Re: Audi 5000 was called 1

["Peter Fraser" <peter_fraser@macmail.lbl.gov>]

        Reply to:   RE>> Audi 5000 was called 10
Hi, everybody.  The following chain of stuff got me a little riled (after all,
we're all part of this group because we own, and hopefully, like Audis), so I
called my friend who is highly placed in the VW of America organization, at
their HQ in Detroit.  I faxed him a copy of Dave Patterson's message (copy
appended here), and asked if he could check it out.  Here's the scoop:

The day after Dave sent his e-mail to us, the Audi organization responded to
him.  He had received poor treatment, as described, from a dealer in Concord,
CA - so Audi fixed him up with an appointment at another local dealer, who was
directed to make him whole again, at Audi's expense.  My friend seemed to think
that Dave went away satisfied (although the design-related aspects he
references may not be entirely solveable for his particular vehicle).  I'd also
like to draw your attention to Dave's mention of his upcoming layoff - this may
explain why we never heard the end of the story, as he'd probably lose his
access to the net at the same time as his termination, poor guy...

Anyway, I feel that overall Audi tries hard (for me, personally, and I hope the
majority of you all) - so I wanted to try to get the end of the story out there
as well.

Your thoughts?

- Peter of Lawrence Berkeley

--------------------------------------
Date: 12/17/92 9:34 AM
To: Peter Fraser
From: zm@mhcnet.att.com

Peter Hill writes:
>I'd be interested to see the original article "1990 Audi 100 SUCKS"
>if anybody has saved it.  But I won't listen to a 1970 tale of woe.

I did manage to find the original article. It is included below, together
with selected follow-up posts defending Audis.

Zafer Mehmood
zm@mhcnet.att.com
------------------

Article 75070 of rec.autos:
Path:
cbfsb!cbnews!att!linac!uwm.edu!wupost!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!decwrl!sun-barr!olivea!davepat
From: davepat@flash.ATC.Olivetti.Com (Dave Patterson)
Newsgroups: rec.autos
Subject: 1990 Audi 100 SUCKS !!!!!!!!!!!!e+10
Summary: aaaaaarrrrrrggggghhhhh !!!!!!!
Keywords: Break, pop, whirr, click, SNAP! CRACKLE! POP!
Message-ID: <57211@olivea.atc.olivetti.com>
Date: 5 Dec 92 01:08:48 GMT
Sender: news@olivea.atc.olivetti.com
Lines: 48

Well, I can't believe it!  I thought I'd bought a nice, reliable, really
well made German car...  NOT!

In the 1 year 2 months that I've owned this car, the following has
gone wrong, (on separate occasions):

*  The transmission broke after 9100 miles of driving it to and from work.
*  The transmission had to be drained, cleaned, and put back in.
*  The brakes went out. 
*  The buttons on the radio broke.
*  The cruise controller broke.
*  The ECS light keeps coming on, (tried to repair it about 2 or 3 times,
   so far, no luck).
*  The timing keeps going out of whack.
*  The alignment went south, wrecking the front tires, (this happened the
   day after I had brought it in to fix the radio and the ECS light).

on top of which I had taken it in for a few checkup type repairs.  Now, if 
this car weren't under warranty, all this ^^^ would cost quite a few $.  

To top things off, when I last took it in, (see radio/ECS light), when
I brought it home, it had oil/crunge on the windshield, (I had to clean
it off), the alignment was gone, the brakes were bad, and the front 
tires were bald in odd places.  I couldn't take it back that night, as
I had picked it up after work, and the shop had closed for the day.  I 
couldn't take it in the next day, because I had a very important interview
to go to that day, (I'm being laid off on 18 December)...  So, I brought
it in today, and complained rather loudly about all this, and all I got
were blank stares and no one wanted to claim responsibility for 
*anything!*  Next, I called Audi of America, (800-822-2834), and was
kindly told that they would do something, and call me right back.  Well,
I'm waiting, I'm getting grey hairs...  Nothing has happened.

My question to all is:  Is there any *real* legal action that I can take
here?  Do I have a recourse, or am I just another consumer who's been
fucked up one side and down the other by a "German-quality" scheiss-car
like Audi?

