DVD Films in A8

[Jimmer01225]

Hello All, I am a new user so this is my first post. Later today I pick up my new 03 Plate A8 4.2 and can't wait!! We go away on holiday tomorrow and am hoping that I can fit everything in the boot ;-)

I know the car has Sat Nav and TV and that the Sat nav is loaded by a DVD disk in the changer. Does anyone out there know if this means I can play DVD's to keep the kids happy when stopped in traffic jams and parked up etc ?? Also does anyone know if I should use Optimax or will normal unleaded to the job??

Thanks for your help .....

Thanks

[Sven]

Hi there, welcome to TSN!

Imho you should always use "premium" fuel if you can. It won't kill the car if you can't get it on occasion, in some obscure country - or at a Dutch Shell station - but I like to keep the octane as high as possible. The car deserves it no?

On the DVD subject; methinks you need a separate DVD player to view movies and stuff. However, this should be relatively inexpensive nowadays, and rather easy to install.

Good luck and nice holydays!

[Chris_B]

Sven's right on both counts.

Optimax will (especially if used regularly) keep the engine cleaner and running slightly more efficiently, however the extra cost of Optimax as a percentage over regular unleaded might not give a respective percent increase in economy; a lot depends on your driving style. Personally, I've always used Optimax, or BP or Esso 97 RON at a push, in my last three cars and I'll go a few miles out of my way to find a Shell.

The navigation system is a separate unit behind a cover on the left-hand side of the boot, all the slots in the changer can be used for music CDs, or you can use one for the user manual CD (but it's slower than thumbing through the printed one, so I don't bother). The DVD drive in the nav unit won't play DVD Video discs. Your best bet for in-car DVD is to look under the left-hand cover in the boot and identify the nav unit and I think the TV tuner is there as well. There should be enough room in there to mount a 12v DVD player as well. The TV tuner has two AV inputs, but there are no plugs on the unit, just a large connector block with lots of cables. Dietz make a cable (you probably want the 1216) that joins to the connector block and provides AV inputs, but they're quite expensive to get hold of in the UK. If you're handy with tools and have a Maplins nearby, you could make your own up easily.

One thing you won't easily be able to do is defeat the picture-blanking when moving. Beware of kits that claim to do it, as most of them are for the RNS-style (in dash) nav units fitted to A2, A3, A4 and old A6 models. One for the new A6 or A8 would need to intercept and modify the CAN bus speed sensor signal, which is a lot more complex a job. It's theoretically possible, but nobody's got a proven solution yet to my knowledge.

[SneakyMcC]

Hello Jimmer! Welcome home

[fudge]

Great to see you back and posting Sven, but I have to disagree with you about the fuel issue. I have a 'facelift' S8, similar to Sven's and I have tried both 95 and 98 RON fuels and can detect no difference in fuel economy at all, at least within the UK where the ability to use the S8's formidable performance is extremely limited - that is to say full throttle for a few seconds only when accelerating very hard. The rest of the time the engine is operating at small throttle openings and the effective compression ratio is much reduced with a corresponding reduction in the octane (RON) requirement. In any event you will do no harm to the engine feeding it 95 RON because the knock sensor will always adjust the timing to the optimum for the fuel. In theory, 98 RON will give slightly more power at full throttle but with 360 bhp or so available I can't detect any difference.

I must confess that in France I usually buy 98 RON fuel because the price differential is so small but not in UK. However, I also have a Calibra 4X4 turbo which (as standard) runs a high compression ratio and needs 97/98 RON to extract full performance - the difference is noticeable on full throttle acceleration at about 3800 rpm when (on 95 RON) you can feel the car hesitate slightly as the ECU reduces the boost pressure to prevent detonation. 95 RON does not harm the Calibra just the enjoyment. Interestingly both the Calibra, my S8 and my SL500 Merc (R129 model) all have similar 0-60 mph acceleration times (at least according to road tests) at about 6.1 seconds, but the Calibra manages about 10 mpg better than the other two!

[Jimmer01225]

Thanks for you help guys!! Intresting reading!! I will let you know how I get on with the new beast when I return from my hols!!

Cheers

[Sven]

Hi Richard good to see you too!

No surprise, I don't agree on the fuel issue. Not only do I feel/notice the difference - my car seems to be in 'a better mood' when I fill up with 98 - or better - 100 octane where available (f.i. Germany). Compare it to your own performance after a good nights sleep vs. "the day after the night before" if you will...

On my travels trough Europe I also noticed a difference in fuel economy - although that's never been my first point of attention. But on occasion when I couldn't get 'high octane' fuel it didn't get me as far as usual. Difference was ~ 50 Highway kms on a tank. Hardly scientific, I know, but nevertheless the difference under comparable circumstances was notable.

It's true the ECU will adjust to 95 - that's why it won't hurt if one has to revert to it on occasion - but it can only adjust downwards, right? See it like this: If I give GF a sligtly tighter budget, for sure she'll manage to keep the household running, but the food and drinks won't be as good... We'll survive it, but just wouldn't be as much fun...

I'm the first to agree fuel prices are outrageous in Europe, but as long as we don't go on a collective strike, they will keep getting away with it. Imho one shouldn't take it out on one's car though. Esp. with a car like ours we shouldn't mind to buy the best. If you want to save a few coins on fuel, car maintenance etc. you may be better of with a different car all together. That may sound a tad arrogant perhaps, but it's just my honest opinion, nothing more. You don't buy a High Performance V8 if fuel economy is your first interest...

Anyway, I like to treat my car well, and I believe that's being paid back in full.

While on the subject: every three fills or so I add a flask of STP Gas Treatment or Wynns Injector Power 3 to a full tank. I have had very good experiences with it on several engines (boat/bike/car). Esp. if you use an engine infrequently or do many heavy traffic it's worthwhile imho. (Never-ever use oil additives though! that's rubbish and even potentially harmful).