2001 Audi S8 from North America - Comments

I purchased the car during the last couple thousand miles of warranty coverage, but I unfortunately ran out of warranty on a road trip, and missed a chance to get a few repairs covered.

One rear door interior handle did not work when I purchased the car; it was a relatively inexpensive fix from a non-dealer competent Audi mechanic.

Front disc brakes were noticeably warped when I purchased the car. I was shocked that they were able to be turned relatively inexpensively, so I did not have to immediately replace the monstrous 13.6" rotors.

There have been no engine or mechanical problems of any kind during the 10,000 miles that I have owned the car thus far.

The Audi S8 was literally in a class by itself during the years from 2001 to 2003, when the "S" version of the A8 was imported to the USA. Its closest competitors were the Mercedes S55 AMG, Jaguar XJR, and the BMW 740i Sport. However, the Audi was the only high performance full sized European luxury sedan offering all-wheel drive. The Audi Quattro system enables this 360 horsepower super-sedan to be a downright practical car for driving all year, even in the snowbelt, where I live. And the Quattro provides exceptional grip even in dry conditions.

I have an uncle whose standard A8 has been a disappointment in the handling and suspension department, due to an overly soft suspension. The S8 uses a significantly different suspension, including siffer springs, more compression dampening, and much more substantial anti-roll bars. The result is a seriously sporting suspension and a car that exhibits virtually no lean or plowing, even in pulse-pounding curves. Yet the car remains extremely comfortable on roads that are decent or better. If you intend to cruise on long straightaways on rough roads, such as stretches of highway overdue for maintenance, the ride can be too rough to be able to take a drink without spilling on yourself. Trust me, I failed this test myself with hot coffee on a terrible stretch of interstate. But overall, this car's balance of comfort and performance is extremely pleasing, remaining luxurious and comfortable while communicating planty of road feel.

This car has the same aluminum body as the A8. The S8/A8 were the first mass produced aluminum bodied cars on Earth. The all-wheel drive Quattro system partially, but not completely, offsets the 300 or so pounds of weight savings from the lighter aluminum versus steel body panels. The S8/A8 were some of the safest cars on the road, offering an unprecedented (at that time) eight airbags.

The interior is spectacular. Passengers in my car who don't know what it is have commented that the front seats are the most comfortable that they've ever encountered. The backseats would probably earn similar compliments, except that most of my passengers do not discover the 4-way power lumbar control and power headrest control. The interior looks expensive and classy by day, and it looks like a cockpit by night with every imaginable button softly illuminated in red. The interior has a few occasional squeaks and rattles, which I am not pleased to hear on a car that was originally about $80,000 as equipped. But the very stiff suspension makes occasional squeaks and rattles harder to mute.

The all-wheel drive is fantastic. I've driven many Quattro-equipped Audis over the years, but this is the first one that I have owned. The Quattro system, mated with the Electronic Stability Control (ESP), makes starts decidedly un-dramatic. The car can whip out of a gravel driveway into swift-moving traffic without kicking up a single stone. Peel-outs are simply impossible under most conditions, and ESP must be manually deactivated if you really, really want to kick up some gravel or get yourself into a four-wheeled skid. The stability and confidence inspired by this system is simply amazing.

The subtle styling turns very few heads. The car looks like a larger A4. Virtually no one realizes that it is a German hot-rod. But the 18" OEM wheels caused one observer to comment, "The thing looks fast just sitting still!"

On top of the hot-rod engine and performance specifications, the car is ridiculously practical. I sell real estate for a living, and it is a very commodious client-mobile. While the backseat is not as limousine-like as a BMW 7-series "L" car or the Audi A8L, it will comfortably accommodate two 6-footer rear seat passengers. I've had three adults in the rear seat for a short in-town drive with no complaints. Backseat passengers are also wowed by the power rear sun shade and manual sunshades in the rear doors. There are also four dedicated rear seat air vents. The trunk is enormous, with nearly 18 cubic feet of capacity, plus a full-sized alloy spare!

This car offers an exceptionally well refined, high-performance automobile with miraculously practical utility for everyday use. That is why I purchased it: I get a German hotrod that my wife could not find any reason to veto!

Finally, the super-fast depreciation on this rare car makes it a spectacular used car buy. It sold new for $80,000 with the various options that it has. I purchased it three years old still under warranty for $34,000.

I also have a 2001 Audi S8 purchased used as a 3 year old car for about $34k. You are correct about everything you say... I love the car. I have a comment about those brake discs. What I didn't now when I purchased the vehicle is that in its first 25k miles... the vehicle had its Front Rotors replaced 4 times and since I've had it, another 2 times. The car doesn't have 40k on it. When I've replaced them with brand new, from the factory rotors... they have warped in just a few weeks. After a good 'cutting', they begin to warp after a week or so.

