2000 Audi S4

TOO MANY AUDI S4S ARE BEING STOLEN AROUND THE BOSTON, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, PHILLY AREA. THERE WAS A SPECIAL ON THE NEWS IN BOSTON ABOUT JUST HOW EASY IT IS TO STEAL THE XENON HEADLIGHTS (1 MINUTE). NO IMMOBILIZER WAS ADDED TO THE S4 ALTHOUGH OTHER AUDI MODELS RECEIVED ONE AS WELL AS LOWER PRICED SISTER COMPANY VOLKSWAGEN'S JETTA STARTING IN 1999. THERE IS NOT ENOUGH SECURITY FOR A 40,000 PLUS DOLLAR CAR. I HAVE HEARD OF MANY MANY PEOPLE HAVING THEIR S4S STOLEN OR BEING ROBBED OF THEIR ALMOST 1000 DOLLAR XENON HEADLIGHTS-NOT TO MENTION PEOPLE HURTING THE CAR (1000S OF DOLLARS DAMAGE) TRYING TO GET THE HEADLIGHTS. AUDI NEEDS TO ISSUE A RECALL AND RETROFIT THE VEHICLE WITH MORE SECURITY. *JB

I OWN A 2000 AUDI S4, AND I AM COMPLAINING ABOUT THE INADEQUACY OF THE ANTI-THEFT SYSTEM. PLEASE SEE THE FOLLOWING LINK: HTTP://WWW.NICB.ORG/PUBLIC/NEWSROOM/WHEREISMYCAR/TOP25BYSTATE.CFM#NJ THE AUDI S4 IS #25 ON THE MOST-STOLEN-CAR LIST IN NJ, BASED ON QUANTITY ALONE. TO SHOW THE SEVERITY OF THE SITUATION, LET ME PUT THIS INTO PERSPECTIVE: TOTAL ANNUAL PRODUCTION QUANTITIES: AUDI S4: ~6000 TOYOTA CAMRY: ~300,000 HONDA ACCORD: ~250,000 FORD ESCORT: ~150,000 THERE ARE LESS THAN 4% THE NUMBER OF S4'S ON THE ROAD THAN CAMRYS, ACCORDS, AND ESCORTS! YET, BASED ON QUANTITY (NOT PERCENTAGE) OF STOLEN CARS, THE S4 IS #25. IF THE LIST PORTRAYED # OF STOLEN VEHICLES AS A PERCENTAGE OF # OF VEHICLES PRODUCED, THEN SURELY THE S4 WOULD BE AT THE TOP OF THIS LIST AND PROBABLY ATOP THE LIST OF SEVERAL OTHER STATES AS WELL! THIS IS A SERIOUS SITUATION THAT MUST BE DEALT WITH. KEEP IN MIND THAT AUDI/VW DECIDED TO NOT PLACE AN IMMOBILIZER IN THESE CARS DUE TO COST SAVINGS PURPOSES. THEY HAD THE TECHNOLOGY, AS IT IS AVAILABLE IN THE 99-UP VW JETTA. THIS CAR IS SIMPLY A HIGH RISK AUTOMOBILE TO OWN BECAUSE OF AUDI'S BLATANT DISREGARD FOR THE INADEQUACY OF THE ANTI-THEFT SYSTEM. IT LITERALLY ONLY REQUIRES TWO TOOLS AND 2 MINUTES TO BREAK INTO THE CAR, DISABLE THE ALARM, AND ENGAGE THE IGNITION SWITCH....DONE. SCARY! *JB

AUDI S4 AUTO ALARM/IMMOBILIZER CAN BE EASILY DEACTIVATED. DEACTIVATION THROUGH PUNCHING A SCREWDRIVER THROUGH THE DRIVERS SIDE DOOR KEY LOCK, WILL AUTOMATICALLY DISENGAGE THE BOTH THE CAR'S ALARM AND ITS IMMOBILIZER. SO FAR, I PERSONALLY KNOW OF MORE THAN 30 VEHICLES BEING STOLEN WHILST USING THIS METHOD IN THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY ALONE IN THE PAST YEAR. I HAVE PERSONALLY HAD TO TAKE ACTION THROUGH INSTALLING ADDITIONAL SECURITY MODIFICATIONS, RISKING NULLIFICATION OF THE MANUFACTURERS WARRANTY, IN ORDER TO PREVENT AND AVOID VEHICLE THEFT. *JB

THE ANTI-THEFT SYSTEM ON MY 2000 AUDI S4 HAS NO ENGINE IMMOBILIZER, THEREFORE MAKING IT NOT NEARLY AS EFFECTIVE AS IT COULD BE. THERE ARE MANY MANY THEFTS (ESPECIALLY IN THE NY,NJ AREA) OF S4S, AND IT IS MY BELIEF THAT A LOT OF THESE THEFTS WOULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED IF AUDI HAD MADE THE ALARM IN THE S4 WORTHWHILE (AFTER ALL, WE DID PAY FOR AN ANTI-THEFT SYSTEM IN THE CAR). I KNOW THAT I WOULD WORRY A LOT LESS ABOUT MY INVESTMENT IF I HAD A PROPER FACTORY INSTALLED ALARM SYSTEM IN THE CAR. *JB

