More UFO rambling.....

[Martin Kuetzing]

Hi CL -

There was something you mentioned in your post that interests me:

Snip>>>>

Besides the rattles and squeaks (and potential
reliability concerns) there is little to pull me
towards a newer car.

<<<<

Just how many "rattles and sqeaks" does your 200q20v have?

When I bought mine, I had it modified (before I actually drove it the first
time) to include Yokohoma AV4S tires, Koni Sports shocks, H&R springs and a
front-end strut conversion from an S4 (removing the UFO's).

The car performed remarkably - especially on the open highway, but was
always "rattly" (is this a word?) and harsh.

Eventually, I switched to Eibachs, Bilsteins & Michelin MXV4 for a more
civilized ride.

But, the rattlyness (wow, is this also a word?) has always persisted

This rattlyness is always present to one degree or another.  It is
particularly noticeable in the door seals.  I replaced the door seals with
new ones, which more or less reduced the magnitude of the noise for a short
time, before it returned in full force.  Someone suggested talcum powder on
the seals.  This works great (except for the mess) for about a day. .  It is
noticeable everywhere execpt on the smoothest roads.  And, when driving the
car through a dip or over a driveway where the car is "tweaked" diagonally
for a moment there really is the sense that there is some movement of the
door frames relative to the doors - showing the direct cause of the noise.