Francis007

Martin Interesting post re the costs and benefits....or pitfalls....of using an Audi specialist to service and maintain your car rather than an Audi Main Dealership. May I record my experiences of using an Audi Specialist Independent. I have owned 4 Audis in the past 20 years, all bought from new . An Audi A8, 2 Q8's and my present car, a 2026 S5 Avant. I am a fastidous owner and like to keep my cars in the very best condition. Not a fan at all of Audis....or any other main stream manufactures " long term servicing regimes ". Hence I generally have and have had a service and most imprortantly an oil change every 7 / 8000 miles. I have never used an Audi Main dealer for any services all 4 cars. The reasons are that I am fortunate to have near a superb Audi Independent Garage that I know and trust. Of course their servicing rates are a fraction of what Audi charge but more importantly to me , I truly believe that my cars are better looked and maintained to a higher standard than at the Audi garage. Also may I just add that the premise that by going down the Independent route, could affect the cars resale has not been the case with me. On my last 2 Q8's I did what most folk do and went on the WeBuyAnyCars website to find out a rough resale value . I then found a couple of Indendent dealers who specialised in more " higher end " pre owned cars. Both were pretty exacting on what cars they would actually put on their website and both were quite happy that the cars had been service their entire lives with an Independent. On both cars the important and deciding factor with the Dealers was that the Independent had a known reputation, used genuine Audi parts and was able to log on and record the services on the Audi Sevice regimes. And in fact, on both cars I was offered more than the WeBuyAnycars recommended price. So I think the main dealer stamp in the old service book was quite important once but not so much now. Just my 2 penneth.

Hi Tim Nice to hear from you and no problem at all about chatting about your impending purchase of a new S5. These are my honest thoughts about the B10 S5 Avant. A bit long winded ....but that's me I'm afraid ! Am I thrilled with it ? Yes I am with just a few caveats. Coming out of big limo cruisers for the last 20 years.....2 VW Phaetons, 1 Audi A8 and 2 Q8's , to decide on a completely different type of car at my age ( 78 years ) was a big leap. However, I did alot of research and a fair amount of test drives of alternate cars. Including another Q8 , a Lexus NX, an Audi SQ5 and a BMW 550e. And I came down to the Audi S5. Reasons are that was within my price range, size , performance, styling, build quality and the fact that its an Audi ! I specced it as a Black Edition with a few extras. Mythos black , S technology pack which gives you a Heads Up Display, uprated sound system and passenger MMI, red brake calipers ( a must ! ) and adaptive dampers. I ordered the car from Audi Bury st.Edmunds in January and it came into the U.K. in April. About the spec. I woud throroughly recommend the HUD. Not had it in any car before and it's superb. The passenger MMI is useful, We travel to Deutschalnd alot in the car and my Missus is my Navigator and she loves it. And I thought the adaptive dampers would help the drive comfort of the car as we were coming out of a Q8 with air suspension. I wasn't convinced by the panoramic sunroof or the alternate red leather interior. About the infotainment system and the mmi and safety systems. I am no techy and it has taken some hours sat in the car in my drive to learn and experiment. However Tim, if I can get on top of it, I am sure you can ! And despite some very minor glitches it's all useful and very impressive. So, to sum up. I think it's a handsome car. It drives well. The power delivery is impressive. It's well planted with the Quattro system and it's well put together with no squeaks or rattles. I am well pleased and I would highly recommend it. Just one thing . The list price of mine was something like £74,000. Do not pay anything like that as there are many discounts to be had , especially if you take out a PCP. If you are still keen , please get in touch with Polly Goddard, the Group Fleet Sales Manager of the Marriott Motor Group. She is a lovely lady who really knows her stuff and is a delight to deal with. I purchesed both my Q8's from her as well. She will really do a good deal for you. I hope this helps Tim as it's an awful lot of money to spend isnt it so you have to be sure. Anything else, just ask. Frank

