80Q: Acceleration problems, etc. Help!

[conrad@lcc.stonehill.edu (Claudia Conrad)]

Some days it just doesn't pay to leave the house.

I have a 1988 80Q with 79,000 miles.  I've owned it for 11 months.  Last week
it developed some problems, and when I called my mechanic to make an
appointment he said it sounds like BIG trouble and BIG bucks.  So I thought I
would seek guidance from the REAL experts!

Main problem:  Acceleration has gone to hell.  If you try to accelerate hard
(like when trying to merge onto an interstate when the bozo in front of you
decides to come to a dead stop), it feels jerky, and lacks the normal
enthusiasm (I know it's not a real quick car, but it used to be better than
this!).  Once up to speed, it seems as smooth as before.  I had thought it was
a bad fuel injector(s), or something along those lines.  When I described it to
the mechanic on the phone, he seemed to think it was the clutch.  He started
talking about $1000 for the parts and 12 hours of labor!!!  Gulp!  think the
bank will mind if I don't pay the mortgage this month???

Granted, the mechanic has not yet seen the car, and I may have described it
poorly.  I never would have guessed clutch, as I have not noticed any slippage
when releasing the clutch.  The jerkiness happens after the clutch is released. 
The RPMs seem to increase smoothly, BTW.  Any thoughts?

BTW, my mechanic is Central Service Garage in Natick.  They have always been
excellent, and seem well respected from all quarters.  I'm not worried that
they are trying to rip me off, it's just such a big estimate I want to be armed
with as much info as possible.

The other problems it developed last week:  the trip computer works only
sporadically, the gas guage works only rarely (although it does seem correct
when in decides to work), and the temp guage that used to work intermittantly
now rarely works.  (That's probably a sender problem according to postings I've
seen on that subject).  I'm not thinking that all these problems are related,
but it blows me away that they all happened basically at the same time.

Oh.  And did I mention the winshield washer fluid has a leak and won't hold
fluid in the reservoir?  And the LED readout on the radio hasn't had a light
for several months?  And the air conditioning apparently need recharging?  Have
I not been paying enough attention to her?  I washed her and changed her oil
very recently.  Does she want something more?  If only she'd tell me why she's
mad at me!!!

Thanks for any advice and just for letting me vent.

All in all, I still LOVE my Audis, and will always have at least one Quattro!

Regards,
Claudia Conrad
lcc.stonehill.edu
1988 80Q
1986 4KSQ