Wayne Crannell

In article <po2yd.169649$T02.56021@twister.rdc-kc.rr.com>,
"RapidRon" <No-SpamRapidRon@pclink.com> wrote:

> The throttle control continues to be the one major (and I mean major)
> disappointment in my '01 A4 2.8. We've owned it now for most of a year, and
> put another 15,000 miles on it's original 13,000, and have had no solutions
> offered by the dealer service department. The car is still under extended
> warranty, but the dealer says there is nothing to fix! They think it's
> "normal". My wife and I agree that it's the worst throttle behavior of any
> of the 15 - 20 cars that we've owned over the years. We never know how the
> engine will respond, and have to "-foot" the throttle, lest the engine
> decide to jump ahead, instead of delaying or starting smoothly (rare). No
> more "care-free" driving -- this throttle demands one's attention.
>
> Is there a chip or repair/modification one can make to improve the throttle
> control? For all of you 1.8T owners, this engine has no turbo, so it's not
> "turbo lag". I think it's bad software and/or bad sensors and throttle servo
> design. This is the first year of the "drive-by-wire" throttle.
>
> Ron


I've tried for three years to love my Audis ('01 A4 2.8 and '01 A6 2.,
but I just finished the most uncomfortable 2100 mile trip in the A4 of
any car I've ever had. And I have two questions. Why should I go through
2 quarts of oil? Why does this car rattle and vibrate more than my
mother's '99 Oldsmobile Intrigue? Because it is overpriced and
underbuilt.

I rode the same trip on a 650cc single cylinder motorcycle last summer
and was more comfortable than in the A4. That is just sad. Both these
cars go back to the dealer next summer, and we're done with Audis.

--
Wayne Crannell
Xxxxxxx, TX

Wayne Crannell

In article <po2yd.169649$T02.56021@twister.rdc-kc.rr.com>,
"RapidRon" <No-SpamRapidRon@pclink.com> wrote:

> The throttle control continues to be the one major (and I mean major)
> disappointment in my '01 A4 2.8. We've owned it now for most of a year, and
> put another 15,000 miles on it's original 13,000, and have had no solutions
> offered by the dealer service department. The car is still under extended
> warranty, but the dealer says there is nothing to fix! They think it's
> "normal". My wife and I agree that it's the worst throttle behavior of any
> of the 15 - 20 cars that we've owned over the years. We never know how the
> engine will respond, and have to "-foot" the throttle, lest the engine
> decide to jump ahead, instead of delaying or starting smoothly (rare). No
> more "care-free" driving -- this throttle demands one's attention.
>
> Is there a chip or repair/modification one can make to improve the throttle
> control? For all of you 1.8T owners, this engine has no turbo, so it's not
> "turbo lag". I think it's bad software and/or bad sensors and throttle servo
> design. This is the first year of the "drive-by-wire" throttle.
>
> Ron


I've tried for three years to love my Audis ('01 A4 2.8 and '01 A6 2.,
but I just finished the most uncomfortable 2100 mile trip in the A4 of
any car I've ever had. And I have two questions. Why should I go through
2 quarts of oil? Why does this car rattle and vibrate more than my
mother's '99 Oldsmobile Intrigue? Because it is overpriced and
underbuilt.

I rode the same trip on a 650cc single cylinder motorcycle last summer
and was more comfortable than in the A4. That is just sad. Both these
cars go back to the dealer next summer, and we're done with Audis.

--
Wayne Crannell
Xxxxxxx, TX

Wayne Crannell

In article <aL5yd.170636$T02.138506@twister.rdc-kc.rr.com>,
"RapidRon" <No-SpamRapidRon@pclink.com> wrote:

> I've had it to the dealer twice in the last 6 months. I don't remember if
> they cleaned the throttle body. It seemed to help for about a day when they
> reset the computer. I couldn't get them to change anything or adjust
> anything, since they said the car was normal.
>
> Yes, it's an automatic. They didn't say anything about reprogramming the
> tranny, but the main problem is starting up from a stop, even though it's
> not so great getting off and on the throttle in normal driving - but
> tolerable. This engine has classic no-low-end-torque, so the tranny does a
> lot of shifting. That, coupled with the erratic throttle, makes it hard to
> get a smooth ride. Passengers wonder why the driver is so jerky (so to
> speak).
>
> Does anyone else in the group own an '01 2.8? Is yours smooth?
>
> Ron

Mine is awful too. Dealer just gave me the blank stare.

--
Wayne Crannell
Xxxxxxx, TX

Wayne Crannell

In article <aL5yd.170636$T02.138506@twister.rdc-kc.rr.com>,
"RapidRon" <No-SpamRapidRon@pclink.com> wrote:

> I've had it to the dealer twice in the last 6 months. I don't remember if
> they cleaned the throttle body. It seemed to help for about a day when they
> reset the computer. I couldn't get them to change anything or adjust
> anything, since they said the car was normal.
>
> Yes, it's an automatic. They didn't say anything about reprogramming the
> tranny, but the main problem is starting up from a stop, even though it's
> not so great getting off and on the throttle in normal driving - but
> tolerable. This engine has classic no-low-end-torque, so the tranny does a
> lot of shifting. That, coupled with the erratic throttle, makes it hard to
> get a smooth ride. Passengers wonder why the driver is so jerky (so to
> speak).
>
> Does anyone else in the group own an '01 2.8? Is yours smooth?
>
> Ron

Mine is awful too. Dealer just gave me the blank stare.