Hiya James So sorry to hear of your current problems with your A5 Avant. My take on it is the same as quite a few fellow owners here and as I believe you have stated yourself. My car, like yours, looks good in my opinion, is well screwed together , is comfortabe and drives well. BUT.....software, software, software !!!!! seem to be the overiding bugbear at the moment. Compared to yours, mine has had relatively limited problems. I occasionally receive a flash up on the front screen at start up to indicate that some systems are unavailable or have failed. They barely hang around for milliseconds before they disappear and the car starts up and is fine. The A5 range was I believe brought into the UK in late 2024 so yours is a relatively newish example. And because of that , may be it suffers from early software production problems ? I presume your Dealership has confirmed that you have the latest updated software ? Also , I do understand your discontent with the car. The software should have been sorted before the car was available and Audi have some questions to answer here as it seems this problem prevails in other models. Take a look at Martin Innes current problem with his new Q3 on that Forum. Think I have already mentioned this a few times so I hope I'm not being boring here but I came to the S5 from owning 2 Q8's owned over a 6 year period. Had zilch problems , software or mechanical in either car. Both felt robust and well sorted but the MMI and software was much simpler than the stuff we have on our A/ S 5's. It's technology and the future I'm afraid and aint it grand ! Hope you get your car sorted and you can enjoy it's undoubted driveability again

Hi Damian I've just looked on my map and the distance from Doncaster to Nottingham is approx 50 miles so not too far. May I recommend TTW Installations Nottingham. Fantastic auto electrical firm that I have used on my last 3 cars, all bought new. Two Q8's and my current S5 Avant. I am very fastidious on who to use and trust for work on my cars , a bit like you it looks. These guys are the very best in the business. I have had 2 channel Blackvue dash cams fitted on all 3 of my last cars and they do a superb job. Would not trust any other. They will have the experise to fit front parking sensors and rear reversing camera to your lovely S3 as they do lots of other electrical work on cars, many high end. Just look at their installations videos on their website .. Just book it in and they have a comfortable waiting room with free drinks and wi-fi. Have a look at their website. Highly recommended.

Hey Bob That's a good point about the software being slow to boot up. Not thought of that as the occasional yellow flash ups that I have experienced barely last milliseconds before they disappear. Thankyou for that.

Hi Martin Re my Q8's. I think that the " Edition 1 " units that Audi first supplied to the Dealerships when the Q8 first came on to the U. K. market in 2019 did have numerous software glitches. That's why I kept away from those models until they were all sold and more " basic " specs were available. I also believe that has happened to the " Edition 1 " S5 units that first came into the U.K. in 2025. Looks like Audi use them as guinea pigs to sort things out. Looking on Autotrader recently, ony one Edition1 S5 is now still available for purchase. All the rest are Black Editions or Vorsprung. So, in January I ordered the car to my exact spec, making sure it was a Black Edition with extras. Good to know Audi have been in touch and please let us know about any future software updates that should hopefully sort things out. In the meantime enjoy those 256 horses !.

An interesting and informative post by Martin. May I mirror Martins thoughts and opinions about his new Q3 in my new S5 Avant. My car, like Martins drives well. It's well put together, with no squeaks or rattles, looks good to my eyes, is well planted on the road and is reasonably powerful enough. Where I slightly agree with Martin is in the software although I havent had the more serious glitches that he has had in the Q3. I have had various warnings flash up on the MMI about system failures but mine last barely a second before they disappear and the car starts up. Coming from 2 previous Q8's where the systems were simpler but to me much more robust , this has come as a surprise. Also, to mirror Martins other thoughts re the various safety features that you have to disable on each start up. After 2 months ownership it is almost routine now to disable the speed warning, the distraction warning, the fatigue warning and the lane departure ! All !Removed! useless and unwanted by I suspect the great majority of owners. I drive in Deutschland a fair bit and I like to think I am a competent driver. When travelling there on the Autobahn and on the unrestricted part of the network I like to drive the car at speeds of 100 mph plus so you need to have your wits about you as that isnt a great speed to many of our German friends who come up fast in the outer lane. So, I always make doubly sure when moving from an inner lane out to an outer lane by leaning forward and moving my head to check in the nearside mirror that there isnt anyone in that blind spot....just in case ! And simply by doing that, the camera behind the steering wheel, detects that I have had eye movement to the left.....and Bong.....the distraction warning flashes up ! So, to sum up....a superb car that drives well. But the software is a little fragile in mine at least. If you are not experiencing any problems then just accept the fact thatyou are fortunate.

