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On the other hand, the 1.8T that I'm driving right now feels so solid at 80 mph that I'm forever thankful for cruise control.
I recently got an average mpg of 38.9 doing highway driving, and hitting all the stoplights just right. The trip was about 65 miles, most of them with the cruise set at about 56 or 57 mph. When I turned off onto the county 2-lane, I'm afraid that I put a bit more foot into it, and lost the fabulous reading. That's ok, though. These are roads in southern Indiana that I drove with my driver's ed. instructor, and ever since that time, and I sure had fun. The car just dips into turns and powers out of them like none other. It's truly an exciting vehicle. What makes it even better is knowing that I can drive a hell of a long way and still not need to tank up.
River Road between Camel and Noblesville used to be pretty good, but it's getting built up and there are more people out power-walking. It'd still be decent in the middle of the night, after you'd learned it in the daytime.
Bottom Road from Highway 37 (Just north of Bloomington) through Modesto and up to where it becomes Dittemore Road is nicely twisty, wooded, and dips up and down through ravines and ridges beautifully. It's another double-yellow, though, with poor visibility. I drove it a lot faster when I was eighteen and indestructible. Now, I'm more interested in my kids having a father than my wife having an insurance payout.
There's a road in Northern Indiana, the name of which I have no idea, where I did my high-speed run in the Eclipse GSX I had some years ago. At that time, it was straight, freshly paved, with visibility for about ten miles. It's somewhere between Ft. Wayne and Logansport.
The road from Highway 31 that leads into Culver Military Academy is straight for a long ways, then you turn right onto this nice little twister that takes you along the shore of Lake Maxinkuckee and right into the middle of the campus. I likes that one right fine, too.
Rocco, did your parents ever decide on a new car? Mine just put down a deposit on an I30. I'm disappointed that they didn't wait 'til the new A4s were out, but it seems like they wanted something plusher too, not just bigger, and didn't want to shell out the extra $$$ for a 2.8.
schwitzer - I don't know anything about it, either. Billy is our man with the info.
Being that the car is 1 year old w/ 18K miles, I would expect to save AT LEAST $4-5K off list.
Like mmcbride stated - almost half of the warranty is already gone!
Louie-- I think that AoA performance up-grade topic was all speculation and rumor which stemmed from the discussion that Binyan and Billy were having awhile ago. I too, haven't read anything that substantiates that AoA has any intention of offering their own up-grades to ECU or chips or whatever ...I agree, it would be interesting if they are considering doing something like that. Billy said that he'd check at the quattro challenge so I guess we'll just wait until we hear from him as to what they say there.
Karen-- My folks haven't yet decided on a car. I'm still trying to convince them to see if they can pick up an '01 A6 but they don't seem too enthusiastic. They want Japanese reliability and "value" (an individual judgment, I suppose) but are still open-minded enough to consider an A6 but they look at the reliability ratings which Consumer Reports lists and shake their heads ...then they see all the Japanese makes with their red dot circles and say: "jeez, isn't this a no-brainer??" as they point to an Infiniti, Acura or Lexus. But I think that your parents probably made the right choice in that if it's "plush" they want, then the I30 sounds like a very good choice! Plush and reliable, plus Infiniti dealers have a very good reputation of service which is definitely a factor for "older" people (wait a sec... to most of the others on this board, I'm an "older" person *ugh*) to consider. Congratulate your parents for me, Karen, and we'll see how they like it and then maybe I'll reconsider what I try to sell my parents on!
As for the brake pad issue: no, as Billy and others said, I don't think that we'll really be able to dectect the performance characteristics of after-market pads enough to really make that much of a difference. I think I read somewhere (and Ken seems to back that up) that in the '01 models, the wet braking issue (even on stock brakes) has been corrected. I'll do some more research on Mintex, etc. and let you know what I find.
Ken-- yes, let us know what Audi has in mind to help with the brake dust!
Opps, gotta run but here are a few links for anybody that hasn't seen them:
Funny! Acura A4????? http://www.carsfast.net/Audi/A4.html
Anybody who hasn't gone to the AoA website lately: http://www.audiusa.com/a4-preview/index_nonflash
Here is the mini-brochure that I have on my hard drive but haven't figured out how to post from the NY auto show. Someone on Vortex posted a URL which someone evidently transferred to a site; it takes some time to load: http://www.geocities.com/turtlepowwa/
--'rocco
Ride/Handling - :-) That's all I am going to say.
