# Aluminium Paddles for TT V6...the dream is over...



## Philippe-TTV6 (Mar 7, 2004)

:?

Prices in France , for Aluminium Paddles, have increased dramaticly , last weeks, for ....+ 400 %....!

Theft or business...you'll judge ....

Components are just costing few pennies...and you have to pay 240 Â£ for a set now, here....

I'm still looking for a way to get some cheaper, for my members, and others too...to be continued... :wink:

@TTLAW
Don't worry , Steve....I bought your set , a long time ago, to bring to you in Brooklands....


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## fivelittlefish (May 15, 2002)

Well, I'd just like to say thanks for all your efforts, Phillippe - how many sets did you buy in the end?


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## andya (Jun 17, 2003)

How much are Audi UK currently charging for these?

Do you just order them from your dealer or is it more complicated than this?


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## christtopher (May 7, 2002)

Philippe, you have IM


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## ronin (Sep 6, 2003)

Surely this is the point where GTT tuning step in - if not they should do. From what ive seen roland is a very skilled chap and given the demand for these he could do well out of manufacturing some, or even a set of covers for the originals.
If he does i want some commission ! :wink:


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## Wak (May 6, 2002)

anyone asked www.vagparts.com ?


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## Wak (May 6, 2002)

ronin said:


> Surely this is the point where GTT tuning step in - if not they should do. From what ive seen roland is a very skilled chap and given the demand for these he could do well out of manufacturing some, or even a set of covers for the originals.
> If he does i want some commission ! :wink:


Roland would probably dimple them for you as well !


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## Kell (May 28, 2002)

Wak said:


> anyone asked www.vagparts.com ?


Yeah - I thnk VAG parts went down in a lot of people's estimation over this very thing. Lots of people ordered them as they were displayed at the original price, then in between people placing their orders and Vagparts ordering them from VW...

All those orders were then cancelled. Most people felt that they should have honoured that despite the cost to them as a company...especially as I believe a lot of people had paid and then had to be refunded.

I must stress at this point that this is how I remeber it, but as I was neither a person who ordered, nor a member of VAGparts, I don't remember if this is entirely correct.


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## rolandgttuning (Jan 6, 2004)

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the vote of confidence!Not having a V6, have you any good pic's of what were trying to achieve, preferably off the car aswell as on.
I will count to five and Wak will have them up no doubt!

Regards Roland GTT


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## ronin (Sep 6, 2003)

rolandgttuning said:


> Hi Guys,
> 
> Thanks for the vote of confidence!Not having a V6, have you any good pic's of what were trying to achieve, preferably off the car aswell as on.
> I will count to five and Wak will have them up no doubt!
> ...


[cough] suggesters commission  [cough/]


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## jog (Oct 13, 2003)

rolandgttuning said:


> Hi Guys,
> 
> Thanks for the vote of confidence!Not having a V6, have you any good pic's of what were trying to achieve, preferably off the car aswell as on.
> I will count to five and Wak will have them up no doubt!
> ...


Roland,
Let me know if you need a "Guinea Pig" :wink:


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## XXMetal (Jan 20, 2004)

As you say Rolland Wak will probably find a better picture, but this is the best I could find.


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## Dont I Recognise You (Oct 10, 2003)

I might not be Wak, but I do know where the pics of this particular product are 

click here



(handy link from the FAQ thread)


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## Dont I Recognise You (Oct 10, 2003)

PS.

many MANY thanks (again) to Philippe for sourcing these


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## rolandgttuning (Jan 6, 2004)

Hi Guys,

Thanks DIRY, good pics.
Q Are the black plastic paddles available seperatly from the other part or is it only available complete as with the alloy ones?Either way how much are they?

Regards Roland GTT


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## Wak (May 6, 2002)

I feel shame...I let you down! 

I did steal that thread info a while ago but forgot to post it up....its there now!


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## Chip_iTT (Nov 14, 2003)

Roland,

If you ask nicely I'm sure someone who already changed theirs could loan the plastic ones as a model.... there are a few of them around this forum...