Just an update on my HUD new oil temp icon I got in touch with the Service Manage of the supplying Audi dealership and after a bit of investigation he thinks that Audi performed a small software update which enabled the oil temp to be shown in the HUD. This was done without any notification to UK Dealerships ! Make of that what you will. So, if true, it looks as though it was connected to the new RS5 being made available to all European markets and supposedly all new RS5's have this feature. As well as all 2026 S5's. It was not updated on any A5's that have a HUD. Not sure whether that a HUD is a standard feature or an extra. If anyone here has a 2026 S5 or is fortunate enough to have taken delivery of a new RS5, if it's possible to check and confirm I would be interested. Many thanks

Hiya Ron Many thanks for the response. No warning in messages , no yellow warning bell and oil lever reads fine. Weird eh ?

May I ask some advice please ? I'm 6 weeks into ownership of a 2026 S5 Avant and I am mightily pleased with it. It is my first car with a Heads Up Display and it is impressive , showing speed limits and warnings, driver assistance stuff, navigation if on and media info if on. A week or so ago, I noticed that it was also now showing oil temperature. The icon comes on immediatley the car is started and only starts displaying temps when the engine starts to warm up. Also there is no problem with the temp as after a few miles with engine fuly warmed, it indicates the usual optimum temps of between 90 and 100 . So not a warning in any way. Martin Innes from the Q3 website has been very helpful and thinks it boils down to one of two things. One , the hud will automatically surface the oil temp in the readout if the car thinks the engine isnt reaching normal temp fast enough. So, oil temp is out of sync with coolant temp. Or, two, a software update has changed the HUD behaviour. without informing the owners. I'd had a twin channel dash cam fitted just before this started and I presume that the battery would have been disconnected by TTW Installation of Nottingham when they also installed a Cellink Battey pack. Would that have reset the HUD settings ? I've tried to reset the settings myself via the MMI but there isnt any mention at all of an oil temp facility. Switched off and on but the oil temp icon is still there ! Please dont get me wrong. I'm quite happy to see the oil temp displayed in the HUD as it's very useful and informative but I just thouigt I would ask if anyone has any ideas that this might be flagging a problem Manythanks in advance Frank

Second post on this after 35 days of ownership and more impressions of the S5 Avant. So, the car has been away for about a week to have a 2 channel Blackvue dashcam and Cellink 8 battery installed by TTW Installations in Nottingham followed by a Gtechniq ceramic coat and a little bit of ppf on vulnerable areas of the car applied by First Choice Detailing of Christchurch Hampshire. Used both these companies for many years on previous cars and I think they are the best in the business and would recommend without hesitation. The car is settling down and I'm on top of most of the impressive tech now. Also my biggest fear after coming out of a Q8 was of poorer build quality in the S5 as reported in various road tests and subsequent creaks and or rattles. None of that so far and the car is solid and feels well put together. And so on to power and performance. Today I brought the car back from Christchurch to my home, a journey of about 30 miles. The car has just ticked over 950 miles, so on a quiet stretch of a dual carriageway through the New Forest I lit it up a little for the first time and strewth can this car move ! And just to make this relative. I am 78 years of age and been fortunate enough to have a wonderful missus of 56 years who has indulged me my great love of cars over many years. So, looking back and seeing how brake horsepower has now gone through the roof in quite ordinary cars. My current S5 Avant has 362 bhp, a decent output. Many years ago I was one of the first owners in the Southampton area to take delivery of a new Golf GTI....the original hothatch in 1976. That had 110 bhp and was considered pretty fast. And the following are some of the cars I have been fortunate enough to own and their relative BHP's VW Golf GTI 16v. 139 bhp. Peugeot 205 1.9 GTI . 130 bhp. Because of it's light weight, this was a pocket rocket. Then I grew up a bit and had more mature cars ! Saab 900 Carlsson 16v turbo. 185 bhp. When the little turbo arrow gauge clicked into the yellow turbo indicator, this car flew ! Porsche 944 S . 190 bhp BMW 528i . This was for a time the largest engine you could spec. 181 bhp. The list could go on and I hope people reading this dont think I am in any way boasting about these cars. I'm not, I realise I've been a little fortunate. My point is that all these cars listed with their relative power outputs are now easily beaten by many family SUV's and saloons and hatchbacks on the market now. I also realise that many EV's far exceed these figures. The EV route is one that I have never envisaged me taking for many reasons, hence the S5. At my age I'm staying with ICE cars until they are no longer available. Any one here have any idea where this chase for bhp will end. My current car with 362 bhp is in supercar territory only about 20 years ago. It is phenomenal and fun and whilst I am still able to do so and I'm competent I am going to hit the German autobahns a couple of times a year and mix it with the German guys there. Oh and just in case anyone is concerned here because of my age , I am fully fit and have 20/20 vision plus. I hope this is of interest to some here.

