questions...longish

[Mike Arman <armanmik@n-jcenter.com>]

>
>Date: Wed, 29 Apr 1998 22:12:25 EDT
>From: DOUBLDz <DOUBLDz@aol.com>
>Subject: questions...longish
>
>I've noticed that there don't seem to be any females posting to this list
so I
>do so with some trepidation. I've been receiving the digest version for about
>two weeks and I have finally gotten up the courage to ask questions.

Never be afraid to ask questions. We all started knowing nothing once (some
of us seem to  . . . never mind <G>), and we learn as we go along.


 First let
>me admit openly that I don't understand probably 95% of whats discussed here,

Neither do we.


>but I enjoy the list anyway.

So do we

 Hey, if I keep reading maybe something will sink
>in.

That's the whole idea!


 What I really love reading about is your passion, respect and appreciation
>for this automobile. The more of that I read, the happier I am with my
>decision to own one. 
>
>About a month ago I purchased an 95 A6q in pearl.

Paint my face green . . . with envy! Congratulations!

snip

. . . have my moment to admire it. 

Our secret is out!


>
>I don't plan to actually work on the car myself  but I would like to be a
>knowledgeable owner so I can keep it running in top form, albeit with the
help
>of a trustworthy mechanic.

Smart lady! It appears that this is the ONLY way Audi ownership works.




 Of course, the car has the remaining warranty still
>which amounts to over 40K more miles or 2 years. That in itself presents a
>problem. Ever since signing on the dotted line, I am less than impressed with
>my treatment at the dealership.


With a VERY FEW exceptions, most dealers are somewhat less than impressive!



 Too much to get into here, but there is one
>thing  that I would like to get some feedback on.........I was given the
>maintenance record book and only glanced at it the night I bought the car (I
>hope that doesn't put me in the dumb blonde category). It appeared to have
all
>the stamps in the proper places and so forth. A couple of days later when I
>took it out to see about the next scheduled maintenence I saw that there was
>already a stamp saying that the service at 37,500 had been done. Since my car
>had only 31K miles it was quite apparent that something was amiss.

Definitely an error at least, case could be made for fraud (probably not
intentional, most of these guys are total idiots anyway - only thing they
know is list price - no other numbers make any sense to them). Keep in
reserve in case you feel like suing them some day - good ammunition!



 A quick
>check of the VIN numbers proved that this was not the maintenance record for
>my car. Long story short, the dealer said he had the right book, promised to
>mail it, etc.etc.


OK, where's my book, Mr. Dealer?

 Guess what, I still don't have it and the dealer didn't
>return my call today. Any thoughts on my recourse, if any, would be
>appreciated.
>
>The car also has infra red keyless entry. The manual gives a 12 foot range of
>operation but I have to be practically on top of it to get the door open.
When
>I told the dealer that I thought I needed new batteries for my key (priced at
>$8.00 a piece, needs 4) he said no thats the way it works, you have to be
>close to the sensor. Is this true?

Pure dealer idiocy. Batteries at Radio Shack, Wal-mart, etc. Dealer just
wants you to go away - he should replace the batteries for you - what sort
of warranty does he claim you have?



>
>The other thing I am wondering about is gas mileage. Admittedly, I didn't
give
>this a whole lot of thought while I was being a love-sick lass lusting after
>this car, but now that I have to feed it, I'm noticing that I only get around
>14 miles to the gallon. Is that normal? I'm coming off of a car that
filled up
>for about 12 bucks and then ran and ran. Now I'm buying supreme and filling a
>20 gallon tank kinda often, ouch!
>
Gas mileage is way too low. Check oxygen sensor. Tuneup? Clogged air
filter? tire pressures?




>Sorry to take up so much space. I know these questions are way below your
>level of expertise, but I'm hoping someone will take pity on me and help me
>out. TIA

As I said, we all started knowing nothing once. BTW, where are you? That
might help on referring mechanics, parts suppliers, etc.

>
>Dee
>(after joining this list, 
>I'm thinking that I'd like to come back as an Audi in my next life!)

Best Regards,

Mike Arman