vik

99.5 volcano/opal 1.8tqms, all-weather, sport seats, roof. <p><b> Dislikes: </b><p>1. There's a weird juddering sort of resonance from the sunroof between 40 and 55-60 mph when all the windows are closed and the sunroof is fully open. I can move the resonance around by closing the roof one notch or two, or by cracking the rear windows, but it's a little bit of a PITA.<p>2. I still haven't found the right seating arrangement. I really need maybe 1/2" more headroom, even with the seat all the way down and back. With a helmet on, I had to set my neck at about a 10 degree camber angle. Also, with the wheel where I like it, the top third of the speedo gets cut off.<p>3. I'm having all kinds of trouble getting the 1-2 shift to go smoothly. This one's on me, not on the car.<p>4. No place to put a McDonald's super size coke.<p>5. The seatback recline is a PITA to adjust.<p>6. It's nearly impossible to bring the center armrest down from its upright position while driving.<p>7. The door panel design is going to make it *awfully* expensive to install 6.5" speakers.<p>----------------<p><b> Likes: </b><p>ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? This car is freakin' PHENOMENAL!! I think I spent more time in the driver's seat than out of it this past weekend. I love driving it, I love sitting in its passenger's seat, hell, I love just sitting in the car while it's off! This one was well worth the wait....<p>---------------<p><b> Funny story: </b><p>I picked up the car on Friday, drove it for a couple hours, and then came back home because I was expecting some friends to come up to visit. While waiting for them, I spent my time reading the owner's manual. I got to page 136 when they came, at which point I put it down and subsequently forgot to put it in the car.<p>On Saturday, we drove out to Atlantic City in the A4 (gotta kill that first 1000!), and on the way back, at about 11PM, just shy of Philly, the fuel light went on. No problem -- I went down to a Mobil station near home for my very first fill-up. I hopped out, and since I had so conscientiously read the first 136 pages of the manual, I knew to double-click the remote unlock button to unlock the fuel filler door. I walked around the car, and noticed that there was no notch in the side sheetmetal to get my finger under the fuel filler door to pull it open. So I figured, well, there must be a fuel filler door release button in the cabin, and went to look for it.<p>I looked on the floor by the driver's seat, on the b-pillar, in the glove box, on the steering column, *everywhere*. My three friends got out, and all four of us were crawling all over the car for 10 minutes looking for the fuel filler door release button. The Mobil guys must have been laughing their @$$es off... Anyway, (as all y'all could probably guess) we couldn't find the damn fuel filler door release button. So I said, to hell with it, we're gonna drive home and get the damn manual and find out exactly where the damn fuel filler door release button is.<p>So we all pile into the car, and drive off. At the first light, we coincidentally pull up next to another A4 (pearlescent -- very beautiful at night!). So I frantically roll down my window and yell out, "Hey! I just got this car! How do you open the fuel filler door?!" The two people in the other A4 get instant looks of recognition on their faces, and the passenger yells out, "You've got to push the unlock button on the door twice!", before the light turns green and they have to drive away. I took that to mean that the *door* unlock button would pop the fuel filler door, as opposed to the *remote* unlock button. We make a u-turn and head back to the Mobil in triumph, congratulating ourselves for not missing out on something stupidly obvious after all -- who could have guessed that the door button and the remote button did different things?<p>Back at the Mobil, my friends all pile out of the car because they wanted to ceremonially watch that damn fuel filler door pop open when I double-clicked the door button. With much fanfare, I pushed the button twice.<p>Nothing.<p>I pushed it twice fast. I pushed it twice slow. I pushed it twice with the key in the ignition; with the key out; with the key in and the door open; with the door halfway latched; with the key out, the door closed, and my left hand on my right knee while singing the Star-Spangled Banner. Nothing. <p>So we all pile into the car, and drive off after the manual again. By this time, I figure the Mobil guys are rolling on the floor. Just before we pull onto the main road, one of my friends suddenly gets a bright idea -- what if we *push* on the fuel filler door instead of trying to *pull* it? In desperation, we pull *back* into the Mobil station (whose employees are surely howling by now...), and all pile out of the car. I get there first, and tentatively give the leading edge of the fuel filler door a push.<p>Son of a bitch.<p><i>Epilogue:</i> When we got back home, out of curiosity, I picked up the owner's manual and opened to page 136 (where I had stopped reading the day before). I started turning pages, and there, bright as day, was a beautiful picture of a hand pushing on the leading edge of the fuel filler door, and it opening smooth as silk. On page 142. Son of a bitch.<p><br>-vik<br>99.5 1.8tqms (equipped with a perfectly functional fuel filler door and a very humbled owner :-P)

Mike Ivanitsky

Same thing happened to me, taking a test drive!

Steve Olsen

For the newbies... ROTFL is "Rolling On The Floor Laughing". =)<p>Steve Olsen<br>Volcano/Onyx '99.5 1.8TQMS<br>

Cris

Had that same filler door problem. Luckily, the manual was right there. I felt SO stupid after reading on how to open the filler door. My parents and girlfriend were laughing at me as I stood there stareing a filler door. <p>The sunroof problem... it's really not a problem, the manual states that you will need to crack open the rear window just a bit.<p>Have fun driving your car!<p>Cris<br>

ErikR

The resonance is a bugger, really makes my head hurt. Long torsos and tall folks should definitely opt out of the sunroof.

Hugh H

Dislikes: <p>{{{ 1. There's a weird juddering... }}}<p>A low but rapid "thrumming", right? Wife's 1990 Audi 80 does the same thing. Opening the right rear window 1"-2" seems to be the least instrusive fix.<p><br>{{{ 2. I...really need maybe 1/2" more headroom... [and even more] With a helmet... }}}<p>Got the moonroof, right? There's where your 1/2" was lost. FWIW, some autocross event managers really don't like it when you try to drive with the sunroof open to let your helmet stick through, so keep an eye on this. FWIW, I have the same problem with my 911 and its sunroof on the track.<p><br>-hh<br>

Andy Hedin

Vik...Great story and congrats on the car, I look forward to seeing it

Rob MacK

Thanks Vik: I needed a good laugh! Now wait till you recode the ECU and find out the key has to be taken out of the ignition in order for the fuel door to unlock

Audiboy

I never read my manual (even up to now) but I guess I got lucky because the first time I filled up the car, I was standing on the gas pump island and I sorta lost my balance and used the car to balance me, but I luckily pushed the fuel door in doing so, and pretended that it was an intentional action

Brian T

very funny - reminds me when borrowing friend's car and spent 45 min trying to find reverse on a VW man transmission!