Fellow ACNA and ACFL Members   

It is summer and hot in Florida but one nice aspect of this time of year is hearing from members who are adventuring through different parts of this very large country. Be it the Bad Lands of South Dakota (certainly hot), New England's rocky coast (lobster and steamed soft shell clams) or places much closer and a bit cooler such as northern Georgia. Any place with a little shade and a cool stream would be better at times.  

Along with summer and the heat come the daily shore bird's bombing raids on our car's finish, usually conducted while one is out running errands. There on one's hood cooking from both sides simultaneously as in a convection oven, etching into the "fragile" clear coat finish in all its glory, another gift from nature. Once upon a time with a little elbow grease, a soft towel, the help of such products as Simonize cleaner, then past wax, Vista, Mothers or Blue Coral and prior to Clear Coat finishes these unwanted incursions and trespasses were of little consequence, we had real paint on our cars. Now that we no longer have any spirit based car finishes due to multiply paint regulations, basically cars can stay shinny until the clear coat peals off like an old sunburn. Any time a sea gull or some of those B59 bomber like pelicans wishe to make a "Protective Reaction Strike", you have a record of their run permanently etched on your car's finish. I am sure fellow shoppers in the local Publix or Winn Dixie lot must get a kick out of it as my wife stows the food in the cooler in the back of the Avant, there I am diligently spritzing the latest deposit on the hood with some spay shine. One ole coot taking care of what another coot's relative left me. Or perhaps it is just pride of Audi ownership.  

A quick shout out to Bill Edmond, Sales Manager of Sarasota Audi who recently hosted our meet at their new state of the art facility. If you are in the area, check it out, it seems especially warm and inviting, which is only reinforced by the hospitality and cordiality of Bill and his team of Audi Brand Specialists. Drop by check out the cars, the service and the pleasant café. I have known Bill for a number of years now plus a few of his Audi Brand Specialists and it is a class act operation. The other nice item is that you car will also be serviced in air conditioned comfort. Also a special thanks to Julie who planed the entire event including the luncheon that followed at the Alpine Steak House. There are a lot of good German specialties there including a first class butcher shop.  

If you have been following the auto and club news lately, the other stuff is too depressing, Audi has some interesting offerings coming, an RS3, too bad it will not be in a Sportwagon for us and possibly an A9. BMW continues to take it in the shorts behind the woodshed, down 10% in sales we were up 1% for June not much but still up. The ACNA has opened its doors to some other Audi fan organizations such as the Camp Allroad which will soon join as a group. It helps both organizations and I have been involved with a working group that meets weekly facilitating the joining of the two organizations. Camp Allroad is primarily an Allroad/Avant organization, has a large international following and does one large event a year out west. The weekly working group is also looking into the benefits that the ACNA provides it members, always a lively topic and we are trying to improve the value package provided members who join the ACNA.

 

 

               1101 Goldfinch Dr, Plant City, FL 33563

                  oliwlthmgt@aol.com 

Cheers and Safe Motoring  
Bob Greving  
President, ACFL