[Ricky Elder]

How long ago did you sell yours? Were you running latest pads and spring retainers? That and modified arch liners help with brake squeal on steels.

As for the Kritox, its a rubber conditioning wipe and keeps the seals supple. This is normally carried out by the dealer on servicing, but you can buy them yourself for those owners who don't use the cars much.

The owners manual for the cab says you should open and close the roof at least once a week to keep the roof seals healthy and stop noises caused by the seals binding together.

Audi have been in the supermarket for many years.....Lambo didn't develop all their wizardry on their own! ;-)

I remember the V10 debacle, that was down to an oil pump shaft issues....there was only a very small number but none the less embarrassing....had to do a lot of work on that.

It's a shame you didn't enjoy yours....next to the Lambo its a dream to live with!!

 

[sw20GTS]

Wow, that is indeed dire - perhaps a bad batch? I've driven an 09 V8 Manual and it feels solid inside. Slight creaking of brakes in slow traffic is all I've noticed. Slight buzzing from the engine but when I was nailing it I was more interested in that lovely V8 howl lol.

If you spend 50 to 60K on a R8 and it has rattles and brakes screaching at traffic light, Door panels creaking, glove box lid falling off. dash board creaking when cold, engine mounts making a chirping noise like a budgie when you change gear, They even put 2 new calipers and discs on the front when it was 3 weeks old. they spent over 10K trying to put the car right and couldnt,
I had the car 6 months and 6000 miles which the dealer must of done half of that,
Audi gave me a Full refund and wouldnt build me another car the same spec but in yellow incase they had to have that back as well.
I own 2 Body shops and have been painting new and up to 3 year old audis for main dealers for the last 20 years,
Audi wont admit they have a problem car but go on R8 chat and see have badly they are made,
50/60 K i still woudnt put up with it but a new car , I think not

 

[goldgtr35]

Mine was a 61 plate but went straight on a private plate,,
What pisses you more than anything Audi denying that they never had a problem,,, utter joke,
They gave me 2 R8 curtisey cars when mine was in for more remedial work.
The first car broke down within 5 miles of their garage and the second inlet manifolds were drawing air in balance and had all light on dash come up. Take directly to your nearest dealer,
I still own a Audi TT bought that new and still a good car,
Also got a A4 avant my wife daily driver,
And as for Lamborghini making super cars forever why does Audi deny the engine is not a Lamborghini lump..
They never tell the truth tipical motor trader style,
Regards Goldie

 

[Ricky Elder]

Mine was a 61 plate but went straight on a private plate,,
What pisses you more than anything Audi denying that they never had a problem,,, utter joke,
They gave me 2 R8 curtisey cars when mine was in for more remedial work.
The first car broke down within 5 miles of their garage and the second inlet manifolds were drawing air in balance and had all light on dash come up. Take directly to your nearest dealer,
I still own a Audi TT bought that new and still a good car,
Also got a A4 avant my wife daily driver,
And as for Lamborghini making super cars forever why does Audi deny the engine is not a Lamborghini lump..
They never tell the truth tipical motor trader style,
Regards Goldie

Sounds like you had real bad luck buddy! Very sad....

Audi/Lambo worked together for years before they were bought....the 5 litre was majority Audi.

The problem with the V10 was Audi used one italian part on the new engine.....guess what caused the problems?? lol

 

[goldgtr35]

As I said before,, got another 2 Audis on the drive, so I'm not anti Audi,
But I've been painting them for about twenty years now and I know many of the Audi down falls, D turbo engines going bang, A4 Cab number plate lights falling out of cars, petrol filler flaps not opening, I could make I list as long as your arm but that's boring, the R8 has more than the Italian bit in the engine wrong with it, for Audi UK to give me a full refund and asked to sign a bit of paper in case the new owner bought my old car, to keep me quiet,
When the car went back the final time, they said they would build me a new one to my new spec I wanted,
I ordered the same car but in yellow, yes yellow to match my Ferrari, it was I thought ordered for 3weeks when I got a phone call from my local Audi dealership and asked if I could pop in on my way home,
Went in see the director of the complete firm, ( who is a personal friend)
And was informed Audi uk wouldn't build the car as I wanted yellow,
My come back was , so you have no confidence in your own build quality,,
He just struggled his shoulders and said I'll get a cheque in the post,,
Think the cheque took 3 months to come through,,
Think they had to have a whip round,,,

Ps mine wasn't a one off,, R8 chat tells the whole story of numerous unhappy customers,
Goldie

 

[Ricky Elder]

Maybe it all doesn't get past Dealer level then because my job specifically was to develop the R8 in the UK market to stop issues happening. Whether that was having a car back to Audi HQ or turning up to the dealer or customers house to understand the complaint.

Audi won't paint a colour not on the list.....used to face that criticism a lot to be fair!

Even the Audi exclusive paint option is still a list!

Glad you are back in a car you enjoy though!!

