LCBL continues Audi A8

[yes oui si]

Great work.

[Schaefft]

Well done, I think @Kiltoxreplaced the gears already but the screen wasn't aligned correctly (meaning it probably would have needed to be taken apart again).

[DirtyDaily]

Well done, I think [mention=17393]Kiltox[/mention]replaced the gears already but the screen wasn't aligned correctly (meaning it probably would have needed to be taken apart again).

I think the shaft that held the screen in was bent causing the misalignment. Probably just because it was old.

[DirtyDaily]

Another day working on the A8.
Todays task was a very simple one. Replace the nearside front brake pad sensor...
I go to the car and open the passenger side door to put the sensor in while i maneuver the car to somewhere suitable for jacking up. Since we just had the storm i thought it wise to see if the A8 was keeping the water out. I was greeted by the passenger front foot well being completely saturated. I think switch up and decide this is the new priority and begin by looking at the bulk head to see if its holding water. It was and it was a lot. Getting to the drains is underneath the fan assembley which is actually quite the involved job, i go about taking about the scuttle area and drop a 10mm in to the bulk head and it evaporated presumably. As a result i couldnt be arsed taking it all apart and took to google. Quickly realise most people say the big reason for it is the aircon drains being blocked. I therefore switch up tactics and go to halfords to buy a new socket set (overkill to replace the 10mm but i decided i am worth it) and got a few tools to try and unblock the drains on the scuttle. Back to the car and carpets up, i take one of the two drains off and water GUSHES out of the drain, thats confirmed it was blocked then. PITA job to get the drains back in after taking them out to unblock but some silicon spray helped. I then go back to the scuttle and use a magnetic claw thing too get to the hard to reach drain and pull out all the muck, slow going but worked. Finally then managed to get around to replacing the pad sensor, which turned out to be the wrong one so i just bypassed the sensor as it has all new brakes anyway. Currently mopping up the excess water with the heater on full to the carpets. Never simple.
For reference the ground was completely dty before i started and the puddles are all from the A8!

[Schaefft]

One of the first things I did on my D2 S8, a very similar setup and definitely worth doing. I don't wanna know what they look like on my D3...

[DirtyDaily]

Another 24 hours go by and another treat for the A8.

When I got this car back in August 2024 it really looked the part from @Split_Pin cleaning and waxing the car. I also believe he polished the headlights but might be wrong. Well now over a year later and i finally gave it a clean and forgot how much the colour pops, its well battered but 20 feet away and it still posesses its 2005 top of the range, luxury aura. One thing that was severely letting it down though was the headlights had predictably clouded over again, actually an advisory on the last MOT.

I therefore set about a fairly comprehensive remedy, though definitely not a professional job... First step was 2000 grit sandpaper and this really showed just how much crap it took off the outer most layer.

After a wipe

Now on to a cutting compound to try and bring back some clarity.

Followed by a polish to make the surface as smooth as possible. Dont think i got a picture.

Next step though which i think possibly yields the best results for maintaining this clear look is to apply a new lacquear to the headlight, definitely not ideal from a spray can outside in 8 degree weather but itll do. One trick i learned is to put the spray can in "hot" water so it goes on hot and helps curing. 

Youll also note it does a good job of filling in scratches and really makes the headlight look like new, water ingress aside!

Same job on the other side and thats the front end looking much better. Picture of what i used for the job. I will polish the lacquear when i get a chance but best to leave atleast 24 hours for it to set properly.

[Split_Pin]

I can't actually remember if I polished the lights but they look great now. Duly noted on your choice of products, the often expensive so-called headlight restoration kits have never worked very well for me.

[Zelandeth]

Looking good.

I really want do similar on the Volvo, just wish it wasn't a "dismantle the whole front of the car" job to get the lights out as doing it off the car would be a thousand times less of a faff.

[Kiltox]

Pretty sure those have been sanded and polished quite a few times - hopefully the lacquering will help with longevity! 

[Schaefft]

Great job on the headlights, lacquer seems to be the only way forward. Looking forward to seeing how it holds up. I can't remember whether I polished the headlights on it either. I vaguely remember but can't find any proof so probably not!

[St.Jude]

The headlights on my Subaru look worse than this but haven’t appeared as an advisory. Had planned to do mine before the MOT and winter but didn’t. They’re an odd shape so I’d have to take them off, and that involves the bumper removal.

Yours look good though!

[DirtyDaily]

Maybe i can start an autoshite headlight buffing service...

[DirtyDaily]

Well the car still demands a little more from me. The main issue has been something that i think it has needed basically since i bought it and thats the thermostat(s). Its been a bit on and off whether the car gets up to operating temperature but recently its barely getting any temp at all on my drive to work which isnt ideal. I have therefore ordered both thermostats, one on the front of the engine and one that actually goes to the gearbox cooler. I think both are going to be a pita with the potential for the front bumper to come off, not sure if its ever been taken off before?
Also weirdly no one stocks the front wiper blades which seem to be an usual 23" blade. I purchased some but turns out theyre theyre for post 2009 A8s which have much different lengths...
I have also been having trouble updating the satnav, i bought a disc off ebay but its not recognising it. The guy selling them sent 3 out to try and help sort it but refunded me after none of them worked. Not a massive issue but would have been nice to have maps from 2020 and not 2005. Oh well, the headlights still look good atleast!

