New R8 Owner, First Impressions

[Orion Quest]

Hi Everyone,
Picked up my R8 yesterday, and first impressions so far are very positive. Couple of small issues I've encountered though and wonder if anyone else has had them.

Brake squeal, I know that there is a thread on this so no responses required unless someone knows how to make it stop! I have 100 miles on the car and this squeal by far is the loudest I have ever heard on any cars I have ever owned. I remember sitting at a light once in my Aston Martin and this Viper pulled up, and his breaks were squealing like a stuck pig. He just looked over at me and shrugged his shoulders and said something about all high performance brakes doing that these days, and I thought to myself I don't have that problem in any of my high performance cars, and just smiled back.

After driving to work from the dealership I tried to open the engine compartment and although the latch popped and the lid came up I could not fully open it. When I tried to lift it, it would stop after 1-2 inches as if there as still a latch caught. Later on that night it opened fine. I'll update if I ever have the issue again.

Lastly there is a loud rattle when I go over certain bumps. Again it sounds as if the engine compartment lid is not fully locked down or something. I have to investigate further with a passenger to see if I can find where it is coming from.

Everything else is wonderful, overall I absolutely love the car. It is way more comfortable then my M3, even with the Pirelli Sottozero's.

[mngolfer]

Congratulations on the new ride. I had to put mine in winter storage after only two days of driving. I hope you can keep it under 6,000 RPM for the first 1500 miles of break-in. That was very difficult for me. What options did you get?

[Orion Quest]

It is Brilliant Red with Carbon Sigma side blades, and has every option except for the Alcantara headliner. Luxor Beige interior with the carbon fiber package adds a great look to the car. I love all the different contrasting colors. I like the B&O stereo, I had the "enhanced" stereo on my M3 and this sounds better then that. For the size of the cabin and how difficult it must be to get proper sound imaging I think it does a pretty good job.

[B-Fin]

Congrats! Post pics if you have time. I don't think I've seen a red R8 with beige interior yet.

[mdc]

Congrats!!! I have not seen a red in person, hope to catch one on the road one of these day! Break squeal....... good to know I am not alone....

[09R8]

where are you located?

[Vincent]

Congrats. Hope you enjoy the car as much as I have.

[russman]

My dealer's service manager who's the resident R8 specialist says, "As you drive the car more the pads should seep more together and the noise should dissipate"

We shall see

[toecutter]

Congrats and welcome to the club.

I can speak to the rattle over bumps. In my experience, it only happens with certain bumps and certain speeds and really can be heard when the car is cold. Sounds like it is in the firewall behind the seats. I finally decided it was normal.

[da_dentist]

When you guys say the brakes squeaks loud..... how loud (not sure if you can describe it or compare it to something we can relate to)? Can't wait for your pics! Congrats.

Just curious where are you from and how much did you get the car for if you don't mind me asking. Because I checked around houston and seen a used one go for $138,000 and then I checked Dallas and ran across this:

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...e&rdpage=thumb

I thought brand new they're like $115,000 to $130-ish?