door handle techniques and sympathy

[todd@qualmedoregon.com]

Just thought I'd cathartically get my Audi woes off my chest
from the last couple days.  On Saturday, I made an attempt
to fix my driver's door handle ('84 4kq) so I could open it
from the outside without having to give it three tugs.  It
looked like the problem was lack of travel, since if I push
the linkage further down, it releases easily.  Yes, I took
off the interior panel.  So I tried to alter the bends in
the linkage to give it a bit more length, but I seem to have
gone too far, since the door was jammed shut when I closed
it.  A locksmith pried at the latch from the inside and got
it open for me.  So yesterday, I tried to put a more mild
adjustment in the connecting rod, and broke it.  Now I'm
going to fabricate another one.  Still, the principle is
sound, and it's saving me the cost of a whole door handle.
(The locksmith charged $5, and door handles cost anywhere
from $35+shipping to $72 at the dealer.)  The other doors
only need lubrication, but the driver's door handle must
simply be so worn or bent that the lever doesn't push the
linkage far enough at the end of its travel.  If you're
mechanically inclined and think you need a new door handle,
you might consider my technique.

As if that wasn't enough, I had a squealing belt, so I
replaced them both.  (The previous owner did an A/C delete.)
It was fine at first, and then started screeching like a
banshee the next day.  Yesterday, it went quiet, and like
an idiot, I didn't investigate.  Today it left me stranded,
and I got myself a flatbed tow. (Don't tow a quattro on two
wheels!)  Turns out the belt flipped over, and my alternator
was no longer charging my battery.  I'll fix that tonight,
and hopefully I can find the right diameter of metal rod to
make new linkage out of.  

Please excuse the long dissertation.  Hopefully someone
will learn from the door handle story.