Meet, Audrick.

[Team THRT Drift]

2004 Audi A8L (D3) ~295k km (Updated August 8th, 2020)


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The D3 A8 began its life from late 2003/early 2004 and ended the cycle in early 2009 before the D4 was introduced later that year. This particular model is an A8L, the long wheelbase model with an extra 5.1in over the standard 115.9in

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LED tail lights came standard on this vehicle, as well as Alcantara door inserts, and wooden trim over the centre console, doors, and dash. 12 speaker sound system by BOSE. Later in the model years around 2005/6 is when Bang and Olufsen came in and offered their speakers. This system had tweeters at each corner of the dash that would pop out. Came standard in the W12 models and the S8 models.

2007 brought about the facelift models which on the exterior included new LED taillights, bumpers and wing mirrors.

2007 also introduced:

• Full speed range adaptive cruise control ACC Plus, can now brake until stop
• Braking guard radar-guided forward collision warning system
• Side Assist" detects cars in the A8's blind spots
• Lane assist helps when the driver attempts to change lanes without signalling

(Wikipedia)​

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Airbag suspension comes standard in this car as well as their legendary Quattro AWD system.

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And last but not least is the 4.2L V8 in this car. It's rated at 335 bHP and 320ft-lb of torque from the factory

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So far the current modifications on this car are:

Full 3" straight pipe exhaust system - REMOVED (Back in 2018; drone was unbearable)
Amber running lights - done before my ownership
18" Audi replica alloys wrapped in BFGoodrich g-Force Sport COMP-2

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Issues:

-Engine-
Torque Support Valve
Left Solenoid Engine Mount
Secondary Air Injection System - RESOLVED
Throttle Body Actuator - RESOLVED
MAF Sensor - Air flow too low - RESOLVED
Missing lower engine cover - RESOLVED
ABS Module - RESOLVED

- ABS module has been replaced three times. Most recent replacement, July 2020
- ABS module needs to be specific to VIN number series

- Pre 13000 VIN or thru 13000 VIN. NOT plug and play​

Coolant reservoir tank - RESOLVED

- Has been replaced twice. Most common issue is seal that fuses both halves of the reservoir tank cracking.
- Manufacturing issue, pray you win the factory lottery.​

Timing Belt - RESOLVED
Engine coolant breather hose corroded and snapped, leaking coolant - Temp. resolve with clear tubing

- Will get proper size and length coolant tubing for a DIY fix.
- Proper part# is: 4E0 121 164-D. Costs $125-185 CAD as of July 2020​

-Exterior-
Passenger side fender is dented in

- Dent has been removed, crease is formed on body line​

Bottom protection cover is loose, cracked, and missing bolts from previous hackanics (mechanics) - RESOLVED

- Made custom aluminum bottom cover with insulating/sound proofing foam​

Wheel well mats are loose and cracked near the bottom of the wheel well - RESOLVED
Passenger sideskirts are wavy and chipped
Driver's door hinge is loose, door doesn't close on first attempt - RESOLVED (tightened the door hinge)
Passenger side parking sensor on the far right corner of the front bumper is pushed in - RESOLVED
Passenger's side, side marker burnt out - RESOLVED (kind of; cracked the housing open and placed a new LED in. You're supposed to replace the entire side marker)
Driver's side rear trunk light heavily cracked
Driver's side tail light cracked, fogged up and hazy.
Passenger side signal light is burnt out - RESOLVED


-Interior-
Dash tweeters blown out - will replace all three

- Took three dash tweeters from a junkyard A8, hoping they will work.​

Centre dash trim is cracked
Card holder is smashed in and superglued in place
Card holder, ESP, rear shade, do not illuminate - they should be red when the interior lights are on.
Amplifier blown out - RESOLVED
MMI module burnt out - RESOLVED
Car key gets stuck in ignition; becoming frequent

-Suspension-
Passenger air strut bottomed out; compression fitting brass sleeve snapped, won't hold air. - RESOLVED

- Ordering new part, $57 CAD from dealer. Other outlets charge $40-80 CAD shipping on top of part
- Part number: 4B0 616 751​

Future modifications (Reworked, July 2020)
- Facelift model A8 tail lights
- Custom forged internals, keep naturally aspirated. Goal is 400-500awhp (kind of a big ask)
- Rohana RC10 or Mercedes-Benz GLK350 20" factory wheels


Garage Goals
- Own a D3 W12 A8L (ranges from $10-16k CAD prefacelift (before 2008))
- Own a D3 S8 (ranges from $13-26k CAD prefacelift (before 2008))
- Make current D3 A8L 4.2L V8 a sleeper
- Install 10k lbs capable hydraulic lift OR obtain floor hydraulic scissor lifts.


Note**
Revisions under the Issues category are not necessarily new issues, rather, issues that I've remembered the car has.

