A Few New Q8 Observations and Questions
11-28-2023, 05:49 AM
#21
AudiWorld Member
Thread Starter
Ordered some Michelin Pilot Sport AS4 tires to see if they'll make a difference with the road noise. I'm not super hopeful, but even a little less would be a good change. If we were going to keep the car long term I probably should go looking for 20" wheels, as there is a Far greater selection in that size and they are significantly less expensive also, not to mention a smoother ride from actually having a sidewall on the tire.
Now that we have a couple thousand km in the Q8 the biggest upgrade from the Q7 is... passenger seat memory. Heh, who'd a thought that would be the pinnacle of design changes.
Found another little place to put suff in the glove box; looks like maybe a CD player slot at the top now has a cover over it, and popping that off opens a spot about an inch high and 6 wide and deep. It's open at the back so cut a piece of foam to block it and can now store an additional bag of toothpicks in the car.
Now that we have a couple thousand km in the Q8 the biggest upgrade from the Q7 is... passenger seat memory. Heh, who'd a thought that would be the pinnacle of design changes.
Found another little place to put suff in the glove box; looks like maybe a CD player slot at the top now has a cover over it, and popping that off opens a spot about an inch high and 6 wide and deep. It's open at the back so cut a piece of foam to block it and can now store an additional bag of toothpicks in the car.
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Macfly4 (01-24-2024)
12-04-2023, 06:30 PM
#22
Club AutoUnion
Came over to the Q8 from a 2019 Q7 (our first Audi). The Q7 was absolute perfection for our use (highway/interstate touring), and we were torn between getting extended warranty for another 3 years or upgrading to the Q8. Turns out we maybe should've gone for the warranty, but it's still early with the Q8. Anyhoo, have a few questions and observations that you veterans might have some insight with...
1. The Q8 is far noisier than the Q7. It is all road/tire noise, and is very noticeable from 20kph all the way up. I assume it is mostly the difference in tires, as we went from gloriously quiet 20" AS+3 Pirellis to OEM 22" Continentals, but it seems there is just less noise insulation in the wheel wells of the Q8. All the acoustic glass in the world doesn't matter if the road/tire noise drown out any possible wind rush.
2. The glass cockpit is taking some time to adjust to. The switches and ***** in the Q7 required no need to look and see what I needed to press, and am finding myself looking away from the road quite a bit now to perform the same functions. Hopefully this will get better as I become more familiar with where things are located.
3. There is no parking lot/low speed allowance for the seatbelt chime now, and holy sheep is it annoying to have the seatbelt chime going off if I just move the car a short distance. And then it won't shut off even if the car is put in park. Very poor choice by Audi IMO.
4. The auto high beam switching system still guarantees I will blind whomever I am passing in their rear view mirror if it is in auto mode. No change from the Q7.
5. There is exactly one spot along the entire rear bumper that the kick to open for the hatch will work. One.
6. There are a ton of new neat and useful features (and some gimmicks) in the MMI and Virtual Cockpit. Haven't been able to get steering wheel heat to swap with sync and actually stay there, but this seems to be a known problem. Also don't know how to set Vehicle Favorites, only radio and nav work as far as I can tell.
7. Having a spare tire is nice. Hopefully I never need it.
8. The glovebox is smooth all the way across and allows things to simply fall off the sides onto the floor when opened, or shift enough the door can't be closed. Odd design.
9. The lack of handy interior storage is real. Especially when you can't put that much in the glovebox. See #8.
10. The new wiper/washer design appears to be a definite improvement.
11. Not sure if its turbo lag, or just lag, but it is a titch less ready to go at stop lights and lights.
12. Haven't tried the fragrance or ionizer yet...gimmick or nice feature to have?
I'm sure I'll have a few more questions/observations as we get some miles on. Looking forward to finding many more positives than negatives.
1. The Q8 is far noisier than the Q7. It is all road/tire noise, and is very noticeable from 20kph all the way up. I assume it is mostly the difference in tires, as we went from gloriously quiet 20" AS+3 Pirellis to OEM 22" Continentals, but it seems there is just less noise insulation in the wheel wells of the Q8. All the acoustic glass in the world doesn't matter if the road/tire noise drown out any possible wind rush.