AFAIK the paddles come as a unit with the switch, but it is actually only necessary to change the paddle itself. As you've seen from the pics its relatively easy to split.....


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## Wak (May 6, 2002)

and dont forget to dimple them! :wink:


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## Philippe-TTV6 (Mar 7, 2004)

Almost 50 sets crossed the seas (atlantic and channel), in the last months.... :lol: :lol:

Lucky guys, they are .... to have been quick to order.. :wink:

For the moment, we are , here, very active, to find a way, to have Aluminium Paddles for a normal price...on our TT. (Ive mine allready, but new owners still want theirs...  )

The option to forge some is a strong idea... :idea: 
The design have to be a bit changed, and we think about offering, only the paddle without the plastic base and the connector (none of us use them, anyway....  )

a sort of tunning option....

It 's on the way....


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## ronin (Sep 6, 2003)

Philippe-TTV6 said:


> The option to forge some is a strong idea... .


Which shouldnt go unrewarded :roll:


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## christtopher (May 7, 2002)

ronin said:


> Philippe-TTV6 said:
> 
> 
> > The option to forge some is a strong idea... .
> ...


LOL

Keep trying mate! :lol:


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## jonah (Aug 17, 2002)

Philippe-TTV6 said:


> :?
> @TTLAW
> Don't worry , Steve....I bought your set , a long time ago, to bring to you in Brooklands....


I think i read some where he now has a V6 Manual


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## ronin (Sep 6, 2003)

christtopher said:


> ronin said:
> 
> 
> > Philippe-TTV6 said:
> ...


Feel like the guy who turned down the Beatles 
I knew i should have kept shtum and just got on with getting them made....


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## r14n (Jan 10, 2003)

jonah said:


> Philippe-TTV6 said:
> 
> 
> > :?
> ...


You're correct. His DSG has been replaced two or three times, 
and he has another car on order 3.2 Manual.


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## bajers (Nov 22, 2003)

Appreciate that it is a bit premature, but I would like a set if someone decides to make them up.

Thanks.

Baj.


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## V6 TT (Sep 24, 2002)

.......does anybody want my black platic small versions? Send me some cash (via Paypal if you wish) for postage and they are yours. Just don't forget that the R32 versions are much longer and 100% more usable than these. The new paddles transformed the complete functionality of M mode for me and I'm sure the others will agree.......

Cheers again Phillipe for your efforts!!!!!!!

Incidently, I will only send these on if I can have a free set of the new versions! :wink: :lol: :wink: :lol: :wink: :lol:

Cheers

Dean
P.S. Dimpples? Nah.......


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## rolandgttuning (Jan 6, 2004)

Hi Guys,

This one isn't quite like discovering the Beetles unfortunately.Die-casting is still quite a large tooling investment and still requires machining and finishing ops.
The other option is to CNC mill it from solid,quite technical as would require some ballnose 3D profiling.With the latter we would have a stunning product with design control on the outer profile and decoration if desired.Either way would need in this instance minimum of 50 firm orders Price would be less than the VW ones but still not cheap cheap.They would be much nicer though,you guys could even decide on the perfect profile.perhaps have a competion in absolute?winner gets two weeks in Disneyland payed for by Ronin. :lol: (Ok a set of free paddles).

Regards Roland GTT


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## Dont I Recognise You (Oct 10, 2003)

Roland

You're welcome to borrow my plastic ones (I need em back for when the car goes back to the leasing co, but that's a long way off yet ).

But - as Dean says, the Alu versions are that bit bigger and IMO also, easier to use.

You're welcome to have a close look at em at Brooklands if you like (I'll whip em off with my new Wak supplied SkewDriver )


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## jog (Oct 13, 2003)

So it doesnt sound like you will be flogging them at brooklands then. :? 
That said, I would be up for a set (depending on final design obviously), and as offered before, I would be willing to be part of any trials :wink: .
Cheers
Jog


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## ronin (Sep 6, 2003)

rolandgttuning said:


> Hi Guys,
> 
> winner gets two weeks in Disneyland payed for by Ronin. :lol:


 Better just hope your skill with metal is better than your humour :wink:


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## bajers (Nov 22, 2003)

Cannot see us getting 50 orders off this forum though :?

