Re: Subject: Re: the Bose Towering Inferno--still simmering?

[DeWitt Harrison <de@aztek-eng.com>]

At 02:24 PM 12/22/1999 EST, JasonC wrote:
>Hey you guys are seriously scaring the crap out of me.  I installed a 91 200 
>BOSE stereo in my 89 200.  It could be a 90 but I'm not sure.  
>
>What I am getting from you guys is that our cars are basically time bomb 
>ready to go off anytime.  People lugging around fire ex. and peoples cars 
>catching on fire.  This sounds like it is really serious.  I am one that love 
>the BOSE sound.  (Dont hit me).  Is the BOSE stereo problem only occur in the 
>91 model and how can I tell if mine is the 91 model BOSE system?  
>
>I have recently seen a 91 200t20v with a burn int. in the back seat and it 
>truely puzzled me.  But now I know why.  

The ideal thing would be a recall since that would reach the widest audience,
so to speak. The next best thing would be to find out from Bose how to
to identify units at risk. Phil's mechanic's contact with a Bose field engineer
sounds somewhat promising although this engineer, or Bose itself for that
matter, probably would not be in a position to go on record with specifics
while Audi is still holding out. A supplier just can't do that kind of thing to
a major customer. I suppose we can hope for, or work toward an off-the-record
leak from some unknown source within Bose which would provide the lot
numbers of the faulty circuit board assemblies and to identify the suspect
component. (Take a Bose engineer to lunch today!) A class action product
liablity suit having to do with inadequately fused electrical equipment
also seems plausible but y'all already knew that.

Perhaps there is some legwork that could be done in the meanwhile. If we had
a couple of samples of partly damaged Bose speaker/amps, we could figure out
which cap is frying on our own. I'm also curious whether the Audi P/N
version suffix letters would show that a particular version was used only in
the 91 200s. I don't have the album with me today.

DeWitt Harrison
Boulder, CO
88 5kcstq