2. The glass cockpit is taking some time to adjust to. The switches and ***** in the Q7 required no need to look and see what I needed to press, and am finding myself looking away from the road quite a bit now to perform the same functions. Hopefully this will get better as I become more familiar with where things are located.
3. There is no parking lot/low speed allowance for the seatbelt chime now, and holy sheep is it annoying to have the seatbelt chime going off if I just move the car a short distance. And then it won't shut off even if the car is put in park. Very poor choice by Audi IMO.
4. The auto high beam switching system still guarantees I will blind whomever I am passing in their rear view mirror if it is in auto mode. No change from the Q7.
5. There is exactly one spot along the entire rear bumper that the kick to open for the hatch will work. One.
6. There are a ton of new neat and useful features (and some gimmicks) in the MMI and Virtual Cockpit. Haven't been able to get steering wheel heat to swap with sync and actually stay there, but this seems to be a known problem. Also don't know how to set Vehicle Favorites, only radio and nav work as far as I can tell.
7. Having a spare tire is nice. Hopefully I never need it.
8. The glovebox is smooth all the way across and allows things to simply fall off the sides onto the floor when opened, or shift enough the door can't be closed. Odd design.
9. The lack of handy interior storage is real. Especially when you can't put that much in the glovebox. See #8.
10. The new wiper/washer design appears to be a definite improvement.
11. Not sure if its turbo lag, or just lag, but it is a titch less ready to go at stop lights and lights.
12. Haven't tried the fragrance or ionizer yet...gimmick or nice feature to have?
I'm sure I'll have a few more questions/observations as we get some miles on. Looking forward to finding many more positives than negatives.
I thought Apple Music and Amazon Music were suppose to be under media but they aren't there. Do you have them? I also have the same issue with the steering wheel heat and moving it down to the lower touchscreen. It might stay a few ignition cycles then just be gone. I installed the pedal box and that definitely took away any lag in lower acceleration. Currently using city+2.
My OBD11 just showed up but I have zero hopes I will be able to do anything. Going to try it out tomorrow or Wednesday.
12-07-2023, 07:21 AM
#23
AudiWorld Member
Thread Starter
I thought Apple Music and Amazon Music were suppose to be under media but they aren't there. Do you have them? I also have the same issue with the steering wheel heat and moving it down to the lower touchscreen. It might stay a few ignition cycles then just be gone. I installed the pedal box and that definitely took away any lag in lower acceleration. Currently using city+2.
My OBD11 just showed up but I have zero hopes I will be able to do anything. Going to try it out tomorrow or Wednesday.
My OBD11 just showed up but I have zero hopes I will be able to do anything. Going to try it out tomorrow or Wednesday.
I don't have either Music app at the moment, I'll maybe load them and see where/if they pop up.
Had the new tires installed, no noticeable change in noise levels though Farmerette thinks the new ones are a bit quieter. Ah well, have a spare set of tires now for when these wear out.
12-07-2023, 07:43 AM
#24
Club AutoUnion
Any luck with OBD11? Sam is going to try to activate our matrix headlights again soon, he thinks it'll work so there might be hope for OBD11 yet.
I don't have either Music app at the moment, I'll maybe load them and see where/if they pop up.
Had the new tires installed, no noticeable change in noise levels though Farmerette thinks the new ones are a bit quieter. Ah well, have a spare set of tires now for when these wear out.
I don't have either Music app at the moment, I'll maybe load them and see where/if they pop up.
Had the new tires installed, no noticeable change in noise levels though Farmerette thinks the new ones are a bit quieter. Ah well, have a spare set of tires now for when these wear out.
i got this back from a programmer so I’m just waiting a bit to try ajything.