[Schaefft]

10 minutes ago, DirtyDaily said:

Well the car still demands a little more from me. The main issue has been something that i think it has needed basically since i bought it and thats the thermostat(s). Its been a bit on and off whether the car gets up to operating temperature but recently its barely getting any temp at all on my drive to work which isnt ideal. I have therefore ordered both thermostats, one on the front of the engine and one that actually goes to the gearbox cooler. I think both are going to be a pita with the potential for the front bumper to come off, not sure if its ever been taken off before?
Also weirdly no one stocks the front wiper blades which seem to be an usual 23" blade. I purchased some but turns out theyre theyre for post 2009 A8s which have much different lengths...
I have also been having trouble updating the satnav, i bought a disc off ebay but its not recognising it. The guy selling them sent 3 out to try and help sort it but refunded me after none of them worked. Not a massive issue but would have been nice to have maps from 2020 and not 2005. Oh well, the headlights still look good atleast!
 

If it helps, I will need to take the bumper off my S8 D3 to change the oil pressure switch as well. It's the law of nature with D3 ownership. Hopefully the thermostats won't be too much of a hassle!

[Split_Pin]

I think DD is referring to 'bumpergate' 😀

I took it off twice as punishment for buying a 2nd hand radiator which was even more leaky than the original and quickly replaced it with a brand new one from Autodoc. 

I didn't personally notice anything amiss with the thermostat(s) when I had it but the cooling system was the worst to bleed of any car I've ever owned. I ended up making a special funnel to slowly fill the entire system via the 2 bleed screws near the bulkhead.

If it helps, replacing the radiator was actually an OK job and I re attached the front bumper with the absolute minimum necessary fixings, especially the annoying 10mms right inside under the headlights (there's meant to be 3 each side, I used 1 each side on refitting I think). My local garage was too scared to touch it so I was actually quite pleased with myself for tacking the job twice on the driveway. 

[SiC]

Just watch out that Mannol G12+ ready mix is weak as piss. According to the SDS datasheets it's only 18% to 20% anti-freeze so good to around -10c and fine in the UK for the most part. However I wouldn't weaken it any further with water if it needs a top up. 

[DirtyDaily]

And hopefully that draws car repairs to a close for 2025.
 
I fitted two new thermostats for the A8 today first one was the main engine one. Removed the old one without having to remove anything on the car, just a fiddly thing to reach at the front of the engine.

Old on the left, new one on the right. Oem audi on the left with the date stamp april 2005. Ill be honest it looked fine and was fully closed, i suspect this was working fine but while im changing one i thought i may as well change both.
Quick side bar to say how happy i am with these cheap tools. The clamps on these are in tight spaces for the gearbox cooler and i dont think i would have been able to get my pliers on it so god send for this job!

Now for the gearbox cooler one and this is a classic case of "i hate working outside, in the rain, in the cold, on my back underneath a car" because god it was miserable. I am looking at buying a house next year and i am going to get a big garage and its going to get a lift because every job will be so much faster. Took probably 15 minutes of getting the car up sufficiently and with a jack stand in an appropriate place before i even went underneath. 
See however i got there and new tools removing the old thermostat.


That was the easier one to get too, the one above was a pita. However all changed over and i took for a quick drove and before long.

Holding 90 degrees as it should. I took on a fast drive as the high speeds tended to drop the temp dramatically and still all good. Good result in the end.
As a recap i have done the following
Replaced diesel cooler
Replaced front and rear brakes
Recalibrated parking brake so no longer beeping at me
2 new front tyres
Changed most rear parking sensors
Changed the turbo actuator
Cleaned out the scuttle drain and aircon drains
Replaced the MMI cage
Replaced centre air vent
Clean, polished and lacqueared the front headlights
Adjusted boot to close more flush
Replaced bonnet struts
Replaced wipers a week or so a go
Replaced wheel centre cap as the old one buggered off on a pot hole
Now replaced both thermostats
Engine oil service
New floor mats which are actually quite nice, the old ones kept getting stuck on top of the accelerator pedal 
After all this the car really does feel tip top. And after all of this and a year of ownership, typical me, i nearly put this up for sale. An audi 2011 A6 3.0 supercharged came up for sale cheap and i nearly broke and bought it. Fast estates are definitely my thing but after thinking about selling the A8 i decided against it. The comfy seats, colour combo, decent MPG, silky smooth ride would be hard to lose for my daily commute. It seems i am getting older.

[Split_Pin]

Glad to see its being improved many times over 👌

[Schaefft]

Awesome work again, I'm so glad this receives some love!

[SiC]

How many miles is this thing on now?

[DirtyDaily]

How many miles is this thing on now?

Pretty close to 228k miles now

[beko1987]

Now it'll get appropriately hot hopefully it'll behave itself in many ways 🤞