Re: 89-91 100vs200t

[steveb@newkla.kla.com]

... it sounds like you do have some experience with Audis Matt, so I won't
go into a lot of detail.  If you'd like more, check out the hypertext list 
archives ... the subject does come up quite regularly ...

Audi has done the right thing to their turbo motors to make them last.  Since
~1986 all cars come with a water-cooled turbo jacket that has an auxiliary 
water pump that keeps the turbo cool even after you shut the motor down.  Audi
motors are very robust, perhaps their weakest point was the exhaust manifold.
The newer cars actually use a multi-piece manifold to resolve this issue.

I find that the largest concerns deal with things like steering racks and 
climate controls.  These seem to be common trouble spots on these cars (I
personally have not experienced any C/C problems other than a worn out 
blower motor and the stuck recirc door).  Other nagging problems can be 
things like the switches for the power windows and flaky set heaters.  If 
you do your own maintenance these items tend to be more of an inconvenience 
than a real serious issue.  

I must admit that I am getting somewhat frustrated with my '88 5kTQ,  but 
I still believe that it is true that Audi is the leader in active safety,
and that combined with the resale value makes it difficult for me to find
a better alternative.

Steve Buchholz
s_buchho@kla.com
San Jose, CA (USA)