THE AUDI S4 FROM 2000-2002 LACKS AN ALARM CAPABLE OF PREVENTING EASY THEFT. THERE IS NO IMMOBILIZER AND THE CARS ALARM CAN BE EASILY BYPASSED AND STARTED WITH A SIMPLE SCREWDRIVER. S4 THEFTS ARE HIGH, COMPARED TO THE NUMBER OF THESE CARS ACTUALLY MADE THE THEFTS ARE GROSSLY UNPROPORTIONAL. PERSONALLY I HAVE HAD TO GET AN AFTERMARKET ALARM OUT OF THE FEAR THAT MY HIGH-PERFORMANCE AUTOMOBILE CAN BE STOLEN BY SOME KID WITH A FLATHEAD SCREWDRIVER. *JB

ALL AUDI S4'S PRODUCED FROM MID 1999 TO 2002 SUFFER FROM AN INEFFECTIVE ALARM SYSTEM. THE MODEL YEARS ARE 2000, 2001, AND 2002. DUE THIS DEFECT THESE VEHICLES ARE BEING STOLEN AT AN ALARMING RATE OFF OF EVERY STREET CORNER IN THE NYC METRO AREA. THE AUDI S4 WAS A LIMITED PRODUCTION RUN VEHICLE. LESS THEN 15000 WERE IMPORTED INTO THE UNITED STATES FOR SALE BY AUDI OF NORTH AMERICA. FOR THIS VEHICLE TO BE NUMBER 25 OF THE TOP 25 CARS STOLEN IN NEW JERSEY SHOWS COMPLETE NEGLIGENCE ON THE PART OF AUDI. (NICB-- HTTP://WWW.NICB.ORG/PUBLIC/NEWSROOM/WHEREISMYCAR/TOP25BYSTATE.CFM#NJ ) THE OTHER VEHICLES ON THAT LIST HAVE YEARLY PRODUCTION NUMBERS THAT GO WELL OVER 25000 UNITS PER YEAR. THE AUDI A8 RECEIVED AN IMMOBILIZER FOR 2000+ MODELS. TO SAVE A FEW BUCKS AUDI SKIPPED FITTING S4'S WITH IMMOBILIZERS. FOR THIS REASON I CANNOT PARK MY CAR ANYWHERE IN NEW JERSEY BECAUSE I KNOW IT WILL NOT BE THERE WHEN I COME BACK. AUDI NEEDS TO RECALL THESE VEHICLES AND ADD IMMOBILIZER SYSTEMS OR ELSE NONE WILL EXIST IN THE NYC METRO AREA. THEY ALSO NEED TO STRENGTHEN THE DOOR AREA AROUND THE DOORS LOCK CYLINDER. ALMOST ALL S4S THAT WERE STOLEN IN NEW JERSEY, HAD A SCREW DRIVER TAKEN TO THE DOOR NEAR THE HANDLE. THEY PUNCH AND HOLE LIFT/PUSH THE LOCK PLUNGER BAR UP AND THE ALARM IS DISABLED!!!!! THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE FOR ANY CAR LET ALONE ONE THAT IS THIS EXPENSIVE. THIEVES WILL OFTEN DRIVE THESE VEHICLES AT SPEEDS IN EXCESS OF 140 MPH ON PUBLIC HIGHWAYS JOY RIDING, AND CREATING A POTENTIAL FOR LOSS OF HUMAN LIFE. *JB

I OWN A 2000 AUDI S4 WITH ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT TIRES: PIRELLI P6000, SIZE 225/45-17. AT 3,000 MILES, THE FIRST TWO TIRES DEVELOPED SEVERE BUBBLING IN THE SIDEWALLS AND BOTH TIRES WERE REPLACED FREE OF CHARGE BY THE AUDI DEALER BECAUSE THEY SAID THEY WERE AWARE THERE WERE PROBLEMS WITH THESE TIRES. BY 15,000 MILES 2 MORE TIRES HAD SEVERE BUBBLING IN THE SIDEWALLS AND I HAD A FLAT TIRE WHEN THE TIRE PULLED AWAY FROM THE RIMS. THERE IS SOMETHING TERRIBLY WRONG WITH THIS BRAND OF TIRE. I HAVE NOW REPLACED ALL 4 TIRES IN UNDER 15,000 MILES. ONE OF THE TIRES THAT WAS REPLACED AT THE 3,000 MARK WAS THE SAME TIRE THAT HAD THE FLAT IN IT AT 15,000 MILES. IF THE AUDI DEALER IN LATHAM, NEW YORK KNEW THERE WAS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE SIDEWALLS ON THESE TIRES AND REPLACED THEM WITHOUT A FIGHT, THEN YOU KNOW THERE IS A VALID COMPLAINT HERE. PLEASE, IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY, LOOK INTO THESE TIRES AS I BELIEVE THEY HAVE SERIOUS DEFECTS. I HAVE THE PAPERWORK ON THE ABOVE REPLACEMENTS SHOULD YOU NEED VERIFICATION.*JB

THE CUP HOLDER IN THE DASH BOARD IS VERY BADLY LOCATED, JUST ON THE TOP OF THE RADIO AND OTHER EQUIPEMENT. IF ANY LIQUID SPILLS FROM THE CUP HOLDER, AS IT DID ON MY CAR, THE LIQUID WOULD DIRECTLY FALL ON THE RADIO AND THE OTHER EQUIPEMENT, AND COULD CAUSE A SHORTCIRCUIT ( AS I DID). THE RADIO BLEW UP AND THE HEAT AND A/C WORKS WHEN THEY WANTS TO. SO FOR ME THE CUP HOLDER HAS NO USE SINCE THE LOCATION IS TOO DANGEROUS. AND I THINK VW HAS THE SAME CUP HOLDER LOCATION PROBLEM. DT