--
Wayne Crannell
Xxxxxxx, TX

Wayne Crannell

In article <aL5yd.170636$T02.138506@twister.rdc-kc.rr.com>,
"RapidRon" <No-SpamRapidRon@pclink.com> wrote:

> I've had it to the dealer twice in the last 6 months. I don't remember if
> they cleaned the throttle body. It seemed to help for about a day when they
> reset the computer. I couldn't get them to change anything or adjust
> anything, since they said the car was normal.
>
> Yes, it's an automatic. They didn't say anything about reprogramming the
> tranny, but the main problem is starting up from a stop, even though it's
> not so great getting off and on the throttle in normal driving - but
> tolerable. This engine has classic no-low-end-torque, so the tranny does a
> lot of shifting. That, coupled with the erratic throttle, makes it hard to
> get a smooth ride. Passengers wonder why the driver is so jerky (so to
> speak).
>
> Does anyone else in the group own an '01 2.8? Is yours smooth?
>
> Ron

Mine is awful too. Dealer just gave me the blank stare.

--
Wayne Crannell
Xxxxxxx, TX

petenice00

Ron

A late response to an old thread perhaps but I was just wondering if you
had resolved your TB issues? I seem to recall that AoA had recalls on TBs
which may have included your 2.8. My 2000 2.8 has had some issues with its
TB and as one other member suggested, you need to take it and the boot off
for cleaning. If your idle is a little uneasy and hunts up and down,
that's usually a good indication.

Since your car has little mileage in comparison to mine, you probably
don't have to worry about carbon-buildup just yet but a heads up down the
road. It's not an issue really, just a result of cold weather, rich
running engines, and in my case short distance 'cold' drives. And AoA did
have a service bulletin on that as well in the past..surprise/surprise. I
brought my car to a Bosch Service Tech and had it motor-vaced to suck out
the carbon. Much better....


As far as your auto/tip tranny goes, I upgraded my Transmission Control
Module with an aftermarket version from GIAC. It basically remaps the
shifting delays between gears from 1.0 second to 0.2 seconds. I'll tell
you, for the 400 bucks one would pay for it, you'll be happy with money
well spent.

I don't bother driving in auto mode, because it is
a dog no matter what. Tip is the only way but no
sub for manual.

Also, DBW versions of our cars started in the later part of 99-00.

Pete

petenice00

Ron

A late response to an old thread perhaps but I was just wondering if you
had resolved your TB issues? I seem to recall that AoA had recalls on TBs
which may have included your 2.8. My 2000 2.8 has had some issues with its
TB and as one other member suggested, you need to take it and the boot off
for cleaning. If your idle is a little uneasy and hunts up and down,
that's usually a good indication.

Since your car has little mileage in comparison to mine, you probably
don't have to worry about carbon-buildup just yet but a heads up down the
road. It's not an issue really, just a result of cold weather, rich
running engines, and in my case short distance 'cold' drives. And AoA did
have a service bulletin on that as well in the past..surprise/surprise. I
brought my car to a Bosch Service Tech and had it motor-vaced to suck out
the carbon. Much better....


As far as your auto/tip tranny goes, I upgraded my Transmission Control
Module with an aftermarket version from GIAC. It basically remaps the
shifting delays between gears from 1.0 second to 0.2 seconds. I'll tell
you, for the 400 bucks one would pay for it, you'll be happy with money
well spent.

I don't bother driving in auto mode, because it is
a dog no matter what. Tip is the only way but no
sub for manual.

Also, DBW versions of our cars started in the later part of 99-00.

Pete

petenice00

Ron

A late response to an old thread perhaps but I was just wondering if you
had resolved your TB issues? I seem to recall that AoA had recalls on TBs
which may have included your 2.8. My 2000 2.8 has had some issues with its
TB and as one other member suggested, you need to take it and the boot off
for cleaning. If your idle is a little uneasy and hunts up and down,
that's usually a good indication.

Since your car has little mileage in comparison to mine, you probably
don't have to worry about carbon-buildup just yet but a heads up down the
road. It's not an issue really, just a result of cold weather, rich
running engines, and in my case short distance 'cold' drives. And AoA did
have a service bulletin on that as well in the past..surprise/surprise. I
brought my car to a Bosch Service Tech and had it motor-vaced to suck out
the carbon. Much better....


As far as your auto/tip tranny goes, I upgraded my Transmission Control
Module with an aftermarket version from GIAC. It basically remaps the
shifting delays between gears from 1.0 second to 0.2 seconds. I'll tell
you, for the 400 bucks one would pay for it, you'll be happy with money
well spent.

I don't bother driving in auto mode, because it is
a dog no matter what. Tip is the only way but no
sub for manual.

Also, DBW versions of our cars started in the later part of 99-00.

Pete