A few incredibly incredibly nebulous questions from a newbie considering a 2000 TT . . .
08-03-2001, 11:37 AM
#11
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I feel The same way! I'm Glad I didn't upgrade.. in fact... I'm Glad it came with out ESP!...
... in fact I Got on a waiting list behind 8 people in May 2000 for a 2001 225 Quattro Coupe. The Salesman promised a 7-8 month Wait. One Week Later I got a call " We have a 225 here that four people have passed on and we can get a hold of anybody else." Although I don't believe everything the salesman says, I truly believe that people did pass on it because it did not have ESP. I am Glad They Did!
I wonder if any one here decided to wait for a 2001 model with ESP. Humm?
I wonder if any one here decided to wait for a 2001 model with ESP. Humm?
08-03-2001, 11:40 AM
#13
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My opinions on ESP (Here we go again! :)
Anyways, nobody seems to agree with me on this, but I love ESP. I've never had it interfere during normal driving. If I turn it off, I notice VERY little difference in the way the car handles on dry pavement.
In the snow, that's a completely different story...I feel MUCH safer with ESP on. Here's my story: This past New Year's Eve, I was cruising through a neighborhood at around 30 mph on my way to a party. There's a pretty tight turn down the road, and normally, 30 mph is plenty slow to take the turn, but not this night. There was a patch of ice in the curve that I never saw, but the car found it just fine. Well, I started heading straight for the curb on the opposite side of the road which is lined with trees and stuff that tends to break cars when I hear the ESP system kick in. Next thing I know, I'm heading around the curve just fine after a little jolt from the ESP system that set me straight. There's no way I could have saved that on my own, but ESP did an amazing job.
I've never understood what the big deal is with all the opposition to ESP since you can just turn it off when you want to have fun. I leave it on all the time except when I want to have a little more fun...Like when racing. I think of it as cheap insurance the rest of the time.
Of course, there's a lot of people here who hate it because they can't spin the tires with it on, or they can't come sideways through a corner in their neighborhood. Depends on which type you are.
In the snow, that's a completely different story...I feel MUCH safer with ESP on. Here's my story: This past New Year's Eve, I was cruising through a neighborhood at around 30 mph on my way to a party. There's a pretty tight turn down the road, and normally, 30 mph is plenty slow to take the turn, but not this night. There was a patch of ice in the curve that I never saw, but the car found it just fine. Well, I started heading straight for the curb on the opposite side of the road which is lined with trees and stuff that tends to break cars when I hear the ESP system kick in. Next thing I know, I'm heading around the curve just fine after a little jolt from the ESP system that set me straight. There's no way I could have saved that on my own, but ESP did an amazing job.
I've never understood what the big deal is with all the opposition to ESP since you can just turn it off when you want to have fun. I leave it on all the time except when I want to have a little more fun...Like when racing. I think of it as cheap insurance the rest of the time.
Of course, there's a lot of people here who hate it because they can't spin the tires with it on, or they can't come sideways through a corner in their neighborhood. Depends on which type you are.
08-03-2001, 11:41 AM
#16
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Re: I am glad I did not spend the money on the ESP upgrade
At first I wasn't going to go for the ESP retrofit, but decided to do it anyway after finding out that they wouldn't change my car's suspension and that you can turn ESP off. I'm happy with it.
I figured that it might be better for the general resale/trade-in value of the car. On the other hand there might be a few people who would be willing to pay a premium for not having ESP.
BTW, I have one of those in-between TTs. My roadster came with spoiler, but without ESP.
--chbj
2001 225TTR
1999 2.8 A4 Avant Quattro
I figured that it might be better for the general resale/trade-in value of the car. On the other hand there might be a few people who would be willing to pay a premium for not having ESP.
BTW, I have one of those in-between TTs. My roadster came with spoiler, but without ESP.
--chbj
2001 225TTR
1999 2.8 A4 Avant Quattro
08-03-2001, 11:49 AM
#19
News article on ESP recall: Only 700 of 12,000 eligible TTers took the ESP.
Copyright 2001 The San Diego Union-Tribune
The San Diego Union-Tribune
May 12, 2001, Saturday
SECTION: AUTO;Pg. WHEELS-5
LENGTH: 437 words
HEADLINE: U.S. Audi owners indifferent to retrofit
BYLINE: AUTOMOTIVE NEWS
BODY:
AVON, Colo. -- Audi of America has begun retrofitting electronic stabilization systems on TT Coupes and TT Roadsters sold in the United States and Canada, but the makeshift assembly line in Houston will not get much work.
No more than 700 TT owners of the 12,000 eligible have accepted the company's offer for the retrofit, says Len Hunt, vice president of Audi of America.
Most TT owners in Germany have had the retrofit, but in the United States, the reaction has been one of indifference.
"It's really not a safety issue here," says Hunt. "Those TT owners who are asking for the retrofit want it mostly as a performance additive for their car. They want the latest technology."
