Discussion
I'm currently a Porsche 996 owner, and there a couple of good threads around going into all the known issues, choice options, discussions on currents classifieds etc
Had a quick glance through and couldn't find anything similar/up-to-date relating to the R8
I 'think' I know what I want, definitely manual V8. Not particularly interested in outdated satnav/gizmos etc. I've heard that Mag suspension can be a cause of grief
Any R8 beards out there that want to share experience?
Had a quick glance through and couldn't find anything similar/up-to-date relating to the R8
I 'think' I know what I want, definitely manual V8. Not particularly interested in outdated satnav/gizmos etc. I've heard that Mag suspension can be a cause of grief
Any R8 beards out there that want to share experience?
Like all cars, there are some good and bad examples of R8's out there. The general advice if not to buy without first having a PPI done, and to buy on condition and service history as opposed to mileage and/or number of owners.
Mag ride dampers were optional on the V8 so you may find one to your liking with the passive set up which is far more reliable although a bit firmer. The mag dampers themselves WILL fail at some point and are around £1200 each from Audi. Nagengast in Poland do a refurbed unit for around £450, but the inherent problem has not been engineered out so they will probably fail prematurely again. A number of owners have replaced theirs with good quality coilovers such as Ohlins, or alternatively, with the passive set up from the Plus model.
The most active R8 forum is R8talk.com and although US based, there are a good few Brits on there.
Mag ride dampers were optional on the V8 so you may find one to your liking with the passive set up which is far more reliable although a bit firmer. The mag dampers themselves WILL fail at some point and are around £1200 each from Audi. Nagengast in Poland do a refurbed unit for around £450, but the inherent problem has not been engineered out so they will probably fail prematurely again. A number of owners have replaced theirs with good quality coilovers such as Ohlins, or alternatively, with the passive set up from the Plus model.
The most active R8 forum is R8talk.com and although US based, there are a good few Brits on there.
Nice one, thanks
Just to add. I'm looking at the bottom end of the market really, and not looking to jump on a car (I'm about to embark on a house extension which I want to get out of the way first)
What really appeals to me about the R8 is the cliche-modern-classic-drivers car feel that the early NASP gated manual cars have.
Which is what drew me to my 996 carrera (early, coupe, manual, lsd, etc) I suppose
Just to add. I'm looking at the bottom end of the market really, and not looking to jump on a car (I'm about to embark on a house extension which I want to get out of the way first)
What really appeals to me about the R8 is the cliche-modern-classic-drivers car feel that the early NASP gated manual cars have.
Which is what drew me to my 996 carrera (early, coupe, manual, lsd, etc) I suppose
I had an R8 V8 manual for several years. Agree with the comments about the suspension, the dampers leak and some call it 'misting' - I don't know if this would be an MOT failure.
Talk to Ed Jackson at APS in Brackley, a top guy and if anybody understands VAG, he and his team do.
The car itself was fine - probably slightly underwhelming overall but a solid, safe drive overall.
Talk to Ed Jackson at APS in Brackley, a top guy and if anybody understands VAG, he and his team do.
The car itself was fine - probably slightly underwhelming overall but a solid, safe drive overall.
Fast Eddie said:
I had an R8 V8 manual for several years. Agree with the comments about the suspension, the dampers leak and some call it 'misting' - I don't know if this would be an MOT failure.
Talk to Ed Jackson at APS in Brackley, a top guy and if anybody understands VAG, he and his team do.
The car itself was fine - probably slightly underwhelming overall but a solid, safe drive overall.
Yes, dampers are an MOT failure. When the oil starts to leak from the shock and can be seen on the shock, that is "misting".Talk to Ed Jackson at APS in Brackley, a top guy and if anybody understands VAG, he and his team do.
The car itself was fine - probably slightly underwhelming overall but a solid, safe drive overall.
Definitely a PPI is needed as generally they are solid and reliable but when they go wrong, they are expensive to put right. Fairly sure I've seen someone comment on here where they bought a V8 and had to spend so much money putting it right, they could've bought a V10!
Check the AC unit blows cold air too - a failed compressor, although rare, is an engine out job on a V8.
Personally I would avoid bottom of the market as there is a good reason they are priced like that. A good, sold V8 with sensible miles (30k-40k) will cost you £35k at least although in this climate, a cheeky bid might be a good idea.
Lee Jones Jnr said:
£35k is ‘bottomish’ anyway isn’t it?
CV must have made people relax a little, nobody has said ‘that thing’ yet which is refreshing.
I used to think they looked too disjointed but I quite like the look of them now. Good car for £35k.
One went to auction at H&H on 29th April with a guide of £24k-£28k. That's the lowest I've seen.CV must have made people relax a little, nobody has said ‘that thing’ yet which is refreshing.
I used to think they looked too disjointed but I quite like the look of them now. Good car for £35k.
Didn't sell, high bid was £22,500
MHT223 said:
Lee Jones Jnr said:
£35k is ‘bottomish’ anyway isn’t it?
CV must have made people relax a little, nobody has said ‘that thing’ yet which is refreshing.
I used to think they looked too disjointed but I quite like the look of them now. Good car for £35k.
One went to auction at H&H on 29th April with a guide of £24k-£28k. That's the lowest I've seen.CV must have made people relax a little, nobody has said ‘that thing’ yet which is refreshing.
I used to think they looked too disjointed but I quite like the look of them now. Good car for £35k.
Didn't sell, high bid was £22,500
Lee Jones Jnr said:
£35k is ‘bottomish’ anyway isn’t it?