Good morning James I have just read your post this morning with interest and as you reside in Hampshire as do I, may I put an alternative to you regards the future servicing of your lovely new A6 ? I do understand your desire to look after your car and make sure it works well for many years. I am 78 years of age and have been fortunate enough to have been the owner of many fine cars in my long life, all purchased new. I stopped using Main Dealer servicing over 20 years ago and the reasons are that I refuse to pay the exhorbitant rates that they charge and also.....and just as importantly.... I'm not convinced that they offer the finest levels of expertise . Since 2006 I have owned 2 VW Phaetons, 1 Audi A8, and 2 Audi Q8's . At the moment I am the happy owner of an S5 Avant that I took delivery of four weeks ago. All of these cars were purchased new and I chose to not service any of them with Main Dealers. All were serviced and maintained to a very high level at The Village Garage Bishops Waltham. I like many other " petrol heads " on this website am not convinced by the long service regimes that Audi supposedly recommend. I endorse everything that Sparticus said in his reply to you. He's a good bloke and knows what he's doing ! So, all my cars that I have listed have had services and particuarly oil changes every 7/8000 miles. The Village Garage has been running for many years and has a fine reputation. The owner is a guy called Matt who is very clever and knowledgeable guy. And just as importantly he is a car guy who loves all things to do with high end expensive cars. I trust him completely in looking after my cars and being ultra careful when they are with him. He , in fact runs an Audi SQ5 as his personal car. Matt uses all Audi parts and as he is a listed Audi / Porsche/ VW/ Skoda specialist , you will not invalidate your Audi warranty by taking it there. Matt is able to log and reset your Audi service indicator. So, it's just a thought and I do hope you don't mind me throwing my 2 penneth in here. The plusses for me are that I believe that my car will be serviced and maintained at a higher level than it would be at an Audi Dealership and I save a ton of money as Matts rates are far lower than Audis. My missis and I have been touring Germany in the car twice a year for many years now. Our next trip which will be for 4 weeks and cover over 2000 miles will be in October and I will schedule my S5's first service with Matt just before we go. By then he will have done about 5000 miles so a complete oil change and an inspection to make sure all is well. Finally an added bonus is that Bishops Waltham is a lovely little town so whilst Matt is working on your car, you can have a quiet stroll and have a coffee and breakfast there. The above is just a thought.....and I dont have any shares in the Village Garage just in case you were suspicious 🙂 Frank

Morning Stephen Forgot to say one thing in my post. If you do decide to give Matt a go, when you ring up, you will probably speak to Kirsty his wife, who runs reception. Actually request for Matt to work on your car. All the other guys are competent but Matt is that man you need to work on an RS4 Frank

Hi Stephen I have just spotted your post and as you haven't received any responses I have a long shot for you . I am a commited petrol head of many years and been fortunate enough to have owned many fine cars. I like and have always liked to keep and maintain my cars in top condition and am extremely careful on who I use to maintain them. Now I know you reside in London and you did mention the Home Counties . This is where the long shot comes in ! I reside in Hampshire and have been using the same Audi / Porsche / VW/ Skoda independent specialist for almost 20 years now. The name of the garage is The Village Garage at Bishops Waltham. The owner and Chief Engineer is a guy called Matt and I would trust him with my life, let alone my car !. Extremely clever and knowledgable he runs the garage with four other mechanics but if you ask, Matt will do specialist work on a specialist car....which your RS4 is. In the past 20 years Matt has serviced and maintained for me one Audi A8, 2 VW Phaetons and 2 Audi Q8's . All purchased new but I refuse to pay the exhorbitant rates of the Main Dealers. Not only that but I know and believe Matt does a far better job and is far more competent than most of the guys who who work in Audi Service bays. And just for the record, I have recently bought a new S5 Avant. It is 2 weeks old but Matt will do all the servicing for me. So, a long shot but Bishops Waltham is barely a 90 minute drive from where you are and it's a pleasant little village where you can have a coffee and a lunch whilst Matt has a look at your car. It's just a suggestion and I hope it helps. Frank

