Re: Aaaargh! Yet more damage!

[four.rings@MCIONE.com]

Phil Payne wrote:
> 
> Those of us who've spent many happy hours trying to find the most elusive
> things that can cause an Audi I5 engine not to start know many, many simple
> ways of immobilising an engine that even a main dealer would take hours or
> perhaps days to find.
> 
> When I park the car somewhere 'iffy', I just lift the bonnet and pull off a few
> strategic connectors and hoses.
> 
> I have one friend who carries a 'gutted' fuel pump relay.  It looks perfectly
> normal, but has no insides.  Quick switch, and the average thief would be
> stumped.
> 

Every time I park the car in Philly International and go on a business
trip for several days, I pull out the FI fuse and replace it with a
burnt spare. 
For those who haven't been baptised into Audi ownership by this
unavoidable trap: it's a lonely fuse which is mounted alongside the edge
of the fuse box, away from the rest and looks like a spare. I am
wondering how many of us have used it to replace a burnt fuse for the
cigarette lighter and later scratched the heads trying to figure out why
the damn car is suddenly coughing and sneezing and refuses to start. ;)

This method may not work too well in Europe, but here in the States
where an average car thief can't tell an Audi from a cantaloupe, it
protects the car quite reliably.

Of course I also have Prestige APS-200 alarm full of gizmos and sensors,
mind you ;)

-- 
Igor Kessel
'89 200TQ -- 18psi (TAP)
'98 A4TQ -- FINALLY!
Philadelphia, PA
USA