The end of the A4 Road

[T0M3K]

It been a long journey.
Almost ten years ago I picked up an used unmolested A4 from elderly gentlemen in Pennsylvania. 4 year old, 2002 A4 V6 Quattro with famous sport package with almost 50k miles on the clock.

Eventually I was able to rack up miles on this baby, reaching 210k miles before the end. However, each mile was its own adventure. I was able to participate in numerous Waterfests, H20, SoWo, made trips as far north as Canada and as south as Georgia.
On the way, Audi transformed a bit. My brother gave me first LED tails, then came to HID fogs, trunk lip, Thermal Exhaust, B5 S4 brakes, GIAC for 3.Slow, super thick sway bars, and then less fun maintenance and fixing jobs. Thankfully, many I was able to do myself with wonderful guidance that I received here and before on Audiworld.com (back when they were fun).

Eventually with car's age, I could no longer hug curves and push the limit . But A4 could always take me to work and back, even while towing my ATV. A truly multitasking car.

I met many amazing people here and in person. The help and the spirit of this forum was one of the reasons why Audi lasted that long. I must say that I am pretty lucky.
With this mileage, I was still on factory springs and only changed remaining suspension components ONCE. Catalytic converters went out, but Audi was gracious enough to pass inspection anyway (thanks Vag-Com!).

So why am I saying good bye?
One young guy figured he will clip my car

Insurance brought the bad news that car is worth significantly less than repairs would cost to fix the damage.
Even though I could buy it back, fix it and keep going. I took it as a cue that it is time for an upgrade.

It is very hard to summarize long decade with this car in a single post. Every moment I remember something great that happened in that time. In the end, that car was signature of my 20s. Friendships changed, girlfriend too, but car stayed the same. Even though I cursed it many times, it (almost) always started at the turn of the key and took me to destination. I miss that car already.

[SlickFix]

Yep, since the B6s are getting a bit long in the tooth, you're going to have company before too long. What are you thinking of for your next Audi?

[daverdfw]

holy crap! The balls on that guy! Did you ever track him down?

Good luck on the next car, (hopefully an Audi?)

[krew53]

Damn that sucks.. What an idiot.

The car was totaled from that though?

[T0M3K]

Yep, since the B6s are getting a bit long in the tooth, you're going to have company before too long. What are you thinking of for your next Audi?

holy crap! The balls on that guy! Did you ever track him down?

Good luck on the next car, (hopefully an Audi?)

On few frames we were able to read license plate and police matched the description of the car. So yeah, got him, but if not dashcam, I would be screwed. I still believe that asshole should get something for it. All I will get is my $500 deductible back....

Sadly, Audi doesn't make good replacement cars anymore. B9s won't be here anytime soon and nothing can satisfy my wagon craving. So I am looking at Golf R

[pinalloy.com]

How about Range Rover TOM3K

[jacobsen]

You did the right thing, it seems that criminal was willing to be as stupid as he turned out to be, who knows what he would have done if you tried to stick up for yourself. I really understand your situation my car was vandalized this summer by a homeless indian named andrew eastman in Minneapolis. After the police threatened to tow my car and site me for breaking down in a bus lane and also letting the criminal go scott free after seeing the video I asked a guy and his girlfriend for a screwdriver, my intercooler hose popped off, it was a 10 second fix that cost me my deductible and a week and a half without my car. he did about 2500 in damage with a vodka bottle. He had a knife and I wasn't going to play with that. As soon as I stopped this maniac was all over me, said he just got out of prison the other day and wanted to go back.

[redline380]

You did the right thing, it seems that criminal was willing to be as stupid as he turned out to be, who knows what he would have done if you tried to stick up for yourself. I really understand your situation my car was vandalized this summer by a homeless indian named andrew eastman in Minneapolis. After the police threatened to tow my car and site me for breaking down in a bus lane and also letting the criminal go scott free after seeing the video I asked a guy and his girlfriend for a screwdriver, my intercooler hose popped off, it was a 10 second fix that cost me my deductible and a week and a half without my car. he did about 2500 in damage with a vodka bottle. He had a knife and I wasn't going to play with that. As soon as I stopped this maniac was all over me, said he just got out of prison the other day and wanted to go back.

