Audi R8 V8 advice
Discussion
Fella’s a little advice appreciated.
Recently I’ve had several TVR’s and an M4, but I’ve been toying with the idea of R8 for a while now as a weekend toy….all have been weekend cars , aside from the M4.
So I’ve seen a few recently and finally put a deposit down on a V8. Yes I totally deliberated over the V8 v V10 but I need to be sensible with the budget for this one. I’ve driven it and it handles and drives extremely well, with no obvious alarm bells except the mags showing misting on last two MOT’s. The history checks out, the mileage is low in the 30’s and its been consistently serviced pretty much all by Audi until very late on. The interior is like new and the paint and wheels/ tyres are in great condition.
But although I’ve read up on them, I don’t have intimate knowledge and experience of R8’s.
Firstly the mags…I’ve seen some of the options and refurbs available etc…but how do the R3 nitrons stack up, has anyone fitted these? Are there are any that I can fit that I don’t have to delete on/ can still use the button?
The discs are a little lipped, pads good and it brakes very well without judder…For now these are fine but what manufacturer was the OEM and wheres best to buy to get a good deal when the time comes?
How concerned should I be about chassis cracks on an early R8…this is 2007 (57) theres no history showing or signs of damage.
Air con is nice and cold. Apparently the rads were changed but I cannot see this detailed…is this a standard change at Audi after a point?
Clutch feels very good, no noises or slipping and bite is positive, gear changes are smooth…its a manual box. I can’t see any clutch change on the history though so how do these fair generally under normal driving styles i.e spirited driving some of the time, rather than always thrashed?
It does look like its been kept inside mostly and I cannot find any signs of rust on door sills, bonnet etc as mentioned elsewhere…no rust anywhere actually.
Anything else I should be aware of? and does 37k seem fair bearing in mind all the above?
Thanks in advance.
Recently I’ve had several TVR’s and an M4, but I’ve been toying with the idea of R8 for a while now as a weekend toy….all have been weekend cars , aside from the M4.
So I’ve seen a few recently and finally put a deposit down on a V8. Yes I totally deliberated over the V8 v V10 but I need to be sensible with the budget for this one. I’ve driven it and it handles and drives extremely well, with no obvious alarm bells except the mags showing misting on last two MOT’s. The history checks out, the mileage is low in the 30’s and its been consistently serviced pretty much all by Audi until very late on. The interior is like new and the paint and wheels/ tyres are in great condition.
But although I’ve read up on them, I don’t have intimate knowledge and experience of R8’s.
Firstly the mags…I’ve seen some of the options and refurbs available etc…but how do the R3 nitrons stack up, has anyone fitted these? Are there are any that I can fit that I don’t have to delete on/ can still use the button?
The discs are a little lipped, pads good and it brakes very well without judder…For now these are fine but what manufacturer was the OEM and wheres best to buy to get a good deal when the time comes?
How concerned should I be about chassis cracks on an early R8…this is 2007 (57) theres no history showing or signs of damage.
Air con is nice and cold. Apparently the rads were changed but I cannot see this detailed…is this a standard change at Audi after a point?
Clutch feels very good, no noises or slipping and bite is positive, gear changes are smooth…its a manual box. I can’t see any clutch change on the history though so how do these fair generally under normal driving styles i.e spirited driving some of the time, rather than always thrashed?
It does look like its been kept inside mostly and I cannot find any signs of rust on door sills, bonnet etc as mentioned elsewhere…no rust anywhere actually.
Anything else I should be aware of? and does 37k seem fair bearing in mind all the above?
Thanks in advance.
Mag Rides are expensive when they go, and your options are new from Audi (c. £1500 per corner) or Negangast for the refurb if you want to keep your Suspension button active. None of the coilovers as far as Im aware will allow you to keep the button and you can fit resistors to stop the light coming on the dash.
Chassis cracks are a big misnomer. If you speak to Ricky at RE Performance (and I advise you do!) he will tell you that the only chassis cracks he has seen are on crash damaged cars. This is a big internet myth.
The A/C condensors do get a battering due to the location of them and yes I would expect you would get them replaced certainly after 10 years on the road. Ive just had mine done.
You would hope that there has been at least one clutch change in the 15 years, otherwise you may be in for a £4k bill.
Book it in with Ricky REP and get him to do an inspection on the car. What he doesn't know about R8s isn't worth knowing.
