Francis007

Cheers Steve. Have you any evidence that the quoted lead times aren't being met please ? My cunning plan was to get rid of my current car at the end of October, just a few days after we get back from Germany. And then make do with my wifes 25 year old Vauxhall Corsa for a few weeks till the new one comes in. Just as a matter of interest the retained value of the Q8 looks like it is holding up well. That's if the WeBuyanycar website is pretty accurate and to be believed . Havent ever used them before but I logged on a few days ago and was quite pleased with the quoted figure. Either that or I will try a PX with the supplying dealership. I'm quite relaxed if it takes a bit longer than the 25 weeks. However, if it goes on much longer than that I might as well have just gone ahead and ordered the SQ8 !

After almost 3 years into ownership of an S line Q8 55 TFSI bought from new , I have decided to replace the car. I'm 75 years of age and not convinced at all about the schtick involving EV's and as this will probably be my last great car, I made enquiries with various Audi dealerships plus the broker, Drivethe Deal, about putting an order in for a new SQ8 . Both told me that the lead time for a new SQ8 from Germany will be at least 12 months ! Now, I cannot wait that long. However , I was informed by both sources that the lead time for a Q8 is 25 weeks. So, after a bit of mulling over, I decided to put an order in for a Black Edition Q8 55 TFSI in Mythos black with Drivethe Deal who were competetive on price. Since buying my present Q8 in 2020 the spec has change considerably. There is no such thing anymore as a " Comfort and Sound " pack. Instead I have specced a technology plus pack which includes everything the C and S pack had plus a heads up display and a panoramic sunroof and a City pack. Anyone else here have a different view on lead times ? So, I am a bit disappointed on missing out on a mighty V8 SQ8 but the V6 TFSI is ok and as my missus said I would have probably killed myself in the SQ8 ! Not sure as well at my advanced age whether I've made the right choice on a black edition with the black optional alloys but we will see. So, the plan is to do our usual 3 week road trip to Deutschland in October and hopefully when we return the new car wont be too far off. Just as a matter of interest, has anyone else here used Drivethe Deal and if I dont PX at the Audi dealership, I'm thinking of going down the Webuyanycar route. Any thoughts ?

Good morning Ian First of all, congratulations on buying a new Q8. May you have many happy,safe and enjoyable miles in it. Regards winter tyres for the car. I purchases a new Q8 55 TFSI in September 2020. It has now completed 33,000 miles with nothing going wrong at all. It's a fine car, comfortable, well built and powerful enough. So, I think I made a good choice and at the end of the year when the car has completed 40,000 miles I will probably replace with another one. I travel to Germany at least twice a year. It's a journey I have made for many years now so its a country I know quite well and I am aware of the tyre requirements and legislation demanded between the months of October through to March. These are the months I travel. Living in Hampshire , I have no need for a full winter tyre and I realise that you living in Inverness just might. However, I changed the original equipment Hankook Vento tyres to a set of Pirelli Scorpion all season tyres. They have now been on the car for almost 20,000 miles. I find them excellent. Good grip and quiet. I have just returned from Deutschland after a 3 week trip there, driving up into the Bavarian Alps. We encountered no snow but pretty cold and icy roads. On our last trip last October / Novemeber, we were in Lower Saxony where it snowed quite heavily. The Pirellis held up in these conditions and gave me enough grip Also they pass the German tyre requirements for winter months. So, it's just a thought but perhaps you could consider all weathers as an alternative to full winter tyres. One last thing. My car is a bog standard S class model so the original tyre size is 21 " and not 22 's. I think the Pirellis now come in 22's . Profile and speed rating would be the same. They are a bit pricey working out at approximately £300 each but it could be an alternative for you. Best wishes and enjoy your wonderful car. Frank

