I have read several of your messages about chipping your 1.8 A4's, and after test driving a 1.8 Tiptronic this last weekend, maybe I'm missing the point. I thought the power was just fine. I wouldn't want it any faster. In fact, I test drove the 6Cyl. Passat a few weeks ago, and thought the power to be less than in the Audi 1.8. <p>I guess everything is relative, and if you came from a slower sports sedan and/or SUV, the 1.8 feels great. I have to say that my test drive was great, and financially could afford either the 1.8 Audi or the V6 Passat. Between the two, even though the Passat is bigger and has slightly more amenities for the money, I thought the 1.8 Audi had a stiffer suspension and more driveability than the Passat. Don't get me wrong, the Passat is a great car for the money, but the Audi just did it for me. <p>Can someone tell me long term why most of you are chipping the 1.8's. Is the power on the test drive just that, a test drive? I had a fairly long test drive on straight roads and winding roads, and was blown away. I did not feel that in the Passat. Please help me shed some light on what I might be missing.<p>Also, IMO, I liked the lighter interiors better. I agree with a number of you that it brightens up the cabin. I also agree that anything you go with would be great in this car, as the car drives great. I posted yesterday and said that my dealer had only leatherettes on the lot, and he said that most people get leatherette. Someone responded saying that there were most leatherette because everyone probably bought the cloth. I now read someone else saying the same thing as I, about their dealer only having leatherettes. Is it impossible to get the cloth? Is is something that must be ordered? Did most of you encounter only leatherettes at the dealer?<p>Thanks<p>Bonnie

Hi Bonnie, I just came out of a '95 M3 where now I'm missing some of the power and the ability to get sideways on demand. Although the '99 2.8QM I just stepped into still hugs the corners nice and is still up on power. The main reason for the change was my new 1 month old daughter, as the 4 doors and Q are certainly nice features. <p>You are absolutely correct when saying that those stepping out of an suv will appreciate the 1.8t. Compared to my wife's Ford Expedition, it's a barnburner, nimble, quick, etc. Although I liked the 1.8t I still opted for the 2.8.<p>When I first visited the dealer 2 weeks ago, I also was more interesteed in the cloth interior, but was told that even with the 200+ A4's on the lot, none had cloth. Most did have the leatherette, although the one I chose has the leather. I wasn't crazy about the design and feel of the leatherette, although the Porsche leather is very similar to the Audi leatherette.

You will begin to notice the lag of acceleration at the stop lights as well as passing power being a little poor on the highway. Tiny hesitations that will become more noticeable.<p>With the chip you will have power when you stomp the pedal, no hesitation or anything.<p>I have a 98 1.8TQuattroSportTip with a Wett chip in it. When I first got it I thought it had decent power. Then I put the chip in and I couldnt believe it didnt leave the factory with this sort of power because it made the car whole. The tiny bit that was missing was gone and it became the perfect car.

Most of us here are driving enthusiasts looking for the extra edge in performance. My wife is an SUV person and doesn't get what I mean, but that is her. i come from a racing history and love performance cars. Audi dumbs down these cars for the GENERAL public, so we look for ways to produce performance from stock to get the extra performance that these cars are designed for. Hope this helps.<br>Generally, a rule of thumb is: If you have to ask then its not for you.

About one year ago I was looking for a 2.8 with cloth interior. My dealer told me he hadn't ordered a cloth interior in about 3 years. I did order my 2.8 with cloth and I really like it. It took about 3 months but it was well worth the wait. I ordered Aluminum Silver with the Opal Gray cloth interior. If I had to do again I would have ordered the Blue/Ecru cloth. I have seen this and I think it is fantastic with the silver exterior but you have to see it (Some people would not like it). My dealer would not order the blue/ecru cloth without a non refundable deposit of $ 1000.00. If I ordered the opal gray cloth the deposit was $ 100.00 and fully refundable if I didn't want the car. Go figure??? I also like the leather but that is another story.<br>Basically the A4 is so GREAT any color / interior combo is fantastic and you will enjoy it. Next time I am going to get a more contrasting interior / exterior color combo. I think the greater the contrast the more interesting but that is just me.<br>Roy M 2.8q Tip Silver/Opal gray cloth that I am trully enjoying!!