Yeah ODIS can’t deal with SFD2 (yet) - this is looking like the agenda audi want, no retrofits, no software changes. SFD2 is end to end encrypted like banks, so its likely no changes will ever be possible tbh
12-11-2023, 11:43 AM
#25
AudiWorld Member
Thread Starter
Installed the Cete memory module from Europrice to disable Stupid/Start/Stop. Took about an hour, not a bad task at all and well worth the time & money to not have to worry about the engine not providing propulsion* when I really need it.
*Reminds me of the saying about the two worst sounds imaginable when handling firearms...a bang when you expect a click, and a click when you expect a bang.
*Reminds me of the saying about the two worst sounds imaginable when handling firearms...a bang when you expect a click, and a click when you expect a bang.
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01-24-2024, 04:02 AM
#26
AudiWorld Member
Thread Starter
More random thoughts as we head to Florida:
After 4 days of driving south east with the cruise set at 135kmh, we have settled into the new Q8. Like the prior Q7 it is an excellent interstate cruiser, and the massage seats are excellent in every way. 10 hour days are no problem, very comfy.
The first two and a half days we were pushing into a 50kmh wind, and the frameless windows did fine for the most part, with just a little whistle/flutter on the downwind side in greater than 45 degree crosswinds. Fuel economy suffered of course at around 12.5l/100km, though yesterday through the Appalachians it was under 11, probably from some lower speeds and being completely broken in (at 7000km now).
Road noise is still higher than the Q7 was, which still frustrates me to no end. Cargo capacity is reduced as expected, with room for about one fewer smaller suitcase in the back due mostly to the sloping rear hatch. The navigation system is an overall improvement, with some odd details and changes that are puzzling. The voice system is still prone to errors and is far too annoying to use consistently. Strangely though it picks up every curse word perfectly when I’m muttering at another one of its errors.
The entire MMI and climate system has gone completely black twice, and after the second occurrence I held the volume button until it rebooted and it has been fine since.Also twice the entire driver assistance package shut down…no ACC, lane assist etc., multiple warning messages for everything. Shut the car off for 5 minutes each time and everything came back thankfully, only common denominator was we were driving directly into the sun each time; camera washout/blinding perhaps?
And after struggling with the lane keeping “feature” for the first day and wearing myself out fighting with it, I discovered that the Q8 will track perfectly down the highway if I just let it. As long as my hand(s) is holding the wheel, the ACC is engaged and it can “see” the lines (two little green triangles illuminate on the lane indicators in the HUD), it will drive itself perfectly well with zero input from me. Even through the very curvy stuff from Knoxville to Asheville it never left the center of my lane at 125kmh. Very impressive, and makes for much less fatigue at the end of the day.
The matrix headlights are amazingly amazing, with an extra helping of magical added. I don’t think I could go to a car that didn’t have them now. We try not to drive in the dark much, but when we do I want these headlights. Disabling the stupid/start/stop has been a lifesaver also, no more near death experiences from that thing trying to kill us at intersections.
Overall it has been a positive to trade up from the trusty and perfect Q7. Not the overwhelming upgrade feeling we had when we moved to Audi, but it doesn’t seem like we wasted the money at least. More to come probably as we keep on touring.
After 4 days of driving south east with the cruise set at 135kmh, we have settled into the new Q8. Like the prior Q7 it is an excellent interstate cruiser, and the massage seats are excellent in every way. 10 hour days are no problem, very comfy.
The first two and a half days we were pushing into a 50kmh wind, and the frameless windows did fine for the most part, with just a little whistle/flutter on the downwind side in greater than 45 degree crosswinds. Fuel economy suffered of course at around 12.5l/100km, though yesterday through the Appalachians it was under 11, probably from some lower speeds and being completely broken in (at 7000km now).
Road noise is still higher than the Q7 was, which still frustrates me to no end. Cargo capacity is reduced as expected, with room for about one fewer smaller suitcase in the back due mostly to the sloping rear hatch. The navigation system is an overall improvement, with some odd details and changes that are puzzling. The voice system is still prone to errors and is far too annoying to use consistently. Strangely though it picks up every curse word perfectly when I’m muttering at another one of its errors.