 

[goldgtr35]

Ricky,, I even had customer care ringing me up to see if all was well and all resolved,, they had the car back on the forcourt for sale, I had not a penny back,, think the young lady on the phone never knew what was going on,
The first time I took the car back I asked a friend of some 25 years who was work shop controller to jump I. The car and wiz round the block with me to see if I was being over the top pickie,, he's exact works was , he's 10 year old A6 was quieter and built better ,, lol it was a diesel,

So glad I had a mate on here who showed me the light,
Finally got my money back bought a new GTR and had some 40K ish still in the bank,,
Goldie

 

[goldgtr35]

Sorry for trashing this thread about R8s ,
Just couldn't see someone pay for the same mistake as I did,
Great looking car, both the V8 and the V10 make a brilliant noise on full song,
But poodling around town they are no different to driving a A3 or A4.
Goldie

 

[Adamantium]

Great looking car, both the V8 and the V10 make a brilliant noise on full song,
But poodling around town they are no different to driving a A3 or A4.
Goldie

Isn't that a great thing?

 

[goldgtr35]

Isn't that a great thing?

Not in my books, but each to their own, or we would all be driving the same car,
God forbid,,lol
Goldie

 

[CSL]

I've got an R8 V10 Manual Spyder and it is perfect. Build quality is awesome and it truly hasn't had any issues. Audi Service is cheap. The V10 grunt is unbelievable. So far I'd say its one of the best cars I've owned. Roof comes down too.

My 10plate GTR was crap build quality, overheating gearbox oil, power steering bust twice, dash rattled from new, brakes cracked, stupid & expensive service intervals and the "limp home mode" nearly cost one of my friends his life while overtaking in his 09 car. The seats are too fat, should have foldable carbon buckets.

However, I would buy another one as I know they have improved over time, the R35 is truly a gorgeous car and certainly one of the quickest out there. Bang for buck it has no rivals.

The guy who started this thread should try the V10 Coupe but manual only.
R-tronic is pants, the latest cars are awesome but still very expensive.

 

[goldgtr35]

Mine back in the bad old days

 

[djbennyb]

wow, thanks for all the information and feedback guys, as much as id love a V10, 50k aint going to do it so thinking im going to stick with the beast i got now and tune it alittle more.as much as i would love a V8 manual im limited to autos, shame there so much dearer and not as good in the R8. do love the sound tho. goldie your experiance sounds awful, i wouldnt expect that from a 5k fiesta let alone a 115k audi. tbh you cant realy beat a GTR for general day to day use and reliability,or performance, another thing is the boot space on a R8, could you fit golf clubs and a trolley in there, if not its definatly out of the question. thanks ben

 

[goldgtr35]

The spyder was a loan car that broke down twice in a week,

 

[Henry 145]

I've got an R8 V10 Manual Spyder and it is perfect. Build quality is awesome and it truly hasn't had any issues. Audi Service is cheap. The V10 grunt is unbelievable. So far I'd say its one of the best cars I've owned. Roof comes down too.

My 10plate GTR was crap build quality, overheating gearbox oil, power steering bust twice, dash rattled from new, brakes cracked, stupid & expensive service intervals and the "limp home mode" nearly cost one of my friends his life while overtaking in his 09 car. The seats are too fat, should have foldable carbon buckets.

However, I would buy another one as I know they have improved over time, the R35 is truly a gorgeous car and certainly one of the quickest out there. Bang for buck it has no rivals.

The guy who started this thread should try the V10 Coupe but manual only.
R-tronic is pants, the latest cars are awesome but still very expensive.

Glad Max's car going well...never knew you had so many GTR issues...mine same age and good as gold!

 

[CSL]

Glad Max's car going well...never knew you had so many GTR issues...mine same age and good as gold!

Yup sadly mine was a long way from perfect, maybe I used it too hard on track.

But I will have another one.

 

[Henry 145]

Yup sadly mine was a long way from perfect, maybe I used it too hard on track.

But I will have another one.

Good luck getting it past Max...she likes GTR as much as Kate!

 

[G2GUV]

The spyder was a loan car that broke down twice in a week,

I thought they didn't make them in yellow???

 

[deankenny]

I just cant get over the look of the R8, if i could get round that i wouldnt mind one, i test drove one before the GTR, didnt really stand out in any aspect apart from the noise of course that was nice.

Regarding the looks, the GTR is not a pretty car BUT its the only one theres no babys or similar, whereas when im driving towards a R8 i dont know if its a Audi TT new shape or an R8 till i get side on with it, same with the new TT sometimes im like ooo look an R8. But no, its just a new TT. So my conclusion is Godzilla stepped on the TT squashed it and came up with the R8

If i would ever go down that road it would only be a Gallardo at a minimum, maybe the same car underneath but as least its unique and looks nice.

 

[anilj]

The main issue I have with Audi is that they keep changing the headlights like now all German manuf do. It really now bothers me that historically a midlife LCI was subtle, but now it makes anything 3 years old look ancient. At least the GTR has retained 90% of the original looks so still appears fresh! Otherwise, most cars do the job, but we now seem to become too quick to change....