2009 Audi A4 Avant: Xmas Tree Time

Yah I guess its one thing to scratch the top of a car that you cannot see...ie an SUV.

Does this car have a roof rack option? Or maybe you could have put some cardboard or a soft blanket underneath?

Talk about a useless decorative roof rack. I've seen plenty without cross rails (and I know that helps gas mileage and wind noise), but none that you can't even tie a string to.

Some station wagon this is turning out to be. Aren't wagon lovers always dissing SUV's as excessive and stupid? Well this thing has less cargo space than a midsize sedan, and the AWD is effectively neutered by summer tires.

I can understand debate about the roof rack. I've noticed on some old GM cars that they have baggage racks on their trunks. IMHO, that's a waste of material and time. I can't imagine anyone using those or these 'cosmetic' roof racks in the real world.

Audi is guilty of pretending to make the car seem rugged. But Audi's are meant for driving, not lugging trees around on its top.

This does seem kind of cruel. You guys really are abuse with these long term cars. As someone who admires all forms of vehicles, I even feel guilty if I abuse a rental Sebring, and the Sebring deserves it.

The real abuse is that wall of lights on the house.

^^ Ya, that and the tree shopping at Home Depot. I bet Christmas dinner is at Applebee's.

^^^ :) you guys are harsh!

Who needs an SUV for this type of stuff? I bought 2 trees, both about 6-7', on the roof of my car.

All it needed was a thick blanket and 2 ratcheting tie-downs. I bet it would've been significantly more difficult with an SUV's roof height.

By the way, ratcheting tie downs are the single most handy way to transform any car into a hauling monster....short of a hitch and platform.

4' wide boxes of furniture? Roof.

No damage done to the cars yet. And the blanket maintains a swirl free life :)

Joe

Up early this morning Scott???

Those lights are absolutely hideous.

Those roofrails ARE functional. Just purchase any of the multitude of aftermarket cross-bars available to fit the A4, depending on your needs (e.g. bike vs. ski attachments, etc.).

And yes, strapping on a prickly pine tree wrapped in steel wire definitely qualifies as cruel, guaranteed to leave behind permanent swirls and scratches. Is that any way to treat a premium car like that?

Here's my Audi wagon with tree on top. Note the moving blanket. :)

http://kwaping.com/imgs/audi_tree.jpg

Blah... those big bulbed, colored lights are really distracting me from the beauty of the A4.

Buying a luxury car shouldn't mean you can no longer do things that you do freely with your ordinary car.
Like eating at your favorite restaurant near a rowdy hangout place.
Or parking in the first row of a busy parking lot.

If these limitations and changes in behavior are required, luxury cars suck.

"the little A4 handled this big-SUV-type job without a wimper"
You do realize an Xmas tree weighs all of 50 lbs, right? That's like saying it handled an 8 year old like a champ.

Ditto CarGuy. lol

We put our Christmas tree inside our Taurus wagon. It was only 5-6 feet, but no scratched paint, just some needles to vacuum up later.

And milt721, we got our tree at Home Depot. $20 for 5-6 feet. It doesn't mean we're uncultured. It is really hard to find a place to cut down your own tree in the Los Angeles area, though I much prefer those. Way to be a judgmental jerk.

The little lights, they're not twinkling...

You people chop down real trees and take their life for your one day ceremony?
Ooooh you better be planting a garden big enough to absorb all the CO2 that the tree would have absorbed if it lived, plus the CO2 produced by your dirty, dirty vehicle that you used to transport that precious tree whose life you took!

billt9

Totally agree.

But even if i drove a Corolla, i wouldn't do that to my car. Thats just wrong.

At least use a blanket. Oh wait, i forgot, your "careless"

"I've noticed on some old GM cars that they have baggage racks on their trunks. IMHO, that's a waste of material and time."

haven't you seen "planes, trains, and automobiles"?

wasn't a gm vehicle, but they used the baggage racks on the trunk of their rental!

I'm green. I own a fake tree! ;-)

That totally seems like unnecessary damage to this nice car. I pity the next person that buys it. A blanket would have been no effort.

"I'm green. I own a fake tree! ;-)"

How many plastic fumes were sent into the air to make that tree? Nothing is green...except maybe not having a tree.

Wow, stove, I didn't suggest cutting down your own tree - it's just that buying a tree at home depot is like, well, I dunno...shopping at wal-mart for antiques? I'm sure there is at least one nursery/tree lot in the Los Angeles area. Don't pretend there aren't.

Doug - That was intended to be sarcastic. ;-P