Thanks guys! I think if I go for the 1.8T, I will see how the long term reaction is before I decide whether or not to "chip" it. I agree with the poster above that if I have to ask questions, I am not as much a sports enthusiast as the rest of you, but I do love sports cars/sedans.<p>As for the leatherette/cloth, I will ask the dealer what the "deal" is with that. Can cloth be ordered, etc.<p>One more questions, are there fog lights on either the 1.8 or 2.8? It was hard to tell from the brochure, and I didn't really focus on that in the showroom. <p>Again, I can't believe how fast you guys answer and how helpful you've been. You can really see the contrast compared to other forums. I guess when you are an enthusiast, you are anxious for others to join "the club", and to share ideas and thoughts. When you are into just "buying a car", this kind of forum just isn't that important to you.<p>Thanks again.<p>Bonnie

This forum appeals to the testosterone filled (mostly male) auto enthusiasts of the A4 owners. There may be many people here that are chipping their cars, but in comparison to the general population of A4 owners it is small. For most people the stock engine is sufficient.<p>We "Tim Allen" types always want more power!<p>Hope that gives you a better perspective.<p>'97 1.8TQMS with Wett chip!<br>

So that makes me a freak of nature? Soon to have upgrade work on my 2.8 engine for more POWER :)!!!<br>BTW, to Bonnie, I can agree with your thoughts. When I first got my A4, I was coming from my Hondas so it was like, WOW! Then after I got involved with the Audi Quattro Club and have spent much time on the track, I now feel the uncontrollable urge to make improvements. The car is fantastic stock, but if you really desire to make it better, the cool part is YOU CAN. <br>Good Luck <br>-Cathleen A4 2.8qm; under continual improvement

The A4 is a great car. Its very predictible in the twisties and handling is fantastic. I opted for the loaded V6 Passat (wanted the 1.8T) because its a bit better on the highway and has a backseat that you can actually use. The Passat dosen't handle quite as well as the A4, but it is better than just about anything else out there for the money. The only close competitor is the BMW 328 (excluding the A4 of course.) <p>Now that we have a more sports-family car out of the way, the A4 is a great "less practical" car.<p>No matter what car or drivetrain you choose - you cant loose. These are great cars

My last Audi had the leather, so I can't speak to the leatherette, but the leather gets very stiff in the cold and I would slide around on it. It was also very sticky in shorts in the summer, so for the A4 I got the cloth. I did get the sport seats so it is a different cloth than stock, but I like it very much, and with the extremes in temperature around here I would not go back. I do think you should get what you want though, perhaps your weather or concerns are not mine. I also like the light interior, so I got the opal gray, and as was noted elsewhere a contrasting color for the exterior is nice, for me it was the hibiscus red. The dealer thought I was crazy and made me put 3K down for the order. Once he saw the car he changed his mind and has started ordering the combination. So the other lesson is what is on the lot reflects the dealers likes as well as what they think they can sell. Have fun, and I think you picked out a good car.

On older Audis the leather did seem to get stiff. They have vastly improved the leather in the A4 and newer Audi models. <br>My seats stay soft even in below zero temps and don't get too sticky when it gets to 100F here. I have black leather, which you would think would be awful in humid hot temps. I was amazed at how it doesn't get too hot to sit on. <br>In Michigan, we have pretty big extremes. My leather is still soft and supple on my '96 as it was day 1. I do occasionally clean and condition it with Zymöl leather products.<br>-C.<br>