Very, very, very unhappily yours,

David M. Patterson
====================


Article 76062 of rec.autos:
Path: cbfsb!cbnews!att!linac!uwm.edu!csd4.csd.uwm.edu!qazi
From: qazi@csd4.csd.uwm.edu (Aamir Hafeez Qazi)
Newsgroups: rec.autos
Subject: Re: 1990 Audi 100 SUCKS !!!!!!!!!!!!e+10
Date: 15 Dec 1992 22:42:56 GMT
Organization: Computing Services Division, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee

In article <8f=VQ4e00WBLQ2pHET@andrew.cmu.edu> "Joseph D. Mazza"
<mazz+@andrew.cmu.edu> writes:
>
>Sounds like deja vu!  Back in 1970 I bought an Audi 100LS in its first
                               ^^^^
>model year.  BIG mistake.  EVERYTHING, and I mean literally EVERYTHING
>went wrong with it.  
>
>...<stuff deleted>...
>
>Ever since my 100LS experience I've avoided Audi's like the plague --
>despite their seemingly high quality/cost ratio and many testimonials
>about how much they've IMPROVED over the years.  Forget it.  They had
>their chance with me.                              


--It's silly of you not to buy an Audi nowadays because of your experience
  with your 1970 100LS.  A company can change itself in 22 years you know!!
  Japanese cars were not the paragons of reliability that they are know.
  Maybe you shouldn't buy a Toyota because they had problems thirty years
  ago.  All newly designed Audis are much more reliable than the olders,
  meaning the new Audi 100.  The 1990 version is based on a design that
  dates back to '83, which is when Audis weren't too good in reliability.
  If you tried a new Audi 100, I'm sure you would change your mind.

--Aamir Qazi

-- 
Article 76063 of rec.autos:
Newsgroups: rec.autos
From: tedebear@leland.Stanford.EDU (Theodore Chen)
Subject: Re: 1990 Audi 100 SUCKS !!!!!!!!!!!!e+10
Sender: news@leland.Stanford.EDU (USENET News System)
Organization: DSG, Stanford University, CA 94305, USA
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 92 22:21:02 GMT

In article <8f=VQ4e00WBLQ2pHET@andrew.cmu.edu> "Joseph D. Mazza"
<mazz+@andrew.cmu.edu> writes:
>Sounds like deja vu!  Back in 1970 I bought an Audi 100LS in its first
>model year.  BIG mistake.  EVERYTHING, and I mean literally EVERYTHING
>went wrong with it.  Here's a partial list, from what I haven't managed
>to block out of my memory after 20 years:
...
>Ever since my 100LS experience I've avoided Audi's like the plague --
>despite their seemingly high quality/cost ratio and many testimonials
>about how much they've IMPROVED over the years.  Forget it.  They had
>their chance with me.
...
>I'm sorry about all your problems, but not surprised.  It's just the
>"100" living up to it's proud heritage!

that was 1970.  by the same yardstick, if you had had a '70s era
honda civic (total rustbucket piece of junk), you'd never buy
a new civic because it's such a piece of junk.

-teddy


Article 76184 of rec.autos:
Newsgroups: rec.autos
From: cka52397@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Slartibartfast)
Subject: Re: 1990 Audi 100 SUCKS !! (a bit long)
Message-ID: <BzDtuo.777@news.cso.uiuc.edu>
Sender: usenet@news.cso.uiuc.edu (Net Noise owner)
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1992 02:35:11 GMT
Lines: 17

In article <1992Dec15.233545.21470@viewlogic.com> brad@buck.viewlogic.com
(Bradford Kellogg) writes:
>
>In article <8f=VQ4e00WBLQ2pHET@andrew.cmu.edu>, "Joseph D. Mazza"
<mazz+@andrew.cmu.edu> writes:
>|> 
>|> Sounds like deja vu!  Back in 1970 I bought an Audi 100LS in its first
>|> model year.  BIG mistake.  EVERYTHING, and I mean literally EVERYTHING
>|> went wrong with it.  

	Wow, a current opinion based on 1970's info.  Boy I hope we pull out
of Vietnam soon!!!


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