I can't wait till I get some new tires on this thing (the OEM Goodyears are almost gone). Now I know what I've been missing all those years driving the Legend and the RL...
Sound system - why do manufacturers insist on stuffing Bose systems in their cars and call them premium sound?
While not too bad, the Bose Concert system is just so-so (maybe 5/6 on a scale to 10). The lows are too "boomy" at low(er) listening levels, and at higher levels, they seem to disappear. I guess the saying "no replacement for displacement" (in this case woofer size) holds true.
As far as mileage goes, I am getting ~28mpg (according to the trip computer).
That's 90% highway driving.
After tires, APR 1.0 bar here I come!!!
What else can I say - LIFE IS GOOD!
Anyhow, yup I didn't have time to do research or check out AW or VW Vortex or local gatherings (just missed a Krispy Kreme run, darn it). There's another smaller gathering this weekend and I'll see what I can find out about the AoA chip. And yes I definitely will check that out in the Quattro Challenge on Sept 8 and see if they're willing to admit or even hint about the AoA chip.
I started to get tired of the squealing Eagle tires.....you can feel that the car has a lot of potential and you still got decent traction.....but your passengers are either laughing or freaking out cuz the tires squeal like crazy. Ahhhh.....
Billy
--'rocco
I know it's a long shot, but why not ask?
1.8T: Pros- Better gas mileage, Top 10 engine, because of turbo it give better 'sense of acceleration' in city driving, less expen$ive car
Cons- Noisy at highway speeds, prone to more problems and shorter life than a normal aspirated engine
2.8 (3.0) Pros- More HP, faster acceleration at highway speeds
Cons- poorer gas mileage, not a top 10 engine, more expen$ive car, 3.0 is new and 'unproven'.
When I first began researching Audi, several folks mentioned that they chose the 1.8T because it was a less expensive car, but if they had to do it over again they would have gotten the 2.8. Most everyone as I recall that had a 2.8 recommended it to those shopping for an A4.
Your opinions are welcome.
Thanks.
The issues about turbos being prone to more problems is yet another myth about reliability. We are not in the 80's anymore...
I've seen a couple of true cases over audiworld, most of the others are because people abused their cars (after chipping them).
phill
Another impression: It seems like many of the people who got the 1.8T and wished they'd gotten a 2.8 had the 150-hp 1.8T. The 1.8T and 2.8 are quite comparable now in horsepower. The V6 will certainly give you a different feel than the turbocharged engine, though, so then the choice boils down to whether you want more of a "kick" in acceleration -- a sportier ride -- or a smoother ride. Like Billy, I prefer the sporty sound and feel of the turbocharged 4-cylinder.
Anyway, I'm very happy with my 2001.5 1.8T and am confident that it's going to be a reliable car. Just my $.02....
And I don't know if you can necessarily consider the 2.8 and the new 3.0 of the same ilk either ...it seems like the 3.0 shares very few components from its 2.8 predecessor. Some of the improvements that I can remember, aside from its increased power and efficiency, are 1) aluminum block, 2) lighter pistons, 3) a balancer shaft, 4) new camshaft adjustments, 5) new two-position variable intake manifold and 6) new Bosch electronic throttle. It sounds like a terrific new engine! ...one I may someday consider as a possible alternative to my favorite 2.7T *drools*
And although I'm not a fan of automatic trannys, can you imagine what a smooth and powerful combination that 3.0 with the multitronic cvt tranmission will be?? wow! ...now if technology allows it to be someday mated with quattro, then I just may consider it!!
--'rocco
--'rocco
--'rocco
I drove my buddy's 200hp Prelude (5-speed) this past weekend at San Fran and I am so happy with the turbos on our cars. Just like any Honda, you need to keep the rev way up there around 4500 rpm to have fun with it, while we can do it at around 2000 rpm. Plus with the cooler temp at San Fran (avg summer daily temp range is like 50-70F), I'm sure driving turbo cars there will be a sure joy.
Billy
--'rocco
phill
Some people are having transmission problem, can you guys tell me what are the symptoms of transmission problem. I only have 400 miles on it.
My 5-speed doesn't make any noises like that, but I've never sat in one with the tip.
