All Change!

[jediali]

Originally Posted by SlickHolden

Nice set of wheels you have there, I don't mind the Audi's there always a nice car.
Is that right full electrics but no power windows Did someone at the dealers leave them out?.

i guess the original buyer was scottish - tight. 2004 saw many upgrades that would solve the problem though.

[SlickHolden]

Originally Posted by jediali

i guess the original buyer was scottish - tight. 2004 saw many upgrades that would solve the problem though.

That's what i said about the first owner of my car why didn't they pay the extra for Traction Control.. They might have been Scottish a swell.
Can you have the power windows fitted if you wont?.

[jediali]

it would be a pain. all the driver orientated extras are there. the esp, electric seats too. and 6 airbags too.

[Clivey]

Originally Posted by jediali

it would be a pain. all the driver orientated extras are there. the esp, electric seats too. and 6 airbags too.

It's simply not worth the cost. As the driver, when are you going to want the REAR window down anyway? Especially when your car has AC.

[jediali]

well quite.

A few niggles after 6 weeks of ownership:
the electric socket is on the right of the hand break, good for LH steering, bad for RH steering, 1/2 gear slightly notchy, engine is initially less refined at turbo kick in, ie usual driving rpm. That side light is bust..dammit. The trip computer is bipolar, my tank range can apparently vary from 300miles to 500miles on a rather normal journey - however i nearly always get 400m/tank. The filler tunnel confuses a petrol pump nozzle so you have to fill the tank with nozzle above the narrow flap valve thingy-takes twice as long. I think thats it...

other than that this car has turned out to be a very capable people/load lugger. For example I drove back from Grantown on spey (a combination of windy A roads and motorway cruising) with 4 passangers, all their luggage and a keyboard in the boot (no the passengers where not in the boot). The car seemed to allow me to drive fairly fast yet allow the passengers a quiet and refined experience. All while doing 35 mpg which aint bad.

[Clivey]

Originally Posted by jediali

well quite.

A few niggles after 6 weeks of ownership:
the electric socket is on the right of the hand break, good for LH steering, bad for RH steering, 1/2 gear slightly notchy, engine is initially less refined at turbo kick in, ie usual driving rpm. That side light is bust..dammit. The trip computer is bipolar, my tank range can apparently vary from 300miles to 500miles on a rather normal journey - however i nearly always get 400m/tank. The filler tunnel confuses a petrol pump nozzle so you have to fill the tank with nozzle above the narrow flap valve thingy-takes twice as long. I think thats it...

I had that in my Corsa. Check the level of gearbox oil and remember that the oil will be affected by the lower temperatures at this time of year. When the temperature rises, that problem should disappear. At least, that's the way it worked with my car.

Is it just the bulb that's gone in the sidelight? If so, it's hardly a deal-breaker and it's not too hard to fix. - It's not as if the car has an actual fault.

As far as the other niggles go, you're bound to find some on practically any car. The main thing is that you concentrate on enjoying the car...

Originally Posted by jediali

other than that this car has turned out to be a very capable people/load lugger. For example I drove back from Grantown on spey (a combination of windy A roads and motorway cruising) with 4 passangers, all their luggage and a keyboard in the boot (no the passengers where not in the boot). The car seemed to allow me to drive fairly fast yet allow the passengers a quiet and refined experience. All while doing 35 mpg which aint bad.

...like so.

[Waugh-terfall]

Well, changing bulbs in the Audi's can be a bit of a task. The current A6 has to be taken into the workshop because the front wings have to be removed. The old one however had some very nasty clips to open and a cover to remove, if it's on the right side the air intake also has to be removed. An especially annoying task when all you want to do is flick the switch on each light when going between Britain and Mainland Europe.

[Clivey]

Originally Posted by Waugh-terfall

Well, changing bulbs in the Audi's can be a bit of a task. The current A6 has to be taken into the workshop because the front wings have to be removed. The old one however had some very nasty clips to open and a cover to remove, if it's on the right side the air intake also has to be removed. An especially annoying task when all you want to do is flick the switch on each light when going between Britain and Mainland Europe.

Another reason that mounting the engine right behind the headlights is a bad idea.

[jediali]

well the air intake is on the left and blocking access to the bulb slots (the engine itself isnt blocking it). Is not a problem right now though...