I hope someone finds this of interest. If boring, please ignore. So, after precisely 2 weeks of ownership from new and 500 miles, the following are my thoughts about my S5 Avant and in particular to how it compares to my previous car , a Q8. Firstly and most obviously is the tech in this car compared to the Q8 which was 7 years into it's development and used a vastly inferior architecture to the latest Audi MMI. I am 78 years of age and to say I am astounded about how good this is and what it can do, is an understatement. Particuarly the " Hey Audi " feature which is outstanding. I never used the voice recognition in the Q8 as it was so poor but with this, it understands everything you say and you can control almost everything with it. I am smitten !!! Even though I havent had a blast yet, the S5 is clearly a much more powerful and faster car. The Q8 was not a slow car with 335 bhp and a 0 to 60 time of about 6 seconds but it had alot of weight to haul around. Nect build quality ? I detest creaks and rattles in cars. One of the reasons I was a proud owner of 2 VW Phaetons as the build quality on those cars was unsurpassed in my opinion . I was a little concerned reading some reviews that seem to say that the build quality on newer model Audis had taken a dive. At the moment, thats not true and the car seems solid and well screwed together Next, how comfortable would the S5 be compared to the Q8. This was my worse fear realising I was coming out of a car with air suspension and designed and built with comfort in mind and into one where handling and road holding was paramount. On that, the jury is still out and I know I was taking a bit of a punt on this. On roads I know and in comfort mode the suspension on the S5 certainly crashes and bangs a bit more. But nothing that really bothers me and I get the feeling that it is more to do with the 35 section tyres compared to the 40's on the Q8 rather than the adaptive dampers versus the air suspension. And finally....perception ? Isnt it strange that the Q8 is still considerd the flagship model of the Audi SUV range but in 6 years of owning two they rarely received a glance or a comment although to my mind, they were pretty handsome cars. Whereas in 14 days of ownership I have had numerous people come up when I have parked up, to ask and admire the car. I think the age range of the admirers is substantially lower that anyone who came up to look at the Q8 which tells you something maybe. I hope this is of interest. If not just delete. Frank

Good evening Tom and Andrew and anyone else who's interested in this post. I last wrote in February, explaining that our latest road trip to Deutschland in March would be our last in our Q8 before we switch to an S5 Avant that was ordered in January. Just if anyone is interested, the road trip went well and our old Q8 performed beautifully on the Autobahns as well as on more minor roads. The autobahn network in Germany has deteriated terribly since Covid. Miles and miles of restricted speed roadworks and lane closures for either road repair or bridge inspections. The latter after the bridge in Dresden collapsed 2 years ago and the authorities have decided to do substantial checks on almost all old bridges in the network....just in case ! We had great weather, especially up in Berchtesgaden and then for 8 days in the wonderful city of Dresden. I already had a dealer buyer for my Q8 so I took it up to him the week after we got back. The car was in immaculate condition with a ceramic coat and a bit of PPF and I left the 2 channel Blackvue camera in it with Celteq battery as it was a big faff to unwire it and remove. Also it had 6 oil change services in 30,000 miles as I like to look after my cars. The guy was atypical Dealer and I noticed that the day after the sale he had it on his website for £4995 more than the price he gave to me ! And it disappeared the next day so I presume he already had a buyer . So, maybe I chose the wrong profession eh ! The supplying Dealer for my S5 Avant at Bury st.Edmund got in touch late March to say that the car had been built and it was being shipped that week. So, last Friday my missus and I rented a Vauxhall Mokka from Enterprise ( a decent little car ) , departed our home here in Hampshire at 7 am and drove the 150 miles to take delivery. I bought my old Q8 from Marriots in Bury st Edmunds and I have found them to be a really good Audi Dealership.Polly Goddard, the Group Business Fleet Manager arranged everything as she did with my Q8 and she is a delight to deal with. Kind, patient and knowledgeable. It took an hour for the handover and so we left in our new S5 Avant for the journey back. Almost total gridlock around London so it took 5 hours to do 150 miles. Got home exhausted so maybe I'm getting too old for this malarkey ! So, the car is in Black with black upholstery and I specced it with adjustable dampers, the tech pack and red brake calipers. First inpressions ? Its very very different from my Q8 but all good. Comfortable ,well put togetherand looks great in my opinion. One of my worries was how comfortable on the road it would be , coming out of a Q8 with air suspension. Now I did have it in comfort mode the whole way back but the supsensionn is supple and forgiving. I'm old school so I will run it in for 1200 miles so I didnt give it a blast at all. My greatest problem in 3 days of ownership is the tech. I'm 78 years of age and I'm finding this stuff hard to understand and accept. However, Ive spent some hours in the car in my driveway and I'm getting there and am impressed by most of it. Tonight I sucessfully managed to connect the car to the Audi App . Incredible stuff and very very impressive. So, I hope this is of interest to anyone who reads it. If not just ignore, I wont be offended. I will now give it a a couple of weeks until the car ticks around to 1200 miles and then I will give it a blast and report back. Frank

