My son showed me how to drive. This car isn't going anywhere.

[cmxi]

After whining to my son this morning about my concerns with the car, he told me to stop being a girl and then proceeded to show me how the car is supposed to driven.

My son put it in manual and sport mode and shifted with the paddles. I literally couldn't feel anything except for maybe the initial surge in first gear. It was incredibly smooth and a joy to be driven in.

Anyway, the end result is that I clearly was being a bitch about the car. I think I let what I had read about the R tronic in reviews cloud my initial experience. I hope you can understand how that could happen on an impulse purchase like this. I was having serious doubts. I just need to learn how to drive it.

Sorry again for all my crying. This car isn't going anywhere. It's the most beautiful car I've ever seen. Let the real experience begin.

PS. Who the **** is davey dee?

[kthacher]

This car isn't going anywhere. It's the most beautiful car I've ever seen. Let the real experience being.

PS. Who the **** is davey dee?

Good to hear that you and the car are getting on better now. Davey is the originator of one of our most epic threads. Read Having 2 V10's and then go from there.

He is a guy that apparently lived in a fantasy world, and this forum was home for him for quite a while. Some very funny stuff, but for the most part he just added unwanted noise to the forum. Sad in another way when you find people who need to live out their fantasies in such a way.

[cmxi]

Interesting... I stopped reading after the one day respray to cherry red.

By the way, is it normal for the radiator fan to stay on every time I turn off the car? I read in the Manual that it can stay on as long as 10 minutes, and I understand it's function... just curious if anyone else has had it stay on after almost every drive. Anyone have a percentage of time it stays on for them?

The other question was, is it normal for the heat emitted from the engine to be so strong? I parked the car in the garage right after a 20 minute drive. Closed it. Came back about 10 minutes later and the garage was a sauna. My son said that he recommends opening the engine lid and letting it air out for some time before putting the car away. Is this normal?

Thanks.

[ignomini]

My car is only a couple weeks older than yours, but it's doing its part to help warm the globe. Don't forget the entire exhaust system, from headers, to cats, mufflers and tail pipes is all packed in right there at the back of the car. Oh, and there's that big 500 hp lump right there too.

Like a lot of folks I obsessed over which transmission option to choose. The RT is a little klunky in normal mode, but Sport mode is fantastic. I'm loving it more every day.

[kthacher]

How hot is it where you are right now?

[KfabR8]

First off, glad to hear that you've decided to enjoy the ride. I drove an R-tronic V10 once and despised the transmission - but I was informed, as you have been, that I needed to give it a little learning curve time to get used to it. Nah, I'll stick w/the tickle stick of the MT6 instead.

Heat - welcome to Mid Engine ownership. Now go throw a pair of turbos under the tail and see what happens! Even when the temps are fairly high (we're supposed to be in the mid 90's all week), I leave the garage door open to vent the room.

Yes, the fan runs. It will do so until the car's happy with it's temps. It's a good feature and nothing to worry about. It won't run the battery down. If anything, it will help circulate the air in the garage!

I believe I could cook food in the back half of my car... Nachos anyone?

[SDR8]

Glad to hear that you have decided to give the R-tronic a chance. I have one and love it.

About the heat, yes the car puts off a lot of heat when parked in a garage. When I get home each time, I open the engine lid to let as much heat out as possible. It takes several hours before the intake manifold is cool. I also tend to mess around in the garage for several minutes to let the air circulate. It is a good time to clean off bugs or other things on the car.

The heat is just part of the car. My fans will sometimes run for a up to a minute or so, but it is largely dependent on the outside temp and how you drove the car towards the end. They are fine, don't worry about it.

[Bodhii]

If you are new to hi-performance sports cars I STRONGLY suggest that you hook up with the nearest Audi Club DE event for some proper instruction on how to learn the limits of your new car in an intelligent and safe way. Learning by the seat of your pants, or by the seat of your son's pants,... may be endearing, but it will be quite limited in substance. The few hours that you spend with the good Audi instructors will last you a life time in greater awareness on how you drive your R8 everyday. Take your son too. He will have one of his best times ever.

[cmxi]

If I can find some time to go and if I can find one nearby, I'll definitely try to attend. The local track instructors said they'd be willing to help me learn how to drive the car as well. Should I not do that? It'd be easier and much more convenient for me. Just taking a day off to go to Boston to pick up the car was tough.

[Bodhii]

Yes,.. any local sports car driving instructors that have been certified thru one of the main line sports car organizations are adequate, and will probably be outstanding. But make sure they have you drive on some type of closed driving course for practicing emergency braking, and various other skills. Getting on a race track and doing several laps while you practice a more skillful driving presence, is a most memorable event, but not as essential as just good professional instruction on a large closed area.

Have fun!