# My Audi S8 D2 after detail and wheel refurb



## MrHooky (Oct 27, 2009)

So I've been on the TTF for years and still own my 8N 3.2 DSG. Circumstances change and as a result I need a bigger family car. I was going to chop in the TT for an E39 M5 but after speaking to my neighbour about his recently purchased S8 I thought I fancied one. 2 days later and I'd agreed a deal on mine!

I've now had it 3 months and it's an absolute hoot. 360bhp, all the toys, de-tuned RS4 engine. 87k for a 2000 car is barely run in. I paid £4,800 from a chap in London. That's fiesta money for what was a £60k car. It had had the brakes (discs and pads) replaced recently for £1,500 and a gearbox rebuild (£2k) at c.82k so it's been maintained. Plus I've got to keep the TT. Win win!

I've just picked it back up after it having a full wheel refurb and 4 new Goodyear Eagle F1s fitted by Prestige Wheels in Birmingham. Really good guys and a decent price, £60 plus the VAT per wheel plus £119 per fitted Goodyear. 12 month warranty on the wheel finish too which shows they're confident on the finish they give.

Car was then detailed by Drayke Fields just round the corner from Prestige. Again another decent chap who does a fair few Audis. I went for the single stage which hasn't removed all defects but this is my 'family' run around so wanted a decent level of correction plus colour and shine restored to the paint. It's not a show car after all...

Also replaced the slightly naff (IMO) Audi Sport trimmed GB number plates for a simple reg only plate. Looks much fresher to my eyes. Also put LED number plate bulbs and front sidelights in which helps modernise the look.

Really pleased with the results. Money well spent. Car really does look fantastic. Pics for you all...


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## Spandex (Feb 20, 2009)

Now that is a fantastic car. I love old luxo-barges.

I can sort of understand why someone who doesn't care about cars would choose the Fiesta over this, but it always baffles me when people who claim to love cars will go out and spend double the money on a crappy hot hatch when there are cars like this out there.


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## Delta4 (Jun 19, 2015)

Spandex said:


> Now that is a fantastic car. I love old luxo-barges.
> 
> I can sort of understand why someone who doesn't care about cars would choose the Fiesta over this, but it always baffles me when people who claim to love cars will go out and spend double the money on a crappy hot hatch when there are cars like this out there.


The answer is simple, RUNNING COST, can you afford to properly maintain a s8 ?


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## Spandex (Feb 20, 2009)

Delta4 said:


> Spandex said:
> 
> 
> > Now that is a fantastic car. I love old luxo-barges.
> ...


That's why I understand some people choosing the £5k Fiesta... But plenty of people who claim to be into their cars will spend £10k on a bland hot hatch - that extra £5k would probably cover a few years of running cost differences.


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## MrHooky (Oct 27, 2009)

Delta4 said:


> Spandex said:
> 
> 
> > Now that is a fantastic car. I love old luxo-barges.
> ...


Agreed - the only big cost though to be fair is fuel which is a known cost. I'm realistically getting 15mpg I'd say. £100 to fill and barely getting over 300 miles out of a tank. BUT I knew this - and I don't do many miles, and those I do I tend to have paid by work.

But applying above logic, if you were looking to spend say £10k on a car, my money would still go on the S8. Spend £5k and instead put 'aside' £5k in case something needs doing. I'd like to think that these aren't going to depreciate much more, Pistonheads even suggested they're at rock bottom doing a 'Catch it Whilst you Can' feature last year.

My neighbour picked up a newer but leggier silver S8 for £2,800 which despite needing a cam belt (£800) is a hell of a lot o car for the money.

This is without doubt the best waft-mobile I've ever owned. And effortlessly rapid...


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## Spandex (Feb 20, 2009)

I don't think people do the maths properly on car purchases. The difference between a 20mpg can and a 40mpg one is going to be around £1300 a year (assuming 10k miles a year). That £1300 is going to be close to the depreciation difference between the two cars, so you're left with your whole £5k pot to cover repairs - more than enough for a car like that.

But people just look at the mpg, and they remember how everyone tells them a little hatchback is a 'sensible' purchase, and then they sit in their dull shopping trolley for the next few years. That's fine though, because that mentality is what keeps the prices of over-sized, over-powered motorway bruisers nice and low for the rest of us.