Hi Tom and Andrew Many thanks for your kind responses. Andrew , I do understand your frustration with the many problems with your S5. That is not good and I hope Audi get their act together and help you sort it out. I purchased my first Q8 in 2020 and the first Edition Ones were almost all bought by punters by then . I did hear that the Edition One models had simliar software problems so I think I was a little lucky in having a " second generation " car that had been sorted by then. Tom, many thanks for you support in my decision to choose the S5 as a replacement ! Its a bit of a leap of faith isnt it. Both my Q8's have been superlative cars. The firts one had 40,000 miles when I got rid and this one will have 32000 when it goes in March . The build quality of both was impressive. I had and not had a single squeak and rattle in either. A big plus point for me ! I was the proud owner of 2 VW Phaetons before these Audis and they were probably the finest engineered cars that I had ever owned. I do remember Car magazine way back in 2006 road testing one and said that if a nuclear device was let off in the cabin it would probably survive ! So, I hope the S% will not disappoint. For all its undoubted strenghts I have to admit that I have fallen out of love with the Q8 and SUV's in general. Not only is it big but it's a clumsy car too if you get my drift. Just about enough power to haul almost 2 and a half tons down the autobahn but even in Dynamic mode which firms up the supsension and steering Ive always been a little hesitant in giving it a full blast. Tom , I take your point about the ease of entry and exit but as I said I took my Missus to a local showroom where they had an S5 Avant and she got in and out many times and not once did she show her pants ! And I did look closely ! As an aside, we spent about 30 mins there looking at this car and not once did the six or so salesmen bother to get up from their desks to see if we wanted any help. We didnt but what a way to try and sell cars eh ! So I am looking forward to the S5. The reviews have been mostly postive so we shall see. I'm going to enjoy my old Q8 for the last time in Germany. We depart in 2 weeks time and we will have a blast up to the Bavarian Aps before swinging westward to Dresden and then to Lower Saxony. We always spend our final 2 nights in the town of Ypres in Belgium where we walk to the Menin Gate and pay our respects and say our thankyous to all the Tommies who perished in the mud of Paschendale.

