SteveKo

What a strange experience this has been. Sorry if this turns into a rant but wanted to share. In mid May we ordered our $87K Q8 with all the features we wanted. Couple days later we got our Welcome to the Audi in waiting program. Your Audi is scheduled to complete production on June 21 and the ETA is currently showing a date range of July 29 and August 18. On June 28th.. a week AFTER the scheduled completed production date we get an email from the dealership.. “Audi just informed us that they would not be building your Q8. We can order you a 2020 Q8 with all the same options but we don’t have pricing for the 2020’s yet or we can try to find you one that is already built that comes close to what you ordered. Let us know. Sorry.” 6 weeks after we placed our order they tell us this. I sent an email and called Audi Customer service twice. Still no definite reason other than in the notes saying the fulfillment team said they wouldn’t be building it. Still investigating. I told the dealership to just refund our deposit expecting them to talk more options but they just said ok.
What amaze me are both Audi and the dealership’s attitudes. I might be talking to the wrong crowd here BUT this is my first $87K car. I might hang with the wrong crowd but I don’t know many people that purchase $87K cars. I can understand Audi changing model years if that is what this is but why wouldn’t they just roll the 2019 order into a 2020 order? They have a buying customer’s order in their hands and they chose to throw it back? And the dealership didn’t even try to keep our business. Not once did they say Hey let me see what I can do to rectify this problem. Their position was to start another order for a 2020 model with price unknown and another 8 to 10 weeks or take what they could find. Is Audi in general this arrogant? Do they really have that many customers that they just don’t care?

inSaini

That is an unfortunate experience. I have been to 3 Audi dealerships around the DC Metro area and they all treated me very nicely and this may just be a one off dealership.

I had a friend that ordered an E63S and they couldn't get him the 2018 model and moved him onto the 2019 build. There was a price difference, but they made it up to him with a significant discount for the inconvenience. Surprised Audi didn't do the same. Maybe it requires a threat to cancel the order?

Doc H

In my experience, yes. Local dealership is great. Corporate Audi, not so much....

SteveKo

Thanks.. We were going to use another dealership which was a little less for the car but much farther away. This dealer was local. We visited several dealerships looking to see specific options on the car.. Color, wood inlays, etc.. Most treated us well. Our local dealership treated us well too. Very friendly, met the owner, everything was going well and we were very excited about our purchase. While shopping around I asked if/when does Audi close the current model year. I was told when they go to place the order in the system it would not allow the order to be placed once closed. He then showed us by trying to order a prior year car. We didn't ask the dealer we were using if they were still taking orders figuring they will know once they try to place the order. We were even given a scheduled production date as well as delivery dates. We were over 6 weeks into our order when we found out. I thought Germans were more precise with everything. Seems like something they should have known sooner. As far as the dealership goes.. I told them I wanted a refund of my deposit. Was expecting more negotiating and support from the dealership like let me find out what happened... how about the 2020 for the 2019 price.. how about we expedite your 2020 order so you don't have to wait as long. SOMETHING other than just OK. Was like our money, order, value as a customer meant nothing and this was business as usual. Sad because we really liked Audi and the Q8. Now trying to decide what make and car would be our second choice.

Doc H

Understand your frustration completely. Sometimes I think the response from Big Audi (VAG), Big BMW or Big MB depends on the day, phase of the moon, whatever, and the dealership can make all the difference as a buffer. Equivalent horror stories, and worse, on other manufacturers' forums to be fair, and we've overall loved our Audi driving experience, but there are equivalent or better offerings in the market, so attitude is definitely not something you want to have as a reputation, and Audi has it. Just ordered a pair of 2020 X5s to replace our 2018 Q7s, in spite of BMW's G05 first year birthing-pains, because our experience with corporate BMW has always been positive, they have the equal of Audi's technology and more, at a lower price, and to us a better looking car. Others' experience certainly may differ.