 

[Team THRT Drift]

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[Team THRT Drift]

Changed the rotors today.

The front and rear pads had dug into the rotors creating a lip.

The second rear passenger side pad was not placed correctly and only the bottom of the pad made contact. This caused it to dig in and wreck havoc with my rotor.

Wheels washed and thoroughly cleaned. Rotors installed.

I'm going to grind down and clean the old rotors; use them as weights.

 

[Team THRT Drift]

Changed the serpentine belt on the car. It wasn't installed properly so it got caught on a pulley or something.

 

[Team THRT Drift]

Been busy with life. Since the making of this post, I have graduated university, moved to another province, and am pursuing my career goals. This thread has been put on the back burner, but I have kept posting my chronicles on Instagram. I deleted and remade that account, but the updates still continue.

To refresh this thread on the issues the car has faced (ALL OF THIS HAS BEEN UPDATED IN OP):
- Passenger air strut blew out in an accident with a construction site pothole. - RESOLVED with new remanufactured air struts (October 2019)
- Passenger air strut air line punctured - RESOLVED by cauterizing the hole in the plastic with a soldering iron and sealing the damaged area (October 2019)
- Passenger air strut bottomed out (June 2020)

- Issue lies in the air line fitting having a broken brass sleeve
- Part number for repair: 4B0 616 751​

- "ABS module faulty" - RESOLVED with new ABS module that fit BOSCH manufacturing for my VIN number (July, 2020)
- Engine coolant breather hose corroded and broken (July, 2020)

- Snapped in my hand when I was checking for coolant leaks during the ABS replacement​

- Got OEM mufflers for the exhaust. (August, 2018)

- Passenger side muffler is broken though, and rattles at low RPM.​

Got a love/hate relationship with this car....

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[wfooshee]

Got a love/hate relationship with this car....

Right there with you, with my S55. Some things turn out to be much easier and cheaper to fix than expected, then there's stupid stuff like plastic T broken in a coolant line. The fitting is not available by itself, only comes as part of an 80-dollar hose! And as mentioned in my thread here, "Walter's Jalopies," the A/C repair is going to be a couple of grand, because the 50-dollar solenoid is BURIED under the ABC pump and other pieces of the ABC suspension system. The two grand is almost ALL labor. I investigated doing it myself, as I'm not a bad wrench, but when step 1 is "Lift engine," I got a bit shy... I don't have a hoist, or the rack the manual pictures that fits across the suspension towers.

And I haven't even STARTED talking about new ABC struts! Probably remans, maybe eBay salvage units from wrecks. New is about 2 grand a corner, remans about 600, eBay about 300-400 a corner. That's a ways down the road, though, as the ABC system needs some valving rework first, replenish some seals, otherwise it's pointless to worry about struts.

So... love the car, hate the previous owner's complete lack of respect for it! Still, it was relatively cheap to buy, so some pocket money to make it right isn't all that bad.

 

[Team THRT Drift]

Right there with you, with my S55. Some things turn out to be much easier and cheaper to fix than expected, then there's stupid stuff like plastic T broken in a coolant line. The fitting is not available by itself, only comes as part of an 80-dollar hose! And as mentioned in my thread here, "Walter's Jalopies," the A/C repair is going to be a couple of grand, because the 50-dollar solenoid is BURIED under the ABC pump and other pieces of the ABC suspension system. The two grand is almost ALL labor. I investigated doing it myself, as I'm not a bad wrench, but when step 1 is "Lift engine," I got a bit shy... I don't have a hoist, or the rack the manual pictures that fits across the suspension towers.

And I haven't even STARTED talking about new ABC struts! Probably remans, maybe eBay salvage units from wrecks. New is about 2 grand a corner, remans about 600, eBay about 300-400 a corner. That's a ways down the road, though, as the ABC system needs some valving rework first, replenish some seals, otherwise it's pointless to worry about struts.

So... love the car, hate the previous owner's complete lack of respect for it! Still, it was relatively cheap to buy, so some pocket money to make it right isn't all that bad.

This is almost the same deal with my Audi, even worse in some cases because the older A8s don't have dealer support anymore on top of being rare cars in the first place. Here in Ottawa, the parts guys haven't even seen one in person, let alone worked on one

I grew up with Mercs and as much as I love them, I knew going for an older Merc would have been a death sentence for me, especially since I was in university at the time. I had my eye on a W140 S600 V12, and a W221 S65 but they were cheap for reasons other than depreciation. Plus, I loved that the A8 has an aluminium chassis, which means I don't have to worry about rust! This has kind of spoiled me, I won't lie.

Mercedes really loves to hide their A/C modules. Even on my ML350, I had to remove the engine. I bought a hoist and engine rotisserie rack because the 3.5L V6 needed a new balancing shaft (don't even get me started on the "need" to balance a V6) so I serviced the A/C while I was there.

