Delivery time?...Am I being treated fair?

[__DyNaSTY_X_]

Hi all,

I was wondering how long did you all wait to receive your A3's after laying down the order?

One thing to mention before telling you "my story": Car was purchased as an import (i payed no taxes on it) IF this makes any difference.

My concern is due to the "news" i just received last week, after basically doing endless calls to contact my dealer, asking when & why my car has not yet arrived...
I ordered the car on the 15th of May 2006, we agreed (by contract) on a delivery time of "aprox. 8 weeks". I knew this could possibly go off by a week or two. YET now I am looking at a whole 12 (earliest and pretty impossible)-16 weeks delivery time!

I am very unsatisfied of the whole situation to say the least. Firstly, because I've been reading around in the forums to see that some people got dates and info on their cars build date, etc.... My useless dealer hasn't even been able to tell me up to today (week 9) if my car has been built.

Also after 2 weeks of making the order, i regretted not getting the xenon plus, asked if it was still possibly to make this change and add it in. He said; "It wasn't possible since the car was in already in the production line". I figured this meant the car would be built really soon, so i was happy hearing that and didn't bother about the xenon.

So to top things off, i sold my current car last week and have till the end of this month to give it to the new owner. I told my dealer this situation and he offered me a VW POLO (I'm buying an audi why do i get a small-****** POLO?), "until" i got the car. Yet at the same time said I could only be able to keep that car for short term (WTF?!).

I've gone so far as to thinking of pulling out of the whole deal. This has just been too much, the whole way i was treated - left with no info whatsoever - having to FIND my dealer to even get an answer, now i get a ****** car offered and only for a short term.

Is this the normal procedure when buying a NEW "upper-class" car, do i have my expectations set to high, whats the scoop on this???

 

[marriedblonde]

I ordered my car at the begining of Dec for delivery in March 2005. The car was at the dealers waiting to be PDI's mid feb.

I was told that if I wanted to change the spec after approx a week of ordering the car then I would probably miss my build slot.

J.

 

[Covenant]

Yes, you are buying a top class car, but you didn't buy it from a UK dealer. Don't confuse Audi service with the poor service you are receiving from your "dealer".

Any reputable dealer will be able to give you a firm date after 10days. Once the order is placed Audi can track the vehicle through their order and production line systems, right down to being able to tell you what stage of production the car is in. I would very much suspect that your dealer is looking on the continent for an unregistered car that matches your description, rather than actually ordering a new one off the production line. Current wait times are around 8-10 weeks for a factory order.

How much discount did you get? If it's less than 10-12% off list you could probably have got the same deal off a UK Audi dealer - in which case I would cancel the order. To give you an idea I got £2750 off a 2.0T quattro SLine with a few extras.

 

[marriedblonde]

Your lucky your dealer has offered to loan you a car even for a short period!

As covenant has said don;t confuse dealer quality with the quality of the marque. some are good and some are bad then theres some are absolutely shocking!

Regarding your xenons you can get some decent after market kits for reasonable money. Ok they wont be as good as xenons but they are about 15% of the price and you an take them with you. Might be one solution?

If you wait a couple of weeks I've ordered a set for my wifes car as I was unable (and unwilling to pay for them as the car is only going to be low mileage) to order them. I'll post up my findings.

J.

 

[__DyNaSTY_X_]

Yes, you are buying a top class car, but you didn't buy it from a UK dealer. Don't confuse Audi service with the poor service you are receiving from your "dealer".

Any reputable dealer will be able to give you a firm date after 10days. Once the order is placed Audi can track the vehicle through their order and production line systems, right down to being able to tell you what stage of production the car is in. I would very much suspect that your dealer is looking on the continent for an unregistered car that matches your description, rather than actually ordering a new one off the production line. Current wait times are around 8-10 weeks for a factory order.

How much discount did you get? If it's less than 10-12% off list you could probably have got the same deal off a UK Audi dealer - in which case I would cancel the order. To give you an idea I got £2750 off a 2.0T quattro SLine with a few extras.

