audijim113

My wife did this to her 98 A8 a couple years ago, pulling the skin from the alumimun. It was a PITA, took the bumper apart, drilled out the plastic thingies and replaced with small SS bolts.

Yesterday, I did the same thing to my 2000 A8. It wasn't as bad and was able to get the skin snapped back on only drilling out a couple of the plastic things. It's back together, looking halfway decent and i wonder if anyone has ever cut off the lowest piece of plastic valence that is the first to catch on those concrete parking lot things.

I understand the wind resistance, design etc but are all cars as low as Audi's? Long ago with previous owned Audis, i made a "step up". This is essentially a few pieces of synthetic deck wood so the tires contact the wood and lift the front a couple inches before the lower bumper hits the steel ramps so I can get under. How to others get their Audis up on ramps? I envision a ramp that is about 6 ft long, sloped very gradually, but taking up a hell of a lot of room when not in use.

silverd2

Ouch Jim! It's too easy to do in these cars...that's why I have to laugh when ANYONE suggests lowering the car. S8's are already too low and seriously restricted.

With my A8, I have learned take all ramps (steep drive entrances) at a planned angle or dead slow if needed...as low as ANY road car needs to be.
None of this is a problem to me...I had years of cautious training with 3 Porsche 928's before my present D2. 928's have 3 full feet of car in front of the engine and lower to the ground than a D2...in comparison, the D2 freed me up.

S8ilver

My S8 drives right up on Rhino Ramps...no 'step up' or anything like that. It's tight but nothing touches, and they can't be more than 3' long.

audijim113

I'm not sure what the rhino ramps look like but from a purely geometric logic, they can't be as high as my 20+ yrs old standard metal ramps. I rarely "do down" under but when I do, I need the car as high as possible to get under while rolling on a creeper.

Man, wouldn't be nice to have a hydraulic lift in our garages? Of course, it might do a bit of damage to the roof trusses though.

I too, take is easy on driveway high drive way entrances. The thing that caused me a problem is I pulled into a parking space driving solo and didn't feel the concrete thing. What are they called? When leaving, someone else got in the passenger door. Putting it in reverse, i could feel the scrape. i was going to tell her to get out, but thought if i just went back slowly it would be ok. It wasn't.

If I find myself "down under" again, i'm going to get something sharp and cut off the part of the valence on both sides that extends down about 1". This is what forms the "lip" that catches and pulls the front part of the bumper skin off.

silverd2

Hydraulic lift? ...Hell, I wish I had a garage. Isn't that one of those little houses you can drive a car into?

I do everything on a gravel driveway, lying on a thick rubber pad.

P.S. Rhino ramps >>>

Sambar Stag

I have seen many Audis with front end valences, bumpers, etc.damaged and hanging on with some fasteners broken. My dear wife has done it numerous times to our B5 A4. She is better with the D2 A8. It seems to me that the majority of the damage occurs when the car backs off the block, and the lip of the dam where it connects to the belly pan hooks onto the block and pulls off some of the front end fasteners.One time, I was with darling wife when she ran over one. When we were leaving, I got out and lifted up the plastic fascia up and over the obstruction while she was backing out. Zero damage resulted.
Once, I did it myself, alone in the car. I took my rear floor mat, jammed it between the block and the black plastic dam, and backed out. The mat let the plastic slide across instead of catching; try it!