Re: Audi of America, are you listening?

[". ." <cobram@juno.com>]

Osman Parvez <oparvez1@nycap.rr.com> writes:

>   Ok I think you've made fair enough points that indeed Audi does 
>make efforts to improve existing parts for older models. 

Half assed efforts that are usually way too late, and little
known to even it's dealer mechanics.  Comparing things equally,
high end German to high end German, Audi doesn't even reach
the knees of companies like Mercedes.  With the very limited 
amount of work I do on Mercyless Benz, I almost always run
across the "you can't get that anymore, it's been upgraded to 
this new design" when buying parts. I was even pleasantly 
surprised once when working on a friends 300SDL to have the 
counter guy put me on hold, look up the Vin in the computer,
and tell me to bring the car in, that they would replace the
injector pump on their dime since it was a known problem.
This car had about 90K miles on it and was 10 years old.

I have run across design improvements in door hinges, clutches, 
torque converters, throttle bodies, water pumps, blower resistors 
etc. for the MB's.  On the V8Q, the only "improved" part I've come
across is the lock mechanism that doesn't break every week.  
And even then, you have to find a good counter man to give 
you ALL the parts you need to retrofit. Even if he does, you
have to figure out how to put in and adapt the improvement. 
I guess 5cents for a photocopy of installation instructions
would hurt Audi's bottom line too much.

I can guarantee one thing with 110% certainty, if Mercedes found
it's flagship had the inherent problems found on many V8Q's, 
such as the surging, the weak transmission, UFO brake problems, 
these would have been addressed by now, at NO cost to present 
owners, whether the car has 10 miles or 210K miles.  Audi treats 
the V8Q, their flagship for the better part of this decade, as 
a bastard child.

When the "new" bodystyle SL's came out in the late 1980's, they 
were supposed to have a tors*n equiped AWD model.  Had such 
a beast been produced, I know for sure there'd be a star on 
my trunk lid instead of the rings.  

BCNU,

Cobram@Juno.Com
http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Flats/1469/

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