Fuck dude. I'm from Sauk Rapids, moved down to St. Paul for two years while I'm in school. Couldn't stand it anymore and moved back. I now commute daily to Roseville for work and St. Paul for school

[jacobsen]

Fuck dude. I'm from Sauk Rapids, moved down to St. Paul for two years while I'm in school. Couldn't stand it anymore and moved back. I now commute daily to Roseville for work and St. Paul for school

I live in Minnetonka but I love the st Anthony falls, chatime in dinkeytown too. I couldn't live st paul or Minneapolis.

[T0M3K]

Yep, since the B6s are getting a bit long in the tooth, you're going to have company before too long. What are you thinking of for your next Audi?

Good luck on the next car, (hopefully an Audi?)

How about Range Rover TOM3K

Sadly no Audi for me, maybe hope in the future if Audi releases cool wagons or Hatchbacks.

Damn that sucks.. What an idiot.

The car was totaled from that though?

Surprisingly there was $3k worth of damage and car was worth $2k. I did buy it back and sold to some guy, didn't make money on it, just wanted to make sure somebody will keep on driving this car instead of sending to junkyard. Call me emotional. I could fix it for maybe few hundred and keep driving it, but issues started pilling up, so it is time.

You did the right thing, it seems that criminal was willing to be as stupid as he turned out to be, who knows what he would have done if you tried to stick up for yourself

In liberal NY, criminals have more rights, so yeah, it could go either way. He's Albanian and they are notorious for tough guy attitude, so wouldn't be surprised if he was packing heat (my application for LEGAL gun got turned down years ago). Of course, after all this ordeal, all I will get back is my deductible and he won't even get a slap on his wrist. Talk about justice.

Well, without much due, here is a picture of Audi replacement.



Paired with DSG, DCC, DAP and protected by clearbra ( that is expensive! )

[87supraman]

Man what a bad night.

What dash cam are you running?

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[A4orce84]

Congrats on the new VW! Looks nice! =)


Thanks,
Asif

[PreciseD]

I should put my dash cam in. That and my carry should have me covered :)

[heywier427]

Your the typical dick driver that moved over to block the other dick driver from squeezing in. @ 19 sec. in.

You both got what was coming to you. Dick.

No love from me.

[Toronto5.5]

Your the typical dick driver that moved over to block the other dick driver from squeezing in. @ 19 sec. in.

You both got what was coming to you. Dick.

No love from me.

It's a single lane road. There was no reason to 'squeeze'.

[jesse500]

Your the typical dick driver that moved over to block the other dick driver from squeezing in. @ 19 sec. in.

You both got what was coming to you. Dick.

No love from me.

your an idiot

[Seerlah]

It's a single lane road. There was no reason to 'squeeze'.

In NY we treat those as two lanes till the merge, where the zipper method is used properly. If you see the cars ahead, they treat the line in the road as the divider. And...not sure if anybody noticed. When the other car tried to squeeze past the OP, OP drifted over to try and block him more which caused the contact. Use the middle line I am referring to for reference in the video.

Not condoning the actions of the other driver. But I also have a pet peeve for people who not also block lanes lanes (don't know that area, and locals drive differently), but leave an annoying gap.

[lyleswk]

Here we go...

[noldevin]

It does look a bit like you may have been purposely blocking him and driving slow, and they other driver's reaction is pretty typical to that (although far too aggressive in this case)

[SJorge3442]

I don't understand anyones reaction on here. This is clearly a single lane road and the guy in the car that was rally driving is 100% at fault. Its a one lane road, I too drive in the middle. Sue me. If there is no center line of any sort, its a large comfort lane (#Seinfeld). We have people like in Philly too. They don't want to wait in THE LINE so they take it upon themselves to be THAT GUY who blasts up the should or what have you and do things like this. I find it funny the people critizing the Audizine member's driving are all from NY and NJ...

[Seerlah]

It's called road etiquite. Do that in rush hour and see how many honks you get, let alone someone wanting to beat the crap out of you, spit on your car, take off your mirror, etc. For NY drivers, that is not a one lane section. And you clearly see the other cars in the video not treating it as one. There are hundreds upon thousands of roads in NY/NJ that are like that...and are two lanes. Many times, that city is just too cheap to paint a line.