Unless you 225 owners want to stick a pair on your steering wheel for pose value 

(Sorry guys, only joking)...


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## rolandgttuning (Jan 6, 2004)

Hi Guys,
Thanks for the offer DIRY,that would be useful.If it did go ahead we would need a car at some point, so thanks to Jog and Ronin too

Regards Roland GTT


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## christtopher (May 7, 2002)

bajers said:


> Cannot see us getting 50 orders off this forum though :?


I think some of us A3 owners (to be) would be interested. Me included. If I mention it on the tyresmoke forum, I'm sure the 3.2 and 2.0 TDI owners would be make up the numbers.


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## RobbieTT (Sep 6, 2003)

Love mine more and more each day. Pride of place in my sig pic.


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## bajers (Nov 22, 2003)

christtopher said:


> I think some of us A3 owners (to be) would be interested. Me included. If I mention it on the tyresmoke forum, I'm sure the 3.2 and 2.0 TDI owners would be make up the numbers.


I'm up for a group buy then provided they are reasonably priced!!!!


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## Matthew (Oct 6, 2003)

rolandgttuning said:


> Hi Guys,
> 
> This one isn't quite like discovering the Beetles unfortunately.Die-casting is still quite a large tooling investment and still requires machining and finishing ops.
> The other option is to CNC mill it from solid,quite technical as would require some ballnose 3D profiling.With the latter we would have a stunning product with design control on the outer profile and decoration if desired.Either way would need in this instance minimum of 50 firm orders Price would be less than the VW ones but still not cheap cheap.They would be much nicer though,you guys could even decide on the perfect profile.perhaps have a competion in absolute?winner gets two weeks in Disneyland payed for by Ronin. :lol: (Ok a set of free paddles).
> ...


Man, I'd be up for them. Count me in.


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## Richard (Apr 25, 2003)

Apologies if this has already been asked (don't get much chance to surf now that our 2nd child has arrived) but are Audi UK likely to offer this themselves at a reasonable price in the future ? I might be interested but don't really fancy trying to fit them myself.

Also do they really make that much difference ? Haven't really had any problems with the standard ones so far. They look quite big on some of the photo's - is there a chance that you could catch them by accident ? Anyone out there decided to revert back to the standard ones ?


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## bajers (Nov 22, 2003)

Rich,

It's a single screw fit apparently and you don't even have to change the housing, just the paddle (correct me if I am wrong guys).

I cannot see them being a problem because Audi fit them on one of the cars, so they are designed to do the job.


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## scoTTy (May 6, 2002)

I'm not being picky or anything (actually that's a lie! :wink: ) but after looking at the 3.2 review I did a year ago I found this quote :



Dean_Southcombe said:


> the ones I tried on the RS6 and A8 are slightly a different shape but are identical in material and function and feel quality, they have a very short movement or travel with a sensitive sort of muted "click" - pure Audi feel. Don't worry as I'm sure they will be identical in feel.
> 
> Aluminium is being used for the R32 and although they do look nice I feel Audi made the right decision excluding them as they will look a little OTT IMHO and Audi always attack things by being subtle (aka body styling of the 3.2). If it's good enough for the RS6, then it's good enough for me


Could this really be the same person who recently said : ?


V6 TT said:


> .......does anybody want my black platic small versions? Send me some cash (via Paypal if you wish) for postage and they are yours. Just don't forget that the R32 versions are much longer and 100% more usable than these. The new paddles transformed the complete functionality of M mode for me and I'm sure the others will agree


 :roll: :lol: :lol:


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## Philippe-TTV6 (Mar 7, 2004)

What is the exact price of Aluminium paddles in UK, sold by VW..?

Maybe.....


