Seriously thinking of moving to a B8 from a B7.....thoughts?

[johnnydog]

Well, after much trawling through the available RS4's (new and nearly new/demos), I have taken the plunge and put a deposit on a demo B8!
The problem was that the spec I wanted gave me such a limited choice of vehicles available, so the chance finding of one that ticked all my boxes (and much more) left me with no real option other than to reserve it......
To say I am quietly chuffed is an gross understatement!
The car is as follows:-
2015 Sepang with approx. 700 miles currently, but the vehicle cannot be released until the end of April
Carbon engine bay
Matt alu styling pack
Sports Pack
Ceramics !!! (this was the clincher for me as I have them on my B7)
Convenience Pack
Super sports seats with piping (another must have - can't do with the frame of the buckets up my arse getting in and out!)
B&O
Digital TV
Phone prep high
HHA
Parking system advanced
High beam assist
Lane change / departure warning
Pano roof
Advanced key
Folding /dimming mirrors
Privacy glass
Storage Pack
Extended 5year 90k warranty
174 mph speed increase.

The wait now will be very hard, but definitely worth it (I hope!)
I am in the very fortunate position that I don't have to chop my B7 Avant in to fund it, so at least I can compare the two before I do let my B7 go!

Never been one to wish my life away, but in these circumstances........

[johnnydog]

Oh, forgot -
Heated front and rear seats
Reversible load floor mat
RS4 Audi exclusive floor mats.

A much higher spec than I would have ordered myself on a new one, but as the order book is closing, and ceramics have not been available as an option for a couple of months, this RS4 is everything I wanted and more! Can't wait!!!

[nastro azzurro]

Lovely spec.
Now don't keep us in suspense ; what price / deal did you get ???

[stu]

That sounds unreal. Glad you found some ceramics! All those gadgets are going to make the inside of your B7 look pretty basic. Nice but basic

Looking forward to your review.

[Macdaddy]

Great spec and pretty unusually high for a demo these days...... Especially the Ceramics

[Outtlaw]

Sounds great, congrats on the purchase.

[DuncanF]

Very nice spec. It should have a name like "RS4 Avant Limited Edition CombiMax"! Enjoy

[johnnydog]

Thanks for the encouraging comments! I feel I have been exceptionally lucky - I haven't been looking that long, and with my desired colours being Daytona or Sepang, and with Ceramics, Sports exhaust and Super Sports seats as the only must haves, I searched all the independents (who seemed to be a bit rich on their asking prices if I'm honest), and also asked my local Audi dealer who checked the Audi Stock Market for ordered cars and those being built with a view to getting a new one, but none had ceramics. Of the 62 used cars listed on Audi UK site, there was only one with ceramic brakes, in Sepang and very highly spec'd. I felt it had my name on it as soon as I saw it!
The price too was very reasonable with its options compared with other older and lesser spec'd available on the Audi site - even my local Audi dealership sales chap commented that it was priced to sell....
It seems that it is currently being used by the Head of Business, so hopefully it won't be ragged too much!!
I have now driven seen it in the flesh and driven it, and although I love my B7, this car is immense!
Roll on the end of April....!!

[johnnydog]

Just over two weeks to go!! Although probably wait until the 1st May.....getting excited now!!!

[johnnydog]

