A4 Remote Locks and Roadside Assistance

[George Economou <economou@tiac.net>]

This past holiday weekend, the remote lock system on my A4 acted up
for the first time.  It left me with a very uncomfortable feeling.
Here's the story.

It was a cold day so I decided to warm up the car.  I used the remote 
to unlock the doors.  Instead of sitting in the car to start it as I 
usually do, I stood at the opened door, reached over and turned the 
key.  I shut the door, walked away, came back a couple of minutes
later.  Opened the trunk, closed the trunk, walked away, came back a 
couple of minutes later.  SURPRISE, the car was now locked with the
engine running!

This should not happen.  Some time ago, I played with the door locks to
convince myself that the remote system won't lock me out.  I found out
that when the engine is running, the remote is disarmed and the central
lock button won't work if the driver door is open.  So, this should not
happen.

Has anyone experienced this or any other quirks with the factory remote?
I have since tried to duplicate this (with a spare key handy) with no
success. The dealer can't help.  Any suggestions other than carrying 
a spare?

TIA,

George
96 A4Q
86 4KS

By the way, I called Audi Roadside Assistance.  They promised help in 2
hours.  I got a call from them 2 hours later saying that they were
not able to find any help and told me I was on my own.  Luckily a friend
had AAA and help came in 45 minutes.  I complained with Audi customer
relations the next day.  They said sorry and that they will investigate
and get back to me.