Wanted D2 S8 UK - a repeat of last year!

[Spanker]

Originally Posted by tintin

Well that's easily fixed!

[HPsauce]

Originally Posted by Marty

I'm based in Woking Surrey, but willing to travel (within reason)

Not sure how many others on here are around the Western side of the M25 (I'm in South Bucks about 30 miles North of you) but maybe we can arrange a summer mini-meet to look over your new acquisition?

[Marty]

Im based in Woking, so probably quite close, I saw a D2 3.7L yesterday, so random!

thought id share my knighmare on the way back from newcastle, stopped in leeds to see family. Thought id tryout the CD multichanger in boot, whilst I was messing around with it (didnt work) i left my key in the boot (with the spare key in my backpack in the boot!) then closed it!

I had no way of getting the boot open, the release button on the drivers door didnt work (key wasnt ever put in the ignition) and the rear button mechanical release doesnt work. I had to remove the rear seats and angle grind the ski hatch slot to get in. I now have a ski hatch!

I have a few questions:

- Parking sensors go bananas when I put it in reverse, I really need to sort this out, the cars a barge and parking is tough enough until I get used to the dimensions and lack of rear visibility. Had the wife putting her hands at the rear of each sensor but didnt achieve anything! Is there an easy at home procedure?

- timing belt? was done in 2009, 34,000miles ago - thoughts on this? should I precautionary replace?

- Gearbox oil flush - preventative maintenance? worth doing?

- Gear selector can be quite difficult to get out of park, but is temperamental?

- Best rubber for the 20" rims? mines been on the car for a longtime, starting to crack, old boy didnt use it enough.

- Rear boot mechanical release button, nothing I can do with the key to get it to open mechanically, ok with button release and on the drivers door - would like to get this sorted

thanks guys for all your support.

[HPsauce]

Ski hatch is only soft aluminium tabs, I cut mine very quickly with a small oscillating blade cutter.

Do you mean the boot doesn't open pressing in the button on the boot lid? Probably something disconnected in the mechanism. You'll need to open the boot and remove the lining - lots of screws and bolts (and a couple of press-stud clips) but surprisingly easy. Then have a good look at all the linkages.

Block the bar the catch grips when shut while working. Test THOROUGHLY with it open before slamming it shut!

[tintin]

Originally Posted by Marty

Im based in Woking, so probably quite close, I saw a D2 3.7L yesterday, so random!

thought id share my knighmare on the way back from newcastle, stopped in leeds to see family. Thought id tryout the CD multichanger in boot, whilst I was messing around with it (didnt work) i left my key in the boot (with the spare key in my backpack in the boot!) then closed it!

I had no way of getting the boot open, the release button on the drivers door didnt work (key wasnt ever put in the ignition) and the rear button mechanical release doesnt work. I had to remove the rear seats and angle grind the ski hatch slot to get in. I now have a ski hatch!

I have a few questions:

- Parking sensors go bananas when I put it in reverse, I really need to sort this out, the cars a barge and parking is tough enough until I get used to the dimensions and lack of rear visibility. Had the wife putting her hands at the rear of each sensor but didnt achieve anything! Is there an easy at home procedure?

Mine do this too, don't know the answer, but interested to hear what it is!

- timing belt? was done in 2009, 34,000miles ago - thoughts on this? should I precautionary replace?

From memory, this should be left for no more than 5 years, so yes - normally combined with having the water pump seen to at the same time

- Gearbox oil flush - preventative maintenance? worth doing?

100% yes, as not doing this is probably the #1 cause of the geabox going bang. Many of us on here swear by Mackies Transmissions in Glasgow (probably not the ideal location for you, but if you search on Mackies on here, you'll get an idea on why they're rated #1 by us)

- Gear selector can be quite difficult to get out of park, but is temperamental?

A pretty common "feature". If really tough to shift then it can be a sign that the switch is close to failing, but not necessarily - others (Eg. HP..) can probably comment better on this

- Best rubber for the 20" rims? mines been on the car for a longtime, starting to crack, old boy didnt use it enough.

Michelins, all day long (original fit ). Some on here use cross-climates: I have the luxury of 18" winters (Pilot Alpins) and 20" summers (Supersports/PS5's)

- Rear boot mechanical release button, nothing I can do with the key to get it to open mechanically, ok with button release and on the drivers door - would like to get this sorted

Can't comment, others will no doubt, or try the search function maybe?

thanks guys for all your support.

Nightmare indeed, but at least you've got a ski hatch now - comments above on your questions, where appropriate.

[Marty]

yeah i cut them easy, but was on the roadside in the rain, using power from a random neighbor and tools from a guy up the road with an RS4 on the drive! bit of a rush job! was lucky I thought id was stuck for a while

[steamship]

Timing belt - do the thermostat while you're there. Full details on how to do it are in the following PDF from the D2 Tech Dump thread:

Service Manual 8-cylinder engine (3.7 ltr & 4.2 ltr 5-valve AQF, AQG, ARU, AUW, AVN, AVP, AKC, .pdf

Gear selector - Is this all the time or only when parked on an incline? If the latter, put the selector into Neutral first, apply handbrake, release foot brake to ensure handbrake is holding, apply footbrake and then put in Park.

Boot lock - The gubbins inside the lock mechanism could be all clogged up and/or corroded. The following post is how MikkiJayne sorted it, which I used when my packed up:

https://forum.a8parts.co.uk/showthread.php?t=16132

[Marty]

thanks, its a pain in the arse on an incline (I live on a hill). Ill try parking up, putting into N, applying handbrake, then putting into Park. thanks so much. experience is invaluable, man I love this car already! had an 2008 S5 in 2012 but this is much more fun. love it, might need a more "sporty" exhaust as its very quiet...

[Marty]

Is it worth me buying a VCDS to sort the parking sensors? and also just for a proper shakedown? £185 isnt too bad ?

https://vcdsdiagnostics.co.uk/

[steamship]

Originally Posted by Marty

Is it worth me buying a VCDS to sort the parking sensors? and also just for a proper shakedown? £185 isnt too bad ?

https://vcdsdiagnostics.co.uk/

If you have any intention of keeping the car for any length of time, VCDS has to be one of the best investments out there. Even if you decide to get rid of the car later, you can still use VCDS on any car from the VAG group, or even sell it for a reasonable price.

The site you listed is definitely a Ross-Tech distributor as they're listed on the Ross-Tech site itself, but they could do with updating their site as they list 19.6 as being the latest version, when it's 24.7.

Another advantage to having an official copy of VCDS is that it also allows you to post on their official forum, so you have access to hundreds/thousands of users who own VCDS and VAG cars, if you can't figure out what some codes mean.