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## MrHooky (Oct 27, 2009)

Spandex said:


> I don't think people do the maths properly on car purchases. The difference between a 20mpg can and a 40mpg one is going to be around £1300 a year (assuming 10k miles a year). That £1300 is going to be close to the depreciation difference between the two cars, so you're left with your whole £5k pot to cover repairs - more than enough for a car like that.
> 
> But people just look at the mpg, and they remember how everyone tells them a little hatchback is a 'sensible' purchase, and then they sit in their dull shopping trolley for the next few years. That's fine though, because that mentality is what keeps the prices of over-sized, over-powered motorway bruisers nice and low for the rest of us.


What I love about the S8 is that pre options it was a £60k car. I'm also led to believe that Audi put an incredible amount of time (and money) into getting these right and so at £60k they were still apparently selling these at a loss. Double glazed windows, electric everything, the comfiest (bar none) seats I've ever sat in. The front seats are actually Recaros and make the TT's feel primitive. It really is a wonderful machine. I'd urge any of you guys needs a more 'practical' car (but can afford the fuel) to take a look at these D2 A8s - incredible car for silly money at the mo.


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## gninnam (Sep 5, 2010)

Great cars 
Before having the TT I had a D2 A8 4.2QS (same suspension and seats as the S8 but 50Bhp less and slightly different gearing) and loved it - owned for 6 years. Then moved on to a D3 A8 4.2QS with LPG conversion - now that made sense but too many things went wrong with it so had to go, so I got a TT and the wife got a Focus ST.

We both miss the A8's and next year might get a D3 S8


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## Garth (Feb 7, 2012)

Spandex said:


> But people just look at the mpg, and they remember how everyone tells them a little hatchback is a 'sensible' purchase, and then they sit in their dull shopping trolley for the next few years. That's fine though, because that mentality is what keeps the prices of over-sized, over-powered motorway bruisers nice and low for the rest of us.


It's not really that simple though. An old car is almost always a false economy. At least with a new car, you have a warranty (and even with an approved used car), which is worth A LOT. The type of warranty you get from a used car dealer is usually not worth the paper it's printed on due to that many exclusions. I had one once that when you read the small print, only covered the engine block for failure!

My TT was very cheap, but cost way, way more in repairs than ANY of my new BMWs have cost in purchase and maintenance combined. Even when ignoring the money spend on mods and upgrades (remember I had virtually zero labour costs), the cost of failed components was making it more expensive to maintain than my BMW 530d or 330i was costing me to lease, insure AND fuel each month. Imagine a normal Joe that doesn't work on cars themselves being faced with several hundreds of pounds worth of repairs each month... that Fiesta starts to look very attractive.

My current S4 was very cheap to buy, but I'm only getting 14mpg from it. That's 270 miles per tank, which doing any mileage is both very expensive and annoying to fill up every couple of days. I know I'm also going to be hit with a bill for £2-3k in the next couple of years to replace the timing chain and guides, which WILL fail at some point. To the average motorist, that kind of bill is crippling. It far better knowing you have to spend £200 per month on a boring car than £100 a month plus double that every time there is a problem.

If you have any sense and want a consistent monthly payment for a car with no hidden costs, a new or almost new car with a full warranty will always be your best bet That means a small, boring car unless you're loaded.

Having said all that, I will never drive a small, boring car, I'd rather be broke. I don't have that much sense, clearly :wink:


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## Spandex (Feb 20, 2009)

Actually I think a new car is a false economy, because people confuse 'fixed price motoring' with 'cheaper motoring'. I completely understand that it is easier to manage your finances (assuming you don't have a pot of emergency money in the bank) if you can remove as many variables as possible, but that doesn't mean you're paying less in the long run. But to be clear, I'm not dismissing the benefits of knowing exactly what your outgoings will be long in advance, but I do believe this sense of security tricks people into believing they're paying less than their friend in his nice old luxo-barge.

And remember, we started this comparing a £10k new car to a £5k old one. The average used car after 3 years has a residual value of around 40% of its new price (assuming a 10k average mileage), so your residual values will come close to evening out over that period. A £5k maintenance pot should cover most 'nice' old cars (I ran a 10yr+ 996 for about a little over a grand a year (including servicing), although it's a terrible example overall because it was still too expensive to be depreciation proof).


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## MrHooky (Oct 27, 2009)

It's an interesting debate.

