stakex

Not my car but just to illustrate where the holes are.

Eric5273

I don't blame your for being angry. See what Audi says about the situation. But in the end, I wouldn't pay out of pocket to fix this since it's not something that is visible as long as you have the front plate on. Also, it's something you can always fix later on if you decide.

stakex

I'm more upset that they knew about this and didn't care to proactively avoid the problem or let their prep teams know about it. Yes, it may not be visible but I know it's there. That's all it takes for me.

I called Audi to put in a complain with the "design" so I hope that gets somewhere (doubtful). I don't think they really take CS calls too seriously with an issue like this.

I'll go elsewhere for service and I won't buy from them again. I don't know how this dealership gets high marks for service.

stakex

Final word on this is Audi is allowing the standard 1" screws to be used. I talked to an Audi parts guy at a near work and said that older models would screw into the grille. From his thought or experience, he believes that since the plate holder is there and won't be removed (in theory), Audi doesn't care what's behind there.

I also took a look at one of floor models and saw that the plate holder was screwed in to the point where it was being pushed away from the grille, exactly as mine was. The screws were identical.

Audi sells the grille as one unit at a cost of about $700 if anyone is interested.

There might be more savvy dealers who are aware of this and care about keeping the non-visible parts in new condition as well as the visible. Hopefully you'll have a dealer that cares.

Anyway, this is a PSA in a way. If you do happen to care and you're in a state with front plate requirements, ask the dealer to not install the screws or the plate holder until you're present. At the least, ask them *not* to install the top two screws. I would imagine that most normal buyers won't care and won't notice but for us, we care. I imagine if you purchase a stock model, it's too late. I ordered a custom build so I had a chance to avoid it.

By the way, they botched the rear plate holder as well as they stripped the plastic holding the nuts using a powered screwdriver. I had a hell of a time of attaching plates to that as well since the screws would just spin. I only use hand tools for this purpose and reason. Not to mention, they scratched the pain underneath but that's not as much of a deal. I'll be getting some touch up paint to fix that.

StKnowhere

Screws only need to be long enough to fully engage the thickness of the material they are holding.

Could you file a claim with your insurance for the damage requiring a new grill plus installation labor? No different than if someone backed into your bumper.

roger_1

It's a real head-shaker that the dealership won't acknowledge their obvious error.

They'll spend a ton on advertising, and then dealerships will turn around and ruin valuable customer relationships with this type of behavior.

stakex

Well, this seems to be the general practice but again, it doesn't make sense if you're knowingly damaging or defacing a vehicle. If I were in the same position as any dealership and spotted that this was damaging the vehicle's appearance, I'd say something and not do it if it served no purpose.

I've already filled the indents with black Bondo so I'll leave it at that for now. I just need to find paint to match. I wouldn't claim insurance for this as I feel this is minor but incredibly annoying.

BTW, the dealerships manager's tone was not what I would call good CS. It was more condescending and defensive. That's just not how you treat customers in general. I've been on the other side as well so I'm fully aware that it's not good practice.

StKnowhere

Maybe put a couple of these on top ;-)




Audi Badges - OEM AEM Audi Sline Badges Emblems and Accessories for A3 A4 A6 A8 and S4 S6 and S8 Vechicles.

stakex

It'd be great if the color matched the plastic! haha
Maybe Rick and Morty head stickers...

Audi corporate called me about this but I haven't had a chance to talk. I'm hoping they're willing to make change on this or even maybe get the grille replaced too.

StKnowhere

The carbon fiber ones add 3HP ;-)

Hope they make it right for you