It doesn't seem possible that a braking system could warp the rotors so quickly. I have spoken to Audi, dealers, independents, etc. and no one has any thoughts as to why this happens. I found one company that makes an after-market slotted rotor for this car with matching pads after someone made that recommendation. Still, it seems highly unlikely that the warping is a heat related issue... I think it's a design flaw or a screw up at the factory. Could they have installed some incorrect components during the building of this car? I'll never know.

Meanwhile, I love the car and deal with a steering wheel that shakes and shimmy's.

If anyone has any advice, please post!

I have just bought a 2002 Audi A8 W12 6.0L (a limited production version sold in Continental Europe only - 750 cars produced and 420 bhp). The car has only 51,000 kms (30,000 miles) on it and has had the brake rotors turned once, and I had the Audi used car dealer selling it replace the rear rotors before I bought it. So low rotor/pad life seems to be a problem. In doing my research I read that the brakes, which although in my car are larger RS4 version brakes (standard on the W12), they are very susceptible to warping and uneven wear if they are not torqued correctly upon installation. This is something that you might be able to check immediately with Audi to prevent a recurrence of your problem - hope it helps.

I too own a 2001 s8, it is my pride and joy I have had no brake problems so far (15000 miles), just the opposite I have enjoyed their consistent stopping power in the dry and the wet. I am adding another 20 hp with an mtm chip, which I am looking forward to test.

I am very interested to see pictures of the wi2 if you could email me some I would be very grateful (guineyaongus@aol.com). thank you.a.

I am the author of the review above, and I wanted to add a comment regarding an on-board diagnostic tool interface that I recently purchased for my S8. I live in Central Illinois, and the nearest Audi dealer is in another city an hour away. My goal is never to have to visit the dealership for service. There is a non-dealer Audi specialist repair shop in my community, but I discovered that their on-board computer interface equipment would not reset the service indicator on my car.

For awhile, I feared that I would have to drive an hour to the dealership and pay $100 just to reset a simple mileage-triggered service indicator. I scoured the Internet, looking for information on how to reset the indicator. Several vendors sell a $400 self-contained piece of hardware that will interact with the car's on-board computer, but I eventually found OBDTool.com, which sells a simple cable adapter that connects the S8's (and most other Audis and VWs) on-board computer interface port to a standard computer serial port. The cable adapter is available for less than $80. Ross-Tech (www.Ross-Tech.com) offers both a freeware and a paid computer program, VAG-COM, which will allow interaction with the car's on-board computer system from a PC.

The freeware software will only read and display information from the car. I had to purchase a license to the full version of the software to be able to actually make changes, such as resetting the service indicator, but the software cost only $99. So my total investment in the cable adapter and the software is still under $200. In my first use of the software and adapter, I paid for the purchase price by resetting the service indicator and correcting another problem.

A chunk of road debris smashed the front of my S8 several weeks ago, completely obliterating one of the headlight enclosures and all the lights within it. After I got the car back from the body shop, the dynamic headlight leveling system was not working, as indicated by a large warning indicator in the instrument cluster. Once I had my OBD Tool and my VAG-COM software, I discovered that the headlight system apparently apparently requires re-calibration whenever one of the light assemblies is replaced or reconnected. The car has a special "learning mode" wherein the headlights must be re-aimed and set to their default level position. After five minutes of ajusting the headlights and accessing the appropriate learning mode in the car's on-board computer, the auto-leveling system was back in business and another $100 had been saved.

I am adding this comment in the hopes that it will prove helpful to others with these cars. I spent literally hours scouring the Internet to track down the tools that I ultimately purchased. Now that most of these cars are out of warranty, this information can save owners a considerable amount of money and frustration.

Matt

Matt@MattDifanis.com

In response to the comment above regarding perpetually warped brake rotors, I have had no recurring brake issues after I had the rotors turned when I first purchased the car. That non-dealer Audi mechanic indicated that if the rotors are not installed and torqued properly that such warping can easily occur. I have put about 15,000 on the car since that repair, and I have had no further problems with the brakes. And I do a great deal of in-town driving and other spirited driving that would subject the brakes to some load.

The information on this site is useful and I will be reviewing it's contents regularly. I hope my comments add to the value of the site.

I have owned my 2002 S8 for 3 years. It is a fabulous car in almost every regard. My only concern is about the suspension. It seems to take the bumps very hard. I'm not sure if this is just the way the supension performs, of if there is a way to soften it. Or, possibly, there is something that needs repair.

Regarding the various brake warpage comments. As a German upgrade mechanic performing hundreds of brake/wheel/suspension upgrades and replacements on Audis and BMWs I can say that most habitual brake problems are caused by the driver.