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## wesTT29 (May 22, 2004)

Several things in no particular order:

What about our Dutch and Belgian readers? Would anybody be prepared to check their prices locally? If not (and perhaps in parallel in any case if their stealers are as ill informed as ours) I'll get a friend in Amsterdam to ring around.

Why have the prices gone up? I cannot imagine that the VW supplier is still making them now the model is out of production. Is it to stop us de-stocking them completely? Is it purely mercenary?

I was talking to a switched on product designer about this and he says that there is a process called vacuum dustification or somesuch (I'll clear that one up). Apparently, this can lay down metal powder onto the plastic itself and is how they make all those metalised parts. If he/we can find someone with the kit, you don't need to worry about tooling, templates or anything. Moreover, you could buy a float of the plastic ones from Audi and people could hand their old ones back in exchange. The lettering is also doable without too much trouble. Of course, too much trouble refers to the technical process and there may be a few organisational hurdles to surmout.

I did also think that following the cruise control fitting instructions it may be possible to get at the wiring and put the + and - on the right sides but that is trivia compared to the main event.


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## EighTT (Jun 10, 2003)

Kell said:


> Wak said:
> 
> 
> > anyone asked www.vagparts.com ?
> ...


I'm not sure this is fair. In fact, I'm quite certain that it's not.

Here's the story...

I believe I'm the first guy in the world to have these aluminum paddles on a 3.2 TT, for what little that's worth. Quite some time ago, I viewed various photos of the DSG R32 and wondered if the aluminum paddles would fit the 3.2 TT. I contacted vagparts.com and we kicked the question back and forth. Ultimately, neither they nor I were certain, but they agreed to supply a set of paddles allowing me to act as Guinea Pig.

I took the paddles to my dealer here in the U.S. and ultimately they were installed, although I paid more for the installation than anyone else (I'd imagine) because we were sailing in uncharted waters.

I photographed the completed result and shared my experiences with vagparts.com and with you. Orders poured into vagparts.com, which was what we were hoping for.

Unfortunately, Audi got wind of this and jacked the prices for the aluminum paddles through the roof. Thus, vagparts was unable to supply the parts at a reasonable cost and they were forced to cancel orders.

I don't blame them one bit for the cancellations and they would be very poor businessmen if they had honored the original prices as they couldn't obtain supply at anything close to what they *thought* they'd be able to procure the paddles for. These fellows are running a business and not a charity. It would have been ridiculous for them to suffer substantial losses under these circumstances.

So if vagparts suffered any diminished reputation because of this situation, that's quite unreasonable in my view. My experience with and opinion of the fellows at vagparts remains quite favorable.


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## Philippe-TTV6 (Mar 7, 2004)

And I should add to Brad's explanation that, VagParts is also a victim of the Audi's theft.

To cross by 4 an original price, is in my opinion, much more BAD, from Audi, than apply a small business profit, at vagparts, to run their company.

The bad reputation would be for those who build our cars....

In my own opinion, of course...


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## Major Audi Parts Guru (May 7, 2002)

EighTT said:


> I'm not sure this is fair. In fact, I'm quite certain that it's not.
> 
> Here's the story...
> 
> ...


Thanks for the accurate explanation Brad


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## Philippe-TTV6 (Mar 7, 2004)

nobody answered me..... 

How much are the paddles in UK....?....exactly.


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## Dont I Recognise You (Oct 10, 2003)

I certainly know which door I'm laying blame at :evil:

And I'm well chuffed that (via Philippe) I (we) managed to get one back at them 

To answer an eariler question - no, I won't be swapping back 
Though to be fair, my plastic ones weren't really on long enuf to get a real impression of them. I'm sure they work fine.

It's just that my Alu ones also work fine, and IMO, look the Dogs


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## V6 TT (Sep 24, 2002)

scoTTy said:


> I'm not being picky or anything (actually that's a lie! :wink: ) but after looking at the 3.2 review I did a year ago I found this quote :
> 
> 
> 
> ...


.......yep that's me! So what's your point Paul? I made a valid personal assumption before I (or anybody else) got their hands on a V6 and then once I got my car and then tried the R32 pads was completley converted.