The entire MMI and climate system has gone completely black twice, and after the second occurrence I held the volume button until it rebooted and it has been fine since.Also twice the entire driver assistance package shut down…no ACC, lane assist etc., multiple warning messages for everything. Shut the car off for 5 minutes each time and everything came back thankfully, only common denominator was we were driving directly into the sun each time; camera washout/blinding perhaps?
And after struggling with the lane keeping “feature” for the first day and wearing myself out fighting with it, I discovered that the Q8 will track perfectly down the highway if I just let it. As long as my hand(s) is holding the wheel, the ACC is engaged and it can “see” the lines (two little green triangles illuminate on the lane indicators in the HUD), it will drive itself perfectly well with zero input from me. Even through the very curvy stuff from Knoxville to Asheville it never left the center of my lane at 125kmh. Very impressive, and makes for much less fatigue at the end of the day.
The matrix headlights are amazingly amazing, with an extra helping of magical added. I don’t think I could go to a car that didn’t have them now. We try not to drive in the dark much, but when we do I want these headlights. Disabling the stupid/start/stop has been a lifesaver also, no more near death experiences from that thing trying to kill us at intersections.
Overall it has been a positive to trade up from the trusty and perfect Q7. Not the overwhelming upgrade feeling we had when we moved to Audi, but it doesn’t seem like we wasted the money at least. More to come probably as we keep on touring.
01-24-2024, 09:40 AM
#27
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More random thoughts as we head to Florida:
After 4 days of driving south east with the cruise set at 135kmh, we have settled into the new Q8. Like the prior Q7 it is an excellent interstate cruiser, and the massage seats are excellent in every way. 10 hour days are no problem, very comfy.
The first two and a half days we were pushing into a 50kmh wind, and the frameless windows did fine for the most part, with just a little whistle/flutter on the downwind side in greater than 45 degree crosswinds. Fuel economy suffered of course at around 12.5l/100km, though yesterday through the Appalachians it was under 11, probably from some lower speeds and being completely broken in (at 7000km now).
Road noise is still higher than the Q7 was, which still frustrates me to no end. Cargo capacity is reduced as expected, with room for about one fewer smaller suitcase in the back due mostly to the sloping rear hatch. The navigation system is an overall improvement, with some odd details and changes that are puzzling. The voice system is still prone to errors and is far too annoying to use consistently. Strangely though it picks up every curse word perfectly when I’m muttering at another one of its errors.
The entire MMI and climate system has gone completely black twice, and after the second occurrence I held the volume button until it rebooted and it has been fine since.Also twice the entire driver assistance package shut down…no ACC, lane assist etc., multiple warning messages for everything. Shut the car off for 5 minutes each time and everything came back thankfully, only common denominator was we were driving directly into the sun each time; camera washout/blinding perhaps?
And after struggling with the lane keeping “feature” for the first day and wearing myself out fighting with it, I discovered that the Q8 will track perfectly down the highway if I just let it. As long as my hand(s) is holding the wheel, the ACC is engaged and it can “see” the lines (two little green triangles illuminate on the lane indicators in the HUD), it will drive itself perfectly well with zero input from me. Even through the very curvy stuff from Knoxville to Asheville it never left the center of my lane at 125kmh. Very impressive, and makes for much less fatigue at the end of the day.
The matrix headlights are amazingly amazing, with an extra helping of magical added. I don’t think I could go to a car that didn’t have them now. We try not to drive in the dark much, but when we do I want these headlights. Disabling the stupid/start/stop has been a lifesaver also, no more near death experiences from that thing trying to kill us at intersections.
Overall it has been a positive to trade up from the trusty and perfect Q7. Not the overwhelming upgrade feeling we had when we moved to Audi, but it doesn’t seem like we wasted the money at least. More to come probably as we keep on touring.
After 4 days of driving south east with the cruise set at 135kmh, we have settled into the new Q8. Like the prior Q7 it is an excellent interstate cruiser, and the massage seats are excellent in every way. 10 hour days are no problem, very comfy.