Good afternoon Rob I'm so sorry it has come to this after many months and you have now decided to get rid of your car. Also, please forgive the length of this post. My missus says I am very long winded old sod now ! I think I said in my first reply to you, I am an old guy now of 75 years of age and maybe up to 20 years ago, I used to read of so called " rogue " cars or " Friday afternoon " cars that somehow escaped the rigorous quality controls that all manufacturers adopted. Perhaps you were unfortunate and your car was one of those. However , I extremely doubt it as all manufacturers.....especially Audi I believe....have raised the bar considerably in the last few years and those cars do not get through the system now. Crikey, in my life time , the quality of cars in the late 70's .....especially from British Leyand....had to be seen to be believed. I had a friend who was on the Board of a dealership in Southampton called Wadham Stringers and Carey and Lamberts. They were British Leyland dealers. And he decided after many years, to take a huge risk and branch out alone and open the first Saab dealership in the city. And his reasoning was that he was so fed up in waving off customers in their new Austin Allegros and Maxis, knowing full well that they would be back in a number of days with a list of faults as long as his arm ! So, I do agree with Gareth about the service schedule and past history of your car. I also agree with him that the official Audi recommended service schedules are far too extended. Maybe ok for the first owner of the car but when you get to the second and third ownership and increased mileage, it could point to problems. My car has now ticked just over 30,000 miles and I have been fortunate to have had no problems whatsoever. Please understand dear Rob, I am not trying to get one over you here .....just emphasising how unlucky you have been and comisserating with you. I decided not to go down the Audi scheduling route and have had 3 full services in the last 30 months on my car with oil change and filter change every 8/9000 miles and have the fourth scheduled on Monday. This service is to get the car ready for our next Deutschland road trip. We depart here in a few weeks time and head for the Bavarian Alps for a week, followed by a week in Dresden and Berlin and then head Norh West for a week in Lower Saxony. I realise that at 75 years of age, this life of ours, of touring Germany several times a years might end one day but for now I am fit and capable of doing it. I do agree with you Rob about the extreme lag in acceleration from standstill. It's clearly a software problem as it occurs in your car, a 50TDI and mine, a 55 TFSI. It can be downright !Removed! dangerous sometimes. Also my 340 bhp is just enough for the car....especially on the Autobahn. I would like more, so I think I might just look at an SQ8 when I come to change this car at the end of the year. However, my Missus doesn't actually know that yet ! So, Rob, I wish you well in your next car, whatever you decide to choose. Thankyou for sharing your problems on here and I'm sorry that they couldn't be resolved. Oh and thankyou for your offer of a cuppa. I live in the New Forset and I will try to take you up on that when we get back from Germany at the end of March. Maybe....even a pint ! So good luck and best wishes Frank

Hi Sach. Sorry to hear about your start up problems. You don't mention whether you car is a TDI or a TFSI. I have had my 55 TFSI Q8 for 30 months now. Bought new and I haven't had a start up problem at all. The only stuff I have had is some minor stuff where the bottom screen stays blank on start up. This is happened 3 times in 30 months and all it needs is a re-boot and the problem clears. I'm nothing like an engineer so I may be talking nonsense here but my car before the Q8 was a VW Phaeton. In fact I had 2 bought new over 14 years. It was a very complex car as is the Q8. It heavily relied on 2 batteries because of all the electronics. One was just for the start up procedure and the secondary battery supported all the systems. You could switch the batteries if one wasn't up to the job. On both I had intermittent problems, not with start up but with the other faults you mentioned....engine fault, steering wheel fault etc. These occured after both cars were 4/5 years old and with mileages of 60/70000 miles. And on both cars the problem was the age of the batteries and a not sufficient charge. The problems were rectified by installing new batteries. I notice your car is a 2019 so into its fourth year. Perhapes you could check the state of the battery. Apart from that I cannot help I'm afraid. Hope you get it sorted as they really are magnificent cars aren't they. Frank

Evening Rob I hope you don't think I'm being nosey here but may I ask how you are getting on with your Q8 and the Dealership ? I do hope the faults in the car have now been successfully sorted out and you are happy with the car now. Frank

