2012 Vehicle parked since new; what to lookout for?

[Gus Berges]

I know this is not an Audi forum (been around long enough to remember the jokes about some black station wagon...), but I do believe that the most informed automotive enthusiasts hang out here, hence me asking for opinions here.

An opportunity to purchase an Audi R8 Spyder has come up, BUT... the car was bought new in 2012 and after just a couple of weeks after being purchased, the owner ran into trouble with the law and the car got confiscated.

Vehicle in question has a total of 120 miles on the odometer and has been parked for "many years" according to the government rep that will be putting the car up for auction. It has never been serviced due to the fact that it was impounded shortly after being purchased. I did confirm that it was sold by the local dealer, thus they will allow the car to be serviced at the dealership (like the local Porsche dealer, if they didn't sell the car, they have the right to, and do so, refuse servicing the car).

Because of the age, and knowing it has never been serviced, and has 120 miles on the odometer, I believe these are the things that need to be done, but not sure if I'm missing something:

1- engine oil and filter replaced (can you imagine 8 year old synthetic oil?!)
2- brake fluid flush/replacement (it's been stored in a high humidity environment)
3- air filters replaced (engine may be clean, but could rot away, same for the cabin filter)
4- fuel filter replaced (not sure how old the gasoline is, they do turn the car on once a month)
5- coolant flush (not sure what the lifespan of the coolant is, better safe than sorry)

To make matters worse, the car has its convertible top in the stowed position and will not close. This seems to be because of battery/voltage issues, but a biggie to take a look at just in case. Gotta wonder if the mechanism has failed due to the top being down for so long and multiple batteries running out of juice.

Any ideas what else to lookout for?

[vash]

air in the tires?

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by vash

air in the tires?

^^^^ indeed.... in the new ones

[Gus Berges]

they seem fine, but rather spend $1,500 and just get a new set put on the car. Surely must be flat spotted due to being parked in the same place for such a long time. Date code may be 2011/2012, so definitely need replacing.

Needs a new battery too ($350).

[speeder]

What chemical changes do you think occurred to the oil sitting in the crankcase for 8 years?

I would inspect the air and cabin filter and put them right back in if they looked fine. I would not change the oil for at least 3k miles, maybe change the filter now if paranoid. If the battery holds a charge, leave it in until it fails.

There is nothing wrong w the coolant or fuel filter. I have a LOT of experience w vehicles that have been sitting, (including the RV I just drove 150 miles on the highway today), nothing bad happens to clean oil or coolant sitting in a radiator or crankcase. There is a ton of know-nothing advice on the internet about replacing half the parts on a car that’s been sitting, it all comes from people w absolutely no experience in the area, IMO.

Now if a car was stored for a long time and it was in questionable condition when it was parked, that’s a different thing, obviously. Wait until components start to fail before replacing them, just as you would if the car was daily driven the entire time. Or change all the parts, knock yourself out. There is no end to replacing stuff that *might* go bad soon.

JMHO and a ton of real world experience.

[Nostril Cheese]

Id be very leery, personally. I make good money working on Audis. Bound to be some sort of electrical issues on it.

Dont know what the service umbrella in Panama is like, but Im guessing its not as comprehensive as other markets... Then again, VW in that part of the world...

[Gus Berges]

It's precisely because of my lack of knowledge that I come and ask here.... Not sure if there is a chemical change or not to the oil, but thought that perhaps it would as it seems everything has an expiration date these days.

Car was driven from the dealership to the ex-owner's house, from there across to the government storage area and been sitting there since. It is essentially a "new" car with barely "delivery miles" on it. It does concern me that people with what appear to have no automotive knowledge have been responsible for turning the car over as I was sent a video showing one of these so-called-mechanics revving the engine (in neutral) to 7,000 rpms while the engine was dead cold

Panama does have R8-trained technicians at the dealership, so they will eventually figure it all out (at a price $$$$$$$$$$$$...). IF I were to get this car, it would be my third Audi (Q5 and RS5) and not been part of the "horror stories" of servicing these vehicles (gotta find some wood to knock on now!)

[masraum]

My thoughts are that anything rubber may need to be replaced (dried out, brittle, ready to crack) and seals/gaskets may be ready to leak. Still, if you can get it for a good price, that's practically a brand new car that needs some maintenance.

My guess is that the oil is probably fine (and would be for another 1000 years), but I'd replace any and all fluids in the car, especially brake fluid. I drive it very carefully and tentatively for the first year.

[RWebb]

Originally Posted by speeder

What chemical changes do you think occurred to the oil sitting in the crankcase for 8 years?

I dunno but no oil co. will tell you to let oil sit in the original packaging - be it can, bottle, whatever - for > 1 year

I asked some majors and some boutique brands.

My guess is the additive package, as I cannot fathom the base being that limited

If it was a lawn mower I'd be less careful than with an R8...

[unclebilly]

One word... rodents.

[RWebb]

in Panama there might be things living in every fluid...

I grew up in Louisiana which cured me of andy idea of a vacation in the tropics

[Gus Berges]

on the humidity and living things! Precisely why I'm assuming all fluids need replacement.... changing all fluids and filters is a $1,700 job at the dealership, so will take that and the other pending stuff into the pricing offer consideration. The potential huge ticket item is the convertible top being stowed for such a long time and its current unwillingness to close. Could be as simple as a new correctly spec'd battery or nearly $10,000 repair!

I got additional pics of the car and the interior is full of mold Nothing that a detailed steamer and leather cleaner/conditioner can't fix, but it's an indication of the condition it has been stored in the past years (seller admitted to having a blue plastic tarp over the car since the roof is inoperable at the moment)

Originally Posted by RWebb

in Panama there might be things living in every fluid...

I grew up in Louisiana which cured me of andy idea of a vacation in the tropics

[Dantilla]

Convertible top might just need to stretch out.
The top of my first convertible ('67 Camaro) would be almost impossible to close if I left it down for too long.
As long as I put the top up overnight, it worked flawlessly.

[speeder]

Ok, now it's starting to sound like a real rat. It would have to be cheap, life is too short for this kind of crap. Otherwise, just buy a nice one. Or not.

[WPOZZZ]

Rats and mold were my other concerns. I had a 911 cab that sat at a Porsche dealership for 8 years in the service bay. The car was closed and had minimal mold, but I could never get the mold smell out.

[Gus Berges]

I've been after the right R8 at the right price for a while, so if the price doesn't reflect the current condition, I'll simply walk away from it. It's not like I need a car, but if this one could be mine for silly money, then it's a "go".

When I actually need a car, it'll be either a R8 or back to a 911 (991.1 simply because of budget and practicality). Thing with the 911 is that I've "been there done that", albeit with 996s.

[Por_sha911]

Originally Posted by unclebilly

One word... rodents.

This, big time.

Also, the entire fuel system needs to be flushed. Old gas turns to goo. Lastly, are parts still available and do you have to pay Audi hostage prices to get them?

[Nostril Cheese]

mold and vw electrics... run away

[RWebb]

ok, so basically the R8 needs to be remediated...

can you hire that out? for cheap?

[WPOZZZ]

Originally Posted by RWebb

ok, so basically the R8 needs to be remediated...

can you hire that out? for cheap?

There are companies that specialize in flood damage and such. A friend had his 997 get flooded a few years ago due to a storm. The insurance company was going to total it with 5k on it. It went to a company to clean and sanitize the car and it was good as new for about $3k for the cleaning plus a new ECU.