Taking delivery of an 07 W12
 

Man I'm I excited too! I have a great independent garage that I rely on for my current '09 A8 but if anyone in the Toronto (Ontario,Canada) area has a suggestion for a W12 specialist, please let me know!
Thanks!!

Awesome, welcome to the club. You wont be disappointed. They run so smooth and effortlessly down the road. You will be smiling from ear to ear when you get to drive her.

details please...
 

Colors, options, etc....photos ?

Thanks TS and awdinut. It's an extra dimension to not only enjoy a car so much but to have people out there that share their stories, issues, troubles and successes. This is an 07 with 97K, 5 passenger, Pearl black in fact, amaretto leather, B and O and 20 inch polished aluminum wheels. It was owned by an Auto executive in a group which happened to include Audi dealership. While I suspect the car saw a lot of the inside of the dealership, it'll soon be a distant memory for it :-) Because of all the expertise on this site that guys like MP4 2+6.0 among others and my Accesd to a great independent (RPM Import and Domestic) here in Toronto, I hope to keep the cost of owning such a rare and beautiful car to a reasonable level. This car was so well looked after it would've been foolish for me to be too picky about the year, the colour and the options. I just happen to be in my own backyard in Toronto so it's the one!
TSHong, because I only own 98 and I'll be trading in, I actually do prefer the taillight lenses in the larger side mirrors. I'm not sure if the headrest pastors have the added padding in the 07 yet I don't recall.
thank you both for your responses and I know will be in touch in the future.
Just FYI, I've had a habit of naming my cars over the years and my kids thought this one reminded them of what Thurston Howell lll might've driven if he ever got off of Gilligan's Island. Therefore refer to him as Thurston.
Happy trails!

Sounds like all the options I would want. Great color combo. The W12 are very reliable motor wise for me so far. Just the usual maintenance but some parts just take time to get because of the exclusivity. Please let me know if you have any questions since I've owned a 05W12 and now a 09W12. The B&O really is nice, especially with an added sub.

Thanks for the welcome mat. I hope to be able to provide useful info down the road as well.
Bon voyage!

so did you get your W12?

Glad that you're OK.

Thanks Mister! Feels good. Grateful for all support.

glad to hear your OK health first.
post some.picks when you get it.
be nice to have a few more W12 owners as it's a small club the W12

Will be happy to do so when I get it. I'm lining it up for a propane conversion. From what I've read it's better candidate that the FSI 4.2L I'm keeping it forever and it'll be my homemade hybrid. So many fewer harmful pollutants!
Though I won't be doing that right away, that's the end game.
I truly love my '09 4.2 SWB but want to reduce my carbon footprint. I don't mean to offend the small community we are and I hope I haven't done so.

Finally Got It
 

The hard part is over. The decision to buy it, the research that lead to being comfortable enough to take the plunge, and finally, to trade a car I loved. Thanks to the D3 and W12 community I am driving it with more confidence.
Now the thrill is real and I have a beautiful example of this wonderful car.
One day in.. I get the CEL. Uh oh. I’ll check the forums but if anyone knows a simple explanation that might cause it( this car has been pampered)I’d sure love to hear from you.
07 Black on Amaretto 97k Kms
Also..,
Driving perfectly but would anyone who’s had both wheel bases describe the L as less stable? I am finding it doesn’t point as truly as my SWB A 8. Goes over bumps and kinda looses it’s straight line. Had this issue when I test drove it so the dealer replaced upper control arms on both sides. I took them at their word that it was fixed. Not a big issue for some but my A 8 that I traded wouldn’t budge off centre. I can live with that until I look into it further but the light is a right away thing.
Many help is much appreciated!

No, this is not normal at all. If anything, the L is more stable. Go back to that dealer and tell them to fix it right! You've probably got a bushing somewhere that's past due for replacement.

First congratulations on your new car
As jack stated its not normal for the car to sway at all mine is solid as a rock in sport and very stable in comfort so much so I can take roundabouts at GT speeds although the car has slowed me down as its so refined.
A couple of points I will suggest so you get the best out of ownership.
The W12 has enough computing power with two ecu's to launch a satellite so invariably it throws up faults as just about everything has a sensor on it and it can be worrying when things flash up.
Get a free ecu diagnostic app and fault clearer for your phone from the app store or google play store and run a diagnostic and clear codes every other week this will allow you to see any reoccurring faults and minor faults that are thrown up.Most faults are very simple and you can clear and sort when you get time.
I am in to year two with my W12 and the engine and gearbox are bombproof and the car is very well built but at this age their are minor faults that do appear.
the faults on my car at present are
rear footwell heater not working ....again a common fault and rear heaters can be bought and swapped out cheaply at most breakers.
Swivel motor for headlight.....again a common fault and in most cases its a wire that has rubbed so that is mainly a time job taking headlight out to repair with solder.
front air induction motor the car has two of these that supply extra air on start up again another common fault and breakers again{ don't think its called that but my memory is going lol)
And last parking sensors do fail but cheap Chinese replicas I fitted work fine but its a bumper off job.
All in all the faults listed are the common ones and can cause cell lights that can be reset till you get around to doing the jobs and all can be repaired fairly cheaply, I would recommend changing oil every 10k and that's the priciest part and its better to buy a 50 litre drum as you will use about 30 litres on an oil change and you will have top up oil spare.
All in all the cars are amazing and you have such a rare beast I hope you enjoy it I can say I have never had a car as good as this.
well done and enjoy.