C
This buyer's guide is worth watching and was made by Ricky at RE Performance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDnPjjah_O4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDnPjjah_O4
m4tti said:
Phil, how much are they asking for this V8. If it’s over 40k I’d hold fire. There’s been a couple of v10’s on the Facebook groups coming up mid 40’s and they’re only going one way over winter.
How’s things Matti? You’ve still got your R8 then…not ventured back into the TVR ownership?! 
37k mate….thing is I really wanted low miles and a keeper…not seen too many V10’s at lowish miles in the mid forties and I want a coupe….but if there is and its manual or S then def of interest.
All good Phil. TVR Ownership is something which is thankfully behind me. Glad to have experienced it.. but never again 
Now I’ve moved and built a new garage the R8’s gone too.
When you say low miles what are you thinking. I think you should be able to get a V10 with high 30’s to 40k miles, for mid 40’s.
There was a decent one that was about to go to a trader on face book and I think that was around 45k for a coupe.
They aren’t moving that quickly. Go into autotrader and look at the date in the url, that’ll give you some idea how long they’ve been sat there.
I bought my V10 with out PPi and in fairness to it the only thing that went wrong on it was the aircon switch.
Now I’ve moved and built a new garage the R8’s gone too.
When you say low miles what are you thinking. I think you should be able to get a V10 with high 30’s to 40k miles, for mid 40’s.
There was a decent one that was about to go to a trader on face book and I think that was around 45k for a coupe.
They aren’t moving that quickly. Go into autotrader and look at the date in the url, that’ll give you some idea how long they’ve been sat there.
I bought my V10 with out PPi and in fairness to it the only thing that went wrong on it was the aircon switch.
Hi M4tti….sorry for the late reply.
I seemed to remember you were talking of moving some while back….new garage…..always good! Did you manage to build a double width? So what motor have you got now or whats in the pipeline? Also question is would you buy another R8 and if so which one?
Low miles in the 30’s and below yes…I def want coupe and a manual but not seen anything V10 close to mid 40’s apart from one that looked nice but was high 60’s miles.
I’ve got the DCT in the M4 and don’t get me wrong its rapid change and saves the left foot..but it just makes me want a manual in an R8…or I’m heading for the slippery TVR slope again…which incidentally I really enjoyed and never say never, but if I was to get another it would be a griff….the speed six experience was a PITA!
But subject to a positive inspection on the V8 thats where I’m headed right now and hopefully by months end. I totally get the V8 V10 debate and is it a supercar, but actually I’m pretty excited to just own one right now and if I love it enough I’ll either sell and head down the V10 route when the times right or maybe turbo it…its not like I haven’t done that before!
I seemed to remember you were talking of moving some while back….new garage
…..always good! Did you manage to build a double width? So what motor have you got now or whats in the pipeline? Also question is would you buy another R8 and if so which one?Low miles in the 30’s and below yes…I def want coupe and a manual but not seen anything V10 close to mid 40’s apart from one that looked nice but was high 60’s miles.
I’ve got the DCT in the M4 and don’t get me wrong its rapid change and saves the left foot..but it just makes me want a manual in an R8…or I’m heading for the slippery TVR slope again…which incidentally I really enjoyed and never say never, but if I was to get another it would be a griff….the speed six experience was a PITA!
But subject to a positive inspection on the V8 thats where I’m headed right now and hopefully by months end. I totally get the V8 V10 debate and is it a supercar, but actually I’m pretty excited to just own one right now and if I love it enough I’ll either sell and head down the V10 route when the times right or maybe turbo it…its not like I haven’t done that before!
PhilH42 said:
Certainly looks like an option if they last some years. Did you get yours refurbed or was it an exchange basis? Also how long have yours been on for now?
Exchange basis so the car wasn’t out of action. Think it was 2.5 years ago and from what I could research it seems they are likely to last as long as new replacements but who knows for sure.akadk said:
First sensible priced/mileage V10 manual just gone live on Autotrader
Looks clean, 30k miles and £53k
Get it bought
Apart from the lack of carbon & the silver blades (not to everyone’s liking) that is great.Looks clean, 30k miles and £53k
Get it bought
There are some manual v10’s on AT live since June and still not budged.
I've got standard shocks on my V10 and the handling is sublime and not crashy at all. Prev owner deleted the mags. The dealer I bought off in Kent said they drive nicer in normal shocks and the mag is just not worth ploughing money into. This was AFTER I bought the car so he wasn't trying to upsell the car. I was considering re-magging the car as the front wheels were rubbing the arch rubbers and the handling was sketchy. Went to my indy and turns out the front was way way too low. He wound it back up and it transformed the car into what I was expecting - supercar handling. I'll look up what they are when I'm back home. I'm sure they retail at £1500 for all four!
