A letter to Audi of America

[Andrew Duane USG/PE <duane@zk3.dec.com>]

I thought you folks might be interested to read this letter I'm about
to send to Audi of America.  It is not your typical "I'm unhappy about
my car" letter, but I think it makes some valid points.

Anyone have anything to add to it or comments to make?

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

					September 7, 1995


Audi of America, Inc.
888 W. Big Beaver Rd.
P. O. Box 3951
Troy, MI   48007-3951
Re: WAUCB0445KN001636


To Whom it May Concern,

	I am writing to express my displeasure at certain problems that have
been arising on my 1989 100 Quattro. These are not major problems.  Indeed,
at 110,000 miles the car is structurally and mechanically sound, as I would
expect of an Audi.  Instead, I have been considerably disappointed at the
minor cosmetic problems that have plagued my car for the last 1-2 years.
In that time:

	* The hinged gas pedal cover has broken and fallen off
	* The sunroof weatherstripping has come unglued and fallen off
	* The wood trim on the dashboard has cracked and fallen off
	* The mirrors in the sunvisors have come unglued and fallen out
	* The gear pattern display on top of the shift knob has come
	      unglued and fallen off
	* The ON/OFF switch for the cruise control has fallen out (despite
	      never having been used)
	* The auto-check system display connector has corroded leaving
	      the display sometimes unreadable

Except for the problems with the auto-check display (which might make me
miss an important diagnostic) none of these problems interfere at all with
the operation of the car. They are trim and cosmetic problems.  None are
even worth taking to a shop to get fixed.

However, I expect better from a $35,000 luxury car.

My family has owned almost 30 VW/Audi cars. Currently, my wife and I each
drive Audi Quattros. I expect cars to last 1-200,000 miles, and most have.
I expect that my two current Audis will be no exception. But my last car,
a 1985 VW Golf with over 150,000 miles had none of these problems.

I belong to a large group of Audi owners on the Internet. Our current
membership is about 200 people, owning about 500 Audis.  I am amazed at
how many of them report the same cosmetic flaws as I am experiencing.
Despite Audis' mechanical longevity, I am very disillusioned about these
flaws. It vastly lowers the *perceived* quality of the car.

Sunvisor mirrors falling out and gear pattern stickers falling off would
be unacceptable on a $8,000 VW. They are unconscionable on a $35,000 Audi.
It makes me wonder what other, more significant problems are awaiting me.

I have researched the new Audi models, and had my sights on an A6 or Wagon
sometime soon.  I love the Quattro all-wheel drive; it is why I switched
to Audi.  However, because of this apparent lack of quality, my next car
may well be a Mercedes instead.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
-- 

Andrew L. Duane (JOT-7)			duane@zk3.dec.com
Digital Equipment Corporation		(603)-881-1294
110 Spit Brook Road			http://www.zk3.dec.com/~duane
M/S ZKO3-3/U14
Nashua, NH    03062-2698

Only my cat shares my opinions, and she's too heavy to care.