90 V8Q New owner

[Joseph Perrotto]

After realizing that my wife was having all of the fun with her new A4Q, I
found a cherry red/black 1990 V8Q w/90K in the classifieds a couple of
months ago. It was squeeky clean inside and out, and after a little
haggling, it was mine for around $7,000 - a fair price for what seemed like
a lot of fun.

I'd been having a blast with it...then I found this web site.  My blissful
ignorance developed into a bad case of automotive-hypochondria. Suddenly I
seem to be experiencing every ailment described in the archives. So I turn
to you in hopes of putting my mind at ease.

1) My transmission (auto) doesn't shift with a silkiness that one would
expect from a car that is otherwise so refined. No major clunking or
abruptness...just a little jerky. Is this a first step on the road to <gulp>
failure, or should I look into the new software for the transmission about
which I've read? Where might I find this?

2) There's a hole in the muffler - and I've been told that the V8 has a one
piece exhaust system. Can the hole be patched? If I have to replace the
whole system, should I consider one of the performance enhancing [low
restriction]systems? Any specific recommendations as to a brand or cost?

3) I bought it knowing the A/C was not working - not a big deal in Vermont
except for a few days a year. I have noticed that the outside temp display
consistently reads 15-20 degrees lower than the actual temp. Could this fool
the system into thinking that running the compressor is not needed?

4) How do I know if I have "UFO" brakes? If I do, should I do anything about
it?

5) The aftermarket chip replacements sound like a nifty upgrade - 10% HP for
a couple of Ben Franklins. Would any of you advise such a thing?

6) Neither my water nor oil temp gauges really move much beyond their low
values - occasionally to the first tick. Does this car really run this cool,
or should I just assume that they are no longer providing an accurate
reading?

I guess I'll stop there. Thanks to any and all who can help me.

Joe Perrotto
jperrott at countryhomeproducts.com