As long as you are using OEM German rotors and pads, the 'warpage' that some people experience is actually a change in the crystaline structure of the rotor under the pad caused by heat from excessively hard braking followed by sitting at a dead stop. The high temp. under the pad sinters brake pad material to the rotor and causes a precipitation of some of the alloy's trace elements. This means that your rotor's metal is no longer uniform and it will immmediately cool at diffrent rates - causing warpage on top of dis-uniform wear.

The solution to this is to avoid hard braking before full stops, if possible and ALWAYS creep slowly forward at any stop light - pausing for no more than 1 second without a slow creep.

As a person who wantonly abuses every car I have ever driven I can say that I have NEVER EVER experienced any sort of brake 'warpage' since high school, when I drove a datsun 510 to deliver pizza... If only I had as much hair now as I did then. Anyway, I'm not the only person to support this brake theory. Adhere to it religiously and your life will be enriched.

I solved the front rotors warping problem on my 2001 A8L by replacing the wheels. I sold the stock 18" ones, which were almost sealed to the air flow due to their tiny openings, and bought Italian alloy wheels with five rather thin spikes. In addition to providing ample air openings, the spikes have airplane-wing-like profile, so that they create significant airflow towards the rotor when they spin. I live in a valley in California and drive in the mountains quite often. The problem completely went away after the wheels swap.

Hello all - thanks for all of your comments about the S8. I am currently looking for an 01 or 02. A new addition to my family will force out the 911 for a more "practical" car.

Anyway, I am doing research and am wondering what else I should be on the look out for when making my purchase? I have heard of some instrument cluster issues, but have no evidence of that.

My mechanic said it's very expensive to maintain... By the comments I have read that does not seem so... I'm an ex 928 driver, so I know what heavy maintenance can be.

What kind of gas mileage can I expect from her? Ever since the movie Ronin in 03, I have been dying to get my hands on one.

Oh, one last question. has a manual transmission been offered in the US prior to this year?

Thanks for your all your comments, and best of luck with your S8.

I too would be curious what kind of gas mileage people are getting out of thier S8's.

I am an american living and working in Germany, and as you're aware, the driving speeds here are a lot higher.

I bought an 2001 Audi S8 and I replaced the stock crap rotors right away. I did my research beforehand, and I knew that Audi had cut cost by using a solid, not slotted or cross drilled rotor. Although the original's were huge, they just added a lot of weight, and did not perform as well as the Brembo cross drilled rotors that I put on my Audi. The cross drilled rotors stop a lot better, and I have had to use them often and and hard in many driving situations.

One last thing that really confuses me, is why did Audi use a Brembo caliper (front) but not the Brembo rotors to begin with!

JDD

Kaiserslautern, Germany (an ex Ruf Porsche 911 driver)

I have a 2001 S8 that was bought when 4-years old (and 16,000 miles on the odometer). The vehicle now has 38,000 miles and I have not experienced any rotor warpage. I too have upgraded to 19" wheels with larger openings and have only had to deal with slightly more harsh ride (and the occasional bent rim, care of NJ's wonderful highway system).

As for mileage, I have a 20 mile commute that generally takes 60-75 minutes in stop and go traffic, generating about 14mpg. Long distance, uninterrupted driving has yielded 20-22mpg at average speeds of 75-85mph.

I also have some minor unexplained rattles and squeaks, but wouldn't trade this car for a new one at any price... it has an edge and attitude that the new vehicles have smoothed over. If anyone knows of a performance ship or supercharger application for this vehicle, I'd love to get the information... saw Ronin too!

Fist aluminium car ever made? You have got to be kidding me. First aluminium car ever made was Land Rover series III. Almost thirty years ago.

Regarding the issue of stiff suspension on the S8 (that was unanswered) : (1) That's how Audi designed it, (2) many owners like it that way (I'm not one of them), (3) something can be done about it. I can guarantee you that my recommendations will be taken as heresy by most S8 owners, but you are not alone in your concerns. Those of us who have gone through bent/broken wheels as we've attempted to survive the Michigan winter wonderland will be accepting of the Draconian methods I am recommending. The design compromises Audi made were not compatible with the road conditions and normal winter velocity appropriate in this environment.

First, check your wheels; if they are 19" ditch them as soon as the tires are ready to be replaced. Audi made very nice 17" wheels for the A8 that are a good alternative.

Second, buy all-season tires for the replacement 17" wheels. The additional 2" will save a lot of bending and breaking and the sidewall structure will eliminate harshness. Third, check with your Audi dealer for the shocks that normally are used with the same vintage A8; replace your current shocks with the A8 shocks. Changing the size of the wheel, the type of tire, and the stiffness of the shocks will make a big difference. If you're concerned that these modifications will turn you're S8 into a Buick, then do one modification at a time and monitor the effect. If you make one (or all) of these changes let us know how you evaluate your new ride.