RE: Should I Buy a 1999 Audi A4 Quattro?

[Bresof_Craig <Bresof_Craig@videojet.com>]

     When it comes to dealer participation, remember the cust. satisfaction 
     survey....it does wonders as a bargaining tool, sometimes a downright 
     baseball bat of persuasion!!!  Audi dealers are p-----s, just like all 
     the rest, its just that they can flaunt the fact that they sell a 
     superior vehicle, but they need to back it up with absolute perfection 
     when it comes to service.  This is one point that AudiUSA needs to 
     work on ( according to the 98 survey ).
     
     CAB
     
     ...So, R.Bomberg, there's some grey showing through the silver lining, 
     nobody's perfect, but we're pretty close.


______________________________ Reply Separator
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Subject: Re: Should I Buy a 1999 Audi A4 Quattro?
Author:  "quinn@hns.com" [SMTP:quinn@hns.com] at INTERNET-MAIL
Date:    1/25/99 2:16 PM


Neil Bomberg wrote:
     
> However, I am concerned about the overall cost of maintenance of the 
Quattro vehicle.  The dealer
> indicated that tires must be rotated more regularly on the Quattro 
version then on the FrontTrak
> version and that it is important to replace all four tires rather than 
two, if one tire goes bad.  I
> am also concerned about the durability of the system.
     
Phil Payne responds:
     
>Ludicrous.  Tyres need to be rotated _LESS_ often than when one axle 
>is doing all the driving.  The quattro system automatically spreads 
>the wear.  Yes, you wind up replacing all four at once - but that's 
>because they all wear out at once.
     
Similarly Ti Kan responds:
     
>The dealer is not being honest here.  If anything, the tires need *less* 
>frequent rotation on a quattro because the rear wheels do part of the 
work.
>I think the factory recommended tire rotation schedule is the same on both 
>FWD and quattro.
     
Interesting thing is that here in the sunny US where the Audi warranty 
covers 3yrs service, I asked for the tyres to be rotated on my '97 A4Q 
at the 30K jobbie about 6 mos ago (Rockville Porsche-Audi, Maryland). 
The service (!) manager's response was that Audi doesn't cover tyre
rotations past an initial one at 1750 miles (I think he meant 7500 miles).
     
I didn't push it (or even check into it) since I had made the decision 
to change the OEM 205/55's for 225/50's anyway.  But it is certainly yet 
another dissenting opinion from Neil's dealer - and from another Audi 
dealer at that (not, of course, that that makes ANYTHING 'gospel').
     
-Mark Quinn