My Audi never faltered. At this point, I am more than willing to lump the theory that "turbo engines are troublesome" with the rest of them "old wives tales"
However, I do have a problem that I hope somebody can help me with. My Audi has developed a distinct taste for music
Blacktulip, wow now that's interesting. Mmmm....I haven't got that with 8.5k miles on mine YET. The only glitch I got was that one night when I started the car, the stereo won't come on at all no matter what I do. Next morning I pulled out the fuse thinking all nite that gotta be it, nope the fuse wasn't blown. Anyhow I wiped it clean and plugged it back in the right side up (there's no right side but the Amp number on it was flipped), and wah-la it came back to life. I don't think that will help you but heck, I don't think the service guys can help you either. It's just those little things that bug ya. You need to sit down and ask your Audi quietly which music it hates or likes LOL. By the way, does it really like certain kinds and dislike certain kinds? The only thing I can think of is, maybe the Amp can't produce a certain pitch and just static comes out. Not an expert on this, sorry.
Billy
I know that there was one cd that I got at our library that had what looked like either old chewing gum or dried KY jelly on it, and it got stuck inside my player (in another car), and I had to use my Leatherman Tool to get it out.
Seriously...check for scratches or nicks on the cd.
Here are my questions:
(1) Is there an upgrade available designed to turn the 150 hp 1.8T (like on the 2000) into a 170 hp 1.8T (like on the 2001/2002)? I'm not looking to turn it into a hotrod, just wanting to bring it's performance up to today's standards.
(2) Are there factory or 2nd source extended warranties available for Audis approaching the end of normal factory warranty?
Thanks in advance folks. Hope to hear from you soon.
As far as the updating of the ECU goes, I guess we will have to wait and see if Mike (mmcbride1) is right when he hopes that the "silent recall" will apply to all of us that have either 150 or 170 hp engines to have the option of upgrading the ECU to the newly mapped 180 hp version.
My online travels through different boards about cars has pointed me to a variety of after-market extended warranty providers. I've also heard that there is an actual Audi extended warranty called Audi Assured Extended Warranty but haven't been able to find any information about it online ...I'm guessing the only way to find out more about it is to contact a dealership. Of all the after-market warranties, the following three have (in order of favorable reports that I've read) appear to have the best reputations:
1) http://www.geautowarranty.com
2) http://www.warrantygold.com
3) http://warrantybynet.com/
There are several others but I've read some real horror stories about them. I've even seen the above three mentioned on AudiWorld with better comments than the others that I'm purposely not mentioning.
But I'm counting on you, Ken, to be one of the first to be posting impressions on the new '02 so let's not prematurely talk about your current car just yet! ;-b
--'rocco
There are several ECU upgrades available, ranging from 0.8 bar chips from i.e. Neuspeed (giving ~180 HP), to 1 bar "chips" from companies like GIAC, APR, Wettenauer (sp?) which give ~200 HP. Those cost from ~$200 (for Neuspeed) to about $400-$500 (for the 1 bar upgrades). If you want more, there is a Stage 3 upgrade from APR running $4K, which results in ~280HP (and massive torque on top of that
For more information, check this out:
http://audiport.com/survey/survey-main.htm
Good luck!
First, are the Xenon Lights a factory or dealer installed option…haven’t seen any in the lots w/ Xenon Lights.
Second, I’m a big fan of the Santorin Blue, but the dealer closest to me only has a manual w/ the Sports Pkg (which I wasn’t planning on getting since I live in New England). Are snow/all purpose tires necessary? If so what’s a good estimate of the cost of tires and rims for the winter and will a dealer do an exchange or is that completely unheard of?
Thanks for the feedback! This is a great site that has already been able to answer a lot of my initial Audi questions.
If you get the sports package, you'll definitely need snows or at least all-seasons for the winter. Figure $500 or so for a set of 4 snow tires with steel rims and hubcaps. More if you want alloys for the snows, too.
I have no idea if the dealers will swap tires, but I kind of doubt it.
Also I don't think dealers will swap your summer and winter tires for free. The best solution (I think) is to buy them from local tire shops like National Tire and Battery. The price already includes lifetime rotation and balancing of the tires. I bet you can go in before winter and tell them to balance your winter tires and tell them to mount for free. I used them for my previous car and they never charged me anything on any service (even includes patching a flat tire) since I bought the rims and tires from them.
Billy