So I'm pretty certain Audi can suck it at this point
11-10-2013, 03:34 PM
#1
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So I'm pretty certain Audi can suck it at this point
My lease will be up soon, so I went back to the Audi website to build a new car. Been pretty happy with my A4 to date, and couldn't be happier with my dealer's service quality, so another A4 was a high liklihood.
Well, I went to go option out an A4 P+, and the first box I check is the "Black Optics" package, which appears to be the same as the Titanium package on my current A4. However, the package now costs $1300 (Was $1100) and they don't give you either the black headliner or the piano black interior trim. You're stuck with grey headliner unless you want to pony up for the S-Line (only on the prestige) or the S4, and unless you front another $500, you're stuck with the coke bottle tin trim inside. Great.
The only other option I wanted was rear window shades. I had this option stock in my no-frills 2008 Passat wagon and I loved it. my 3 year old gets miffed at the sun shining in her face, so I thought I'd get it in the new car. Well, Audi wants $500 for it, but it does come with the power backlight shade. miffed, but whatever. Turns out you CAN'T GET IT on the P+ car. you have to pony up to the prestige again to get the rear window shades. It used to be available on the P+ cars, but not anymore. I have no F'n clue why I'd need the Prestige to get friggin window shades.
So here we are, I WANT to get a new Audi, but Audi wants to charge me more for less or just outright won't let me have what I want on a car that has not been significantly changed since the Bush Administration.
I'm getting really, really sick of Audi shortchanging the cars and the customers. There was a day, not that long ago that I could walk into an Audi dealer and demand twin turbo charged station wagon with a stick and kermit green leather seats and they'd be happy to oblige. Now I can't get friggin window shades.
Does Audi want to sell luxury cars or not? I can walk into a VW or a Toyota dealer and get told that the cars come the way they come and I can pick any color I want (that's on the lot). I can walk into a Merc or BMW dealer and order whatever the hell I want. (and at this point, probably will).
Well, I went to go option out an A4 P+, and the first box I check is the "Black Optics" package, which appears to be the same as the Titanium package on my current A4. However, the package now costs $1300 (Was $1100) and they don't give you either the black headliner or the piano black interior trim. You're stuck with grey headliner unless you want to pony up for the S-Line (only on the prestige) or the S4, and unless you front another $500, you're stuck with the coke bottle tin trim inside. Great.
The only other option I wanted was rear window shades. I had this option stock in my no-frills 2008 Passat wagon and I loved it. my 3 year old gets miffed at the sun shining in her face, so I thought I'd get it in the new car. Well, Audi wants $500 for it, but it does come with the power backlight shade. miffed, but whatever. Turns out you CAN'T GET IT on the P+ car. you have to pony up to the prestige again to get the rear window shades. It used to be available on the P+ cars, but not anymore. I have no F'n clue why I'd need the Prestige to get friggin window shades.
So here we are, I WANT to get a new Audi, but Audi wants to charge me more for less or just outright won't let me have what I want on a car that has not been significantly changed since the Bush Administration.
I'm getting really, really sick of Audi shortchanging the cars and the customers. There was a day, not that long ago that I could walk into an Audi dealer and demand twin turbo charged station wagon with a stick and kermit green leather seats and they'd be happy to oblige. Now I can't get friggin window shades.
Does Audi want to sell luxury cars or not? I can walk into a VW or a Toyota dealer and get told that the cars come the way they come and I can pick any color I want (that's on the lot). I can walk into a Merc or BMW dealer and order whatever the hell I want. (and at this point, probably will).
11-10-2013, 07:14 PM
#2
AudiWorld Super User
To reply reasonably to your post, as you must know, Audi, like other manufacturers, changes options and packages from year to year. In many cases it's based on marketing decisions, to simplify inventory requirements or to keep the base and first step up models from showing significant price increases, particularly compared to the competition. They can't make everyone happy all the time and being upset about it won't change the reality. If the things you mentioned bother you that much, perhaps, as you indicated, it's best to choose a different brand that can provide the options you can't live without at a price you can justify.
To answer your last question, it does appear they do want to sell luxury cars and are doing so very nicely. Audi's sales and segment market share keep going up each year so whatever they are doing must be working for them. Even Audi's reliability has significantly improved - Consumer Reports' recent survey has moved Audi up from 8th from 4th place overall and by far, the top German maker. For example, BMW and Mercedes came in a distant 15th and 13th places respectively.
To answer your last question, it does appear they do want to sell luxury cars and are doing so very nicely. Audi's sales and segment market share keep going up each year so whatever they are doing must be working for them. Even Audi's reliability has significantly improved - Consumer Reports' recent survey has moved Audi up from 8th from 4th place overall and by far, the top German maker. For example, BMW and Mercedes came in a distant 15th and 13th places respectively.