The 2003 S4 I presume is the same engine as in my S8 isn't it hence the ludicrous fuel economy? It is frustrating filling up every week despite never really going anywhere but I love the quality of old Audi's which very little new comes close to. I toyed with the 2.7 bi-turbo but a mint one was far more expensive than the S8.

Re the economies of cars: I've toyed with the idea of chopping both S8 and TT in to lease again but can't really justify it. A mate has a new Leon FR with 150bhp. He put c.£2k down and pays just over £200 per month. After 3 years he'll hand it back. It is a very plasticky boring motor, which retails at well over £20k I believe. I paid £4,800 cash for the S8, and will probably sink £2k into it getting it how I want it again but despite being 15 years older the only think inferior is the sat nav when comparing the cars. The ride, the power, the comfort of the S8 are spot on.

The S8 needs a minor service, the cambelt doing, and potentially something with the front suspension. I will probably sink another £1k into it next month, but then I think I've got a real keeper all for less than £7k which will have new belt, new tyres, wheels, brakes, gearbox overhaul etc. Tax is cheap as it's pre 2001. I honestly think the man maths stacks up here&#8230;!

If I need something more economical I take the TT&#8230;


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## Garth (Feb 7, 2012)

As long as nothing unexpected turns up, you may be correct. The thing is, I've come to expect the unexpected with old cars now!

At the end of the day, it's all about what you really want. I know that my S4 will be a huge cost long term (I've already spent a couple of grand on it), whereas my BMW has cost me absolutely nothing other than fuel (which at 40mpg is not a lot). BUT, I'm going to continue sinking money into the S4 as I enjoy it! :-D

I'm just hoping my cam chain or clutch don't need doing any time soon as they'll each cost £2k+

Enjoy your S8, I love those old things too


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## Grahamstt (Jul 22, 2008)

Very interesting debate, I've been thinking of this very thing since experiencing a drive in one of our customers cars, yes it was an S8 with lots of love and care lavished on it.
I don't know what it would be valued at but it is the V10 version with ceramic brakes, stunning car to drive and to look at and that V10 sound....... 
I would think the value of it would be nowhere near the joy of ownership


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## 1781cc (Jan 25, 2015)

lovely car, I am on the hunt for one at the moment, but just a little correction, its not a detuned RS4 engine, the RS4 is an FSI engine, the S8 isn't, the S8 Engine is also different to the uprated shorter chain driven S4 B6/B7 non-FSI engine (I've had 2 of these), and is actually the same engine as the C5 S6 belt driven engine, but not the RS6 engine which is also different.

Confused yet?

In any case, its a lovely hero car and ever since Ronin, it just screams fast understatement.

Hows the gearbox? any issues since the rebuild? there is a thread on the S2 forum about a guy in Romania who dropped a B6 6-speed S4 gearbox into it and converted to manual


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## MrHooky (Oct 27, 2009)

1781cc said:


> lovely car, I am on the hunt for one at the moment, but just a little correction, its not a detuned RS4 engine, the RS4 is an FSI engine, the S8 isn't, the S8 Engine is also different to the uprated shorter chain driven S4 B6/B7 non-FSI engine (I've had 2 of these), and is actually the same engine as the C5 S6 belt driven engine, but not the RS6 engine which is also different.
> 
> Confused yet?
> 
> ...


Think I follow! Best stop telling friends it's a detuned RS4 then - although most aren't petrolheads so I've not been corrected yet!

Gearbox seems good so far. I've done a fair few miles in it so far, just come back from an 1,100 mile round trip to the Highlands and apart from needing an oil top up it didn't miss a beat. A lovely way to take myself, 2 kids, and the gf up to Scotland. Average MPG for the journey - 23.8 mpg which all in all I didn't think too bad...

Have also just had the Cambelt and drop links done on it. £485 for the former which for a V8 I thought was a bargain (included water pump and auxillary belt too that runs a few other things). So all in I've spent £5.5k which includes 4 new tyres, wheel refurb, machine polish and the cambelt done. Previous owner had new brakes and pads all round (£1.5k) and owner before that had gearbox (£2k). Touch wood, I've now got a 90k miler D2 S8 which should serve me a good few more years.

Bad news is that I've decided to get rid of the TT. I'll garner interest on here and also go through Pistonheads and Autotrader. I don't actually need to get rid of it but a house renovation is making me think having two fast Audis is a bit of an indulgence...


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