Re: Terrible heating in 4kcsq.

[Mark Hilbush <markh@clark.net>]

> I live in IN and recently bought an 87 4kcsq.  We haven't really had a
> COLD snap until the past day or two.  One question comes to mind while
> huddled up next to the vent nearest the driver's door struggling to get
> warm:  WHAT THE HELL WERE THE BOYS AT AUDI THINKING WHEN THE MADE THE
> HEATING SYSTEM IN THE 4K?  All I can get out of the center vents in mine
> is cooooooold air.  The owner's manual states that this is what it's
> supposed to do.  Why?
>         How do you folks farther north cope with this?  I hate it (wait a
> minute, I still love the car though)!!  Has anyone on the list had any
> experience with modifying their car to include warm air from the center
> vents?  Any ideas for a cure would be warmly appreciated.

Up until a couple years ago, my 4kq would blow HOT (and I mean really
HOT) air.  Even on the coldest days of winter (at least as cold as they
get in the Mid-Atlantic), it was sufficient to set the heat at its
lowest level.  At some point -- and I don't remember exactly when -- all
that changed.  Now, just as you describe in your post, at the highest
setting all I get out of the vents is luke warm air.  

I concluded that the heater core was in need of replacement and just
decided to bide my time until it failed completely.  Well, it never
failed and I continued to drive it this way for several years.  Good
thing it never gets all that cold in the MD/DC area.  At this point it's
unlikly to get attended to because a) it still works ok for me, and more
importantly, b) the new A4q is scheduled for production next week.

-- 
Mark Hilbush

Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.
        -- Albert Einstein