Welcome...officially.

Gotta scan for the CEL. Classic first example of VCDS paying for itself very quickly. Could be a variety of things I have fixed and are known on W12 specifically--cam sensors, O2's and connectors, air pump maybe, even some cooling systems items that will turn it on eventually. BTW, honestly one day in?? Yeah, could be meteor strike coincidence, but I'll call it like it is 99.9% of time. Dealer or someone in auction/resale chain cleared codes. Surprise (not), it now shows. F-r-a-u-d is a less polite way to say it, absent meteor strikes. And yes, dealer may not have done it personally, since many cars move through intermediary hands from prior owner to new one. A scan of readiness codes would have shown it (one or more would have read, not ready). Various of the systems typically take a few driving cycles to show up after codes are cleared; readiness codes there to keep the fraudsters honest for smog checks and such. Among the ones that have some delay: the EVAP system, the cam sensor related one (only runs the self test while loping along at easy going driving speeds), the O2 + cat test cycling if not a hard short, the thermostat one (may only show in pretty cold conditions), etc. Fortunately all fixable, with various now known tricks for some. Need scan though to sort reality from WAG's.

Suspension: No, in top shape should be really solid. Review the control arms carefully. Dealer talk isn't worth crap unless written down on paper and verifiable. See my prior posts of mine about bushings, how to check carefully, etc.. My car is on third set (of factory)--about 60K miles ave. If sway bar links not done, they will probably be torn or at least distorted some too by 75K miles. Dealer did my first round of both bushings and sway links under 4/50 new warranty and CPO warranty, respectively. Other parts possible too. Or, one hard hit on 35 series can take out alignment front or back even if suspension parts all in order. Occasionally a crap tire as another less likely one. Thorough inspection, replace needed parts, then get it aligned and then enjoy 450HP and 6 liters of torque worth of plush n go.

What a GREAT welcome indeed. Thank you Bobster,Jack 88 and MP! I have an appointment tomorrow morning at my independent garage that has the scan and some basic knowledge. They are Audi specialists and I've been there a couple of times with my A8. Good people. The dealership scenario is not surprising given the origins of the deal were from a large Audi dealer. The owner of the car was one of the partners of a larger group of dealerships and bought it new in 07 from Florida. All records have been provided and a clean Carfax. They held up the sale back in the summer due to an issue with a sensor that they didn't want to be an issue for the small company that found it for me. Yes, the company I bought it from are a small dealership but when I called them this morning they were all over making sure I get straightened out.
It is immensely comforting to be able to share this with you and I'll try ALL your suggestions. Even 2 days in with a little uncertainty, I feel like there is very little that would alter my affection for these wheels. Much like any great relationships, they aren't perfect. I wouldn't be married if perfection was the criteria:)
I'll post when sorted.
Cheers!!

Hey Kindreds!
There's an interesting phenomenon when one is deprived of a quality driving characteristic for 3 weeks and then the issue causing the flaw is fixed. My earlier question about solid ride and whether or not the long wheel base A8 was less stable over bumps has been answered in the most glorious way. A tie rod end and an alignment were all that was standing between me and W12 heaven! The dealer I bought it from did the service free of charge and they'll also deal with the CEL issue shortly. The only symptom is an occasional shudder at idle. Just thought I'd update you. Feeling very fortunate to be driving such a splendid auto!

Good news! If you did that, have the upper control arm bushings in good shape and the sway bar links, front end is most likely now nice and tight.

Grad course would be to check/adjust the steering rack play to dial out any minor slop. But my sense is hardly anyone (other than me) does that, and it seems like few mechanics are very familiar with it. If all is good, no wheel play left and you hear no rattles over every day bumps, leave it be and enjoy!. Intentionally driving over a long strip of Botts dots on the pavement at about 30MPH is a good test for any rack noise from my own experience.

Thanks for the tips MP 4.2+6.0!
I think I'll try the botts and check the sway bars. the uppers control arms are new so bushings as well. I remember one of you suggested the solidity and straight tracking suspension of the long wheel base would be even better than the short and that is the case. I didn't think my 4.2 could be improved upon but it it is exceptionally smooth and solid.
The rougher idle is now my task although for some reason, the minus 11 celsius has eliminated the minor shudder. How's the S8 treating you?

Congrats on the purchase. I've had my W12 for about 18 months and love it, especially when it is working right !

I bought a 4.2 TDi Long base, best car I have ever owned by far. Cheap with a couple of cosmetic (and one niggling mechanical) issue. They are pretty cheap for what you get based on the complexity if something goes wrong, and the service costs if you get someone to do it for you. However, if your not afraid of a spanner and are capable of reading and following instructions, there is a mine of information out there for you to do it yourself. Thank god for forums!

Nice to hear from you. Lots to love about these cars. So far so good as the dealer has jumped in where there's been any issue. the first was just an alignment and the second is a CEL that the Audi dealership says they'll look into (no charge) as they had one pop up before they sold it to the people I bought it from. Good on them!
You can believe I'll be asking around this site if they can't figure it out. :)
​​​​​​​Happy New year Gang!