And once again, not condoning the actions of the other driver. Just letting people understand what's going on in the video.

[SJorge3442]

It's called road etiquite. Do that in rush hour and see how many honks you get, let alone someone wanting to beat the crap out of you, spit on your car, take off your mirror, etc. For NY drivers, that is not a one lane section. And you clearly see the other cars in the video not treating it as one. There are hundreds upon thousands of roads in NY/NJ that are like that...and are two lanes. Many times, that city is just too cheap to paint a line.

And once again, not condoning the actions of the other driver. Just letting people understand what's going on in the video.

See, I understand where you're coming from, but its generally the more aggressive drivers who will drive like the guy who clipped the member on here. No line, not two lanes. As simple as that. The drivers handbooks say the same thing. I've done my share of city living/driving between Philly/Manhattan and I can tell you how much law abiding people hate stuff like this. They do the ethical thing and wait in the proper formation, while people like this blow by. Now if the general population knew how to actually drive a car, I'd agree with splitting that lane, but since that will never happen, it will never be safe. Classic case of an offensive driver. Try to assault me and the CCW will make an appearance.
Back when I used to ride motorcycles, people would do shit like that to me, almost making me crash. He fled because he knew he was guilty. My father drives tractor trailers (has for 40+ years) and these types of people end up squashed between guard rails and medians when they try to pull these types of stunts. I'd bet over a dozen cars have fallen victim to him and my dad doesn't have one offense on his record because he follows the laws.

I'm done posting in this thread, but its crazy to think how some members think on here. Most car guys I know tend to be good drivers and follow the actual laws and not the "unwritten" ones.

[treysgreen]

You did the right thing, it seems that criminal was willing to be as stupid as he turned out to be, who knows what he would have done if you tried to stick up for yourself. I really understand your situation my car was vandalized this summer by a homeless indian named andrew eastman in Minneapolis. After the police threatened to tow my car and site me for breaking down in a bus lane and also letting the criminal go scott free after seeing the video I asked a guy and his girlfriend for a screwdriver, my intercooler hose popped off, it was a 10 second fix that cost me my deductible and a week and a half without my car. he did about 2500 in damage with a vodka bottle. He had a knife and I wasn't going to play with that. As soon as I stopped this maniac was all over me, said he just got out of prison the other day and wanted to go back.

Wielding a knife and fucking up my car? I'd have been hard pressed not to pull my pistol on this asshole.

[Toronto5.5]

You did the right thing, it seems that criminal was willing to be as stupid as he turned out to be, who knows what he would have done if you tried to stick up for yourself. I really understand your situation my car was vandalized this summer by a homeless indian named andrew eastman in Minneapolis. After the police threatened to tow my car and site me for breaking down in a bus lane and also letting the criminal go scott free after seeing the video I asked a guy and his girlfriend for a screwdriver, my intercooler hose popped off, it was a 10 second fix that cost me my deductible and a week and a half without my car. he did about 2500 in damage with a vodka bottle. He had a knife and I wasn't going to play with that. As soon as I stopped this maniac was all over me, said he just got out of prison the other day and wanted to go back.

In the future, pop the hood and disconnect the MAF sensor. Car will run then.

[Seerlah]

Manhattan has painted lines. Those who turn those streets into two lanes are wrong. And they do indeed do it all the time, mostly at stop lights and it spreads back. Other places are not as neatly laid out as Manhattan, including the other boroughs. When bus drivers, cops, ambulance, etc also treat the roads unpainted like above as two lanes general consensus exists.

Once again, not at all condoning what the driver did AT ALL. It was a dickhead move. But...whole situation could have been avoided. Can't change the past, but I'm just saying.

[nitronutz]

I drive like a grandma cuz everybody is packing heat now a days. This road rage shit is outta control. I aint getting shot cuz some asswipe wants to pass me or cut me off. The world isnt a mario cart simulation and I dont get cash or win the admiration of beautiful women cuz i got to the destination first.

[jacobsen]

Wielding a knife and fucking up my car? I'd have been hard pressed not to pull my pistol on this asshole.

The cops did say I could have shot him based on the fact that I would have been protecting my property. They said it was legal and I shouldn't expect charges. However, I'm also not the kind of person who wants to shoot someone, not unless I absolutely have to.

