 255/35/20, I'm running D3 ones at 275/35/20 no problem, don't worry to much about the speedo! My ride improved, grip is fantastic with Verdistans.

[IceBlue8]

Tony posted "In response to some of your questions:

3 - Tiptronic. If you don't use these on the tight & twisties, get a 2.8 ;)"

Tony - I've noticed quite a few 2.8 owners on the site recently, so me and the other 'baby 8' owners are gonna get you (if we can catch you!). Be afraid (but not very afraid).

[Daz.g]

Washed the S8 today for the first time - takes a damn sight longer than the old golf used to !!! Still, looked stunning when finished.:roflmao:Hope I've loaded the pics up ok.....

Few more questions guys :

1) The sterio seems to be a bit poor in my opinion and seriously needs some midrange adjustment controls. Can the modern verion fitted to newer audi's be retro-fitted ?? Borrowed my brothers 57 plate audi A3 a while back and got to says it's bose system was a lot better sounding, and how can I tell whether I've got the Bose upgrade cos the guy I bought it off said it was bose but the speaker grills have no bose badges so I'm a bit suspicious.......

2) I'd really like to set up a bluetooth connection for using my phone and playing music, is there an upgrade for the original system or would this again mean updating to the newer version ?

3) How can I find out the original retail price of myu car when new and a list of options and costs ( just wondered ) , anyone got an original sales brochure or pricelist ??? Tried googling but to no avail

Tried the tiptronic out today for the first time and I can only say to everyone who had already advised me ........... mmmmmmmmmmmmmm:cool:

Just need to get me some 20's now.........

Edited April 18, 2010 by Figure11
Embed Photos

[B@fink]

if its bose it'll have bose rear speaker grilles, when you turn it on it'll say bose on the radio display and if you look under the cd autochanger there will be an amp pack that i think says bose on the label. Also look in the boot in the spare wheel well, there will be a printed label with all the option codes the car has on it. 8UD is concert radio and 8RY is bose, you should have the codes if you got bose!

As for the price of the car and options i usually just use the parkers web site parkers.co.uk read the review and it offers up a price of the car and other options (i think it says "more equipment") the list price apparently was £54810. eek.

hope this helps a bit.........

[IceBlue8]

I've got a price list with all the options priced too. I think it's a 2000 version. If you send me the spec and options list, I'll price it for you.

[Daz.g]

Cheers mate, heres a pic of the options sticker. Apologies for poor angle on the picture, trying to lean in upside down to take it

Any chance you could scan a copy of that pricelist and send me ? I'll be quite interested to see how much it all was....

No bose badges anywhere so guess I've got the concert one ( boo )

How hard is it to upgrade to bose then? I'm guessing its a new amp and speakers and keep the existing headunit and cd changer ??

[Figure11]

No bose badges anywhere so guess I've got the concert one ( boo )

How hard is it to upgrade to bose then? I'm guessing its a new amp and speakers and keep the existing headunit and cd changer ??

Neds a replacement wiring loom as well due to he different layout of the amp and subs.

[IceBlue8]

Cheers mate, heres a pic of the options sticker. Apologies for poor angle on the picture, trying to lean in upside down to take it

Any chance you could scan a copy of that pricelist and send me ? I'll be quite interested to see how much it all was....

Will do. Might have to wait for the weekend, but I'll dig it out as soon as I get a chance

[IceBlue8]

Now posted as a separate post under 'S8 prices January 2000' so others can see it too

[Daz.g]

cheers Ice,

Quite interesting reading - certainly glad I didn't pay that much Quite a limited options list aswell but I suppose they had a lot of stuff as standard.....