discussion on A8L tdi quattro

Anyone had any experience with these big beautiful 2012-2015 sedans? Are they the ultimate tdi road machine?

The big Audis are awesome cars. They have some pricey bits, and normal PM items can be expensive and time consuming, but they are a nice drive.

Just remember, just because YOU can buy it cheap, doesn't mean it is a cheap car. It is anything but. A $100k car even after 20 years is still a $100k car.

I had to explain this recently to someone who thought he got the deal of the century on a well used, but not abused, Phaeton, that was in need of about $5k worth of PM and normal wear items. And this was "just" the V8 model, so it was "only" an $87k car.

Agree with OIlhammer and the age old saying:
"If you couldn't afford it new, you cant afford it used"
Unless you are mechanically inclined and have good contacts for parts, or don't mind the occasional expensive repairs.
They certainly are awesome drives!

I put a lift in my garage just so I could still work on them after retirement. Is there anything emissions wise I should look for on one of these or should I just delete all the crap? I love my manual NMS tdi but an A8L tdi would be the dream ride for cross country commutes. I'm finding more and more that the newer 2012+ Audi/vw cars have pretty reliable electronics so that doesn't scare me. Every one I've talked to that bought Phaetons regretted the headaches that came with them and we couldn't get them in tdi versions unlike the lucky Europeans

I had to laugh at that last statement. I just did a door lock actuator on a 2016 Audi A4 last week, LOL. And it was hardly the first newer model Audi I've done recently. Also, the "Made in China" on the door module doesn't inspire much confidence.

As to the emissions components, tough to say but I do not even know how much is available for these. Doesn't seem like the demographic to straight pipe their cars. Although I have seen a pic of a Q5 with a straight pipe dumped up and out a hole in the hood, so...

I suppose as the buy in cost of these cars plummets, more and more people will have access to them that otherwise wouldn't, and arguably perhaps shouldn't. We had a guy dislocate his jaw yesterday when we told him how much an oil change cost on his 2012 Jetta TDI he just bought.

Laugh away but fortunately even the Chinese stuff is getting better. Fully made in America or Europe just don't exist so we're stuck with it for now.

If you are approaching retirement then go ahead and treat yourself! I bought my A6 TDI for my 50th last year and have NO regrets so far. It is by far the best car I have ever owned and driven. The A8 would be awesome in my view! There should still be an emissions warranty due to dieselgate fix so would not worry about deleting anything at least until it expires. And you are covered if anything major fails short term.
If the price is right, go for it IMO.

I had contemplated going A8 as well before deciding A6. One consideration that influenced my decision was the cost of parts and repairs of the A8 vs the A6. One Real life example for me was the windshield. I got a chip in my A6 glass and it spread. Had to get it replaced but had options; OE and aftermarket. Still not cheap but I had options. The service advisor that priced it out along with the safelite sales guy both said thank goodness you don’t have an A8. Both will only put OE glass on an A8 because of the technology in/through the glass (cameras and sensors). Crazy-silly price for the OE glass for an A8. Plus you have to get all of the technology reprogrammed. I still long for an A8 but absolutely love my A6.

50harleyrider said:

Laugh away but fortunately even the Chinese stuff is getting better. Fully made in America or Europe just don't exist so we're stuck with it for now.

Click to expand...

Oh I am not laughing.

I see Chinese made stuff failing left and right in all kinds of cars. We replace Chinese TCM/solenoid packs in the GM tranverse 6sp slushboxes all the time. The entire center stack of all the GM cars and trucks in Chinese, and we replace all that stuff too. HVAC controls, radio head, etc. The Chinese HVAC motors in the NMS Passat:



The Ford cooling fan motors that spontaneously explode for no reason. The tires that have sidewalls that split apart after 3 years.

No, nobody is laughing. Least of not me.

Always looking for options for wang chung. Getting virtually impossible. No chinese tires on my property. Pray for our Pres. He's at least trying. The A7 TDI looks sweet too but definitely not an A8. Get a load of those front seats in the A8. All that under thigh support for us 6'+ guys.

The problem with VAG products and Chinese parts is that they actually enjoy a strong market in China. Usually two or three of the top selling models in China at any one given time are Volkswagens. And Audi sales in China overtook US sales some time ago if I am not mistaken. The Chinese LOVE Volkswagens and Audis. Granted most of the ones they buy there are made there due to their laws of forcing companies to partner with the state. Volkswagen actually has TWO semi-independent Chinese companies building cars there. Shanghai is known as the Wolfsburg of the East.

This all means that VAG's top suppliers like Bosch, Valeo, ZF, etc. have also all set up shop in China. So then in turn, they find out how cheap they can make stuff there, so then they start selling THAT stuff all over the world. In many cases, there is simply no longer a choice. We've (the rest of the industrialized nations) have caved to cheap state sanctioned Chinese labor. Try finding a consumer level power tool in Lowe's or Home Depot that is not made in China.

So while the quality of these pieces may have improved, especially if it is the actual company themselves that set up shop there (like Bosch, for instance), there are still quite a bit of spotty things that pop up that is often related to their suppliers not meeting a certain spec.

For instance, and I have seen this first hand, the Bosch cam position sensor for the AWM (and other 1.8t engines) that comes from China looks fine. It fits fine. The aluminum casting looks as good as the original German one. It works on the car perfectly fine.... for a while. Then it fails prematurely. You look inside and notice the insulation on the little wires inside has melted. The original German one never did that, even after 150k+ miles and countless heat cycles. Why? Because the Chinese Bosch factory got lower grade wiring with poorer insulation because that company evidently didn't realize just how hot the insides of this little aluminum sensor that is bolted to the front of the cylinder head actually gets.

Problem is, the aftermarket Bosch parts' suppliers only ever seem to have the Chinese one. Volkswagen (who still makes those older engines, or a variation of them, that use this same sensor, in China) will only be able to get you the same Chinese sensor. How many of these do you put on before you give up on the car? Because once a year is unacceptable to me. Not when the original one went as long as it did.

50harleyrider said:

Pray for our Pres.

Click to expand...

RIP, amen

Funny! KAG in 2020.
As for the subject at hand, I bought a roll of 14ga. Chinese wire last year and found out a year later it disintegrates at soldered joints. Is that deliberate sabotage? I wonder.