concerned

Found this posting on www.edmunds.com:

#0 of 0: (pondertt) Sat 12 Feb '00 (06:35 AM)

I put in an order last week for an Audi TT. Love
the looks of the car, love the idea of the car,
but
I am compelled to not pick it up from the dealer
due to the recall action in Germany and North
America. AND, the fact that the Germans clearly
get
a more elaborate fix for alleged TT handling
problems. My take is I'll spend big bucks only to
have big depreciation due to Audi North America's
attempt to do the fix on the cheap instead of
following the German lead! Beware potential TT
owners!

German recall:

ESP offered to customers for retrofitting at the
plant
TÜV Süddeutschland confirms the TT's high driving
safety standard
Chairman Paefgen: "We apologize..."


Audi is offering the owners of the sports car TT
the chance to have their vehicle retrofitted with
the Electronic Stability Program (ESP). This was
announced by Dr. Franz-Josef Paefgen, Chairman of
the Board of Management of AUDI AG, at a press
conference in Munich today. The announcement comes
in response to growing uncertainty among TT
customers. This has been provoked by criticism
about the handling of the Audi sports car and
increasing reports of accidents. Customers are
also
starting to worry that this will result in a
considerably lower resale value for the TT without
ESP.

"I wish to apologize formally to our TT customers
for the uncertainty which has emerged in the last
few months. Our offensive is intended to put an
end
to this uncertainty," declared Paefgen.

According to Paefgen, the company has continued
to work intensively on analysing the handling of
the Audi TT, at the same time looking for suitable
solutions to satisfy customers. In order to
provide
an objective assessment of the car's handling
performance, TÜV Süddeutschland (South German
Technical Inspection Association) was commissioned
to carry out a detailed inspection of the Audi TT
compared with the competition. TÜV's summary:

"The Audi TT - including its original versions -
is, compared with the competition, a
better-than-average sports car and is in keeping
with the state of the art."

As Paefgen remarked, Audi is very satisfied with
this result as it confirms Audi's statements in
their entirety. But customer letters have made it
clear that a satisfactory solution can only be
found if ESP is retrofitted. Audi had always
stressed that retrofitting work as complex as this
is not technically possible at the workshops of
Audi dealerships. It can now be performed on an
industrial scale. An assembly hall specially
converted for this purpose at the Ingolstadt site
will soon allow ESP to be retrofitted in
accordance
with high technical and quality standards.

Thanks to this series-like process, vehicles
retrofitted in this way will be fully equivalent
in
all respects to the latest applicable series
production status. This will dispel fears in
particular of a value loss compared with current
models with ESP.

ESP was introduced as standard equipment for the
TT in the course of model enhancement measures at
the end of last year. At the same time the list
price in Germany was increased by DM 650. The same
price difference will be charged for retrofitting,
which Audi is now offering optionally.

The retrofitting of vehicles is expected to
commence at the end of March. Paefgen: "We will be
able to retrofit more than 20,000 vehicles within
six months." All customers will be provided with a
loan vehicle free of charge while their car is
being retrofitted


North American recall:

AUBURN HILLS, Mich.—Audi of America, Inc. today
announced it is voluntarily recalling its TT
coupe.
Approximately 3,800 vehicles in the United States
and 25 vehicles in Canada are affected. This
action
is being implemented following reports Audi AG has
received from some German customers expressing
concern about the handling characteristics of
their
vehicles in certain situations at speeds
substantially in excess of legal speed limits in
the United States and Canada.

The Audi TT is a widely acclaimed sports car with
highly agile handling. As with all sports cars,
the
Audi TT is designed to be very responsive to
steering input. In sharp high speed turns or
abrupt
lane change maneuvers at speeds substantially
above posted U.S. and Canadian speed limits, and
depending upon road conditions, precise steering
response may be demanded to retain directional
stability. In the event vehicle control is lost,
an
accident may occur which could result in injury.

In order to enhance the Audi TT's handling under
conditions like those described above, Audi will
replace the front stabilizers in front-wheel drive
Audi TTs, and the front and rear stabilizers in
Audi TTs equipped with quattro all-wheel drive. A
modified control arm will be installed in front
together with firmer shock absorbers in front and
rear. In addition, a rear spoiler will be
installed. With the modified suspension settings
and the rear spoiler, the TT will retain its
satisfying agility, while the limits of stability
will be spread over a broader range.

TT owners will be notified by mail in the near
future. They will be asked to contact their
authorized Audi dealer to have the modifications
made at no cost. The necessary parts and repair
instructions will be available at Audi dealers on
or about January 15, 2000, with the exception of
the spoiler, which will be available at Audi
dealers on or about February 15, 2000.

Audi always recommends that owners obey all
traffic laws, driving at speeds which are
reasonable and prudent given road conditions,
weather, and always within the posted speed
limits.


Customers with questions are welcome to phone Audi
Customer Relations toll free at 1-800-822-2834.

AkRascal

They are pegging their modifications on the speed limits in the two countries.

Hans

They just need to to get past the fact that they, like the rest of us are not perfect. The past is never far, shadows on the wall, snow tires people in other other countries only dream of..... etc, etc, etc. The fact is, a $13K Honda, Toyota ot Niassian is more realible then any MB, Porsche, Audi or BMW. This also holds true when you talk about $45K plus Toyota / Lexus or Acura / Honda. So the Germans may get some great performance prior to breakdown, but on realaibility they have not learned a thing. Perhaps that is why a standard dealer oil change on a 929 is $168.00 USD. Hundai seems to be catching up and learning a thing or two though, perhaps the Germans will some day. Being humble is tough but it is one of the secrets, kind of like potatos (Germans will understand this). Do some soul searching, get back to basics and in years you may make realiable MB, BMW' and Audi's. For now look for advice from a country who has reliability, something Germany ha never offered. Wonder why is this, perhaps they cannot do this, not capability or technology. One can only wonder? Afterall an jet airplane is high tech (A340, 777, AXXX etc) and the reliability is in excess of 99%. Why can this not be done by the Germans who have been making cars for a while.

Sal

I say no thanks to any recall. Someone else said they have a problem with 1st and 2nd gear...and mine is perfect...maybe they got a bad one?

I am 100% happy with all aspects of this car and I have no plans to be driving 130 mph in the rain.

Mario

No matter where you live or no matter what your background / driving skills are. There are too many other people on the roads to consider only you and your car as the only factor. Anyone stupid enough to drive fast in snow / ice (no matter the country or roads) is............

Sal

I find NO handling problems with the TT (in the USA).

RogerL

Over 50 in snow isn't much of a problem. TTQ can handle it.

Marius

Remember, our snow tires are rated at 130 mph. It works!

NJ-Eric

`n/m

Marius

... posted speed limits + 10-20% seems to be quite suitable for winter driving on good snow tires. We drive at the same speeds in the summer, but then it is to avoid the cops.

Marius