Good Dealer experience!

[Max Hoepli]

Yes, have reached almost 300,000 km on my 1986 Turbo Quattro type 44, body
in excellent shape, in the winter salted streets of Toronto.

Max

-----Original Message-----
From: quattro-bounces at audifans.com [mailto:quattro-bounces at audifans.com] On
Behalf Of rob
Sent: December 4, 2008 17:33
To: quattro at audifans.com
Subject: Good Dealer experience!


  Hi gang,

  While since I posted, especially about my old type44 Avant,but it acheived
a couple of milestones this week ;

    1) 200,000 miles clocked up - and this is on an auto gearbox

    2) passed the MOT test today.

    Preparations for the test required a new tyre, a new handbrake cable,
rear brakes, replacing front/rear fuel line (just in time), new windscreen
and new drivers door mirror glass.

   So with this and work on the old CGT I've been down to the local dealers
two or three times. This is Nothampton Audi (UK). When they took over the
local franchise I was a bit concerned as it was a plate glass and potted
plant type establishment and you had to get past the standard issue
know-nothing receptionist before getting to talk to who you needed to.
However I have had a contact for spares there called Martin for years and
usually get to him eventually, he's a walking ETKA.

  I'm happy to say things have improved and they have had the good sense to
add a parts desk near the front door. Not quite the parts counter of old,
but pretty close. So I can go straight to parts guys and talk parts, simple
ideas are the best eh?

 It does seem that the parts are getting harder for my era cars (late 80's).
For the CoupeGT I was unable to get the big D roll bar rubbers, and exhaust
parts like the front resonator have been gone a long time, however I was
able to get the end of rollbar rubbers, top mounts and bottom balljoint
pinch bolts. For the 100 I was able to get the new door mirror glass (not
cheap, and only a couple left in the country) but not fuel lines, or front
valance lip spoiler (which died a while back to save the car from a wayward
motorway cone) Luckily I had got the brake parts ready a while back.
Windscreen was supplied and fitted by a local chain.

 So, good parts experience from a dealer, thanks to Martin and Calvin, but
parts are inevitably getting scarce for these cars, which is a shame becuase
to me they represent the best of Audi - maximum comfort , practicality, fun
and economy for the minimum of complexity and maximum of serviceability. 

 Maybe I'll try and get the Avant round to 300K, but that will take 10 years
at my current mileage, I expect the body will still be good but the rubber
parts and most pipes will be fairly rough by then.

 Anyone else still racking up miles in a Type $$?

 Cheers Rob.
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