Basenco

Greetings all,

I'm new to the Audi World and been searching and came across a few 2007 A8L's. I was wondering if anyone can share any information on what to look for when inspecting a possible buy. Thanks in advance.

ltooz_a6_a8_q7

Here is some info on how to look for one.
Cheers,
Louis

Basenco

Thank you very much!

SS_RTR

I have a black 2007 with sport suspension, 20" wheels, and B&O sound. My biggest issues have been the suspension. As you can see by this forum, there are a fair number of posts on strut air leaks and failing compressors, usually due to the strut air leaks. Get an understanding of how this and other features work before making a decision. The place that sold mine said car rises when you open the door to make it easier to get in when it actually was because it had a leak in front right strut and was refilling front struts with air from accumulator after "waking up". I'd also check health of battery among other things. As you know with the 2007, you don't have to worry about a timing belt and hopefully you'll never have to worry about the timing chain. Oil filter is easier to deal with compared to earlier D3 models. I've enjoyed my A7, but depending on how much maintenance you can do yourself, it can get expensive. A 2013 or 2014 S8 is hopefully in my future, but that's going to be a hard sell to my better half who says a new kitchen comes first.

sullyj

Mileage...mileage...mileage. Get the lowest mileage car you can afford. Once these cars get in the neighborhood of 80,000 miles pull out your wallet. There are no inexpensive repairs because these are pricey cars to maintain. I've had two A8's and once they are out of warranty they become money pits. Their allure is intoxicating, but after a coupe of 2k to 4k repair bills the allure quickly rubs off.

Basenco

Thanks for the head ups! I've owned a 1987 Mercedes 420 SEL going on 18 years now so i'm kinda used to DIY maintenance and the cost of parts and ever ongoing up keep. Not saying that the technology is similar but just digging in the pockets to keep her running right. I'm 6'5" and trying to find a vehicle that handles well. I'm definitely taking my time to learn as much as I can before purchasing anything.

Basenco

Yes! Yes! Yes! I'm seeing that now. Thanks.

ltooz_a6_a8_q7

Those are great cars - I used to have an 89 300SE (didn't need V8) then when the new body came out in 91, traded it in for the new one, after this body style, Mercedes designs and quality start to go down hills... Lease new Audi and the rest is history. YES, more electronics now, you do need an engineering degree to understand all the control systems in the A8 D3. They're not complicated when you understand the system, most of the failures due o Operator errors and VCDS. If you work on your car instead of taking it to the shops then you'll be fine. Cars are like children, find the one that's pampered, well raised... LOL, stay away from abused ones regardless of the price. I bought my car in 2003 - 73k miles - now 122k miles - I do have a $350 VCDS full version, but I don't use it often, original everything, except some LED bulbs. Audi A8L are built well, regardless of what people say, look at my signature to see how much I had to spend for 5 years and 50k miles. People seem to take care of cars by the book, more than their own health sometimes... I change oil every 15k miles or a year + whether it needed or not, $50 a year is not bad for a wonderful car. If it works, I don't fix it. No body works on my car except me, it's not the money, I only trust me, well, I do let the tire shops to change tires and they almost screwed up the lugs if I wasn't there watching, wrong socket with high power impact driver is not a good combination.
1. If you want AMI, make sure it's there and working with the latest software, you don't want to mess around with the software update - you need VCDS to get back some of the feature after the upgrade.
2. Check the suspension extensively while test driving and stop.
3. Make sure everything is working, most stuff is electronic, so it's not quite easy to troubleshoot sometimes although it seems obvious.
4. Your eyes, ears and your senses should be sharp while test driving car... PPI is a waste of money or for people with no senses.
5. Find a honest seller and there are tons of them if you're lucky.

Cheers and good luck,
Louis

Basenco

Thanks Louis.

Tstealth32

Ive had my 08 for 37 months. Bought with 115k, now has 150k miles. Mx cost/month has been $55. I have done all the work myself. Amateur DIYer.

Includes, tires, tpms, used air suspension parts, fuel pump, oil changes, brakes front/rear and rotors, all control arms/bushings replaced, all orings under intake manifold, carbon cleaning and other miscellaneous parts.

I think this is a good snapshot at what has to be done on these cars with the FSI engine over 100k miles.