Date:         14 Mar 1996 11:58:11 EST
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         "Tom Forhan" <TFORHAN@hr.house.gov>
Subject:      The last word on Audi (?)

     OK, I own one. I've watched this thread, holding back.
     But I can't let some of this go unanswered.

     These are great cars, but because of the "unintended acceleration"
     thing and the usual skillful (;-) VAG (Volkswagen Audi Group)
     marketing, are they are unappreciated here in the US, and thus a great
     value on the used car market.

     Although there are still some other opinions, I believe that the
     concensus is that the acceleration problems were attributed
     to "pedal misapplication", note that this occured only on the
     automatic transmission cars. Audi's response was the auto trans
     lockout, that required brakes on to get the transmission out
     of park and into a forward or reverse gear. Once this lockout
     was installed, the problem stopped, cold.  Thanks to the nature
     of our modern society, today all new automatic cars have this lockout
     feature.

     Repairs, etc:I bought my Audi a year ago with 83,000 miles, today it
     has 95,000. Maintenance over this period: oil and filters, flushed
     the brake fluid. Repairs: I replaced the fuel pump when the original
     started a buzzing noise ($76+my labor), and went to Radio Shack
     for two tiny lights ($3.00) that had to be soldered into the heated
     seat controls so they would light up at night, and so I could saye
     "everything works". Also, I bought the three volume Bently manual
     (list $175, discounted by an Internet concious supplier to $135). the
     manual is much more detailed than the Vanagon Bently, with extensive
     instruction on procedures. The cars ARE complex, i.e. the thhird
     volume of the Bently is nothing but electrical diagrams!

     For fun, I put in an Intended Acceleration (thats the name of the Audi
     only company, cute, heh?) Stage I kit which comprises a heavier
     wastegate spring and a chip mod. The kit brings the horsepower up to
     about 230, this innocuous station wagon eats Mustang 5.0s off the
     line, if you care. Of course, no contest in the mountains, or
     driving in rain on the road, due to the quattro.

     Quality/Safety. We wanted a station wagon, AWD, good performance, an
     airbag and ABS, and as a kid carrier, safety concerns were high. We
     drove three MB 300 4Matic wagons of similar vintage and mileage, at
     asking prices two and three times what we paid for the Audi.  The MBs
     all felt looser than the Audi, which still does not have a creak in
     the body. The body parts are all galvanized metal. The '90 Audi
     exceeded all other cars in both the passenger and driver survivability
     in the '90 DOT 35 mph collision tests, FWIW.


     Complexity. These are complex cars, no doubt about it. The third
     volume of the Bently, itself the size of the Vanagon Bently, is
     nothing but electrical diagrams! With three differentials (the center
     one locks, BTW), ALB, Airbag, power everything (even the back seats
     are heated), halogen reading lamps, memory this and computer displays
     of that, I know things will fail.

     But the engine is bulletproof, and the Quattro system in my car is the
     exact same one the factory used in 300HP+  cars that were unstoppable,
     (and made illegal by the SCCA).  So what if you need to take the
     headliner outwith a knife and a heat gun, and why would you do that
     anyway? All the electrics are already accessible? So, you take your
     chances, and meanwhile enjoy. (But maybe I do need a Kombi to keep my
     karma balanced...) Like the Vanagon list, local Quattro list members
     in the DC area get together to drink a few, swap stories, and help
     each other out.

     So I love my Audi. But really , for the Vanagon list, its time for
     this thread to come to a quiet end. You can always talk more on the
     Quattro list, which is just as active as this one (!), though not
     a rich as it does not enjoy the diversity, humor and travelogues
     here.

     Hopefully getting the last word....(?)

     Tom F.
     90 Syncro Westie
     90 Audi 200 Turbo Quattro Wagon IA Stage I