BackToBasics

When my pre-ordered car arrived without an ordered option, dealer gave me a few concessions, one of which was free XM w/install when available, on my sales order.

Greenie, I agree, it's not a tremendously big deal in and of itself. However, when you are shopping for cars (as you and I have both done on numerous occasions) you have a list of wants that helps determine which car you buy in part due to one car's ability to fulfill more of that list of wants than any other car.

When I went luxury sedan shopping, I had a list of things that I wanted, and many that I expected. Sat radio was on both the want and expected list for me given the price category of the A8. The sat radio was one of several things my dealer told me would be available on my car when first ordered (along with adaptive headlights, adaptive cruise, smart key, etc). One by one, each of these features that were readily available on Euro cars fell off the list when North American cars began to ship. Of all the items that were no-shows, sat radio seems the most ubiquitous feature among nicer cars and the one that would appear to be easiest to implement.

I think it is totally unsatisfactory that I have to go searching for an aftermarket solution for a feature that is offered as an integrated option on $15,000 Toyotas.

So when you read my mails on this topic, it is not to stir up talk of class action, it is to vent about the absolutely horrid communication between AoA and its dealers, and the even worse decisions made by Audi about what features to implement in their North American cars.

While I'm sure Paulw could do a great job taking an aftermarket XM receiver and making it work in my car, it galls me that there is not a factory solution for something that has been in the literature and on the web site as a 'future option' for almost a year.

I'm done ranting now, I'll go back into my dark corner and wait for the next wave of anger to roll over me. :-)

greenie

In and of itself, the inavailability of XM is an issue that will resolve itself one way or another. Your particular situation is interesting in that, as I recall, your rear seat was missing the massage feature which you had ordered. The dealer, as an inducement to buy, offered the XM setup. Offer, acceptance and the consideration is the fact that you paid for the car and the massage option. Contract! The sticky point is that the dealer will claim that the information that he received was bogus and he was merely passing it on! The larger issue, as you point out so well, is the option that none of us checked on the list but many of us received, that being a communication network that just doesnt exist! Is Mercedes this bad?

BackToBasics

...but I was smart enough (as were you) to run like hell before getting eaten alive by the COMAND nav issue for the new E-Class. I have days when I wish I'd carried those same smarts with me to the Audi dealership....I might be in a new TL right now with XM, Bluetooth, integrated phone, etc, etc. and $25K still in my pocket....

AudiNo3

So you'd prefer a Nissan over an Audi quattro?

BackToBasics

I'd still PREFER an Audi over an Acura (that's what the TL reference was, not Nissan). But as I said in my earlier post, my personal 'list' when buying a car includes more than just the nameplate and the 'statement' the car makes. In fact, those things are of little value to me at all. What things do I value most?

- Comfort and safety
- Features that are delivered as promised and work as promised
- A dealership that a) represents a manufacturer who provides accurate timely information and b) provides unparalleled service on the car.
- Handling, power, and performance
- Gadgets and new technologies.

I expected all five of these with Audi, and the second and third have been very poor IMO.

So would I PREFER an Acura (or a Nissan, for that matter) over an Audi? Absolutely not, otherwise I would have purchased one. But Audi has left me disappointed in two of the five categories that are most important to me, and at present, even though I love my car, Audi could not count on me as a reference for new potential owners. And that's not good for them....

greenie

are difficult to compare. I have had an excellent experience with Acura that has spanned 15 years. It really depends upon what you are looking for in a car. MBD has had ongoing issues with the lack of phone integration with the MMI and thats just the beginning!! Acura offers a terrific setup in the TL and soon-to-be new RL, which I just ordered to replace a 2002 RSX. If one has the means or desire to own a few cars, then the issues tend to fade away. Whats left is the residual disappointment with what "could have been' i.e. domestic 04 A8L lacking features that it SHOULD have and Audi dealers not acting as they should act!

D3-Mac

Valley Motors, Hunt Valley Maryland. It appeared in their system for ordering this week.

will let everyone know how it goes.

AudiNo3

I'm looking for the same things in my vehicles... in this order:
- Safety: The A8 has 10 air-bags, space-frame, standard ABS, quattro, ESP, Adaptive suspension, ... and they're still all based on Audi's SecureTen system from way back... move over Volvo.
- Comfort: I don't think you can find a more luxurious interior in any vehicle -- MB feels cheap, BMW is downright spartan, forget domestic cars. I don't think Lexus is even in the same class.
- Handling/Power/Performance: The 4.2 puts out plenty (although I'd like to get me right foot on a W12 sometime), handling is excellent for a car this size, acceleration, cornering and stopping is what I would expect from a car of this caliber.
- Dealership: My service experience (at Continental of Naperville) has been largely positive. They took good care of my two A6s before, and I don't doubt they'll do the same with the A8. Service is fast, loaners are always available, car always comes back clean. Never had to take the vehicle back for the same issue. I don't expect every service rep to know all the details about the car (like tire pressure and such), but I expect the technicians to be well-trained and knowlegable.
- Features/Gadgets: Important, yes, otherwise I wouldn't be shopping in the "luxury" segment. Can't say the car doesn't have all the features I expected it to have. XM is a "gadget" to me, and if the car had had it, I probably wouldn't have activated it. Bluetooth would have been nice, and I'll get it to work eventually. Nav system works, MMI works, CD and radio work... I'm set.

I do agree on this: I drive Audi because of technology: Quattro, Suspension, etc... you don't get that elsewhere, especially not for that price. I don't drive it for prestige (in fact, I like the "sleeper" appeal... completely different statement than pulling up in an MB, BMW or Lexus), I drive it because I like to drive... comfortably.

D3AeighT

For an '04 installation with MMI?

L.E.

MBDefector - I concur with your comments, well stated