[jediali]

Just took a trip down to Glasgow this weekend to see the chemical brothers with a friend. We drove over the ski slopes (A93 - where there was some snow - shock horror) and the car was awesome, lots of grip and plenty of traction control light flickering (switched it off momentarily in the empty ski lift car park and had a bit of fun too).

The best part for me was a small 18 mile stretch between the Spittal of Glenshee and Blairgowrie - the road I learned to drive on. The audi although heavy made steady progress remarkably easy and rewarded good driving lines with plenty of grunt, grip and feedback. The rain was quite heavy so i wasnt going uber fast, but the nature of the controls and high speed stability was really appreciated.

Also encountered a small snow storm on the motorway between Perth and Edinburgh (Matra might remember this snow flurry on Saturday afternoon) and the car was impressive again. I was very worried about some drivers braking liberally, but managed to make safe progress without doing 30mph.

Having made a brief visit in Edinburgh we pushed on to Glasgow and while the Audi's ride is hardly soft, the noise insulation and new smooth dual carriageway (M8) made the cabin very quiet, ideal for enjoying the 11 speaker stereo.

The Sunday morning return trip was less exciting but we managed to pop in too see my sister in Abernyte, who as mentioned recently, just boought a nearly new Golf GTI. pictures below (sorry about my cameras wrong time); and my sister refused to be in the picture or let me drive her car, she is very protective...i will work at this though! I particularly want a shot because of its DSG box'.

I'd love to try the trip again and see if the A4 competition (3-series, c-class, x-type etc) could be as good alround, i don't want to be a fanboy and lose perspective .

[hightower99]

Very very cool ride Jediali.

1.8T FTW as they say...

It sounds like you are enjoying the 140kW, which is good. If you ever feel like you want more then it is a pretty simple task.

personally I agree with the general consensus that it is a cruiser and not a sportscar (which isn't a bad thing at all ) so if it was me i would just do some minor stuff in the engine bay.

[Quiggs]

Do Want

[Ferrer]

I hadn't seen it yet.

Very nice car Craig.

[jediali]

A wee update.

Drove a 600 mile round trip to Stockton and back over the new year. I expected the car to shine at this. Quietness and comfort was good over this distance, the seats really help here. I managed just over 40mpg for the journey which is probably good since audi themselves quote an extra-urban value below this. Its hard to keep this up though and as soon as I hit busier traffic and lower speeds I start to hover round 30mpg.

Coming up the dual carriageway last Thursday was a bit of an experience due to snow showers and slippery road. The outer lane was mostly unused and therefore covered in about 1/2 -1 inch fresh snow, on a couple of points overtaking was necesarry and again i was glad of traction control and 4wd. While there is no substition for common sense and experience the audi was so much more confidence inspiring and planted at the point where traction is limited. So for example on a normal road a quick left-right on the steering wheel would give you a sharp oscilation of the car and reveal the stiff suspension, however on the road i was on this would result in the car rotating around the middle as i went along. My point is that this is the only sign in the audi that you have less traction, other than slightly lighter steering. If anything its a little less exciting because it makes driving in worse conditions feel like your in normal conditions. The traction control interfiers fairly late but the abs is intrusive as always. If on a road with lots of snow you use a lot of throttle (or full) the TC will limit engine throttle as speed and traction allow the car to speed up.

I suspect however that my old car was better in snow in that it braked better and its narrower tyres found grip under the snow better.

Having replaced the bust sidelight it has blown again. I think im going to ignore it for now. I will just use dipped mode like the scandanavians if needed. Im annoyed a little that my wheels have a few little scratches (were not there when i got it), even though i have not kerbed anything as far as i know.The black interior shows dirt and general crumbs very easily so regular hoovering is a bit annoying. Outside though the car requires less washing than i expected and still everytime i get in it, it feels special.

I think thats it for now

[Clivey]

Originally Posted by jediali

Having replaced the bust sidelight it has blown again. I think im going to ignore it for now. I will just use dipped mode like the scandanavians if needed.

What do you think the problem is? Something must be causing the bulbs to blow.

Originally Posted by jediali

Im annoyed a little that my wheels have a few little scratches (were not there when i got it), even though i have not kerbed anything as far as i know.

Yes, I have a few very tiny scratches on mine (surface, could have been caused by a brush) and one small chip out of one where someone's just chinked a kerb. If any of the other cars in the family need work doing on their wheels, I'll call "Chips Away" or similar and have them recondition the wheels. They're barely noticeable, even under examination as they are though.