Crappy Audi Weekend... update

["Sean Ford" <sean@nwh.org>]

Good morning Q-listers,
   Since I seem to have started a paintless dent removal/tire repair
thread, I thought I would give everyone an update. My ding-from-hell was
repaired for the total sum of $120 by "The Ding Man". I thought the bill
was a bit inflated, but apparently the problem arose from the size of the
ding and the extra buffing that was required to get the paint back to it's
original condition. I'm just happy as hell with the result, so $120 is ok
with me. I have a 4pm appointment at Direct Tire of Norwood, MA to repair
my tire. There is no apparent sidewall damage (that I can see), the shop
will dismount the tire, check for extended damage, plug the hole, and then
patch and vulcanize the interior of the tire for $25. I certainly like the
$25 charge over the $120-$140 charge for a new mounted/balanced Goodyear
GA. Besides, I would really, really, like to avoid having to buy anymore
Goodyear GA's.

   Here's an update on how I got a new ISV installed for $100: I brought my
car back to the selling dealership (a Cadillac joint) and showed them the
paperwork from Rietzl Audi (Norwell, MA), they agreed to take care of it,
but I would have to pay the $100 warranty deductible that was part of the
sales agreement :( Ok, a new ISV for $100. I figured that, according to the
list, removing and installing an ISV is a simple process, so they should be
able to figure it out. WRONG! They were confused, so they took my car to
Rietzl Audi! I love it, Rieztl charged them a total of $433 for a new
installed ISV and to adjust the CO (I know $433 is very high, but it's not
my money and I'm not particularly fond of Cadillac of Norwood right now [I
won't go into that here]). Fine with me, I paid the $100 and took my car
home. My car's idle is smoother, but I still get the lumpiness every once
in a while. I also saved the old ISV and I plan on cleaning it and keeping
it for diagnostic purposes. So there, everyone's happy except maybe that
Cadillac joint, oh well.

Sean Ford
sean@nwh.org                       '92 Audi 100CS 5spd 21K mi
Newton-Wellesley Hospital      '89 Suzuki Katana 600 14K mi
Newton, MA  02162 (USA)      http://www.geocities.com/motorcity/downs/5528