Good evening Andrew and Tom Just trolling through the website ths evening as I havent had a look for a while and just spotted both your two interesting and informative posts. I'm particuarly interested in your opinions and views of the new S5 Avant as I put an order in for one at the end of January. If I could explain my situation and the reasons behind my decision. I have been a very contented owner of two 55TFSI Q8's for the last 6 years. Firts one purchased in 2020 and the one I have now in 2023. Both have been fine, well built, well engineered cars and I have enjoyed the drivong experience. After being extremely fortunate in owning many decent cars in my almost 60 years of driving ( I'm 78 years of age ) , the Q8's were my first foray into the world of SUV's ! I had resisted for many years but as my Missus and I are oldies , we were convinced by the ease of entry and exit as our old bones and joints are now getting creaky ! My PCP for my current car ends in June so since Christmas I have been pondering on what will be our replacement. We still have good health and fitness and we both came to the conclusion we wanted to downsize a bit as we do live in the New Forest in Hampshire and the Q8 is a mighty big car ! We do about 11/12000 miles per yearmade up of local journieys t local towns like Salisbury and Winchester and twice a year two big road trips to Deutschland that take 3 sometimes 4 weeks and cover 2000 miles plus. It's these 2 trips where the Q8 has excelled, especially on the Autobahns ! So, I firts thought....maybe a hybrid . Do they make sense ? It would work on our weekly driving but woud not on our 2 big tours to Germany. I looked at a Mercedes E300 E. A very fine car and Mercedes offer very competetive PCP rates. However, I came to the conclusion that it had a 190 bhp engine and once the 50 mile electric range had depleted whilst in Germany and we do 400 miles per day, we would be lugging around a whole mass of batteries that are contributing nothing. And 190 bhp aint enough on the unrestricted Autobahns ( about 30 % of their road network now ) ....especially when they spot the UK reg ! And we have also found that the charging network in Germany isnt alot different the one we have here in the UK . We tend to stay in the same hotels in Berchtesgaden, Berlin, Dresden and Lower Saxony and all have 2 maybe 3 charging points and almost always they are occupied. So, Ive been a VAG Group man most of my life and had alook at what Audi has to offer and I spotted the new S5 Avant. Had a good look at one in a local showroom and had a test drive and I was mightily imptessed. Looks good, is fast enough and has alot of tech. One final test was to see if we could both get in and out with ease after getting used to the climb up and down in the Q8.....and we could. So, after a bit of thought, we ordered a new one from the Factory. It's in black with black interior ( just couldnt get my head around the alternative called Arras Rec !) Not too keen in the panoramic roof but decided to order the tech pack with the better sound system, heads up and the passenger screen.....as my Missus is my Navigator ! Also thought the adaptive dampers would be a good idea as we will be coming out of a car with air suspension. As Tom said in his post I'm pretty certain the car only comes with 20 " wheels. The Dealer hsip has informed me that the car will be built at the end of this month and will be here in the U.K.somewhen end of March. I have a private buyer for my Q8 and he wants it when we return from our latest road trip to Deutschland on March 22nd. abit sad as this will be our final trip in the Q8. Both cars have travelled the length and breadth of Germany in the last 6 years from the Bavarian Alps to the Island of Sylt on the border with Denmark. They have been fine cars and jave kept the two of us safe. I hope the S5 will be as good. I After the first couple of weeks of ownership I will post my first thought on the new car and comparison to the Q8. I hope this is of interest to anyone who sees it. If not, please just ignore. Frank

Hi Nicola May I just mirror what Magnet has just posted and wish you the very best in getting this resolved very soon now. I think it's quite appalling how Audi have allowed this to go on over a very long time. This would be unacceptable on any car ,let alone one that has cost a considerable amount of money. So,good luck and if you can,please let us know what the final outcome is. Frank

Hiya Karl That sounds good. Pretty sure that the Audi dashcam system is a high quality one. May I ask if you've had a dashcam before ? I had not before my first Q8 in 2021 but for me it's almost a requirement now seeing the dopey sods that are now on our roads ! The standard of driving here in Hampshire, both on the minor lanes and on the Motorway is now breathtakingly bad sometimes. I see things now that I dont think I saw just maybe just 5 years ago. So, it'a a safeguard with evidence just in case youre involved in something and also as a deterrent I think. May I ask if you are going to run the sysyem off a seperate power source so it can be active whilst the car is parked up ? Just a point about standards of driving on UK roads. My missus and I have just returned from a 4 week road tour of Deutschland. It is something we do twice a year. We went over on the Shuttle , headed to Dortmund, then Parsberg and Berchtesgaden in Bavaria. From there we headed back to Berlin for a few days followed by a week in our beloved Dresden. From there to an old Schloss hotel that we have been using for years that is situated in the pristine farmland and forests of Lower Saxony. And finally we always spend our last 2 days in the town of Ypres in Belgium on the way back to the Shuttle terminal. I have a grandfather who persished in the mud of Paschendale and he has no known grave so his name is insribed on the Menin Gate We always say our thanks and our prayers to these thousands of young Tommies and thank them for the life we have now. Anyhows my point is that I am now 77 years of age and I'm determined to keep doing this till age or ill health prevents me from doing so. I think I'm a decent enough driver and hold my end up well on the Autobahn although because of the car and the UK plate some of our Teutonic cousins tend to try and hunt you down ! 340 bhp helps a bit although I would like more ! However I can say that the standard of driving on German roads be they minor raods or the Autobahns far exceeeds the standards here. Lane discipline and speed limit obeyance is exemplary. But when you can enjoy the bit of the network that is not speed restricted boy can some of these guys shift and its great fun still ! Anyhows, enjoy the safety and security of your dashcam....and happy miles in the Q8. Frank