[jacobsen]

In this case the criminal is 100% responsible for all damages. The criminal is also in violation of law by fleeing the scene of a motor vehicle accident. Even in the most extenuating consideration. It cannot be considered a two lane because there is no signage or painted markings indicating so. And let's consider it public domain? Perhaps if it fits it sits, if it fits it's a lane argument? Just because a lane might be wide enough for two cars it's a two lane? Let's go with it. Considering that theory, the criminal is still at fault because he struck a vehicle from behind. If you hit someone from behind it's your own fault for being too close. With dashcam evidence the original poster would definitely win the case in court. It would be very easy to do, if I were the original poster I would have contacted an attorney right away, there's still plenty of time. You could litigate that and win pretty easily. Just because the police didn't press charges doesn't mean you're not entitled to a claim. The police aren't good at helping people in these circumstances. They could have and should have charged the criminal but they didn't. Now I personally think there should be some backlash on their end, some kind of punishment. Too bad it's not illegal to not enforce the law.

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[treysgreen]

The cops did say I could have shot him based on the fact that I would have been protecting my property. They said it was legal and I shouldn't expect charges. However, I'm also not the kind of person who wants to shoot someone, not unless I absolutely have to.

In the case of justifiably shooting someone, you may spend a small amount of time in holding and the average cost is about $12k in legal fees. Unless, you have what is called stand your ground insurance. It costs $20 a month and guarantees a lawyer to take care of your case and keep you out of jail for any amount of time. Now, before shooting anyone, you have to decide whether or not what the person is doing, in this case fucking up your car, is worth killing for. I'd say not but him wielding a knife is pretty menacing.

[Seerlah]

And the plot thickens. Seems to me that in the video there are old faded divider lines...the city is too cheap to repaint. They are everywhere.

Edit: Ok, I retract some of what I wrote earlier, not disregarding the truth that many roads like that are two lanes in the surrounding NY/NJ/CT area. But that one was one lane. Road etiquite. It was one lane from the offramp, so it should stay that way. But still, many roads like that are two lane.

[heywier427]

your an idiot

Lol... I spent an ungodly amount of time in NY traffic the other day!

Can you tell :)

[g huns]

The cops did say I could have shot him based on the fact that I would have been protecting my property. They said it was legal and I shouldn't expect charges. However, I'm also not the kind of person who wants to shoot someone, not unless I absolutely have to.

Don't EVER take legal advice for cops.

Or from me for that matter.

Acting in Self-Defense is a valid defense to an assault charge. It is important to know that in Minnesota you have a duty to retreat, prior to defending yourself or others. The Duty to Retreat means that you must attempt to retreat, where practical, from the threat before responding with reasonable force. Reasonable Force is responding with a level of force that is commensurate with the threat level perceived at the time. If you are defending yourself or other from a violent attack, even deadly force can be reasonable depending on the circumstances.

The Law

In Minnesota you must meet four criteria to be legally justified in using Lethal Force:

1. You must reasonably be in immediate fear of great bodily harm or death to yourself or another.
2. You must be a reluctant participant.
3. You must have no reasonable means of retreat.
4. No lesser force would suffice, lethal force was a last resort

In the good state of Minnesota, I don't think you'll find any law that allows you to use lethal force to defend your car.

[jacobsen]

Don't EVER take legal advice for cops.

Or from me for that matter.





In the good state of Minnesota, I don't think you'll find any law that allows you to use lethal force to defend your car.

I agree with you 100% friend. I wouldn't trust a cop either way, in my experience they cause more trouble firing situations up. And by no means would I ever want to take a life. Especially not over a car. I just hope for a change in that man's life. He needs more help than he can give himself.

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[jesse500]

I'm glad I live in Canada, particularly Ontario.

[jacobsen]

I'm glad I love in Canada, particularly Ontario.

Take off, I wish I did too. So far my favorite places in Canada are banff, Jasper, Lake Louise, Athabaska glacier, lake moraine... pretty good candy up there, I'm not even the candy guy. But that toffee stuff is worth it. When I'm camping in northern Minnesota I usually scoot over to LCBO in Thunder Bay to stock up. Beats anything around the Minnesota side.

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