The first two and a half days we were pushing into a 50kmh wind, and the frameless windows did fine for the most part, with just a little whistle/flutter on the downwind side in greater than 45 degree crosswinds. Fuel economy suffered of course at around 12.5l/100km, though yesterday through the Appalachians it was under 11, probably from some lower speeds and being completely broken in (at 7000km now).
Road noise is still higher than the Q7 was, which still frustrates me to no end. Cargo capacity is reduced as expected, with room for about one fewer smaller suitcase in the back due mostly to the sloping rear hatch. The navigation system is an overall improvement, with some odd details and changes that are puzzling. The voice system is still prone to errors and is far too annoying to use consistently. Strangely though it picks up every curse word perfectly when I’m muttering at another one of its errors.
The entire MMI and climate system has gone completely black twice, and after the second occurrence I held the volume button until it rebooted and it has been fine since.Also twice the entire driver assistance package shut down…no ACC, lane assist etc., multiple warning messages for everything. Shut the car off for 5 minutes each time and everything came back thankfully, only common denominator was we were driving directly into the sun each time; camera washout/blinding perhaps?
And after struggling with the lane keeping “feature” for the first day and wearing myself out fighting with it, I discovered that the Q8 will track perfectly down the highway if I just let it. As long as my hand(s) is holding the wheel, the ACC is engaged and it can “see” the lines (two little green triangles illuminate on the lane indicators in the HUD), it will drive itself perfectly well with zero input from me. Even through the very curvy stuff from Knoxville to Asheville it never left the center of my lane at 125kmh. Very impressive, and makes for much less fatigue at the end of the day.
The matrix headlights are amazingly amazing, with an extra helping of magical added. I don’t think I could go to a car that didn’t have them now. We try not to drive in the dark much, but when we do I want these headlights. Disabling the stupid/start/stop has been a lifesaver also, no more near death experiences from that thing trying to kill us at intersections.
Overall it has been a positive to trade up from the trusty and perfect Q7. Not the overwhelming upgrade feeling we had when we moved to Audi, but it doesn’t seem like we wasted the money at least. More to come probably as we keep on touring.
Can you write what tires do you have now on the q8?
And which seats (is it comfors seats or sports seats)?
01-24-2024, 12:01 PM
#28
AudiWorld Member
Thread Starter
The seats are in the Contour Seat Package, so not the nice looking sport type but are the regular perforated leather with the back massage function.
01-28-2024, 02:55 PM
#29
The matrix headlights are amazingly amazing, with an extra helping of magical added. I don’t think I could go to a car that didn’t have them now. We try not to drive in the dark much, but when we do I want these headlights. Disabling the stupid/start/stop has been a lifesaver also, no more near death experiences from that thing trying to kill us at intersections.
How did you disable start/stop? Or do you just turn it off on startup (this is what I do).
I honestly cant believe how bad/dangerous it is in an almost 100k car. I’ve been wondering if it’s because it’s a larger V8 it’s harder to get going fast enough. But every time I forget to turn it off and the car shuts off as I’m waiting to take a left through oncoming traffic, I have to break out my spare pair of underwear.
01-28-2024, 03:40 PM
#30
AudiWorld Member
Thread Starter
Agreed on matrix. Seriously best mod I’ve ever had on a car. Thanks Sam!
How did you disable start/stop? Or do you just turn it off on startup (this is what I do).
I honestly cant believe how bad/dangerous it is in an almost 100k car. I’ve been wondering if it’s because it’s a larger V8 it’s harder to get going fast enough. But every time I forget to turn it off and the car shuts off as I’m waiting to take a left through oncoming traffic, I have to break out my spare pair of underwear.
How did you disable start/stop? Or do you just turn it off on startup (this is what I do).
I honestly cant believe how bad/dangerous it is in an almost 100k car. I’ve been wondering if it’s because it’s a larger V8 it’s harder to get going fast enough. But every time I forget to turn it off and the car shuts off as I’m waiting to take a left through oncoming traffic, I have to break out my spare pair of underwear.
Much less laundry after installation. :-) Highly recommended.