Clutch. I plugged the VW diag into mine and it shows it's barely worn (20k miles) with no launch control starts ever. It's an Rtronic (don't believe the net, it's a bloody great box in manual mode, with the slight lag you expect from pre dual clutch boxes).
I paid £45k, Spyder, met mamba black , pre covid. Feels like a bargain now! I used a good dealer and have a good 2 year warranty on it which runs out in Jan. Used it twice for jobs that I could easily have afforded if I wasn't insured.
Heard a V8 with. Miltech exhaust and it sounded epic just shuffling round in a petrol station!
Clutch. I plugged the VW diag into mine and it shows it's barely worn (20k miles) with no launch control starts ever. It's an Rtronic (don't believe the net, it's a bloody great box in manual mode, with the slight lag you expect from pre dual clutch boxes).
I paid £45k, Spyder, met mamba black , pre covid. Feels like a bargain now! I used a good dealer and have a good 2 year warranty on it which runs out in Jan. Used it twice for jobs that I could easily have afforded if I wasn't insured.
Heard a V8 with. Miltech exhaust and it sounded epic just shuffling round in a petrol station!
TBCReece said:
Apart from the lack of carbon & the silver blades (not to everyone’s liking) that is great.
There are some manual v10’s on AT live since June and still not budged.
I had mine up for sale from January, and eventually got bored and sold it to a trader in May. The trader is still advertising it now, and it was almost like new on 30k odd miles. The trader still has it for sale. It’s a tough market.. There are some manual v10’s on AT live since June and still not budged.
TBCReece said:
Apart from the lack of carbon & the silver blades (not to everyone’s liking) that is great.
There are some manual v10’s on AT live since June and still not budged.
Thanks for the heads up and it does look like a good car, but I don’t like the R8 in silver…just personal opinion, I’m sure many others do.There are some manual v10’s on AT live since June and still not budged.
@Griffith4ever - Thats really helpful thanks.
I’ve been wondering which passives I should go for should the car pass the test everywhere else. The fact that yours drive’s and handles so well now its properly set up, is good to hear!
The exhaust is a bit of a subjective taste I guess, but whether its a V8 or a V10, it needs to sound as good as it looks and coming from TVR’s I’m used to “good” loud. Capristo, Quicksilver SS and F1 seem to have good responses…not heard the Miltek option.
I’ve been wondering which passives I should go for should the car pass the test everywhere else. The fact that yours drive’s and handles so well now its properly set up, is good to hear!
The exhaust is a bit of a subjective taste I guess, but whether its a V8 or a V10, it needs to sound as good as it looks and coming from TVR’s I’m used to “good” loud. Capristo, Quicksilver SS and F1 seem to have good responses…not heard the Miltek option.
PhilH42 said:
@Griffith4ever - Thats really helpful thanks.
I’ve been wondering which passives I should go for should the car pass the test everywhere else. The fact that yours drive’s and handles so well now its properly set up, is good to hear!
The exhaust is a bit of a subjective taste I guess, but whether its a V8 or a V10, it needs to sound as good as it looks and coming from TVR’s I’m used to “good” loud. Capristo, Quicksilver SS and F1 seem to have good responses…not heard the Miltek option.
The V8 really sounded utterly V8 ish with the miltech. I was in a petrol station and got chatting, hence I know what he had. The V10 can be quite quiet once warmed up (it's loud as hell warming up), until, you go past 4k revs them it howls. I have no desire for a can change , it is plenty loud enough as it is and I do see the Capristo canned V10s as a little bit "lambo wannabe" ish , but that's just personal opinion.I’ve been wondering which passives I should go for should the car pass the test everywhere else. The fact that yours drive’s and handles so well now its properly set up, is good to hear!
The exhaust is a bit of a subjective taste I guess, but whether its a V8 or a V10, it needs to sound as good as it looks and coming from TVR’s I’m used to “good” loud. Capristo, Quicksilver SS and F1 seem to have good responses…not heard the Miltek option.
The invoice I have says "BC Racing coilover kit". The guy paid 2500 fitted. You can , or could, get them for £1500 off the shelf. I did some research a while ago and a few peeps on the net are sniffy about their cheapness but general feedback when you search more indicates they are actually very good, and my experience goes along with that.
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