Re: S4 20v vs S2 10v

[Eliot Lim <eliot@u.washington.edu>]

On Tue, 7 Feb 1995, Robert D. Houk wrote:

> So what's actual work performed got to do with how much the dealer can
> get away with charging poor dump customers for a "standard tuneup"?

yes, most poor saps get slaughtered.. my neighbor just paid almost $1K
for his passat 16V's 60K service.

but if you know how that operation works you can get by with a lot
less.  my trick is always to ask them to do individual items
(e.g. brake fluid flush, coolant flush) rather than give them the
license to kill ("do the 60K service").

frankly i wouldn't be in the least bit worried if i had an S4..  i've
got a good relationship going with the people here.  the mechanic even
gave me his spare set of factory V8 repair manuals for a favor or two
on my part.  he also replaced a couple of the center console switch
bulbs for free etc etc.

aside from the car's thirst for super unleaded ($80-$100 month), its
huge oil sump (8.5 qts + $18 filter), and the local WA state $%^&*
excise tax (currently about $800/yr), the V8 is pretty inexpensive to
run.  i'm not at all inhibited from getting something like the S4
which would most likely be even cheaper to run.

the depreciation was bad in the first two years but have really
levelled off and is better than the infiniti Q45 the last time i
checked.

> I mean "you have the high-performance engine with a much more complicated
> engine management system, it's much more expensive to 'tune up'", even if
> in fact there is *nothing* to do other than replace the air filter every
> 30,000 miles, and maybe the spark plugs and O2 sensor! 

the spark plugs for some of the newer cars are geniunely expensive.
the 16V and 20V engines need silver tipped plugs and the V8 needs
custom made NGKs and these cost closer to $10 each than $1.

lots of owners pay a lot of $$$ for nothing, but there's nothing
that says that you can't beat them at their own game.


eliot