I'm in love

[Zaphod Beeblebrox]

After 14 years running my 1985 Volvo 240 wagon, I bought my first Audi. It
is a 1995 90 Quattro, 5-speed, V6 with 105,000 km (65,000 miles) on the
odometer. I am in love. This car is like nothing I've ever driven (with the
possible exception of my buddy's Alfa and the S4 I test drove, but couldn't
afford.). My first trip was to Mid-Ohio (from Ontario, Canada) for the ALMS
weekend in August. What a treat!!!

The car is by no means perfect. (90Q bashers, that's your cue). There are
numerous paint chips to be dealt with, the valve cover gaskets leak, the
last brake job was done on the cheap, the factory stereo is well below what
I'm accustomed to, the factory wheels are corroded and she needs new winter
tires. To my mind all these imperfections just give the car character and
make it affordable and anyway, it's only money.

The purpose of this message ???  I want to introduce myself and my baby to
the group. I will be looking for advice and guidance from you all and from
what I've see so far, there is plenty of that given freely here.

My plans for this car ???

This weekend my Alfa buddy and I will thoroughly clean and polish the finish
and put her up on blocks. I'm taking off the wheels to get them sand-blasted
and I will de-grease, re-paint and clearcoat next weekend. Any suggestions /
warnings here? Once that is done I'll get the new All-Seasons installed.

Before too long I'd like to add a rear spoiler. I have seen the spoiler from
the "sport" edition and I like it. I'm afraid to ask my local dealer what he
wants for 1. This is where a good source of used parts could be helpful.

Next Spring I'll be shopping for Summer wheels (larger) & tires so I'll have
lots of questions then. If the budget can handle it, I'd like to upgrade the
brakes then also. I have seen the BIRA web site and I'm beginning to get a
handle on what I'd like to do, but suggestions are welcome.

I don't have any service records for this car so I'll be doing the timing
belt soon, as a precaution, along with the associated parts (V-belts,
tensioners, water pump, thermostat, etc.) One dealer quoted me $1100
Canadian for that job (0ver $700 US). Ouch. I think I'll try sourcing the
parts myself. Does 7 hours labour sound reasonable for that job?

I want to get the leaking gaskets dealt with. That's not too big a deal I
assume.

I would like to switch the car over to synthetic oil. (I just won't be happy
until I spend every available dollar to baby her.) Is that worthwhile? What
are the concerns, beside the extra cost?

The headlights are really lame. I'm used to the 4 lamp halogen system on the
Volvo that lights up the road beautifully. From what I've seen in this forum
and on the Web, upgrading the headlights is not as simple as just changing
the bulb. Why not? Are the lenses etc. poorly designed? The lens is a $400
part, so I hope that isn't the case.

That's enough for now. All comments & suggestions are welcome. I'd really
like to hear of good Canadian parts sources.

Thanks in advance.

Mr. Greville H. Bowles
Guelph, Ontario
Canada
zaphod at cansafe.com