quattro generation 6: the torsen is dead...

[hayes myers]

I'm with Kent here.  Newer audis have fantastic e-gear... My A6's ESP saved
my ass a few times... in a big way.  That being said...a 20year old 200 vs a
20 year old new version A6? One will still be reasonable to service... the
other a likely nightmare due to complex computer systems and gadgetry.

So i'll stick with these old beasts due to my being able to attempt to
service them lol.

cheers!

On Wed, Apr 7, 2010 at 10:38 AM, urq <urq at pacbell.net> wrote:

> ... your list seems a bit nitpicky to me Kent.  Hey, if you include "Team
> Doorhandle" you could argue that Audi can't do robust mechanical designs
> either ...
>
> T44 Headlights ... and remember these are just the T44 *Turbo* headlights.
> I suspect the design was limited by USDOT requirements as much as anything
> else.  What do we replace them with?  T44 Euros ... that fit in the same
> space.  I suspect the same team that designed the Euros did the DOT lights.
> Besides, what "electrical" or "electronic" issue is there with the T44
> headlights?
>
> There is no question that older Audi vehicles tend to have issues with
> complicated electronics that go bad over time ... but I wonder if they are
> that different from other marques.  I've had oddities on my BMW
> motorcycles'
> electrics as they got older.  When I met my wife she was driving a ~10 year
> old '77 Celica GT Coupe ... a car that certainly supported my opinion of
> Toyota's electrical design prowess ... It had a fancy electronic
> service/fault monitor ... and when it signaled a fault, the culprit was as
> likely to be a sensor ... wanna know how much they cost?  ... sound
> familiar?
>
> From where I sit it comes down to whether or not you find the technology to
> be what you want.  To me there's no doubt that quattro is a true safety
> feature, and that is why I give it a high priority on my list of features
> in
> a vehicle I want to have on my vehicles.
>
> Steve Buchholz
>
> -----Original Message-----
>
> Dave wrote:
> > with this
> > technology, the car electronics now has the ability to directly control
> the
> > centre diff i.e.  to make it an active diff.
>
> Given Audi's track record with thing electrical and electronic
> (e.g., the Type 44's DOT headlights, instrument cluster copper
> tracing breaks, the door jamb wiring, the LED driver info display
> in my A4, ...), this doesn't bode well.
>
> When I got my first Audi 10+ years ago, my fear was the reliability
> of the quattro system. That was faultless. It was the electrical and
> electronics that I've suffered with through the years. I can't see
> getting excited about an electronic active diff 'cuz you know its
> sensors or ECU will someday start acting up.
>
> --
> Kent McLean
>
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