team doorhandle strikes yet again

[Mike Arman]

At 08:59 AM 8/8/2002 -0700, you wrote:
>Come on, guys!  Reality check! You can buy the 2 new pieces from the dealer
>for under 10 bucks.  How cheap can you get?  What's the aggro factor here?
>Late at night, after a wonderful evening on the town, your 2 cents worth of
>duct tape and hour of labor conspire to fail, irritating the nice warm mood
>right out of your wife or SO, ruining the whole thing!  Gotta put the whole
>thing in perspective.  This isn't team door handle's fault, it YOURS.
>Things get old, they wear out, and they need to be replaced.  John
>
>

Well see, here's the problem . . .

The local Audi dealer here is a pick and pull junkyard. Nearest
"authorized" dealers are Jacksonville or Melbourne (100 miles each way) or
Orlando (60 miles each way plus MAJOR traffic each way). And of course,
they keep strictly enforced banker's hours as befits any company that is as
proud of what they sell as the Audi parts prices seem to indicate. Sorry,
but I don't feel like closing MY business for a day in order to chase $5
worth of parts they are not going to have anyway.

They also have a STRONG tendency to look WAY down their nose at any
low-life bottom feeder who has the sheer effrontery to drive an Audi more
than three years old. Somehow, I find it hard to get into the mood
(speaking of moods) to kiss their roseate behinds during business hours
only and then get told they don't stock anything for those old crocks, they
will try to order it (expression of extreme disgust and exasperation), pay
in full now and come back someday, don't call us, we'll call you . . . maybe.

At least the pick and pull is honest - you KNOW what you're going to get
there - old parts, muddy shoes and mosquito bites. And they usually have
what I need, too! Remember that most of the type 44s in junkyards are there
because the automatic transmission and/or the rack died, and almost
everything else is usually OK and perfectly usable.

What I usually do is keep a list of the little plastic bits I invariably
need, and every three or four months, send an order to Carlson or somebody.
I get most of what I need, and don't get screwed around too badly.

Besides, my wife likes to cook more than she likes to go out to eat (yes,
she's a keeper!), and while the door is busted, I get to practice my
imitation of a gentleman by opening the door for her. ;-)

Best Regards,

Mike Arman