Just think, who would have thought you would now be driving a family saloon! Mr Scott, we are ALL entitled to change our minds.......:lol: :lol: :wink: :wink: :lol: :lol: What's your middle name? Tim? haven't you got anything better to do? :wink:


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## fivelittlefish (May 15, 2002)

> nobody answered me.....
> 
> How much are the paddles in UK....?....exactly.


Don't know mate - I came straight to you!


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## V6 TT (Sep 24, 2002)

fivelittlefish said:


> > nobody answered me.....
> >
> > How much are the paddles in UK....?....exactly.
> 
> ...


.......around Â£300+ for the pair the last time I checked.


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## fivelittlefish (May 15, 2002)

> .......around Â£300+ for the pair the last time I checked.


Bloody hell! Outrageous!


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## V6 TT (Sep 24, 2002)

fivelittlefish said:


> > .......around Â£300+ for the pair the last time I checked.
> 
> 
> Bloody hell! Outrageous!


.......especially when you consider they changed from circa Â£32 each over night! :evil:


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## scoTTy (May 6, 2002)

V6 TT said:


> Just think, who would have thought you would now be driving a family saloon! Mr Scott, we are ALL entitled to change our minds.......:lol: :lol: :wink: :wink: :lol: :lol: What's your middle name? Tim? haven't you got anything better to do? :wink:


The difference is I didn't slate the S4 before buying one hence I didn't change my mind. :wink: 
Anyway I'm just only joking around. [smiley=jester.gif] 
I just happened to read your latest post just before I read you old one and it made me chuckle. :wink:


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## maersk (Feb 1, 2004)

8) 
Mr Audi/VW had these paddles manufactured by someone. The tooling already exists to produce the alu part of the paddle.
Consequently is it not beyond the resources of this forum and itas associated cronies to find out who the supplier is/was and approach them directly? Maker code must be stamped onit somewhere.
Our friends in Taipei are adept at producing items like this, what about approaching them?
:wink:


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## R32Paul (Jun 20, 2004)

Having got my A3 DSg baxk complete with new box.....

I have looked into the paddles in the UK Part no's:

1J0 851 - 5274J4 (Left) and 5284J4 (Right) and they work out at Â£340(ish) + Vat.

Having had a lie down - I am now trying via a colleage who work's in Holland.

Will keep you posted.

Paul


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## Chip_iTT (Nov 14, 2003)

wonder how much the plastic ones are... the switchgear is the same (and of course not required) but i would estimate at Â£5-10 for the switch alone (not that u can buy it and prob around 60p-Â£1 works cost to Audi!)


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## Dont I Recognise You (Oct 10, 2003)

not that it probably makes any difference, but IIRC the 'switch' part of the unit is also different on the R32 to the TT.

I think that when they fitted Eight's they had to splice into wires and things cos the R32 ones were shorter?

Of course, since then it was discovered that just the paddles can be swapped, leaving the switch unit in place.

Just thought I'd mention it


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## TT Law (Sep 6, 2003)

jonah said:


> Philippe-TTV6 said:
> 
> 
> > :?
> ...


Yes I do have a manual V6 now.

A lucky V6er has already replied to my thread on the For Sale section and he will get the paddles at the original french cost when I collect them from Phillipe at Brooklands.

Regards

Steve


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## V6 TT (Sep 24, 2002)

Don't I Recognise You? said:


> I think that when they fitted Eight's they had to splice into wires and things cos the R32 ones were shorter?


.......Mirimar Audi thought they would need to splice Brad's paddles in, but while investigating realised there was no need and used the same process as us. They still charged the bugger $50 IIRC!.......but he was the first to go for it.......


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## Richard (Apr 25, 2003)

At Â£300 I'm not that curious !! Around Â£100 I might be tempted though.


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## RobbieTT (Sep 6, 2003)

Richard said:


> At Â£300 I'm not that curious !! Around Â£100 I might be tempted though.


Blinkin' Audi.

At least the last thief I was robbed by had the decency to carry a gun.


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