Sideblade fit and gaps

[CA_SL65]

Do I expect too much from Audi if I wish panel gaps on the R8 to be of similar quality as those on the Audi sedans?
I am conteplating the purchase of a (used) R8 and have come to the somewhat shocking conclusion that some of the panel gaps on the R8 are rather big, specifically the sideblades on some of the cars I looked at had a hard time to get comfortable, with gaps and corners not aligned I have never seen on other Audis.
Is this true or did I just look at a bad batch of cars? (V10 model 2009 and 2010 build)
Is it possible to align the sideblade DIY?

[maegeri]

Agree that the gaps are a lot bigger than on my wife's A6 Avant. I've always assumed that's because it's hand made. But the R8 is rock solid and very well put together.

[desperado]

The shop manual has specifications for the size of the various gaps around the body, and instructions for adjusting some of them.

[desperado]

We asked about the gaps during a tour at the Audi Design Center in Santa Monica a while back. According to the US head of design, the large gaps are an intentional design element of the R8. Something about controlling the visual massing of the various elements of a mid-engine car.

I think it worked out pretty well!

[willyjp]

If you look back at some of the videos of building the R8 that came out early on ("The Slowest Car We've Ever Built" and some others), I seem to recall that they made a point of showing the great precision with which they controlled the panel gaps during final body assembly....and those gaps looked BIG (hadn't seen many R8's up close at that time and didn't have my car yet).

BTW, it seem shard to believe now, with guys posting that they're looking and then, 3 weeks later, they've GOT a new R8, that I waited "in the queue", with deposit down for 24 months before I got my car!!! (should make a documentary video called, "Slowest Car I Ever Bought!")

[timborama]

According to the US head of design, the large gaps are an intentional design element of the R8.

I think you mean the side blades are part of the design, not the large gaps.

[desperado]

According to the US head of design, the large gaps are an intentional design element of the R8.

I think you mean the side blades are part of the design, not the large gaps.

Well certainly the side blades are too, but he did say the gaps and their placement are also used as an intentional element of the design.

[CA_SL65]

We asked about the gaps during a tour at the Audi Design Center in Santa Monica a while back. According to the US head of design, the large gaps are an intentional design element of the R8. Something about controlling the visual massing of the various elements of a mid-engine car.

I think it worked out pretty well!

Thanks for that clarification - and in this picture from the distance the picture was taken the gaps look even, the sideblade fits with even gaps if not to say with very small gaps.
From your own observation, are the gaps indeed this even? Some of the cars I have looked at are all over the place, not even and the sideblade was not aligned properly (the top corner with the roof/door/sideblade did not align by maybe 5 mm)

[SebringSilver]

The gaps are adjustable. I know this because I've had mine adjusted. Will post pics and provide a better explanation later (posting on iPhone right now).

Edit: Okay, so a few months back, this happened:







...because a young girl with a 350-hp car (complete with Hello Kitty stickers)



...hit this post...



....before sideswiping my car. You can see the gaps in the rear quarter panel are clearly not the same after the impact (even though she only glanced it)....

Left side



Right side



You can even see how on the right side alone (above) that the gap in the panels is not consistent. So I took the car to the insurance company of course, and brought it to the only Audi R8-qualified repair shop and they repainted the panels, replaced the left-side sideblade, and adjusted all the affected panels and now they're all even and looks perfect.

The interesting thing was that the repair shop could not conclusively determine whether the poorly-fitted panels on the right side of the car (which was not hit by the S5) was the result of the impact.

The REALLY interesting thing was that the girl who drove the S5 into my car, bought her car from the same dealership as me, from the same salesperson, and took her car to the same repair shop as well. She has since gotten rid of the Hello Kitty stickers, thankfully.

I don't have pictures of the car post-repairs as I'm currently away on business, but will be happy to provide some follow-up photos to show the gaps on the panels as they are now.

[CA_SL65]

Thanks for the pics - looking forward to the after shots.

BTW - did you strangle the b***h for doing this to your car?