ArkadiyK

jfrahm

Yes you want to replace the timing belt pretty soon. It might make it to 130K but it'd be a worry. Once you know you are keeping the car you might as well do it.
While you are doing the timing belt, rollers, etc. :
- Water Pump
- Oil cooler pipe - Bufkin or similar
- Serpentine Belt
- Serpentine belt tensioner roller - the Hyundai 2.7 part fits the S8 tensioner for $20
- Spark plugs if not done already
Maybe:
- Serpentine Belt idler - could put this off until the next serpentine belt, or do it and be done for 100K miles
- Re-grease the fan support bearing

Before 150K
- Front axle shaft seals
- Front outer CV boots (do these at the same time as the axle shaft seal)

At 150K
- Alternator voltage regulator or just brushes, rebuild the alternator now or before 200K
- Rear axle shaft seals should be about done
- Vacuum line replacement, they are probably crumbling to dust.

jfrahm

Also read up on the TransGo transmission valve upgrade, if the trans has not been repairs with an oversized valve already this will greatly reduce the chances of the trans wrecking itself.

Y888

revised timing belt interval is 75000 miles or 8 years,
check also fuel filter mine was never replaced and date on it was showing 2002 year(car was a cpo lol),ofcourse fuel pump died because of it.Check if the car will run below 1/3 of fuel in the tank.If it runs fuel pump is correctly seated.

jfrahm

Yes, fuel filter should be changed and fuel pump before 130K or so. The fuel pump is a D2 specific part and some people try installing a generic one, to their dismay.

spitanddirt

I personally have had my OEM timing belt last 114K miles and the second timing belt I replaced at 110K miles after the first. The original factory interval was 105k miles. I didn't know the interval had changed. I only use timing belt component kits from CRP or Continental because they are/were an OEM supplier. I personally never trust any 3rd party mechanics opinions, especially if we are talking about changing the timing belt on an interference engine such as the 4.2L.

In terms of the transmission, the FLUID IS NOT LIFETIME FLUID, but a clever marketing ploy aimed at the original purchaser with more money than common sense. I religiously change my trans fluid out with MOBIL-1 Syn ATF every 35-40K miles. I'm at 268K now. The biggest issue I have right now is that my torque converter clutch has probably worn out as I get a shudder very consistently at 33mph and it will lock and unlock on the highway on rolling hills. I have no transmission codes however.

My fuel pump failed at 146K miles and I had to order a new one from England. Just the pump, not the entire assembly. The pump is about $500 CHEAPER than the entire assembly. I also religiously change my fuel filter every 30K miles. I think it's cheap insurance to change a $15 filter versus having the fuel pump work harder and fail earlier. Your results may vary.

The only other major issue I would not underestimate is the hydraulic timing chain adjuster pads. I replaced mine when I did my last timing belt change at 215K miles. The plastic pads are subject to extreme changes in temperature and they get brittle over time. When they break, the timing chain will gouge the hell out of the timing chain adjuster. You can buy replacement pads online on Ebay for a small amount, but actually replacing them can be a long tedious process.

I agree with jfrahm on what he said, in addition I would also point out that I only use the factory Bosch plug with 4 ground electrodes. Audi has a service interval of only 40K on the plugs. I can't speak for other's experiences with other brands or types, I just know what works / has been working for me.

The intake plenum adjusters are very prone to seizing up and breaking the vacuum actuator arms. With patience and careful hands, you should ideally plan on removing the entire intake plenum and work the arms free while its not on the car. I went as far as separating the plenum halves and using ThreeBond 1211 sealant to reassemble them.

I can even tell you that my factory wheels do not fit tightly on the hubs which has caused a perceived wheel imbalance. I ended up having to make beer can shims. Yes, I said beer can. I used a dial indicator to measure runout on my wheels while installed on the car and found that they fluctuated about .5 to 1mm as the wheel turned. My hubs were perfect. My wheels measured at near zero runout while mounted to a balance machine. So, the difference was caused by the wheel not centering perfectly on my wheel hub. I now use my beer can shims to get the wheel as centered as possible and I hand torque(never use an impact to install!!) each lug stud while the car is still on jacks. My car rides almost glass smooth now. I've been wanting to post a separate thread with pictures about this problem, because I doubt I'm the only one who has been chasing this issue.

I could keep going, but these are the issues that I feel make the biggest difference in the driving and owning experience of a D2.

Do I still like my car? Yes! I drive 135 miles daily and it makes those miles much easier to tolerate when your daily driver rides smooth and quiet. I find the seats to be extremely comfortable which is a major plus. I've had passengers tell me how much they hate to peel themselves out of the seats because they were so comfortable.

jfrahm

Thankfully you can now get the VDO fuel pump in the USA for about $130 (with an ebay coupon) or $145 otherwise. I have one ready to install in my S8 at 110K. I could wait, but I have had a couple instances where I had to crank the engine a bit to get it to start and my A8 was doing that before the fuel pump failed, so I figure why wait and worry about it? Yes it could be a sticky injector or lazy check valve but the car is going to need the fuel pump and I probably won't own it long enough to wear out the second one at 220-250K.

I figure a lot of fuel pump wear can happen while you are sitting in traffic so mileage is not the best indicator. My S8 came from No Cal and so it probably sat in traffic. A lot.

Y888

I have to put back bosch spark plugs because these ngk platinum laser something are giving me 2-3 mpg less.

Oxnardo Ring

That's a sweet color combination. If it's in good shape you should get another 200K miles out of it if you want.

I agree with the prior posts-- and would encourage a "just to be safe" replacement of the fuel pump. I've had 5 D2s by now, and with that several fuel pump failures. Generally, they'll give some warning with "slow to start, slow to build pressure" warnings. But, twice I've just had them "stop dead". IIRC, one poster had part of the armature inside the pump "throw a chunk", which jammed the pump-- game over.
So I'd concur that it's a good prophylactic item... do it now, since it's likely never been replaced.

For some reason, my S8s have been tougher on control arms than the A8s. I don't know why that is, other than "more power", "greater torque with the shorter gears" and much larger braking power with the big calipers-and-rotors. So, I'd encourage a double-check of all the arms-and-bushings up front.

Enjoy, though! I love that combo.

tom