On the S55 though, I'm sure you can prop the front end up on a ramp, and remove the front bumper/radiator? That should give you better access than dropping/lifting the engine. Unless they buried the A/C behind a cross member? What about removing the wheel, wheel liner, and headlight on the side that has the ABC pump? Would that help?

I have the workshop manuals for both the Merc and the Audi however I only have the diagnostic tool for the Audi. Mercedes uses the STAR diagnostic/Xentry that are really expensive.

I saw on your thread that you had access to the manuals as well, at least I hope you do. If you don't, let me know and I'll send you whatever PDF you need 👍

 

[Keef]

One of the best looking cars to ever come out of Europe. I'm glad you've given your life to preserving it.

 

[ROAD_DOGG33J]

Got a love/hate relationship with this car....

Same with my E46. It's not as bad, but there's always something minor popping up. Major issues should be taken care of for now.

 

[Team THRT Drift]

Same with my E46. It's not as bad, but there's always something minor popping up. Major issues should be taken care of for now.

The thing is though, the small issues cause major issues.

I often compare my A8 to a toddler. You swipe a toddler's arm with a red sharpie, and they'll cry thinking they're bleeding, until you wipe the red mark off.

In this case, the red sharpie is a minor issue like a sensor or clip or fitting which throws an error code and then the car throws a tantrum until you clear the error code and fix the minor inconvenience.

One of the best looking cars to ever come out of Europe. I'm glad you've given your life to preserving it.

I wholeheartedly agree. Though I've had many a quarrel about my voluntary servitude to the preservation of this... "project"

My issues are mainly with the outrageous pricing and lack of dealer and aftermarket support.

 

[eiriksmil]

Owning a German car that was $60-100k new, now out of warranty and getting old, is not for the faint of heart! On the bright side, you get really good at DIY!

 

[Team THRT Drift]

On the bright side, you get really good at DIY!

That is definitely true! It also makes you think out of the box. It's easier for me to just remove a

Although in the case of my Audi, I'm more of an expert on wiring, soldering, coding, etc

The ML350 gave me a chance to go all out, pull the engine and trans and open up the motor.






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I'm hoping to fix my air strut issue this Monday though.

Also, I figured I'm going to replace my engine coolant breather hose with copper tubing. It's cheaper, and easier for me to just bend it to the right size and orientation as the original. If I don't want to stand out, I'll paint it and wrap it with heat wrap.


After that, all that's left is to fasten the headlights, wrap the ABS wiring with heat insulating wrap (TESA TAPE), button up the driver's side wheel well and engine bay.


I'll make sure to document every step for you guys. Give you a chance to see all the spare nuts and bolts that puts Frankenstein together

 

[wfooshee]

Unless they buried the A/C behind a cross member?

Ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding!!!!!!!

Right up against the subframe, can't even see the compressor from under the car!!

 

[Team THRT Drift]

Ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding!!!!!!!

Right up against the subframe, can't even see the compressor from under the car!!

 

[Team THRT Drift]

I fixed the suspension finally. After I mistakenly (mislead theory) replaced my remanufactured air strut with one of my old air struts, specifically the driver side strut since it wasn't leaking. Or so we thought.


Issues were actually two-fold.

I replaced the air line fitting that goes into the air solenoid block. The block has plastic threads and I almost destroyed the threads the last time I installed the air line when checking for leaks.

$57 for this fitting alone. Notice the asymmetrical shape of the brass sleeve.

As well as the conical shape of the sleeve itself. There are conical sleeves available on Amazon but I wasn't sure of the overall shape of the sleeve so I went with the dealer.







This is the old sleeve that went into the original fitting:

In placed the new fitting on the air line after trimming the excess on the line:

10mm nut into plastic threads



After that my father noticed another issue with the line. I figured it was a failed puncture repair but he noticed the valve stem on the air strut itself was faulty.

So we took the valve from the new air strut [not pictured, sorry] and installed it on the old strut.


The car still wouldn't lift up. So I gave up and turned the car off.


In doing so, the suspension leveled out. I just had to wait.

I turned the car on and low and behold I now have all four corners working.

I have since done a recalibration on the suspension. I now have to go back in and code in some level adjustments.

I'll code in to drop the front by 10mm so it's more level with the rear and a tad lower. I don't want to stress the engine on cold start by having the compressor run to balance the car. As I said, my old strut that I reinstalled leaks a little. That will be taken care of eventually.

The reason I say I need to lower the car is because "Standard" level selected in the menu is more akin to "Lift" height, and "Dynamic" the lowest level is more akin to "Standard".

Now, never having owned a proper A8/L so that I have a standard to compare it to, I still know when a car is too high. The level it's at on standard is way too high. I wish I could individually tune each level selection but unfortunately I can't.