We have an A6 Prestige on order with a target from the dealer of the beginning of September I called yesterday to see where it was in the production cycle and unfortunately, it is still in Factory Order Bank where it has been since 6/22. That made me a little grouchy but on top of that, the dealer said it would be coming in without the backup camera enabled.

According to them, the "chip" needed to activate the camera is not available due to production issues in Japan. Furthermore, he claimed that many car manufacturers are suffering from the same shortage. They said that plan was to build and sell us the car per the original order. Sometime in October, they expect to have the "chip" become available and at that point, we can bring the car in to have them install the "chip" and activate the camera hardware that was installed during manufacturing.

Based on all of this, I have two questions:

1) does the timing from ordering on 6/22 to delivery in the first week of September sound reasonable?
2) has anyone else heard of this missing backup camera "chip" issue and potential resolution?

Btw...I put "chip" in quotes because those are the dealers words. I am not 100% sure of what the missing component actually is.

Thanks for any info that you may have.

 

There's a thread on this in the Q3/Q5/Q7 threads explaining this same question.

I've attached the same announcement here for you to read. My sales rep let me know the same thing - you order it now and the camera will be included. They'll issue a recall once the chips are available and they'll do the install at the dealer.

 

And so it begins.

 

...that I was told after we placed the order but thanks for the scoop @basf.

 

Same here - after the fact. At this point I'm only hoping my Garnet Red Pearl order still goes through. They haven't been able to confirm that choice (but they're not saying it's an issue either...) Add to the vagueness of the heated steering wheel (3- or 4-spoke) with the sport package and they're batting 0-for-3 on being overly communicative on my order.

Whew!

 

I was told the same thing about the camera chip. You really can't get too upset about that. If you do, go watch a couple tsunami videos on YouTube! Should be a simple fix once the chips come in.

As for your delivery time, a lot depends on your options, but I think a delivery of under 3 months after a custom order is lightning fast. They have to ship it across an ocean on a boat!

Finally, I would like to ask PsychDoc why he is still roaming the Audi forums. Dude, it's pathetic. You have officially crossed over (and I don't mean to BMW) - you are a TROLL! The fact that you are still here, and now trying to stir up trouble makes me lose the good will that I once had for what I thought were thoughtful deliberations. I now see that you were always a BMW plant, and your purpose is put down Audi and make yourself feel better about your "ultimate driving machine". Get lost!

 

hmmmmmm

 

And so what begins? Why so vague - what do you mean?

Are implying that this somehow diminishes the A6 or Audi and further "justifies" your decision to purchase the 535 instead of the Audi? I'm sure that you are aware that last year BMW cancelled almost all orders with side view cameras due to supply/supplier problems, no? For much of the year the only vehicle to get the side and top view cameras was the 750 Active Hybrid. It happens.

Again, what's your point?

 

Realizing if I open my mouth in any way that could be seen as negative I'm going to be labeled a troll I'll still take a shot at this.

I guess my point related to the fact that while the A6 seems like a superb vehicle so far, I've been hugely underwhelmed by several things. Specifically I found the Audi dealerships to be disorganized and somewhat too laissez faire re: the introduction of a vehicle that could really 'put Audi on the map' in the USA. Once you get past the A4 and A5, Audi has always been a bit of an afterthought in the luxury car market. The outgoing A6 and current A8 hardly sold any units. One would think that the introduction of this highly improved A6 would have been infinitely better organized and prepared for by corporate Audi. Instead, the dealers had little or no idea what the product was they were supposed to sell, they had no literature or even basic information to offer potential customers and there was (and still is IMO) a general air of utter disorganization bordering on chaos associated with the A6's rollout. The website configurator is simply pathetic. Can anyone still tell me reliably when the slotted oak wood interior will be available and will it be an option or standard? This was the interior showcased at the NYC auto show in April. Any sign of this as an option on the Audi website? Nope, I didn't think so. Anyone know how many spokes are on the steering wheel with each package? And the list of utter chaos goes on and on. BMW offers 'order to delivery' times of 5-6 weeks. With the Audi most people are being told you'll be lucky to see your A6 in anything under 2+ months. This simply isn't the way to roll out a potentially paradigm shifting product. Frankly it's a disgrace. And now, the business with the phantom backup camera. Simply unacceptable. And, of course, the potential buyer is still left with all the question marks associated with buying a first year product. To be fair, this isn't unique to Audi as BMW has had more than its fair share of first year glitches. The difference is that BMW service departments have a well deserved reputation for excellence and thoroughness and rectifying anything brought to their attention while Audi's reputation for service support has been iffy at best.

So go ahead, call me a troll, a BMW plant, whatever you want. The fact is that the points I have made are true and any of you who have the capacity to be objective will see this. Based on the response(s) I've seen so far, I'm not holding my breath that objectivity and dispassion will be much in evidence however.

 

Are you really going to claim that you did not know that posting a four word response (And so it begins...) regarding a potential Audi problem as a new BMW owner that you would not come across as "troll-ish"? C'mon? And if you did know then you got exactly the response you were shooting for so don't act like you're being victimized when you get called out.

Frankly, I think the response here has been somewhat muted compared to what would have happened if the tide were turned and you were a new Audi owner who posted the same on one of the BMW boards.

Regarding your seemingly well thought out but somewhat misguided response regarding "BMW service" you've made some sweeping generalizations based on your personal experience or "what you've heard" that aren't quite accurate. If you think "BMW service" is all roses and ponies then you are likely in for a rude awakening. I have owned 6 new BMWs since 1998 and I have personally experienced "BMW service" at multiple dealerships in Chicagoland, Houston and New Orleans/Baton Rouge. It's not all that and a bag of chips. My experiences have been more "less than satisfactory" than good.

If you found a good dealer with good service then good for you - you should count your blessings and give thanks because there are good ones out there. There are also terrible ones. And if you get a terrible one or live in a small market where you have no choice but go to one of these terrible ones then your only choices are to live with it or change brands. BMW NA's response to most dealer service "issues" is that they are independently owned and there's nothing they can do about it.

Good luck with your new BMW but quit acting surprised when you come over here with the intent of starting a flame war and are actually successful in generating a spark.

Mike