Hi Rob I hope you don't mind me joining in with this discussion and it does look as though you are getting alot very supportive and useful help from Gareth. Also I'm not sure of how you feel about this particular Q8 but looking through the list of faults with this car isn't there now an argument to reject it completely, be fully reimbursed by the supplying Dealership and go for an alternate Q8 ? I do realise that this car was a Vorsprung spec with every conceivable bell and whistle and they are quite rare but I have just a basic spec S line with the sound and camera package and the spec is pretty good. Just my 2 penneth and I do hope you get sorted. Frank

Hi Rob Glad to hear that the supplying dealer has taken the car away and will rectify all your faults. I agree with you....you would have thought thatt a full diagnosis of the car would have been made before it was put up for sale....but in my experience.....that's main dealerships for you of all marques....some good....some not so ! I'm sure when you get the car back completely fault free, you will start to appreciate what fine cars they are. In my own experience, this is my first SUV and I was pretty reluctant at first to go down the SUV route. Getting on a bit now and my Porsche days numbered with my creaky knees and poorly back ,for the previous 20 years before 2020 I had been the owner of 2 Volkswagen Phaetons and 1 Audi A8. All three bought new. The Phaetons were extraordinary cars with extraordinary build quality and among the best I had ever owned. I purchased my last one in 2010 and specced it and took delivery at the Glasernemanufaktur in the city of Dresden. For the firts 6 years until the Phaeton stopped being built , I took it each year back to Dresden for services and then we toured Germany in it. Once the Factory closed a friend of mine who runs Audi A8's recommended ....The Village Garage at Bishops Waltham....to continue the servicing. So, I took the Phaeton to Matts....a litte reluctantly at first as like the Q8, the Phaeton was a mighty compicated car. Howevder Matt exceeded all my expectations and with his help and expertise, I ran my beloved P until late 2020 and with over 140,000 miles on the clock. So, in 2020 , I rather reluctantly decided that it made economic sense to get rid and after alot of research and many test drives of X5's, Macans and A8's , we decided that the Q8 would be a good match up for us. And we have been entirely pleased so when you get yours back, I am sure you will be too. It's well built....I have no squeaks or rattles, it's well engineered, comfortable and beautifully designed. Also it is quite rare as was my Phaeton ! Even we noticed in Germany where we saw very few. If I have a criticism, it is that 340 bhp aint quite enough for a 2 and a half ton machine. I am being picky I know and realisticallyit is quite fast enough. So, I am 75 years of age. The EV stuff does not convince or interest me at all. So, next year, I think I might just have one last mighty machine in me....an SQ8. Just need to pick a good moment to tell my Missus ! It's good to chat eh. Frank

Afternoon Rob I have just read your post and I'm sorry to hear about your numerous problems regarding your Q8. However, it seems from the replies that you have received numerous helpful threads in helping resolve your issues. For my part, I think you have been unfortunate. I bought a Q8 55 TFSI Sport new in September 2020 and have just completed 28,000 miles just returning from a 3 week driving tour of Deutschland. In the past 26 months I have had a few minor glitches with the car but nothing approaching the stuff that you have endured. I have had the Audi pre-sense and auto headlight system drop out of service, only for it to come back to life again at the first start up of the car. Several months ago I had the bottom screen.....the one with the HVAC stuff......just blank out......and then after the next start up, come back on again. I presume that we owners have to accept that this is a pretty complicated car with alot of electrical gizmos. So, to sum up , I am very happy with the car and I hope....eventually.....you will be too. We did over 2000 miles in the 3 weeks in Germany, many on unrestricted Autobahns and the car was quite sublime at speeds exceeding 100 mph. I did note that you reside in Hampshire as do I. Although I used the Audi main dealership that supplied the car ( Swansway Group in Crewe ) for the first 2 services and a decent job they did too. For the cars third service before leaving for Germany I used a Hampshire based VW / Audi independent garage . I am now an old guy in my 70's and retired. I have been fortunate enough to have an understanding missus who allowed me to indulge in my only true vice.....nice cars. Like you I have owned a fair number of Porches/ VW's and Audis over the years and I have always used this garage to service and maintain them. The owner is a guy called Matt who truly is a car nut and treats ever car there as his own. I have never been anything other than completely satisfied with the work on my car. Then add in the added bonus that Matts rates are a fraction of the ones demanded by Audi dealers. So, once you are sorted and you fancy having your car looked at by Matt, please just message me and I will only be too happy to give you details of this garage. Best wishes. Frank