Audi of America is following the lead of its parent company, Audi AG, which in early February offered to install the electronic stabilization program, or ESP, to quell mounting concerns in Germany over the car's stability at high speeds.
The TT's stability came into question after five people died in high-speed crashes in Germany late last year. Audi investigated and determined the car was safe but offered the retrofit anyway.
Hunt wanted TT owners in the United States and Canada to have the same opportunity. He settled on a facility at Audi's port in Houston, one of five ports where Audis arrive from Europe and are shipped to dealers.
Audi's electronic stabilization program senses and corrects oversteer or understeer by regulating engine power and brakes.
Since TT owners never clamored for the electronic stability program in the United States, Hunt estimated that 10 percent would take Audi up on its offer. But not even 6 percent have done so.
Audi dealer Adolf Stammler, who owns Stammler Imports in Boulder, Colo., says there has been no rush of customers wanting the retrofit. "So far, I've only had five takers, and we've already sent those cars off to Houston," says Stammler, a member of the Audi National Dealers Council. "We have different driving conditions in this country. We don't routinely drive 120 mph here."
Some equipment that was used to retrofit the electronic stabilization program on cars in Germany was shipped to Houston. About 30 people, mostly from Germany, are working in the Houston facility.
Audi of America has told TT owners about the retrofit. The owners are told to contact a call center at Audi of America's headquarters in Auburn Hills, Mich., to schedule a date for the retrofit. Owners leave the vehicle at their dealership and get a free loaner there.
The dealerships, Stammler says, fill out an inspection report and then put it on a truck bound for Houston.
GRAPHIC: 1 PIC; (Audi)
LOAD-DATE: May 16, 2001
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The San Diego Union-Tribune
May 12, 2001, Saturday
SECTION: AUTO;Pg. WHEELS-5
LENGTH: 437 words
HEADLINE: U.S. Audi owners indifferent to retrofit
BYLINE: AUTOMOTIVE NEWS
BODY:
AVON, Colo. -- Audi of America has begun retrofitting electronic stabilization systems on TT Coupes and TT Roadsters sold in the United States and Canada, but the makeshift assembly line in Houston will not get much work.
No more than 700 TT owners of the 12,000 eligible have accepted the company's offer for the retrofit, says Len Hunt, vice president of Audi of America.
Most TT owners in Germany have had the retrofit, but in the United States, the reaction has been one of indifference.
"It's really not a safety issue here," says Hunt. "Those TT owners who are asking for the retrofit want it mostly as a performance additive for their car. They want the latest technology."
Audi of America is following the lead of its parent company, Audi AG, which in early February offered to install the electronic stabilization program, or ESP, to quell mounting concerns in Germany over the car's stability at high speeds.
The TT's stability came into question after five people died in high-speed crashes in Germany late last year. Audi investigated and determined the car was safe but offered the retrofit anyway.
Hunt wanted TT owners in the United States and Canada to have the same opportunity. He settled on a facility at Audi's port in Houston, one of five ports where Audis arrive from Europe and are shipped to dealers.
Audi's electronic stabilization program senses and corrects oversteer or understeer by regulating engine power and brakes.
Since TT owners never clamored for the electronic stability program in the United States, Hunt estimated that 10 percent would take Audi up on its offer. But not even 6 percent have done so.
Audi dealer Adolf Stammler, who owns Stammler Imports in Boulder, Colo., says there has been no rush of customers wanting the retrofit. "So far, I've only had five takers, and we've already sent those cars off to Houston," says Stammler, a member of the Audi National Dealers Council. "We have different driving conditions in this country. We don't routinely drive 120 mph here."
Some equipment that was used to retrofit the electronic stabilization program on cars in Germany was shipped to Houston. About 30 people, mostly from Germany, are working in the Houston facility.
Audi of America has told TT owners about the retrofit. The owners are told to contact a call center at Audi of America's headquarters in Auburn Hills, Mich., to schedule a date for the retrofit. Owners leave the vehicle at their dealership and get a free loaner there.
The dealerships, Stammler says, fill out an inspection report and then put it on a truck bound for Houston.
GRAPHIC: 1 PIC; (Audi)
LOAD-DATE: May 16, 2001
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
08-03-2001, 11:49 AM
#20
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I'm convinced that some people have a more sensitive ESP setting or something.
I've never had ESP come on unless I'm doing something that should obviously make it come on.
ie:
Donuts in the snow.
Getting almost sideways while autocrossing.
Hitting a patch of ice or gravel while turning.
Taking off REALLY fast.
Other people, however, sound like theirs comes on all the time like just going around curves and turning at an intersection. Maybe I could get together with someone in the area that has ESP, but thinks it interferes too much and compare.
ie:
Donuts in the snow.
Getting almost sideways while autocrossing.
Hitting a patch of ice or gravel while turning.
Taking off REALLY fast.
Other people, however, sound like theirs comes on all the time like just going around curves and turning at an intersection. Maybe I could get together with someone in the area that has ESP, but thinks it interferes too much and compare.