I’m a big fan of German cars, as I noted in my introduction. My first loves are all generations of the Smart Fortwo. But recently I’ve been drooling over Ferdinand Piëch-era Volkswagens. I’m not sure what it is about them that draws me in. They’re cheap, some of them are fast even for today...
jalopnik.com
The author there before becoming a Jalopnik author very recently would just do her own blog on what was a loosely associated site (still part of the 'Kinja' that Networks Jalopnik and its many sister sites together as well as the comments system) called "opposite lock" or "oppo" for short.
Some months ago, the owners and legal team of that network of blogs threatened to close the 'user blogs' and leave open only the 'front page' reporting from sites like Jalopnik, Gizmodo, Deadspin, Jezebel and even The Onion among others. So, with 'oppo' about to disappear, several of the regulars there got together and started a discord live chat channel to help coordinate the moving of content, maybe find a new site to setup a new similar blog and commentary system and keep it going.
Miss Mercedes was one of those regulars along with myself... though I'm really not that regular of a blogger, just have done the occasional write up here and there. She'd start talking about her first diesel Passat at the time and myself and bhtooefr (you'll recognize that name if you're on TDIClub at all) chimed in in the live chat. I've owned 3 of those BHW wagons myself, and I actually really, really like them (once you fix all their stupid failure points). And when it was having the boost control issues, I instructed her the best thing was to buy Ross-Tech and we could help guide her through some diagnostic procedures to at least narrow down the list of possible reasons for the underboost code. At least run a basic setting 11 while monitoring what the actuator is doing or measuring vacuum output from the N75 while it alternates between ON and OFF, yanno?
So anyway, that's my short story. And Uwe, you're welcome for at least 1 successful customer referral
