A4 1.8t questions

[ejfluhr@austin.ibm.com (Fluhr)]

My father loves his new A4tq in all ways but one:  the engine is too noisy
at highway cruising speeds (80-85 mph).  As he drives a LOT of highway
miles, this really bothers him.

This is partly stems from the fact that his '82 Coupe turns under 3K rpms
at these speeds, while the A4 runs in the high 3K range.  Can the 5th gear
on this [quattro] tranny be swapped out to one similar to the 5th gear on
his Coupe?  What about the V6 manual tranny, how does that 5th gear compare
(rpms vs. speed in 5th gear)?


A while back some folks discussed installation of a normal Alpine CD changer,
to avoid paying the ridiculous $800 cost of the dealer unit.  This setup
needed an electrical interface box, though, which was not complete.
Anyone know if this is out yet?  What other options are there for installing
a CD changer into the A4?  (alternate route to eliminating engine noise  :)


Any solution to an armrest on the driver's seat, right side?


Thanks,
Eric
'85 Coupe GT
---
Eric J. Fluhr                                Email:  ejfluhr@austin.ibm.com
630FP Logic/Circuit Design                   Phone:  (512) 838-7589
IBM Microelectronics Div.                    Austin, TX