actualfactual

Hey folks! I'm new to the world of A8s/S8s although I'm not new to Audis as a whole. I've been dailying a 2001 TT for the past six years or so and do basically all of the work myself. I know that the 5.2 V10 is obviously a much more complex motor than my weensie 1.8T, but I don't have a problem learning to work on the car as I go along.

I've recently started to eye up the D3 S8 since they appear to be generally reliable over higher miles and present an excellent used value. I do however know the mantra about cheap german cars, trust me 😂

The question is, what are the prospects of getting into a higher mileage (150k miles+) D3? Am I looking at skyrocketing costs for maintenance and parts? I guess I'm looking for input from anyone with a higher mileage example that still drives theirs regularly.

Thanks in advance for any and all help!

Jack88

Well, I bought mine and almost immediately had a boatload of work to do, so be ready for a bunch of initial stuff to do unnoticed or ignored by a previous owner. At that mileage, it would be unusual if a car actually had nothing wrong with it.

ScottCNelson

Some of the O2 sensors, the power steering pump, and rack are engine out repairs. The air suspension will fail and is extremely expensive to fix. Unless you have absolute certainty that IMF decarbonIng has been done very recently, it will need to be done and the IMF will almost certainly need to be replaced due to the infamous plastic flap failure.Every electrical and electronic system in these cars are nightmares. The adaptive headlights are weak. The door handle proximity locks ca't stand up to the weather. The HPFPs and cam followers will need replacing. The G410 will fail. The fuel pumps also go. The sunroof wind deflector motor will start making a horrible noise. Any spill near the console where the cup holders are will fry the MMI. If you don't keep up with cleaning the sunroof and plenum drains, water will intrude into the cabin and likely at least fry the Kessy. The hoses to the headlight washers are garbage and will break so that window washer fluid will get lost fast. The original trunk lift motor was crap. The tiny motors and flaps in the climate control will die leaving some vents blowing cold or hot whichever you don't want. The rear foot well heaters are broken on any S8 you find. The e parking brake will throw MILs that can't be cleared.

Here's my repair history:
08/01/14 63,689Alternator02/16/15 67,859FrontControl Arm Bushes, Passenger's Side Curve Module05/13/15 69,8124F0-941-329-D Left Power Headlight Module10/29/15 73,082Master & Spare Key + program 4 keys01/13/16 73,339Headlight Washer Pump 3D0955681 SEAL 4E095568702/13/16 73,432Front Air Dampers05/16/16 73,989Power Steering Return Pipe 4E1-422-891-N06/09/17 92,077Replaced Wind Deflector Motor07/14/17 92,350Passenger Seat Mem Module, HVAC Module, Coolant Reservoir Cap, Left Side Door Handles, Right Footwell Heater08/11/17 93,897Driver's Side Curve Module 4F0941329D08/29/17 94,720Left Rear Footwell Heater, Side Assist, Oil Loss CND09/02/17 94,940R & R G41009/07/17 95,398R & R Right Rear Door Handle11/06/17 98,707Decarbon, R & R IMF, Oil Filter Seal, JHM Intake Spacers, Oil Separator Heater Bypass, APR Stage 104/10/18 103,251R and R Hood Release Cable04/13/18 103,426R and R B3S1 O2 Sensor, Fixed Belly Pan05/07/18 105,075R & R REAR LEFT DOOR WINDOW SUN SHADE05/15/18 105,303R & R Window Washer Reservoir, Pumps and Level Sensor06/17/18 107,179R & R Left Inner Brake Light06/19/18 107,235R & R Left Outer Brake Light07/08/18 107,894R & R Right Front Exterior Door Handle07/20/18 108,455R & R Trunk Struts08/15/18 109,688R & R Passenger Seat Memory Module09/14/18 111,414R & R HPFP's09/28/18 112,140R & R Oil Separator10/08/18 113,019R & R Cam Followers11/12/18 114,388R & R Battery

actualfactual

Yikes, Scott It sounds like you've had it worse than many others I've seen on the forum here. I did know that the PS system and air suspension were weak points. I'm also aware of the intake manifold flap failure and carbon buildup issues associated with the FSI motors. Is there a DIY repair available for the intake manifold? I know that the arms are available for purchase but haven't seen the flaps anywhere. My parents had a B5 Passat so although the S8 may be more advanced, no VAG product is immune to blocked sunroof and plenum drains it would seem...

Didn't know about the cam followers and HPFP. I always assume standard fuel pumps will be a weak point on any Audi, though.

I assume you still drive your car regularly?

BASARAB

The manifold can not be repaired and the cheapest price for it is $1670 right now.

ScottCNelson

Here's the IMF Decarbon proc. If the flaps are broke, all you can do is replace:

How-To: C6 S6 Intake Manifold Removal & Carbon Clean

ScottCNelson

Yes. the car is a daily driver. I put about 50 miles a day on it.

actualfactual

Much appreciated. The whole manifold thing really rubs me the wrong way when it comes down to it. A timing belt is one thing as a maintenance item, but even with all the extra labor on that job it still only costs me $300 for parts. The idea of replacing the whole intake manifold every 60-80k just because Audi didn't do their due diligence is infuriating to say the least...I've been reading a little and I've seen some instances of people epoxying the flaps shut to eliminate the issue, although I understand that it affects the powerband since the intake is stuck at a single length. Does anyone around here have experience with that solution?

I appreciate everyone's contributions - I was a bit concerned that an older, rarer car like this might be tough to find community support for but it seems that most of the issues have been covered at least to some extent. Thanks again, and I'll be sure to keep ya'll updated on whether or not I opt to buy one of these barges 😎

Mister Bally

I hope that timing belt kit (at $300.00) did NOT include a water pump nor hydraulic tensioner. If it did, consider replacing them way sooner than the recommended interval.

actualfactual

Included OES NTN parts that were not stamped, OE belts, cam seals, hardware and some garbage aftermarket metal impeller water pump. Naturally I had already replaced a metal water pump once and wasn't keen to do it again so I purchased the OEM water pump separately.

In the end all parts put on the car were OEM or OES.