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Emergency

Before you buy a used Audi R8 (42).

2007–2015 · Petrol · 2 engines

Taken only from Testigo's sourced sheets. Use it to question the seller and on the test drive: it does not confirm that any particular car is affected.

Audi R8 (42), real photo of this generation
Vauxford · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · Photo source

The essentials.

Typical faults by engine

The period and mileage are those mentioned by each sheet's sources. They are not a maintenance interval and do not predict that any particular car will fail.

All versions

Sheets the catalogue links to all 2 of its engines.

  • A/C not cooling: N280 valveClimate control
    Period mentioned
    2006–2026
    Mileage mentioned
    The sheet does not mention a mileage.

    Applies if: Only if fitted with the air conditioning system described.

4.2 FSI V8

Petrol

5.2 FSI V10

Petrol

  • R8 thermostat and P218100 warningCooling
    Period mentioned
    Only production periods and VINs documented in the application conditions.
    Mileage mentioned
    The sheet does not mention a mileage.

    Applies if: United States; R8 5.2 FSI model year 2014; symptom P218100 and diagnosis included in TSB 2036114/1.

Which engine has the fewest documented faults?

Documented faults and recalls by engine for the Audi R8 (42)
EngineDocumented faults
4.2 FSI V8Petrol21 with conditions
5.2 FSI V10Petrol22 with conditions

According to the data we have, all its engines have the same number of documented faults.

We only count the sourced sheets we have. An engine with fewer is not guaranteed to be more reliable: it may have been studied less or sold in smaller numbers.

Official recalls: ask before you pay

We have no official recalls on record for this model. Our list is not complete: ask anyway, with the chassis number.

  1. Ask the seller for the chassis number (VIN): it has 17 characters, appears in the car's documents and can usually also be seen at the base of the windscreen.
  2. Ask an official Audi dealer, or the brand's official website if it lets you check by chassis number, whether each recall has been done or is still outstanding for that VIN.
  3. Manufacturer recalls are normally carried out free of charge by the official service network. If one is outstanding, ask for it to be done before you close the sale.

On the test drive: what to look and listen for

Taken from each sheet's symptoms and checks. You can tick off what you have already looked at: it is saved only in this browser.

0 of 3 checked

Timing / intake

  • Look out for: Rattle from the rear of the engine on a cold start, misfires or an engine light for timing deviation; on FSI engines, power loss and rough idle from carbon build-up.

    Ask them to check: Listen to a cold start, read crank-cam correlation codes and inspect the intake valves with a borescope.

Climate control

  • Look out for: The air does not cool or cools intermittently (for example only at motorway speed), and sometimes the compressor rattles with the A/C on. Codes 01232 (N280 valve), P2612 or 00898.

    Ask them to check: Read the codes and N280 control current with VCDS or ODIS, measure its resistance (about 10 ohms) and check the connector and wiring before replacing parts. If the valve or compressor is replaced, the whole circuit must be flushed.

Cooling

  • Look out for: Engine warning lamp and P218100 code.

    Ask them to check: Follow bulletin diagnosis; replace F265 and refill coolant to official specification.

OBD codes worth looking for

If they let you read the fault memory with an OBD reader, these are the codes mentioned in this model's sheets:

P0016P001901232P261200898P218100

Sources

Every fact on this page comes from these Testigo sheets and their original sources. Sources are not checked in real time.

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