<br>I'm kind of new around here, so don't flame me too badly please. My observations from reading this board: Audi is SELLING and WARRANTYING chip upgrades in Europe, with basically no changes to the stock car (turbo, exhaust, etc) to 180 HP and 210 HP. True? Audi detunes the 1.8 for this market, under the guise of better emissions (but I think it's really because it would be tough to sell 2.8s at 190 HP for 4 or 5K more than a 180 HP 1.8). True? But wouldn't it make good marketing sense for AoA to extend warranty coverage to a well-tested, approved set of say, 200 HP or below chips, in this country? I think they would just sell a TON of 1.8s. Are they already selling as many here as they can make anyway? A lot of people who are wary of voiding the warranty and not happy with the stock performance might buy a different car, when if coverage were extended in a reasonable way, they would grab the 1.8 for it's many great qualities. I just don't get Audi's reasoning on this. The car, from everything I've read here, is totally capable of handling 200 HP. If it is, why is AoA doing this "wink-and-a-nod chip it if you want but don't come crying to us if your turbo blows" crap? It seems a company that puts out cars of this quality would take care of it's enthusiasts in a more concrete way. Feedback?<p><p>BDW '99 1.8Tqms and probably going to chip anyway

Couldn't agree with you more. I emailed AOA concerning the same concerns and have yet to receive a reply. 4 g's for the 2.8 must be gravey money.

What do you mean by this statement?

<br>I don't think warrantying an 180-200 HP 1.8 in the US would hurt 2.8 sales THAT much anyway . There are qualities to the V6 (I know since I drove them both) that set it apart from the 1.8 and would make the expense still well worth it for some people. Those qualities, IMHO, are: smoothness and noise level at high speeds.<p>BDW 1.8Tqms

<br>Jeff, I guess I'm clueless on what those liablility issues would be. If the car is made to handle 200 HP, they shouldn't have many more warranty claims anyway. Who sues over a blown trubo or other mechanical failure if it is covered and replaced under warranty? I would think the only time to get into litigation is if AoA tries to worm out of a warranty responsibility, which seems to me is exactly what they are inviting by this "wink and nod" attitude toward chip upgrades. By wink and nod I mean the salespeople mention stuff like, "It's quick now, but most 1.8T owners upgrade the chip and you should see it go then!" And a service manager who says, "If you keep it 200 HP or less, Audi will usually look the other way..." Audi ought to quit winking and nodding, make dealer policy consistent on this issue and keep their customers happy! If I do chip my car and a warranty issue comes up and they try to rip me off, I'll never buy another Audi. Wouldn't you think that would be enought motivation for them? <p>BDW '99 1.8Tqms

Not a flame, but some information I hope.<p>1) They, Audi, does not have a more than 150HP car in any part of the world! One that they make, yet... That is.... We know they will have a 180HP version, but more on that in a minute<p>2) In certain parts of the world, they team up with providers to allow a NEW ECU to be put in the car that WILL provide 180-200HP. They stand behind this as a warranty item but more because they are allowed to sell it in the area under the local emissions guidelines for that particular area.<p>3) Remember no other area of the world ships with OBDII support except for NA cars. In other words the electronics for the ROW cars, are completely different. Sure there is commonality, but the ECU is entirely different. Back to the US Emmissions issues again. The only way you can import a car into the US is if support US emmissions. Even an imported car will have to be "tuned" now a days to support this.<p>4) Also remember the cost of "certifying" a US car is HUGE!!! I used to own a Saleen 351R Mustang. Interesting story, Saleen would purchase a v6 mustang from ford, change out the v6 to the 351W blown with 8lbs of boost and run 550HP AND BE OBDII compliant.... BUT it cost about a million to 1.5M to "certify" that car!<p>Ok, so now let's talk about the "new" 180HP cars. Remember, they ARE changing components on the engine to support this! If the TT is going to get new crank, rods, pistons, and 4 bolt mains, I suspect that some of that will end up in the A4 by design. It also looks like maybe there will be intake, TB and MAF changes to support this. <p>Bottom line it comes down to warranty liability. If a particular country is willing to assume that for their market, then they do 180-200HP A4 1.8T's. If not, like in the case of AoA, they don't. Not to mention the costs of certification, etc.<p>It's not just the same as the two cars (one from a country that does and one from the US) being the same. They are grossly different, but they still are 1.8T's and A4's.<p>Alan

Q: "Who sues over a blown trubo or other mechanical failure if it is covered and replaced under warranty?"<p>A: Americans.<p>:-)

I agree that 4-5k is lot for two more cylinders, but I bought it anyway for the smoothness. I was told the US 1.8T has a very slim profit margin to encourage sales and get it to that price point.<p>Can any non-US owners comment on the price differential between the 2.8 and 1.8T in their countries?

I thought the 180hp TT was pretty close to the 150 hp A4's engine. Except of course that one is transversely mounted and that may have necessitated some changes. I remember reading that the extent of the changes was quite minor, and that most major components were the same....<p>Clarifications?<p>Cheers,<br>-Ash 98.5 1.8TQMS

Instead of manufacturing having to maintian inventory, etc on two different part numbers, why not consolidate. I suspect they will do this, maybe not crank, but on rods, etc. I doubt they will lower the compression on the 150 or 180 version, but you never know.<p>Alan

Read post above for more detail....<br>BTW- If your 1.8T has no insulation in doors and hood you may have a little more noise level but you have less weight.<br>Now that I'm in to track stuff, I am doing a lot of things that are actually making the car louder inside. More hp, bigger exhaust, bigger wheels with noisier sport/track tires, new composite hood w/no insulation (equals less weight and more cooling but a little more noise) and so on. Yes, I'm loosing the luxury feel it once had but the driveablility and response is so much more improved that I'm willing to make that sacrifice. My desires have changed over time....track and performance over luxury. I'll probably just get another "luxury" car someday and this one will be the "sport" model now. I still like the wood and leather in my car, though. ;)<br>-C.<br>-C.