body work, paint job, keyless entry, eurolights, etc. on '95 90Q ????

[DeWitt Harrison]

On Tue, 6 Nov 2001 12:51:35 -0800 (PST), jlenorovitz at yahoo.com wrote:

> So tomorrow my '95 90Q is going in for some body work and a complete new
paint job.
> Fortunately, this is almost all being covered by the insurance of the
driver who
> rear ended me and also a claim of my own for wind/rock damage (need I
restate my
> stance on the bra issue?) with my insurance company.  I'm going to
Arapahoe Body &
> Paint in Boulder, CO unless I hear horror stories from anyone about them.
They seem
> to have their act together and are pretty thorough from what I can tell.

My Boulder-Denver recommendation is SVE of Broomfield, formerly of Boulder.
These guys have done three of my cars, one of which is my 5kcs. You're
welcome
to stop by for a good look at their quality of work. The car is a garage
queen at the
moment waiting for engine parts so promise to only look at the paint. Tell
Butch
at SVE I sent you. He's a great guy.

> The damage from the accident spreads all across the rear bumper/trunk lid,
but is
> concentrated on the passenger side where the quarter panel is buckled.
> Structurally, the frame rail has been bent and will have to be replaced.
Anyone
> have any sage advice about this kind of repair and the associated paint
job?

Have them spray the preservative wax inside repaired structure and body
cavities
to ward off future rust problems. If you are a DIY person, consider removing
and
reinstalling the trim yourself. Even the good body shops mess this up and
charge
you for it too. To save money, ask Butch what needs to come off depending on
the extent of the repaint. Body shops - this is one of my standard soapbox
routines
as some may remember - assign the lowest shop grunts to trim work. The shop
stars are strictly painters. I don't care what they say, they'll effectively
throw your
trim into the heap in the corner along with everybody else's and more or
less grab
fasteners and bits at random during reinstall.

> While they have the interior door panels removed, I was thinking of trying
to
> install a keyless entry system for the power locks.  Does anyone recommend
a certain
> brand of system to use or one to stay away from?  I'm assuming it's better
costwise
> to just go with a non-Audi, aftermarket system.
> [ ... ]

Your electrics may be different, but the easiest way to interface to the
central
locking system in the 5k is at vacuum motor / controller unit under the rear
seat. A couple of relays added to the system at that point to convert alarm
system pulse outputs to ones that look like the driver's door lock switch
does
the trick. Plus, in the absence of lock and unlock pulses from the alarm
unit, the
door key will continue to operate the locking system normally.  I don't have
a
manual for your car but my hunch is that will be the place to attack it. Try
to
avoid messing with the door lock motor mechanicals if possible. New
solenoids
will be inferior to the stock arrangement. And what about the trunk lock?

I have a DEI Viper in the car. I would consider it adequate in quality, not
much
more. It required factory repair at the 3-year point - lost it's ability to
retain
pass codes. Maybe they are better now.

DeWitt Harrison
Boulder, CO
88 5kcstq