This probably won't add a whole bunch to what has already been said, but here's my take.<p>First of all, it appears that most of the cars that dealers order for their lot have leatherette and not cloth. I wanted cloth, they had leatherette on the model I wanted and so I went with it. No regrets - it always stays supple, although it is a bit cold on winter (sub 40F) mornings (seat heaters help!).<p>Regarding power - it's really what you're look for. The trend is that cars are getting more and more powerful (in the US at least). 0-60 in 8 seconds was fast 10 years ago, today it's more like average. Certainly all of the A4s will be adequate - some people just want as much power as reasonable.<p>Get what makes you happy and satisfied. Even though it may not seem like it on this site, most A4 1.8Ts are not chipped (most consumers wouldn't have a clue what chipping means). And if you were in Europe, the A4 would come in even less HP versions. good luck!<p>Tom<br>1.8TQMS Silver/Ecru

I opted for cloth, too, on the A4 1.8T I ordered for my wife. The two things I like about cloth are that it's warm in winter (without electric heating) and cool (or at least, not hot) in summer; and that the texture minimizes sliding in hard turns. Besides the fact that black absorbs much more heat, I opted for the opal cloth since the herringbone pattern isn't nearly as slick.<p>Cloth-equipped A4s are *very* rare (in dealer stock, that is). I did a *lot* of phoning, and I found only a single car equipped almost the way I wanted it. That one was in Knoxville (quite a haul from DC), and the dealer wasn't too receptive to my price. I found a local dealer who was glad to order it as I wanted it, for the price I felt was fair, and it'll be a '99.5. But it's gonna be a long wait....<p>Good luck!<p>--John

Glad to see they made some changes, I know it can be done, I have an old E-type with leather, and it is soft. I will admit though that I don't know what it's like in the cold, with the light rear end and all the horses it shouldn't be allowed out without a leash when it snows. That's what I have the Quattro for.

I think it will just come down to whatever you like the best. Don't be swayed by someone on the forum because they think that Leatherette is better than cloth for this reason or that. You're the one driving the car, so make sure you are happy with it.<p>I think if you were to survey everyone, you'd probably find that the cloth/leatherette ratio would be close to 50/50. The dealership I worked at stocked cars with leather, leatherette, and cloth interiors. The dealer may be 'pushing' a leatherette car on you because that's what they have in stock. If they had a lot full of cloth they would tell you the same thing about cloth. If they don't have cloth, go to another dealer in the area and check one out. If you like the cloth, have the dealer run a locate, find exactly the car you want, and bring it in. The locator has every unsold audi in the country listed, and lists cars coming in. <p>JohnS<br>

On older Audis the leather did seem to get stiff. They have vastly improved the leather in the A4 and newer Audi models. <br>My seats stay soft even in below zero temps and don't get too sticky when it gets to 100F here. I have black leather, which you would think would be awful in hot, humid temps. I was amazed at how it doesn't get too hot to sit on. <br>In Michigan, we have pretty big extremes. My leather is still soft and supple on my '96 as it was day 1. I do occasionally clean and condition it with Zymöl leather products.<br>-C.<br>

i think u have the 12v?<br>There doesn't seem to be much out there.<br>so what goodies do you have planned?<p>1996 a4 qm

Hi Bonnie,<p>It was me that mentioned that my theory of why leatherette is only available on the lot is because the cloth one get bought first! If you want cloth, then have a car ordered with what you want. Just be sure the dealer actually as the allotment to order it. I had an experience where the dealer told me they ordered, but I they never did, they were just doing a search hoping one would show up. After four months I went to another dealer.<p>In terms, of modifications. There are a lot of enthusiasts here and they like to make modifications and tweeks to get more power.<p>Good luck!<p>Paul N<p>

I could tell 'ya but I'd have to kill 'ya...ha, ha, ha. ;)<br>It's a test thing for a tuner. When it's done and packaged properly, it will be available. By then, the tuner will be advertising here (Matt, Jason...)and I won't have to keep so sly about it.<br>:)<br>-Cathleen (lookin' to go faster soon)

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