Hello Captain Threaders Dont know of any offers regarding Audi Dashcams but I can 100 percent recommend a Blackvue two camera system and the company that installs them. I'm on my second Q8 and on both, for the first time in my motoring life and many many motor cars ( I'm 77 years of age by the way ) I made the decision to have a dashcam fitted to both. For my security and safety. I researched alot and it seems that the two high end cameras that are recommended by the various motor magazines are the Blackvue system and the Nextbase. They are both at the top of the dashcam available technology but I do believe you get what you pay for and as our cars are pretty expensive and valuable I decided to go for the duo system Blackvue backed up by a seperate Cellink battery. Both systems in both my cars were fitted and installed by TTW Installations situated in Nottingham. Now I realise thats a bit of a way to go seeing you are in West Yorkshire as it is for me being in Hampshire butif you value and love your car as I do I assure you its worth it. Small Company run by a husband and wife team who employ one other fitter. Just take a look at their website and see the type of vehicle they are working on. They do all sorts including top of the range tracker systems and speed warning systems. They are car nuts and look after your car and the installation is quite superb. All leads and wires hidden and the battery is either fitted hidden under a seat or in the boot. Nothing on show and the quality of the camera and lens and the playback is superb. I think it makes a perfect deterrent. Hope this is of interest. Frank

Hi Nicola. Please ignore that last post of mine ! Just looked at your profile and I see you are situated in Glasgow. Hampshire is a long way to come to save a few bob! My bad. Hope you get your suspension sorted.

Hi Nicola I was hoping and waiting to see if anyone could reply as I'm afraid I haven't the technical knowledge to help you with your problem. It looks as though you have received some good advice from the other posters. Just one thing though. May I ask where you are ? If you do have an airbag suspension problem and that sounds pricey, I do have a Audi specialist garage who I use in Hampshire. Matt is a brilliant technical guy who uses genuine Audi parts but he charges half the rate of an Audi main dealership. Been using him for years on my previous VW Phaetons ( with air suspension ) my previous A8 and now my two new Q8's. I would thoroughly recommend him. Just a thought.

Hi Brian Cannot help you much mate as I'm not into towing but my first few questions would be how long do you intend to keep your new Q8 for and whats the price differential between a 50 TDI and the 55TFSIe ! I havent looked but I guess considerable and would you get that cost back over a number of years depending on the range that the electric motor in the hybrid gives you. The extra torque of a 3 litre TDI shoud be a better tower. When I picked my current Q8 at the Bury St.Edmunds Audi dealership, I was told by the Business Sales Manager there that the only people who were condidering the Q8 hybrid were business guys who were benefitting from the tax breaks. Otherwise it didnt make any financial sense. Just a quick point. I do hope you were able to get a decent deal with your impending purchase. I went to " Drive the Deal " a much respected and long standing Car Broker and was able to get a brilliant deal on my new Q8. Many thousands of pounds cheaper than the listed price. It has to be in stock but I have just looked up the Bury.St.Edmunds website and they have some 50 TDI's in stock. No 55 TFS IE's though . The key to obtaining a better deal was by taking out a PCP deal with Audi. By doing that I took advantage of a very substantial deposit contribution from Audi and a considerable discount on list price....but only if I took out the PCP. It really was a no brainer. Good luck with your decision and please let us know what you decide. Frank

Good morning Captain Threaders. Indeed the Q8 does come with a parcel shelf and on all versions it's electric. So, when you open the hatch, it automatically retracts and when you close it returns with a rather satisfying whirr of an electric motor