Good morning all:

I have a silver 2002 B4, at present 106k kms from new.  I am the second owner (from 2004, 46k).  Stock, except for a 'mild' chip, front strut brace, upgraded front brakes and an Alpine/Boston Acoustics sound system.

I've been very happy with the car except for one thing - the security system.  I have had to have most of it replaced over the years following malfunctions, fortunately none while the car was in motion!  It appears that it is so embedded into the electronic circuit that it can't easily be bypassed.  Is this so?

One thing that has always intrigued me is the criticism of excessive turbo lag around 4 000 rpm. Of course, if you gun the car, what do you expect?  But if you drive smoothly (which is what you're supposed to do), no problem.

Given the age of the car and the fact that I'm intending to do dome touring, I've investigated replacing the hoses.  Imagine my surprise to find there are 17 of them (costing about $700), plus about $700 in labour, plus coolant and any clamps that need to be replaced.  Can anyone suggest an alternative hose supplier and an 'order of precedence' for replacement? (I assume this will be top and bottom radiator hoses, heater hoses, then what?)

Love to hear from any other  owners in the ACT.

Cheers

Alan