Wax, Movies, Sold my 90q, Dealers, New A4q on order, Snows, Etc.

["Jonathan Brauer" <jonathb@uswest.net>]

Lurk mode off, please accept a few comments on recent threads, all rolled up
into one message.

RE: Wax. I asked the list about Zymol in the spring, as it was used by the
PO on my then-new 90q. I never received any recos/comments that convinced me
I should keep using it. 3 weeks ago I used Meguire's 7 then 26 on the 90q
(black), and was AMAZED at the results. Previous experience with the 26 was
on my 85 Scirocco (tornado red) and I was always happy then, too. Used the 7
based on posts on A4.org. I've been intrigued by Griot's clay, but to be
honest, it scares me a bit. Also on a whim, this spring I bought Eagle 1 Wet
liquid polish and paste wax and applied on my 96 Jetta (white) and was most
disappointed. The stuff's going in the trash after seeing the results of the
7/26 combo. I'm convinced of the 7/26 combo until someone says otherwise.
Also, I'm intrigued by the ads for SurLuster I see in Excellence... any
lister input on this product? (I'm beginning to realize I'm a sucker for car
wax/polish ads)

RE: Movies. 1. Ronin kicked ass. 2. Saw Grand Prix for the first time a
month or so ago when it was on SpeedVision and it was excellent, romance
sub-plot aside (kudos for showing it in letterbox). 3. The Rock: enjoyed the
Ferrari scene, but I can't stand to watch scenes like that -- trashing nice
cars is a crime, IMO. (side note: saw a 550 Maranello in the Minneapolis
area last week)

Sold my 91 90q 20v tonight (thank you to lister Erik Addy for the lead and
performing the buyer's inspection). I wasn't looking to sell, but I saw his
post looking for a car in my area and one thing led to another. I hope the
new owner enjoys the car as much as I did.

Dealers: Said sale (along with some good economic fortune) allows me to get
a new A4 1.8tq. I have spoken with 3 different dealers in my area and have
not had a bad experience with any, but I think my experience has been
different from the 'regular' car buyer:

Dealer 1:  My dad purchased his last 2 Audis from the same salesperson in
Fargo. I called the salesperson directly, told him what I want. He did a
search and I'll have to order the car. $1000 below MSRP is the standard
deal, but he'll go to $1500 because of my dad.

Dealer 2: Called the salesperson my dad met at the area auto show in the
spring, ditto dealer one, but he'll only go $1200 below MSRP.

Dealer 3: I've been to the same salesperson 3 times since I met them at the
auto show last spring. Extremely helpful and patient. Said the same $1000
below, but after mentioning dealer 1 I got to $1400 below, including a few
trinkets from the Audi catalog, 2 sets of floormats, and free loaners
(shoulda pushed for 1500). BTW, that nets out at about 7% above invoice, so
I'm pretty happy. (BTW, dealer 3 says the new S4 won't be here until fall
'99)

I guess the gist is that every salesperson was professional and courteous
and I have no complaints.

So I have a new A4 on order, and a few questions to ask the list.

--Any experience with StonGuard? Worthwhile? It appeals to me so much...
--What was decided on the 3M headlamp cover/film thread? Does it hold in too
much heat and crack the lens (even with standard bulbs)?
--First oil change: based on what I've read on A4.org, the first oil change
should wait until 7500, even though my gut tells me to change at 1000. Also,
at what point do I switch to Mobile1? 7500? 15000? What intervals do I
perform the changes after that? 5k suffice?
--I'm sure I'll have more questions as the delivery date gets closer. I
would like to get a 99.5 model because the minor changes all appeal to me,
but I can't be a one-car household for that long.

A few more miscellaneous ramblings, then I'm off.

Snows: I've had Blizzaks on my Jetta for the last 2 seasons going on 3 and
I'm quite satisfied with them. However, I plan on getting Hakks for the new
A4, and I'm currently undecided on a summer tire. Comments appreciated. And
for the record, I think Consumer Reports is full of it on a lot of stuff --
I'll look them up when I need to know what kind of dish soap to use, but
I'll trust my own ears on home theater speakers, thank you.

F1: God bless friggin' SpeedVision. TWO commercial breaks during the entire
race last night -- TWO!!! I really appreciate their doing that. I'm a Schu
fan, but I'm happy to see Mika win. My favorite part of the race was Mika's
pit stop after Schu went out, when a crew member gave him a congratulations
'pat-pat' on the head just before he pulled out.

World Rally Championship on Speed: Anybody else getting sucked into this?
(Sunday nights at 10:30 central) I guess I say 'sucked in' because it's the
first time I've been exposed to any of it. Also, does anybody else see the
irony when that Subaru ad that mocks the WRC is shown during WRC coverage
(the ad that asks "where the heck is Catalunya, anyway?")?

"Champions of Motorsport" on Speed: I'm a little late in my appreciation of
motorsport heritage and really enjoy this show (unless it's about that late
great NASCAR driver that never was). Does anybody know if there are episodes
that talk about q's specifically?

Valentine 1: I currently own a 3 year old model and am pleased as punch;
however, I'm thinking of getting the upgrade/update for $300. A new one is a
hundred bucks more; if after doing the math any lister out there would like
to make an offer on my elder V1, let me know and it'd be a win-win deal.

The List in general: Echoing some recent comments, since I subbed in the
spring I've learned a lot about all q's, even though I don't do any work on
them myself (except the cleaning/waxing). The list is a great resource and I
enjoy/appreciate everyone's posts (save the occasional out-of-control
thread). Every once in a while I think how odd it is that I know things like
if I ever have an UrQ, there's a guy named Phil in England who's employed
doing something with AS/400's, and he (seems to) knows practically
everything about UrQ's. Or the fact that a guy in Florida just got married
to Breeze a few weeks ago. Yet there's a cashier in the cafeteria at my work
who knows me and my mom (and that mom has breast cancer) but I have
absolutely no idea who this cashier is.

Pour the Lagavulin, lurk mode back on (I may lurk, but I appreciate any
comments).

--JB

Currently q-less

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