11-10-2013, 11:35 PM
#4
My lease will be up soon, so I went back to the Audi website to build a new car. Been pretty happy with my A4 to date, and couldn't be happier with my dealer's service quality, so another A4 was a high liklihood.
Well, I went to go option out an A4 P+, and the first box I check is the "Black Optics" package, which appears to be the same as the Titanium package on my current A4. However, the package now costs $1300 (Was $1100) and they don't give you either the black headliner or the piano black interior trim. You're stuck with grey headliner unless you want to pony up for the S-Line (only on the prestige) or the S4, and unless you front another $500, you're stuck with the coke bottle tin trim inside. Great.
The only other option I wanted was rear window shades. I had this option stock in my no-frills 2008 Passat wagon and I loved it. my 3 year old gets miffed at the sun shining in her face, so I thought I'd get it in the new car. Well, Audi wants $500 for it, but it does come with the power backlight shade. miffed, but whatever. Turns out you CAN'T GET IT on the P+ car. you have to pony up to the prestige again to get the rear window shades. It used to be available on the P+ cars, but not anymore. I have no F'n clue why I'd need the Prestige to get friggin window shades.
So here we are, I WANT to get a new Audi, but Audi wants to charge me more for less or just outright won't let me have what I want on a car that has not been significantly changed since the Bush Administration.
I'm getting really, really sick of Audi shortchanging the cars and the customers. There was a day, not that long ago that I could walk into an Audi dealer and demand twin turbo charged station wagon with a stick and kermit green leather seats and they'd be happy to oblige. Now I can't get friggin window shades.
Does Audi want to sell luxury cars or not? I can walk into a VW or a Toyota dealer and get told that the cars come the way they come and I can pick any color I want (that's on the lot). I can walk into a Merc or BMW dealer and order whatever the hell I want. (and at this point, probably will).
Well, I went to go option out an A4 P+, and the first box I check is the "Black Optics" package, which appears to be the same as the Titanium package on my current A4. However, the package now costs $1300 (Was $1100) and they don't give you either the black headliner or the piano black interior trim. You're stuck with grey headliner unless you want to pony up for the S-Line (only on the prestige) or the S4, and unless you front another $500, you're stuck with the coke bottle tin trim inside. Great.
The only other option I wanted was rear window shades. I had this option stock in my no-frills 2008 Passat wagon and I loved it. my 3 year old gets miffed at the sun shining in her face, so I thought I'd get it in the new car. Well, Audi wants $500 for it, but it does come with the power backlight shade. miffed, but whatever. Turns out you CAN'T GET IT on the P+ car. you have to pony up to the prestige again to get the rear window shades. It used to be available on the P+ cars, but not anymore. I have no F'n clue why I'd need the Prestige to get friggin window shades.
So here we are, I WANT to get a new Audi, but Audi wants to charge me more for less or just outright won't let me have what I want on a car that has not been significantly changed since the Bush Administration.
I'm getting really, really sick of Audi shortchanging the cars and the customers. There was a day, not that long ago that I could walk into an Audi dealer and demand twin turbo charged station wagon with a stick and kermit green leather seats and they'd be happy to oblige. Now I can't get friggin window shades.
Does Audi want to sell luxury cars or not? I can walk into a VW or a Toyota dealer and get told that the cars come the way they come and I can pick any color I want (that's on the lot). I can walk into a Merc or BMW dealer and order whatever the hell I want. (and at this point, probably will).
11-11-2013, 03:38 AM
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hey, I'm glad all of you are happy that you're getting charged more for less in the options that that you can actually get. more power to you. I'm rather displeased that for some reason Audi elects to charge extra for options that are standard on lesser cars in the VAG group, or even on base model Corollas.
Audi may be doing well at this very moment, but they sell three (Soon to be four) cars that are nigh identical and haven't had a significant forward desgin since the 2009 A4. There are multiple pages in the product catalogs spoutng about LED driving lights, which are commonplace equipment on garden variety Kias and Toyotas.
There is a thread active on this board right now about what people would 'downgrade' to from an Audi, and it's a pretty big thread. Discount me if you like, but from where I'm sitting, looks like the brand is in trouble.
Audi may be doing well at this very moment, but they sell three (Soon to be four) cars that are nigh identical and haven't had a significant forward desgin since the 2009 A4. There are multiple pages in the product catalogs spoutng about LED driving lights, which are commonplace equipment on garden variety Kias and Toyotas.
There is a thread active on this board right now about what people would 'downgrade' to from an Audi, and it's a pretty big thread. Discount me if you like, but from where I'm sitting, looks like the brand is in trouble.
11-11-2013, 05:06 AM
#6
AudiWorld Super User
Ok, let's address your further comments.
