From the car brochure for this car:

Contemporary elegance in the luxury class

Design is one of the most important considerations for any car in the luxury class. And not surprisingly, the design of the Audi A8 Quattro is an expression of Audi values and our industry leading solution to combining luxury with understated excellence.

It is one of those rare designs that instantly commands attention and yet leaves a lasting impression without being brash or obvious.

Although it is clearly a car of substance and stature, it has a lightness of line that spells innovative, individual and modern.

Our designers have applied dynamic features, but with subtlety and restraint to create a powerful silhouette that is both elegant and intended to stand the test of time.


Methinks Audi would be wise to revisit and reconsider these values...

 

The bs these manufs spout. It's the shape of a car a kid draws ie boot, bonnet, place to sit.

 

TBH, I'm thinking about doing the Leg End's myself. I suspect they cannot even put MTF in a Prelude properly so there's Bob Hope with anything as sophisticated.

But yes; one can only change PART of a slushbox's oil at a time (cf. oil change vs rebuild volumes!) so really it ought to be done every service, not never. Oil full of friction clutch particles will obviously kill any autobox and one wonders how the Germans can at times be so moronic.

 

The world's since regressed to (a troubled) childhood, I'm afraid.

I was reading how the Japanese have got bored of their outer conservativeness and that's why they are expressing themselves through cars which look like bad Manga cartoon design. Some of the latest stuff is really OTT, like all Lexus grilles and the front bumper clip on the '14 Civic coupe. They want to forge their own crevasse, instead of copying other design schools.

I think it's also significant/poignant that all of the great carrozzerie have all either now been swallowed up, or simply gone bust.

 

An update.

The automatic gearbox's fluid and filter have been changed, albeit at a slightly higher cost than quoted as the aftermarket exhaust system obscures a few more of the gearbox pan bolts than the standard system and thus added to the time taken. Fair enough.

The gearbox fluid was as black as tar and whilst I was advised there was some metallic debris in the pan and captured by the magnets, it is a 12 year old car so wear has to be expected. Also as the car is relatively low mileage and had been in the hands of an older chap for most of it's life and running about locally, it will have made substantially more gear changes than a one which has covered many more miles on the motorway.

I was given a quick tour of the workshop and a look at the internals of a 5 speed ZF auto' from a Range Rover that was being repaired. A needle roller bearing had let go and the ensuing damage to the internal components of the gearbox was quite a sight. The rebuild cost was likely to be c. £2K, so it's easy to see how perfectly serviceable cars quickly become uneconomic to repair and go to the breakers.

To my lay-eye I couldn't help but think some of the components in the clutch packs looked decidedly 'light duty'; steel pressings unlike the nuclear blast resistant components I have seen in the venerable GM TH350/400 and Ford C6 automatic gearboxes.

Apparently most new auto's will be good for 5 or so years and after that problems are likely to arise, thus is especially true of those on the end of high torque diesels which appear to be giving the most grief. Obtaining parts is becoming problematic as manufacturers would rather sell a £6K replacement gearbox than a few £100's of parts and have some other outfit make money from the repair.

The other issue which is becoming common is the failure of solenoids in gearboxes; with the increasing number of gears - 6, 7, 8 and even 9 - the solenoids are working overtime, as are the clutch packs. And perversely the gearbox ECUs are now being located inside the transmission, which is is a pretty harsh environment, and there are problems with failures.

The complexity of these gearboxes is a little mind-boggling, but I have to say I wouldn't mind giving a rebuild a go. I ought to be careful what I wish for...

... what the trip around the workshop did do was massively increase my respect for the Toyota E-CVT. Beautifully simply, with few moving parts and friction components. And, perhaps unsurprisingly, the workshop has never had a Toyota E-CVT gearbox in for repair. Nuff said.

I do have a fancy for a wheel change on the A8 however; these quite rare Audi OEM 18" forged wheels are achingly cool...

 

A video of the Toyota E-CVT; it's somewhat anorak-centric but fascinating.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLNDGUISTYM

 

It's quite clever stuff.

IIRC, it sort of uses a 'differential' principle like the AP jerkomatic used in MINIs, oly using the two electric motors.

In a way, the new Accord hybrid is even simpler; it works like a normal diesel-electric train, but with a direct-drive lock-up for cruising speeds.

Problem is, Honda under-estimated demand and cannot get enough batteries!

 

I've always thought that would be a good model. An engine running in its sweet spot and motors doing the cocking about

 

It's really an infinitely variable transmission, and the throttle allows one to put as much power in to control the acceleration rate.

Apparently it is very efficient in the real world and seems to be very well-received (and screen pillars one can see around), but I doubt we'll get it.

 

Update.

I have now driven just over 1,000 miles since buying the A8 and I continue to be very impressed - so much so that I was made an offer on my RX-8 which I wasn't prepared to miss and let it go!

There's a few very minor niggles with the A8 which I need to sort; a slight noise from the heater fan, a loose engine under tray and a very small scratch on the front bumper, but I will get around to sorting these in the warmer months next year.

Just about everyone who drives the A8, or is a passenger in it, is impressed with it too, especially the ride, quality of fittings and the power; it really flies when above 4,000 RPM. I made a trip to Yorkshire last weekend and with the cruise set at 75 mph the computer showed an average of 30.9 mpg for the trip. I am sure it's flattering but still rather impressive for a heavy-ish, 12 year old, 310 bhp barge.

My favourite aspect of the car continues to be its anonymity; most observers think its an A4 at first glance.