Overview & Reviews
Audi's flagship is completely revamped and sports a lighter chassis, more powerful V8 and a treasure trove of comfort, safety and suspension upgrades.
- Performance, passenger space, exquisite interior, standard all-wheel drive.
- Shorter-wheelbase version not offered in the states, CD changer mounted in glovebox.
User Reviews:
Showing 1 through 10 of 91.00-
Heartache/headache - 2004 Audi A8
By heyjude5 - April 18 - 11:51 amThis car is so comfortable we call it the sofa. It has,however, been a maintenance nightmare. It is constantly in the shop and dealers in northern California uniformly provide lousy but expensive service. When the heater failed while in Minnesota on a winter trip, the dealer groaned when he saw it was a 2004. Nothing but headaches, he told me. Tons of electrical problems to start with, then the list gets mechanical.
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A lot of car for the money, great value - 2004 Audi A8
By monzavifar - May 28 - 4:29 pmAbout 3 months ago I bought a 2004 A8L with 70K miles (black on beige) for $16K. I gave my BMW 530i in trade. At the beginning I missed the sportiness of the Bimmer but after a while I got used to it. Considering the fact that the car is a lot bigger and heavier than the Bimmer it is understandable that it doesnt sprint. My A8L has lots of gadgets that my Bimmer did not have. A few days ago I put 19 inch OEM wheels + new summer tires on it, man, it rocks now. I used to be a Bimmer fanatic and was looking for a 750Li for a while but after driving this car I am reconsidering. So far knock on wood have not had any mechanical issues with it. It is a lot of car for the money and very much fun to
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Expensive Unreliability - 2004 Audi A8
By Lynne LeGallais - November 10 - 4:18 pmWe expected Audi quality and attn to customer service when we purchased this vehicle. Our experience has been terrible. Mechanical car repairs since 80,000KM have exceeded $7,500. Examples of necessary repairs are, replacing starter cost $992.16, dysfunctional remote which has had batteries replaced 5 times. Four upper control link bushings cost $1130.53, breather valve atop manifold cost $240.81. Decarbonization of air intake system cost $216.57. And the car stopped functioning on HWY 81 last night requiring towing, stranding us in Wilkes Barre, Penn and now requiring replacement of the mass air flow sensor cost unknown. It apparently was also misfiring on some cylinders.
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Love Hate Relationship - 2004 Audi A8
By PFraser - December 10 - 3:07 pmMost of the reliability issues owners have experienced are electronic problems. Interestingly, I have had major mechanical issues - transmission, suspension, cooling system and more. All these problems started right around 51K miles, just out of warranty! So far I have spent over $6,000 in repairs. About $4,500 of that is parts, because you wont find aftermarket parts for this car. If you are reading this review you are probably considering purchasing a used 2004. My best advice would be to get the best extended warranty you can. Get a warranty that has "stated exclusions" only, so you know exactly what will not be covered. With all that said, I really do love driving the car!
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Great car but... - 2004 Audi A8
By King Daddi - May 9 - 3:01 pmI traded a 2001 BMW 740iL for the A8L. The car seems great but less than 3 weeks after I bought it, it was in the shop for a system failure and the entire dashboard display has to be replaced plus several other items. Check the service history. I was told by the tech that the 04s are "just temperamental". If you can, hold out for a 2006/07 Get a CPO and still under Audi warranty or you will be in big trouble. Gas mileage seem very poor.
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Just a great car - 2004 Audi A8
By A Beauty - February 18 - 5:59 pmA dream car. Excellent pick up, great MMI, really simple to use, very few steps to do anything important (i.e. radio, heated seats etc.). Spacious like you wouldnt believe. Great handling, fun to drive. Highly recommended, but you do have to expect issues when you buy German.
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Great car, but... - 2004 Audi A8
By Great Car - January 17 - 6:15 amThis is a great car, but you will get to know the service manager on a first name basis. An extended service policy is a must or you will go broke. A dream car to drive on long or short trips. I will purchase another A8L when my extended service policy runs out.
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If only it had two batteries - 2004 Audi A8
By cwpnewpaltz - January 5 - 1:39 amThe Audi A8L is both an engineering triumph and a nightmare. It is the best riding, best handling, most responsive car Ive ever driven in a long series of BMW-7, Jaguar XK, MB S-Class and other assorted vehicles Ive owned. It even gets remarkably good gas mileage (25 mpg on the highway at 72 mph) thanks to its aluminum body and consequent light weight. Whats the catch? Its had to be flat-bedded to the dealer twice with a dead battery. The battery cant be charged, cant be installed outside a dealer who mates it to the car via computer. Seems its electronics are so complex that the engineers wanted to give it a 24-volt system, but the marketers said "no." The engineers were right.
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A8L will always be my only car - 2004 Audi A8
By Audi onwer for life - August 28 - 6:23 pmI purchased my 2004 A8L after owning a 1999 model. This car is a major advancement over the previous generation car which was a great car in its own right. It is a technological wonder mechanically and the interior is darn near a work of art. The structure is rock solid with no body flex and the suspension is a perfect balance of comfort and handling. The engine has excellent power and smoothness yet sounds like a performance car when pushed hard. This is the most intelligently designed car in the world according the to the window sticker and I couldnt agree more. As long as Audi continues to build this model I will own one.
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" I absolutely LOVE my car " - 2004 Audi A8
By A8l - June 13 - 8:44 pmThis car was the gift from a lifetime of hard work to myself. It is a mechanical masterpiece, gorgeous and so comfortable. I live in my car, so it was important to have one that was spectacular inside as well as out. 2 notes, the Onstar system included saved my life in November, 2005, literally. I went into anaphylactic shock while driving, they were spectacular...every car should have this without exception. Second, I park in valet every week wherever my travels take me and without exception, a comment is made from them about how beautiful this car is... I take that as a great compliment to me and the car! Thank you for my "Lilly".