If he was loooking for one in the continent, why would he have declined to change the xenon option/lied by sayin it was in the production line?

I am not sure if it is considered a deal by NOT having to pay taxes, which are about 15% of the total sale price. I got this due to my mother working for the United Nations in Vienna, so she gets diplomatic sale prices for cars. In Austria car taxes are murder to say the least.

I got the car about 6-7 € cheaper than normal selling price.

Regarding your xenons you can get some decent after market kits for reasonable money. Ok they wont be as good as xenons but they are about 15% of the price and you an take them with you. Might be one solution?

If you wait a couple of weeks I've ordered a set for my wifes car as I was unable (and unwilling to pay for them as the car is only going to be low mileage) to order them. I'll post up my findings.

J.

Thanks, but im not much for the after market kits. I was considering the option of getting original xenons installed, i know that is going to be even more $ than had i ordered them.

Thanks for the quick replies, i guess i should not be blaming Audi even though the start hasn't been what i expected.

 

[auroan]

If I'm reading this right 6-7K off list price..... I wouldn't be complaining about how long it takes to arrive, 12 -16 weeks seems fair for that much a discount. Even kocking of VAT from the list price doesn't give that big a discount

 

[Covenant]

If you wait a couple of weeks I've ordered a set for my wifes car as I was unable (and unwilling to pay for them as the car is only going to be low mileage) to order them. I'll post up my findings.
J.

Which kit did you go for? There's a few around and I was considering them too.

 

[__DyNaSTY_X_]

If I'm reading this right 6-7K off list price..... I wouldn't be complaining about how long it takes to arrive, 12 -16 weeks seems fair for that much a discount. Even kocking of VAT from the list price doesn't give that big a discount

Yep, actually i just put together my car on the audi.at website, i'm kinda embarrased... i'm actually getting more like 9K off the price.

Oh well i guess I am just getting really desperate for my baby to finally arrive.

Thanks for all the feedback.


Regarding the xenon kits, in UK do you also have to have an auto-leveling and headlight cleaning system by law to have xenon headlamps? In Austria that's the case, if you just put an "illegal" xenon kit, and have a crash (doesn't matter if you are at fault or not) = You lose your insurance, meaning any damage done - you'd have to pay off your own wallet...not to mention if anybody gets hurt then ur really screwed 4 good.

 

[auroan]

yep by law you need the headlight washers. But most after market kits aren't "proper" xenon kits and are just xenon effect kits with brighter bulbs

 

[Amchlolor]

Are they still saying 8-10 weeks for delivery ?
I know I had to wait 10-12 weeks for my car,but the Sportback was just out then.
I just wouldn't have thought the demand was still there to justify 8-10 weeks.
Then again,it's possible they alter production to suit demand,keeping the delivery time at the 8-10 weeks level,rather than just pumping out carsand having fields full of them.

 

[marriedblonde]

Which kit did you go for? There's a few around and I was considering them too.

I'll let you know, I've bought it through a group buy... But at £106 delivered including warrenty it was too good to miss.

J.

 

[marriedblonde]

With regard to headlight washers and self leveling - thats a european law. In the uk the law hasn't been changed yet!

J.

 

[Eeef]

Are they still saying 8-10 weeks for delivery ?
I know I had to wait 10-12 weeks for my car,but the Sportback was just out then.
I just wouldn't have thought the demand was still there to justify 8-10 weeks.
Then again,it's possible they alter production to suit demand,keeping the delivery time at the 8-10 weeks level,rather than just pumping out carsand having fields full of them.

I thought you were always bleating on about how common the A3 was up your way? Common equals high volume, which generally means longer lead time (unless the plant is mahoosive)

 

[__DyNaSTY_X_]

yep by law you need the headlight washers. But most after market kits aren't "proper" xenon kits and are just xenon effect kits with brighter bulbs

So to my understanding xenon kits are not illegal then?

I had always thought xenon kits would be illegal without the leveling and headlight washign system.

Anyone got good tips on a good LEGAL xenon kit, in this case??
Would be very int in one, depending on quality and if it would at least make a slight difference, in regards to better road light/quality.