Re: Fuel filter intervals...

[adams@churchill.columbiasc.ncr.com]

> Judging by the cars coming off of lease, our local dealer seldom services
> the fuel filter, air filter or cap & rotor during the lease.  Many of these
> cars come to us at about 60k with only the plugs, oil & filter having been
> changed.  Most of them have driveability or starting complaints by this time.

If I only used the FREE maint. program (for our 93 90CS under lease), I
could see having some problems.  The Scheduled Maint. is basically oil
changes.  The timing belt, plugs, oxygen sensor, filters and any other
fluids would be replaced at 60K (outside of the 3/50K FREE maint.).  So
unless an owner has a specific problem that would be covered under the
warantee, a leased car will have only gotten oil changes for 3yr/50K!

Another point, the scheduled maint. for BMW and Mercedes, is far more
extensive (as listed below).  So either the B & M have built a good market 
for their Service department or Audi is being cheap on it's FREE maint.
Could be both, since I think Audi is setting up their service department
for huge ($$$) 60K services, when the owner has to pay.

> Our ideal procedure is to replace the fuel filter,plugs (three
> electrode),cap & rotor(bosch) and air filter if necessary at 30k, 60k, 90k
> etc.  The plug wires (high humidity area), single wire oxs & NTC sensor at
> 60k, and the 3 wire oxs at 120k.

Daniel Adams