Well, May 1st arrived, so trying to contain my excitement after the long wait was quite difficult during the train journey from Lancashire to Doncaster Audi. Collected by the Audi salesman from the station (nice gesture!), and arrived to see my RS4 prominently displayed outside the front of the showroom, and it looked stunning! Very happy bunny!
Drove to the Midlands for a family get together, during which time I took it easy, experimenting with the various drive select and individual settings. I think the choice of setup is something that can't be decided straight away. The car is amazing, and a totally different driving experience than the B7. The rawness of the B7 isn't there, and your driving involvement is more subdued, as the car car is more refined, but your choice drive select settings influences this to a great degree. Still, got to get used to this! First disappointment though - some DRC knocking from the front offside was apparant, but didn't totally wipe my grin from ear to ear! Plenty of complimentary /admiring comments this weekend though!
The following day took us to the south of Scotland, to meet up with friends. Second disappointment was when my wife got in the back - "what's this mark in the back of the front seat?". I have never got out of my seat as quickly. I couldn't believe what appeared to be a deep cut in the leather, at the edge of the seat back where the side section wraps round to the back. How someone could put a large object on the back seat without thinking ' this might damage the seat' is beyond me. What should have been a 100% experience had now taken a huge dent, to say the least.
On Bank Holiday Monday, I was straight on the phone registering my disappointment. In fairness, Doncaster Audi's response was very good - they agreed to come and collect the car and to leave a suitable loan car. This turned out to be another RS4 (shouldn't have been anything less, imo). They have agreed to replace the full seat back, but as these are on back order, I may be without it for a short while. As for the DRC, they have come back with the 'charcteristic' response, stating there are no faults, and the knocking is normal operation of the DRC. I may throw some of the DRC results on here back at them....
The car is immense, but I didn't expect to have the disappointments I did, which tarnished my initial experience of it to a reasonable and understandable degree......
Not quite the same happy bunny at the moment.....

[marc1]

That's sad to hear mate. Shocked at the seat back, but good to see Doncaster stepped up and agreed to rectify without question. On the DRC front, it's a shame that the B8 appears to be plagued with issues in this area much as the C5 RS6 and B7 RS4's have been. Hopefully time will show that there isn't an underlying problem, but think its worth requesting a pressure test. A friend of mine's car has been in several times for this and pressure was found to be low.

Hopefully you can get it back and enjoy soon enough, in the meantime having the loaner should allow you to play with settings more and get used to the car without putting the wear on your own. Plus give you a view on steel vs. Ceramic brakes (assume the loaner is not fitted with ceramics). Would be good to see the B7 and B8 together.

[johnnydog]

Cheers Marc, the loan car is Kingfisher Blue, with an Audi exclusive interior with vanilla (?!?) / black buckets, which aren't my cup of tea, but I appreciate the fact that they have actually let me have the use of another RS4! It has steel brakes, like you thought, which are excellent, but the problems I had with the steels on my B7 which were eventually swapped to ceramics by Audi was why I chose ceramics; I find the stopping ability with them is superb.
When the seat panel comes in they are sending the complete seat to a specialist car trimmers, rather than doing in house - the last thing I want is the material not being as tight as the original and then becoming 'baggy' after some use.
I'm now out if the country on holiday, so I can't get the use out of the loan car as perhaps I could have, but on my return, hopefully the problems with the seat will have been sorted. I'm not holding my breath on the DRC......
A pic of both my B7 and B8 together sounds a good idea...will gave to wait until I get it back, but also I'll have to fathom out how to do it!!

[boff]

Ahhh - you've got Doncasters Ltd Edition Car, bit of a strange car that one.

[Outtlaw]

Shame about the rear bench, obviously caused by someone who couldn't give a <beep> about a nice car,
I'd be mighty pissed off but glad to hear they are going to sort it.
Anyway, hopefully when its all sorted you can forget about the troubles and get enjoying a super car you've got.
Look forward to the pics,
Peter

[johnnydog]

Re: Seriously thinking of moving to a B8 from a B7.....thoughts?
Post by boff » Wed May 20, 2015 10:25 am

Ahhh - you've got Doncasters Ltd Edition Car, bit of a strange car that one.

Yes, it is the demo on their website. Its not my choice of colour or interior - the wheels in black and calipers just don't look right in my opinion. It always makes me wonder who spec's these cars knowing that they are ultimately for sale....
Peter, cheers for your reassuring comments. Just want to get the car sorted so I can get using it (but with the issues all corrected though!). At the moment, I am glad I hung onto to my B7 RS4 Avant - these problems have dulled my enhusiasm for the new one at the moment.....