Re: Ned Hoppen TAP

[QSHIPQ@aol.com]

In a message dated 97-01-26 18:16:20 EST, you write:

<< 	I too have found a couple of the guys at Schaumburg to be 
 helpful, but I've never spent money there.  Don't know how good they are.
>>>  They are, in my opinion, good.....  Their quest for understanding the
q's is continuous, Craig Jones (service manager, and bb t-body conversions)
has done a MC equipped turbo 4kq, and his involvement in getting tweeked
audis to the street, including a US A8 with a tiptronic conversion (using
radio controls), and getting Audi USA involved from the performance/warrantee
coverage, earns him my respect.  Some of the executions of ideas sometimes
come up short, but I don't give all my secrets away anymore.....
 
 	As for 20v technology, I would put Hoppen WAAAAAAAAY above TaP.  
 With Ned above Hoppen [much easier to get answers from IMO].  After 
 seeing an TaP prepped S4 in the One Lap break [and after reading Scott's 
 post on trying to help it] I would not spend money at TaP.  Some people 
 have good things to say about Hoppen's place.  I called once for some 
 info on parts for my 89 200tqw and whoever I spoke with told me I had the 
 20v in my car.  Hmmmmm.  May have been a fluke though.  Know a guy with 
 an S6 wagon that has done a bunch of business with Hoppen--nothing but 
 praise.

>>>>  I would moderate that some in this story:  A good friend of mine who
owns a Tap modified S6 sedan, got scared by all the TAP bad press, and called
Ned to convert his computer.  Ned indicated, that his mod wouldn't give any
more performance than TAP, and the TAP mod was "pretty good"

Hoppen is dedicated 20vtq conversion specialist, his chips are connected to
one of the best audi computer tuners in europe, and his conversions first
rate.  His prices are too.
>>>>> 
 	I like Ned.  If his prices are higher, I write it off as only 
 having to do the job once---unlike some stuff I have read here on TAP.
>>>>  I won't take the bungee jump with you on this bruce.  I find Ivor
agressive in his mods, the means to the end NO different than Ned's....  His
tenacity and commitment to the audi specialized products is first rate, and
will continue to be a player in the q performance (and that is not an
endorsement).  His SAMCO built IC to t-body hose deserves him the credit
above anyone else for solving a persistent nag with the q's...  And it
deserves him every penny of the 115USD he demands, regardless of what he paid
for it....
 >>>>
 	Scott, am I wrong about the S4 problem??  As I recall, you 
 thought it was a TAP induced failure. no?
  >>
No, the specifics of the problem were in relation to a incorrectly installed
rear shock (sold by, but not installed by, Ivor).  When Todd Candey and I
went to reset the "koni adjustables" we found a moron with a impact wrench
had overtorqued the spring cap nut.  The hex shaft broke below the nut, and I
called the competitor, and advised him of the problem, and further advised
him NOT to continue, in the interest of safety (One Lap is a track to track,
bogey time Lap, rally this past year).  His call to Ivor got him the advice
to keep running, for that I disagreed, that safety call by phone could have
proved deadly.  I found that on the reckless side, tho I've also seen Ivor
drive....  To Ivors credit, he did find an application replacement within 2
days and had it shipped to a free zone stop in KC...

HTH clear things up

Scott