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last week I sent my old audi a8 off to have some brake pads fitted

(I bought it cheap a couple of years ago, and I have to be honest I did get used to wafting into work in my leather seated, air conditioned nice car!)

about 1100 the chap doing the work rang me, and asked if I had been having problems starting it - yes I replied, I thought it was just the battery getting old etc....

No he replies - your cylinder head gasket has gone

I uttered assorted unsavoury rude words

The job was estimated at 1500 - 18 hours labour, new cam belt etc = so probably 2000 - which is what I bought the car for.

Told the wife the bad news and we started car shopping

we looked at all sorts

then I found and did a deal on:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 0295589211

cost me 2150 and it is a minter - owner was an older person, all the paperwork was in order etc - a damn good buy I thought

(Never having owned a V8 before I was also looking forward to driving it!)

tonight, something occurred to me - something that had been niggling at me about the number plate

I reckoned that maybe the plate may be worth a few quid to some one with the initials MWT....

As i pottered about putting cds in the boot etc it came to me

Look at the number plate - with some judicious and obviously illegal spacing ossifer it spells....

V8 1 8MW T

seems that quite by chance I have acquired a plate a few people want on their V8 BMW's

I thinkI will buy a lottery ticket now :)

thats a very nice car mate,

i ca'nt believe the quote of £1500 for the headgasket on your audi.auto data give 8 1/2 hours to remove and install the head.so a new head set, new head bolts, full cam belt kit and head skim should give you a bill of around £650 inc labour. at that i would be making a killing.

Aladinsaneuk wrote: Look at the number plate - with some judicious and obviously illegal spacing ossifer it spells....

V8 1 8MW T

If it were not for the limited length of UK car registration plates you could also add the missing "WAT" onto the end of it .......





Bl@@dy BMW drivers

That did seem a bit over the top... 1500 for a CHG! Thats daylight robbery!

Nice numberplate.

genuine audi listing - as in workshop guide says 18 hour job
(Complete engine change is only 10 hours.... apparently)
This is for the early A8 - on an R plate so is quite old

the V6 lump audi used has a cam belt that has to be replaced apparently

I spoke to a genuine audi workshop - aka robbing bastards and a local audi specialist = both gave the same answer

the local audi specialist, who have done a lot of work for me in the past and who I do trust were very blunt - if everything comes off as it should then it would be ok - but it won't, so expect a bill of 1500 mininum...

depressing thing is, I may well get that kind of money for it by breaking it.... the door linings sell for 45 each and a full leather interior seems to be VERY rare and worth a few quid. The body panels are all, with one exception in good condition and as they do not rust they sell wellas well it seems- will still miss the old bus though :(

hmmm anyone know someone with an SLK ?

A8's - fabulous. My mate had an S8 before he moved to NZ. I'd have bought it in a heartbeat if he hadn't given it to his brother, they're stunning!

535 looks nice too. I've been looking at M3's recently and found M5's for less money. Big engined cars lose money fast but they're a bargain if you're in the market for one second hand and someone else has stomached the depreciation. Enjoy!