kanack49

Is this something anyone else has heard of or has details on? It was mentioned when I first placed my order then nothing since. I've asked about it a few times with my salesman (a different guy is the one who mentioned it when I was actually there placing the order) but he said "oh yea, Audi should email you at some point".

More than a little frustrated that the only info I can get on my order is by constantly pestering the salesman. Today I asked for an update and the timeline had been moved 2 weeks sooner and he said my vehicle was in production (this doesnt sound right considering the delivery date is still mid July, but maybe). This is great news (also something I have to plan for) that I wasn't informed of other than having to ask.

In general my customer service level has been so-so. I've felt more knowledgeable about the 2018 SQ5 than anyone at the dealership (to be fair, I'd done my research and only focused on the one car for a month or so before coming in).

Questions: Is "Owner in Waiting" a thing? If so, at what point should I expect to hear something about it?

I'm very excited to be buying my first Audi and have it ordered exactly as I want but the up-front customer service/communication is rubbing me wrong. Any similar experiences or advice?

trickwoof

I have to agree with your comments on customer service. I feel that I know more about the vehicle than the salespeople I've spoken with, except at one particular dealership in NJ. Maybe it's because i've been researching it as well, but honestly - this is their full time job. Their job is to know this car inside out, especially since it's one of their biggest sellers.
I think dealers know that the car will sell well, and they don't need to invest in quality salespeople to hawk it. That's really too bad, because the poor quality of the salespeople have been giving me second thoughts (along with the poor quality of the service centers, just look at the yelp reviews).
I wish i could just go online and order the Audi the way I want it.

heisnuts

The owner in waiting program you refer to is something that your dealer will have to enroll you in. They need to attach your email to your order asking for owner in waiting updates and then you should get about 3 or 4 emails. One when the car car goes into production, one when it is being shipped, and one when it arrives in the US. From what I have read it seems hit or miss. Some get the emails and some do not.

I am sorry to hear about your sales experience so far. One would think most would be like the sales person mentioned from NJ who really knows the product and keeps in communication with the customer during the ordering process, but that seems not to be the case.

nobbyv

kanack,
Are you sure your dealer truly has an allocation? My understanding is that besides four pre-configured sets of options meant for dealer inventory, allocations don't open until next month for orders. Thus, you wouldn't have received anything from Owner-in-Waiting, because nothing has started yet. That's my situation, anyway.

Some people were able to get one of the pre-configured cars, and make changes to suit them if it was before the car was built. I think these are the only cars that are being delivered/getting built as we speak.

scottkusf

I received 2 emails. One when it was "headed to the port in Emden Germany to begin it's journey across the ocean to the US," aka it's leaving Mexico. Then I got another saying it arrived at US port and is being scheduled for delivery.

kanack49

I received an order receipt email from my dealer. Also, I've seen a screen when I placed my order at the dealership showing "Vehicle Status: Order Waitlist" and a later screen showing "Vehicle Status: Factory". I'm assuming this means things are moving along. My original ETA date was 7/14 and has been updated to 7/8.

At the time of order we attempted to modify a car that was already coming to this dealership and the changes could not be made.

I hate the lack of detail or granularity but its all I've got at this point. Just saw a nice X4 at my office...making me think...

nobbyv

Interesting. It's funny I was reading your post today; I literally just got an email from my dealer saying they got three allocations and I got one of them. I'll post up with what (if any) "Owner-In-Waiting" communication I get.

scottkusf

Here's what the email looks like.

marnes

I really think the experience completely depends on the particular salesman you are dealing with and that quality can vary within the same dealership too. Hard to be patient when waiting for your special ordered car to arrive.

But these cars are certainly in high demand, and when that is the case, the amount of attention you get is generally reduced and their attitudes can be annoyingly dismissive.

I was on the wait list for a 2018 SQ5 for about two years, long before it was announced and it was predicted to be a 2017 SQ5. I gave up 8 months ago and bought a new 2017 Ford Explorer Sport right off the lot, and didn't regret it, especially after our first major ski trip.

Truth be told, wife wanted a bigger car as we already have a CUV, and the Q7 was out of my price range - $90,000 out the door in Canada. So Explorer filled the need within the price range perfectly - under $60,000 out the door in Canada for similar equipped. Problem with Audi was inability to truly negotiate price down due to demand, and the high interest rates. Little easier in the US.

I do feel the SQ5 is pretty much the perfectly balanced sporty CUV, over F-Pace, GLC 43, or X3 M40i (ugh, BMW needs better names). Waiting sucks!