dminahan

So does Audi corporate really not try to keep customers? That would place dealerships in a tough position as they can over cover so much without corporate stepping up some. I never test drove BMW so interesting what you say on why you went with them. I tried quite a few others when looking to get out of my Mercedes wagon. I was done with my local Merceces dealership and next closest dealership was owned by the same corporation. I had been holding out waiting to hear if the A6 based allroad would come over to the US but finally gave in and test drove the Q7 (needed more cargo space area than the Q8). It was the winner out of what I had test drove (Volvo, Land Rover/Range Rover, Acura). My husband had owned an Audi (now in Volvo) and was not too thrilled when he had some known transmission issue happen and that they only partially covered it. With enough fight I usually got things covered by Mercedes if I did not have the extended warranty. I went in thinking I would really like Land Rover/Range Rover but stopped by and tried out the Q7. I actually did a couple test drives of it and the Volvo XC90 but the Q7 was the one that stuck in my mind (I actually liked the Volvo V90 way better than the XC90 but found the Q7 easier to drive or that I felt I could see where the car nose and sides were better and then I made sure I got the adaptive chassis). It bugged me that Volvo did not do split screen for camera to give me 360 view along with rear camera or front camera, etc. So I found Audi easier to park too. I wanted to make sure whatever I picked was something a new driver felt they could handle as my oldest child will be learning to drive soon. So I decided to give Audi a gamble. Part of me wants the full sized allroad to still come to the states and part of me will not be happy if that happens if I feel I could not trade into it without a huge loss.

I left BWM off the list just because the local BMW dealership had a reputation in the past but there is one closer to DC that I know people use. That dealership picks up your car and drops off loaners but I still decided not to complicate my life like that.

So fingers crossed then that I do not regret this purchase. Is Porsche dealers and corporate usually a bit better to deal with? Maybe that is a good option to consider even if they share parts as maybe they run things differently. You may want to then research reviews on dealerships as I agree that can make a difference. If you had a better warm fuzzy from another dealership then maybe you give them a chance as you look around.

Good luck.

gpa9504

My nearest dealership acted exactly like this as well. When I ordered my car I never received a confirmation, progress update, hello how are ya, zero communication. About 10 weeks into it I just cancelled my order. Never heard from the dealer then, either. Very weird. Only good thing- he never took a deposit. I had done business with them in the past.

Jsf721

I have no love affair with Audi corporate , customer experience however I have found the dealers to be very nice. This was all through the sales process.

I think rhe disconnect is the dealer can’t get any break or deal from Audi so their hands are tied.

Id start off my telling the dealer re place my order and I’ll offer you the same price. Let them take that to the local Audi rep and that may fly.

Good Luck !

What area of the country are you in ?

Doc H

To clarify, our local Audi dealership is wonderful - they have employees there who have been friends for several years before we were Audi owners. Their technicians are excellent and their service is great. We've enjoyed driving our Q7s - they are probably the most comfortable cruising cars we've ever driven. And their tech was a class above anything competitors had to offer a couple of years ago - BMW was notably stuck in 2006 technology up until 2018 - no 4-wheel steering, no air suspension, no lane keeping assist, - all things our 2018 Q7s have, and BMW's interior basically looked the same for more than a decade. Hence the move to Audi. And the new Audi cockpit revision looks amazing, although functionality is questioned by some, and a touch screen interface isn't every driver's favorite (isn't mine).

All that said, the character of VAG's corporate leadership was defined by German courts a few years back, and a $20B fine imposed. That has perhaps impacted some of their, um, questionable marketing decisions, and perhaps explains "attitude," if you find yourself on the receiving end of any. Audi is certainly not unique in perceived "attitude" among German auto manufacturers, and I think some may have worn it with pride in the past. Our move (back) to BMW was partly because of some of those marketing decisions, but largely because of the "caught up" technology and design we found in our BMWs. This is a Q8 forum, so I apologize for the digression, and some of the comments may carry over, but some examples: the difference between European Q7s, at least, and those sold in the US - and nothing to do with legal requirements (deletion of convenience and some trim features, for no apparent reasons other than cost-cutting). If you own a 2019 or earlier Q7, the Google Earth interface you bought with your car - primary feature of the Virtual Cockpit - will disappear in 2020. End of story. It took over two years for Audi to address the backup camera glitch in late model Audis that many regarded as a safety feature. Fairly steep costs of Audi's connection options, and the cryptic statement on their site that this too could disappear at some uncertain date after 2021.

BMW can be not less prickly to deal with, as I'm sure some have found with any of the other big three or four, or five, foreign luxury auto makers. But the switch back for us was mainly based on the cars, though not exclusively.

SCarGuy

Sounds more like the dealership doesn't want your business, or, doesn't care if they get it or not, as it's on them to handle.

There is nothing Audi USA can or could do, as production schedules are not up to them