Advice please A6q - won't start

[Chris Thorp]

Brett Dikeman wrote:

> At 9:44 AM -0500 7/25/04, Chris Thorp wrote:
>
>> DOUBLDz at aol.com wrote:
>>
>>> Here I am in Michigan (near Kalamazoo) and I cannot start Baby. When 
>>> I turn the key I just get a quiet whine. 
>>
>> It sounds to me like you've got a bad starter solenoid.  I'd give the 
>> starter a couple light taps with a hammer and try cranking it again.
>
> No!  Bosch starters often have a label on them which shows a hammer 
> and a BIG red cross sign.  HItting a permanent magnet will destroy it- 
> it will either loose magnetism, or chip/crack and jam up the starter 
> motor.  They're like ceramic- very fragile to sudden impacts.

Brett,

I stand corrected!  Though I really did mean _light_ taps.  It has 
gotten me running well enough to drive from the parking lot where my 
starter was acting up back to my driveway where I could replace it.  The 
original poster was already talking about having it towed to a shop for 
replacement, so giving this a try to save the cost of a tow seemed 
reasonable.

Just my 2 cents,
Chris
'95 A6qm
'90 CQ