Hi Shawn I have a Q8 55 TFSI bought from new in September 2020. So just over 2 years old. Also I reside in the U.K. and we don't very often suffer from very high temperatures here ! My brakes can squeak a bit, especially so when I haven't used the car for a few days, but not to the extent of the problem you are suffering I suspect. My wife and I are currently in the car in Deutschland touring. In the last 3 weeks we have covered almost 2,500 miles, driving from Calais France south to the Bavarian Alps in Berchtesgaden and then north again to Lower Saxony where we are staying at the moment. Half of those miles have beeen on the German Autobahns, many of them without any speed restrictions at all so average speeds can exceed over 100 mph. I will just say that the Q8 has performed superbly, mixing with the best that Germany can offer ! I think the car attracts a bit because they are still a very rare car in Germany....and perhaps the British number plate and U.K. sticker on the back is sometimes like a red rag to a bull to the odd few German motorists ! Regarding your particular problems re brakes.....mine have performed superbly with no squeaks and very little brake fade, even powering down quite rapidly from very high speeds on the Autobahn. So, my 2 penneth is that your Dealership is quite wrong regards the reason why you have brake noise and my advice is to pursue them further until they sort it out. Possibly a fit of new pads all round should be requested. Hope this helps a bit....and enjoy this wonderful car of ours. Frank

Hi. Not with the car at the moment. When I get back home I will take some measurements and get back to you

Richard Just as an addition to my previous post. I have just had a look and Pirelli do the Scorpion P Zero all season tyre in 285/40 R22 110y size as well as the 21 inch tyre so they would fit your Q8. Kwik fit are selling them for about £350 per tyre so a a little cheaper than the Continental sports contact tyre that you have been quoted by your Audi dealership. I live in Hampshire and my local garage was able to find and fit my tyres for quite alot less. And I would highly recommend them. So....in my humble opinion....you would be getting a far better performing tyre that adapts to more conditions for less dosh.

Morning Richard Not sure whether this will help at all as you seeemed to have decided on what tyres you are going to use as replacements. I have a 2020 Q8 55TFSI which I bought new and came with Hankook tyres as the Factory Fitted original tyres. I found them to be an excellent choice so the Audi engineers clearly knew their stuff. They were quiet and had good grip both in the wet and dry and as an added bonus, they are substantially cheaper to replace compared to the " Premier League " manufacturers like Michelin, Pirelli etc. However, I drive to Deutschland alot in my car and as the law there dictates that winter or all season tyres must be fitted between the months of October through to March, I had to replace the Hankooks with all season tyres after 15,000 miles as my next trip to Germany is later this month. So, I had fitted a set of Pirelli P Zero Scorpion all weather tyres. They are expensive ! Think I paid with balancing more than £1300 . Also please bear in mind that as my Q8 was an S line model, the wheel size was 21" although the tyre width and profile is the same as your car. In 3000 miles I have found the Pirellis to be quite superb. Brilliant wet weather grip and no noisier than the Hankook summer tyre . Also....I like the look of them ! So, as an alternative, you might just have a look at the Pirellis all seasons. I know we don't get too much snow and ice here in the U.K. but they do give you extra grip if you do encounter snow or ice .....probably next winter now. Just my 2 pennies worth.