You're unhappy because prices have gone up. Other than consumer electronics where costs are often offset by lesser expensive technology, what other products or services go up over time? Well, just about everything including the cost of labor. If Audi wants to remain true to their corporate goals, as labor and raw material costs to manufacture increase, they will not sacrifice engineering for "nice to have" options to maintain a price point. They make business decisions on what model level trims are required to get some of these options. Some of them are marketing and some are out of necessity to remain price point competitive. It has always been this way.
You've singled out a very few options that are no longer included but that other cars have. What about the advanced 3G MMI Nav Plus now included in most new Audis - does Audi get any credit for their advanced engineering compared to the Corolla you mentioned or just demerits for sunshades no longer included or available in a lower trim?
Audi has been following the 6 year or so major model update life cycle for years. This is not something new. Their improvements have always been incremental until a new series is released (engineered over many years) so this should not be a surprise. The C7 chassis, introduced in 2011/12 was a major upgrade in overall design - the B8 chassis is due in another year or two.
Since Audi has been a leader in many new technologies, finding their new features like the use of LED tech incorporated in other brands is also not surprising. These concepts are often copied by other manufacturers and are not conceptually exclusive.
The "downgrade" AW Forum thread you refer to is IF you had to downgrade (if and downgrade being the operative words here). I don't read a litany of posts in that thread of unhappy owners who would want to downgrade, only comments suggesting options if forced to do so. Despite your opinion that they are "in trouble", I see no evidence of Audi's sales faltering any time soon. This would indicate that many buyers are very satisfied overall with what Audi is doing in the marketplace.
By your comments, you seem to be an unhappy camper. If avoiding price increases and availability of cosmetic or sunshade-type options are your priorities, as I suggested in an earlier post, perhaps it's time for you to explore a different brand.
You're unhappy because prices have gone up. Other than consumer electronics where costs are often offset by lesser expensive technology, what other products or services go up over time? Well, just about everything including the cost of labor. If Audi wants to remain true to their corporate goals, as labor and raw material costs to manufacture increase, they will not sacrifice engineering for "nice to have" options to maintain a price point. They make business decisions on what model level trims are required to get some of these options. Some of them are marketing and some are out of necessity to remain price point competitive. It has always been this way.
You've singled out a very few options that are no longer included but that other cars have. What about the advanced 3G MMI Nav Plus now included in most new Audis - does Audi get any credit for their advanced engineering compared to the Corolla you mentioned or just demerits for sunshades no longer included or available in a lower trim?
Audi has been following the 6 year or so major model update life cycle for years. This is not something new. Their improvements have always been incremental until a new series is released (engineered over many years) so this should not be a surprise. The C7 chassis, introduced in 2011/12 was a major upgrade in overall design - the B8 chassis is due in another year or two.
Since Audi has been a leader in many new technologies, finding their new features like the use of LED tech incorporated in other brands is also not surprising. These concepts are often copied by other manufacturers and are not conceptually exclusive.
The "downgrade" AW Forum thread you refer to is IF you had to downgrade (if and downgrade being the operative words here). I don't read a litany of posts in that thread of unhappy owners who would want to downgrade, only comments suggesting options if forced to do so. Despite your opinion that they are "in trouble", I see no evidence of Audi's sales faltering any time soon. This would indicate that many buyers are very satisfied overall with what Audi is doing in the marketplace.
By your comments, you seem to be an unhappy camper. If avoiding price increases and availability of cosmetic or sunshade-type options are your priorities, as I suggested in an earlier post, perhaps it's time for you to explore a different brand.
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11-11-2013, 05:24 PM
#9
Audi is not in trouble one bit. Their sales are continually rising and most of their newer models are winning awards and competitive tests. Heck, even now they are considered the most reliable German brand. That's huge.
11-12-2013, 08:31 AM
#10
Audi has done a lot of good things on the premium plus models the last few years.
The fact that you can get 19" Black optic and the drive select controls with the sport package on a premium plus is a good thing.
I could care less about plastic sunshades on an A4. I'd rather have a quality ceramic tint and the sunshades only annoy me with blocking my line of sight and making things harder to see.
As others have said, go walk on the BMW or Mercedes lot and see how you get hit up for expensive options. You can never get everything you want on the lower priced 35-45k price range cars from Germany.
The fact that you can get 19" Black optic and the drive select controls with the sport package on a premium plus is a good thing.
I could care less about plastic sunshades on an A4. I'd rather have a quality ceramic tint and the sunshades only annoy me with blocking my line of sight and making things harder to see.
As others have said, go walk on the BMW or Mercedes lot and see how you get hit up for expensive options. You can never get everything you want on the lower priced 35-45k price range cars from Germany.