I just took delivery of a new A4 Avant (Q, 5-spd manual) and I don't want to leave the car! Any advice for a first-time Audi owner? I am thinking about upgraded tires to start with (came with Goodyear Eagle RSA 205/55-16) Any advice appreciated!

Save your money on the wheels. I predict in a few months, if your A4 is like mine and a lot of others, you will be bringing this car into the shop every month or two months. Since day one I have had numerous problems, mainly with the tranny. I am currently in the process of getting rid of the car through the lemon law. As great as the car looks and feels, the problems are unacceptable. This car is akin to say, a beautiful woman with a horrible personality, great to look at and be seen with, but not worth the trouble of getting into a relationship with. Hopefully you won't have any problems.

Hi John,<br>You've put very nicely, "This car is akin to say, a beautiful woman with a horrible personality, great to look at and be seen with, but not worth the trouble of getting into a relationship with". I couldn't agree more. And same here, I'm thinking of an inexpensive way to "divorce" my 2K-mile 98.5 A4 2.8.

I've never had to return to the dealer, never had problems that couldn't be fixed without "special" dealer tooling or expertise at $80/hr. Never. The transmission is flawless, even after being banged around at high speed, swapped out, put back in, hooked in and out a dozen times, and driven over 100mph regularly. The paint is wearing well, no problems after two years, and I'm happy with all the upgrades I've chosen. Basically, I've treated this car with more abuse than it deserves, more than many in its class are designed to endure, and I've never had a problem I couldn't fix in the garage on a breezy Saturday.<p>On the tire upgrade, I'd go to Pirelli P7000 SuperSport. It's Z-rated, mud and snow if you get halfway home and the weather turns sour, and wears better than many tires in the same performance range.<p>Apparently with better experiences than others,<br>Cameron

<br>The poor fellow just laid out a serious wad of money for a car he undoubtedly looks forward to enjoying and you guys are raining on his parade. I'm not saying that you shouldn't share your experiences, just do it constructively, at the appropriate time and place.<p>Similar example; <p> "I just got married"<p> "Skimp on the honeymoon, she'll be maxing out<br> your credit cards soon. That's why I'm getting<br> a divorce."<p>I think you get the point. I don't mean to be harsh, but there seems to be a lot of criticism on this board lately. I feel bad for new people getting dumped on right away. It's bad enough that we spend all of our time arguing amongst ourselves.<p>S, go bond with your new car and stop spending time on the computer! Go for an old fashioned Sunday drive with your friends/SA. The only thing your car needs right now is to be driven, filled up and waxed. When you can make the factory tires squeal steadily without being nervous, then worry about upgrading them.<p>Todd W<br>

This person is obviously just trolling for trouble, and may not even own an A4. In reality, there have been only a few real A4 owners here who have had problems, and most are very minor. So, go out and enjoy your new A4! :-) The RSA tires are not performance oriented, but that may not be important for you. Let them wear down a little, and then buy some better ones when you are ready. Have fun!<p>Charles<br>

Drive...enjoy... It's so simple;-)<p>Steve Mac<br>98.5 1.8TQMS, 8500 mi, no probs (but then I may be less picky than John, et.al.)<p>'scuse me. I have a half-tank of gas and the road calls...

I am not "trolling for trouble" and I do own an A4. I have had problems, as reported earlier on this very forum. Admittedly, most have been minor but the ongoing 175 mile round trips to the dealer have been aggravating, time consuming, and expensive. Audi claims my car's transmission whine is normal and I'm getting ready to go through the hassle of getting my FIFTH instrument cluster installed. I'm happy for the majority of you who are having good luck with their cars. I would request that you don't put down the few of us whose ownership experience has not been as good as yours.

This is what I meant by Audi owners acting like groupies instead of serious car buyers.....<p>I f John Lemmon were gushing with praise of the A4 would you accuse him of<br>'not even owning an A4'?<p>

It basically says keep the RPMs down, under 4k, and the speed down until you hit 1000 miles. I found this very hard to do in my A4. ;) I have around 3000 miles now and still find myself looking for excuses to take a "spirited" drive. I love this car. No problems yet.<p>Mark (98.5 2.8 QMS)

It is very hard to take someone seriously when they use an obviously fake pseudonym (this is no longer the early days of the internet folks, when everyone did) and doesn't post an email address.<p>Chuck recently responded to someone's post via email about problems they were having and was getting the mail bounced back or not answered. That person was probably also trolling for trouble.<p>If you want to be taken seriously on this board, then you need to identify yourself as a "real" person, good or bad. Now, Unabimmer, you have been around long enough that you probably would post real experiences, although sometimes I think you just like to stir up the fire, you also have genuine posts, (even sans the email address). But, there have been many people who post, and you KNOW it is true, just like with any freely accessible board, who post just to cause trouble.<p>Kirk

I guess that I am not a serious car buyer, even though I just laid out $34,193.69 on this new beastie. The BMW dealer didn't think so when I walked in with jeans, tired from 3 hours of driving, and a scruffy stubbled it's-my-day-off-I-refuse-to-shave face. That is until I handed the receptionist my business card and told her to have someone call me when they were ready to let me test drive the E46 328. Man, I didn't even make it out the door two steps before someone was practically panting with a demo plate in hand, two minutes later, I was pulling it out onto the street. My point is that we are all serious shoppers, and sometimes good and bad things happen at ALL dealerships (even the good ones). Whether it is in the buying or servicing side.<p>As for the dismissal of problems, many have posted problems and many have posted helpful suggestions, solutions, but those who seem to have real problems are not bashful about posting who they really are in the hopes that they can get a little advice here.<p>Kirk