Brakes: Internal calipers

[gregsj@mail.imm.com]

Fellow Audians: as most of you list regulars know, I am moving in on an '91 200 
TQW, in fact I am supposed to close the deal next week. I recently had some time 
to begin to work my way through some of the list archives and have uncovered a 
very troubling item - Internal calipers. In as much as my new car is "around the 
corner" and I am advising a friend who is looking at a 90 V8Q, I wanted to get 
an update/confirmation. Here's my understanding: 90 V8Qs and 91 200 TQ's shipped 
with internal calipers. Apparently, what looked good on paper did not turn out 
too well in the real world and owners soon discovered that this setup did not 
cool correctly; which lead to warped rotors and/or steering wheel shudder and/or 
too much unsprung weight, which caused a heavy steering feel. Audi eventually 
acknowledged the problem and if the owner discovered it during the warranty 
period and made enough noise (the squeaky wheel gets the grease) Audi would 
upgrade the brake system to (what did they upgrade to?). Those who discovered 
the problem after the warranty period were SOL, or could pay for the upgrade 
themselves to the tune of $3K. What is the current status of this situation? Is 
the problem really that much of a problem for a daily driver (I can see how it 
would be a problem at driver training). Does it really cost $3K to resolve? If 
one is contemplating a '90 V8Q or '91 200 TQ that has not been upgraded, does 
that mean the car is worth $3K less than avg. retail or are cars with the 
upgrade worth $3K more the avg. retail. HELP! Any other comments/information 
will be greatly appreciated! Clearly, I do not want to buy a car only to 
discover that the only way to cure its brake problem is $3K! Many thanks! Greg.