Day of Judgement

[quk@sievers.com (Phil Payne)]

In message <Pine.SUN.3.91.961211121429.7000C-100000@marjoram.compnews.co.uk> Mike writes:

> I still have the "engine revs dont drop straight away" problem which BRM 
> have put down to a leaking hose somewhere.

> But while Im there, can anyone think of anything I want to get them to 
> check over, test etc, as I want the car running 100% when I leave.

Hints on going to BR Motorsport:
 
a) They have two small offices that you can borrow while you're there.  I find
   I can get a _ferocious_ amount of work done while I'm away from the phone.
   Since it's cold up there, I would call the night before and warn them - 
   that way Brian's wife will switch the heaters on when they arrive.  David,
   who works on reception, is Brian's stepson.  Brian, of course, is the one
   with an obvious taste for good beer.  Expect them to start slowly in the 
   morning, with no obvious action for the first half hour.  As it's a Friday,
   Martin will be miserable (he prefers Mondays) and Tim will be cheerful (he
   likes the weekend).
 
b) They almost _insist_ on you staying with the car, at least for the first half
   hour or so.  Either Martin or Tim will be glad to go over the car with you 
   while it's on the ramp - these guys see almost nothing but ur-quattros and
   I'm sure neither of them would work any slower in total darkness.  If you
   have a spare hour at the end of your fun, get Martin to check the 
   alignment on the BEM Mueller bench.  It will cost between GBP40 and GBP70,
   depending on how seized the adjustments are, but it's the _best_ value
   there is.  Remember - while it's on their premises it's _their_ car, not
   yours.  If you haven't been looking after it properly, expect to be
   grumbled at.

   A few weeks ago, Martin took the warm-up regulator valve off my car to
   have a play with it on the bench.  Tim was working on the car next to
   mine.  At several points - most notably when reinstalling it - Tim just
   arrived without a word or a signal at _exactly_ the moment that Martin
   needed a second pair of hands.  Eerie to watch.   
 
   It's also odd to watch the way they handle tools - everything is always
   exactly where they're used to it being.  Both of them move _very_ slowly
   but accomplish the most amazing things in the shortest times.  They 
   charge GBP30 an hour, with each hour being worth around two standard VAG
   hours.  Time and motion in operation - when they have a specific operation
   in mind, they approach the car with _exactly_ the tools they'll need -
   there's no "going back for a larger screwdriver".  Saves _hours_!

c) DON'T - UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES - LET BERNARD TOUCH THE CAR!!!

d) They take all major credit cards, including Amex.  Don't forget your UK
   Owners Club Membership Card - it gets you a parts discount that pays 
   for the subscription in a single visit.

e) A sandwich truck arrives around 11:00 to 11:30.  Get reception to let
   you know, or you might miss it.  Reasonable value, and there's nowhere
   else in the area to eat.

--
 Phil Payne
 phil@sievers.com
 Committee Member, UK Audi [ur-]quattro Owners Club