2010 is the run-out year for this generation of A8 L in North America, with the 4.2L V8 as the only engine listed and a redesigned car waiting for 2011. A last-of-line car is usually the most sorted version of itself, and the questions on one now are less about what has broken than about what to renew, in what order, and how far to go on a car whose parts are shared across seven model years.
Engine
- 4.2L V8 GAS Naturally Aspirated
Trims
- Base Sedan 4-Door
- L Sedan 4-Door
The trim and engine data comes from the same year's A8 quattro record, which does not distinguish the two wheelbase lengths. The long car shares its engine, transmission and running gear with the standard car, so the mechanical content applies as written. Rear cabin equipment, rear door and window hardware and every wheelbase-dependent part, propshaft length and rear lines included, are the exceptions, and on a last-of-line car with a thinning parts supply they are worth confirming against your build data early.
Known issues on the 2010 A8 L. No recalls are on federal record for this model year. No complaints are logged with NHTSA for this model year. On a surviving 2010 car the decisions are economic as much as mechanical. Air suspension is the first of them: struts that leak down overnight, a compressor worn out by trying to compensate, ride-height sensors and the calibration that any repair demands, all of which force a choice between renewing the system properly and living with a car that sags. Cooling parts and the plastic connectors around them are brittle by now and worth replacing together during any front-end job rather than one at a time. Chain tensioners still announce themselves as a brief cold-start rattle. Front control-arm bushings, ball joints and wheel bearings wear as they always did. Sunroof and plenum drains block and soak the low-mounted control units, so check them before diagnosing anything odd. Corroded lines and seized fasteners underneath turn short jobs into long ones, which is an argument for planning the sequence in advance.
Working on a last-of-line car means judging what is worth doing and doing it once, and this manual supports that with 2010 removal and installation order, tightening sequences, calibration routines, wiring layouts, fluid capacities and service intervals for the long-wheelbase car as it was built.
