97 A4Q- 2nd impressions: 1000 miles

[tlazay@ultranet.com]

Hello everybody,

I've been driving my new A4Q for 1000 miles now. I posted my first
impressions at approx. 300 miles. Here's what I think now:

1) What is the small plastic visor that folds down above the rear view
mirror? A mini sun visor? I find this thing very useless. Actually, I found
it by mistake while cleaning my windshield.

2) I am new to quattro AWD and I went out playing in the snow this morning.
AWESOME! Even with the Eagle RSA's, the acceleration and cornering was alot
of fun. Climing up my icy driveway (10-15 degree incline) amazing. I stopped
halfway up and then "gunned it." There was a little sliding at first
(expected) but still made it up very quickly (BTW, my dad's Lexus LS400 with
traction control did not make it up, even with a running start from the
bottom- for those of you involved in that silly AWD vs. Traction debate).
Quattro really is transparent to the driver. At least I couldn't tell that
any power was getting transferred at any point. That's a definite plus!

I also have never used ABS before. It seems to increase control but increase
the stopping distance significantly (on packed snow at least).

3) Regarding GALA, I know it's turned on, but I can't hear any difference in
volume at any speed change. Maybe some QList A4 owners can figure this one
out. The base on the non-Bose system sounds a bit hollow. Can you add a
subwoofer to the non-Bose audio system?

By the way, to answer those of you who are wondering about the CD Changer.
Definitely worth it. Mine hasn't skipped yet. I just need to move it out of
the way. It's now right in the middle of the trunk opening. Here's my idea:
Mount it in the front of the trunk facing the driver side rear seat. Then it
would be out of the way and you could change discs or cartridges from inside
by folding down the rear seat (granted this would be a bit awkward, but
better than getting out during a rain storm). What do you think?

4) The armrest is quite curious. With the armrest down, using the parking
brake is awkward, in fact when fully engaged, the parking brake handle moves
the armrest upward. It also get's in the way of shifting for city driving.
Oh well, not a big deal. 

What is the long ruler sized compartment that is underneath the armrest.
It's about 8" long, .75" wide, and .25" deep. It has rubber in the bottom
and looks like it is meant to hold something. Pen holder?

Is it possible to install a cigarette lighter below the armrest. Pictures
show one there for the factory cell phone but I was thinking it would be
great to power my Motorola portable since I didn't opt for the factory phone
system.

5) Highway driving is great. Some owners have complained about the lack of
on-center feel. I disagree. I find that it tracks perfectly straight and is
easy to keep between the lines at 90+ mph. Ideally, I would like to see less
body roll in the turns though. 

6) The engine sounds and performs much better than at 200 miles when I
picked up the car. It's singing now. Does anyone notice a slight whistling
sound when accelerating from 2900 rpm to 3100 rpm in 4th or 5th gear? 

7) My trunk froze in the locked position this morning. I guess it's not one
of the heated locks. Should I shoot some WD-40 in there?

8) I've noticed that my brakes have developed a slight squeak. I think I
remember people complaining about this at 7500 miles. Is this normal?

9) I'm still curious about the grinding sound that I described a week ago or
so. When turning tightly (i.e. parking or 90 degree turns) there is some
grinding sound coming from under the car. I'm sure this isn't the tires
because I tested this on snow and grass. I guess it's something with the
Torsen diff. as someone speculated before.

10) I've read complaints about the headlight/high beam strength. I find them
more than adequate, even on back roads. I do have good night vision though.

That's all for now. 


-Tom
'97 A4Q