CV must have made people relax a little, nobody has said ‘that thing’ yet which is refreshing.
I used to think they looked too disjointed but I quite like the look of them now. Good car for £35k.
£30k is bottom end of the market - that's been the same on a V8 for the last 2 years.CV must have made people relax a little, nobody has said ‘that thing’ yet which is refreshing.
I used to think they looked too disjointed but I quite like the look of them now. Good car for £35k.
V10's have tanked a bit over that period though.
PompeyReece said:
Lee Jones Jnr said:
£35k is ‘bottomish’ anyway isn’t it?
CV must have made people relax a little, nobody has said ‘that thing’ yet which is refreshing.
I used to think they looked too disjointed but I quite like the look of them now. Good car for £35k.
£30k is bottom end of the market - that's been the same on a V8 for the last 2 years.CV must have made people relax a little, nobody has said ‘that thing’ yet which is refreshing.
I used to think they looked too disjointed but I quite like the look of them now. Good car for £35k.
V10's have tanked a bit over that period though.
Dampers can be a weakness, but the mag ride is really good and many owners get 40-50k+ out of them with no problems. A thorough PPI (or even an un-necessary MOT) would give them a health check from a ramp. Many people have complained that the BC type coil over kits are not as good. If you did need to do some work on them, the reverb units from Poland are the best option.
Aircon - a problem on the V8s. Check it blows cold and check it's silent. It's a massive job to change if it's broken.
Discs and pads - check the wear. They aren't cheap to replace. Pagid are the cheapest OE grade option but the parts will still be £1200-1500 for all corners.
Carbon clean - A good specialist can check this with an endoscope. V8s suffer much more than V10s. Some say this is because the V8s tend to get all of their power used more than V10s and crankcase vapour is more of an issue in harder driven cars. A good clean is under £1k but a car with 40-50k miles is almost certainly going to need one, if it's never had one.
Rear wishbones - the V8s get through rear wishbone bushes and these are expensive to replace. The same company that refurb the mag ride dampers have just started doing the rear wishbones too.
Loads of great V8s out there and plenty that have been cherished. Look for solid history with a well known specialist and/or an Audi UK R8 centre.
If you can find the funds, a V10 is a big step up in performance.
Aircon - a problem on the V8s. Check it blows cold and check it's silent. It's a massive job to change if it's broken.
Discs and pads - check the wear. They aren't cheap to replace. Pagid are the cheapest OE grade option but the parts will still be £1200-1500 for all corners.
Carbon clean - A good specialist can check this with an endoscope. V8s suffer much more than V10s. Some say this is because the V8s tend to get all of their power used more than V10s and crankcase vapour is more of an issue in harder driven cars. A good clean is under £1k but a car with 40-50k miles is almost certainly going to need one, if it's never had one.
Rear wishbones - the V8s get through rear wishbone bushes and these are expensive to replace. The same company that refurb the mag ride dampers have just started doing the rear wishbones too.
Loads of great V8s out there and plenty that have been cherished. Look for solid history with a well known specialist and/or an Audi UK R8 centre.
If you can find the funds, a V10 is a big step up in performance.
Raven Flyer said:
IMI A said:
What a used car bargain. Are pre 2011 cars prone to hairline chassis cracks?
The short answer is no.There were 1 or 2 very early US cars that were affected but no one knows what the cars had been through.
There's no know history of any UK car having this problem.
Personally I think the chances of experiencing this are very, very small and it wouldn't occur under normal driving conditions i.e. only happens when a collision is involved. So it doesn't bother me and hasn't put me off driving and buying a pre-2011 car.
PompeyReece said:
Raven Flyer said:
IMI A said:
What a used car bargain. Are pre 2011 cars prone to hairline chassis cracks?
The short answer is no.There were 1 or 2 very early US cars that were affected but no one knows what the cars had been through.
There's no know history of any UK car having this problem.
Personally I think the chances of experiencing this are very, very small and it wouldn't occur under normal driving conditions i.e. only happens when a collision is involved. So it doesn't bother me and hasn't put me off driving and buying a pre-2011 car.
Raven Flyer said:
PompeyReece said:
Raven Flyer said:
IMI A said:
What a used car bargain. Are pre 2011 cars prone to hairline chassis cracks?
The short answer is no.There were 1 or 2 very early US cars that were affected but no one knows what the cars had been through.
There's no know history of any UK car having this problem.
Personally I think the chances of experiencing this are very, very small and it wouldn't occur under normal driving conditions i.e. only happens when a collision is involved. So it doesn't bother me and hasn't put me off driving and buying a pre-2011 car.
Raven Flyer said:
I hadn't seen any news on this for a year and thought it was all over hyped. More cases would mean these early cars (is this pre V10 cars?) definitely need to be checked before buying!
I think it is definitely over-hyped. Definitely sensible to be check as would paying for a PPI but shouldn't put people off owning one.
What is the general opinion on engine reliability and serviceability?
Presumably the V8 engine being shared broadly around the VAG group would mean that its a solid unit and parts should be easy enough to get hold of (I guess the same goes for brakes, electronics, switch gear)
Obviously access for certain jobs is going to be an issue, as an ex Boxster and current 911 owner this is something I'm familiar with
Presumably the V8 engine being shared broadly around the VAG group would mean that its a solid unit and parts should be easy enough to get hold of (I guess the same goes for brakes, electronics, switch gear)
Obviously access for certain jobs is going to be an issue, as an ex Boxster and current 911 owner this is something I'm familiar with
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