Why is Audi the New Media Darling?
Member
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 172
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From: Montclair, NJ
12 E550
Oh NO. I have owned too many AUDIs and it is simply a dressed up VW. Quality is horrible on the budget models to the flagship A8. Problem after problem and ZERO customer support from AUDI USA. I will never ever buy or lease a VW product. They are good about creating image in the media that's about it... and yes they are fun to drive. Design has not changed much since the introduction of the 2004 A8.
Senior Member
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 457
Likes: 61
asdas
Agreed on Audi customer support. It sucks. In my experience, Mercedes has been much better, but there do seem to be a lot of horror stories out there as well.
I considered an S5 for a good long while but memories of Audi customer service was a big deterring factor. Doesn't take away from the car itself though. As for build quality, the new models seem to have it down pretty well. Older models had their share of problems, but so did the early W211's. Doesn't say much about current models.
I considered an S5 for a good long while but memories of Audi customer service was a big deterring factor. Doesn't take away from the car itself though. As for build quality, the new models seem to have it down pretty well. Older models had their share of problems, but so did the early W211's. Doesn't say much about current models.
Last edited by brauhaus313; Oct 10, 2012 at 12:06 AM.
Super Member
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 783
Likes: 1
From: Murrieta, Southern California
Late Built 2005 W-211 E-320 CDI
VW Not Thinking Clearly
As for your other comments, YTD sales for VW is up 37%.
All without your friend being able to find a manual TDI Passat.
[He found one, but an SE, and he really preferred the SEL which is not available with a manual.]
The C-coupe is no longer offered in manual transmission and when it was, speaking in North American terms as well,
"standard" was a bit of a misnomer.
To round it back around on topic, I don't think Audi is the greatest, but they provide a great well rounded package right now against some
of their class rivals. That's pretty much what most of the mags I've read say when you get past the bragging rights numbers.
VW sales may or may not be up 37 percent; I can not prove that and I do not care.
I lost interest in them when they started selling TDIs with the HPFP problem.
In fact, that's one of the reasons I sold my 2010. People have to be so careful
where and whose D2 they use for fear of causing the HPFP to grenade.
No such problem with my CDI; It does not seem to care what brand of fuel it gets.
But think of how much higher sales could be if VW would 'allow' a buyer to order the car he wanted equipped just the way he wanted it.
I know of one young fellow now who wants a new Passat SEL with a manual but that VW will not build for him.
And he is a VW dealership parts manager. I know of another older guy who went ahead and settled for an SE over
the SEL 'cause it had a manual. He'd have gone for the SEL IF he could hav ordered it with a manual instead.
Not really good thinking on VWs part IMHO!
Go over on the TDI forum (Fred's) and discover just how many
will not buy TDIs unless they are manual transmission equipped.
DHG
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 466
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E350
I happen to like the current Audi lineup.
However, the dealership experience is so far behind Mercedes and BMW that I can't believe Audi corporate is not embarrassed.
I rank the Audi dealership experience even lower than Toyota, Honda or Nissan. Truly awful. Good thing the automotive press doesn't have to deal with them.
However, the dealership experience is so far behind Mercedes and BMW that I can't believe Audi corporate is not embarrassed.
I rank the Audi dealership experience even lower than Toyota, Honda or Nissan. Truly awful. Good thing the automotive press doesn't have to deal with them.
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2000 W210 E55->2003 R230 SL500->2004 W211 E55->2007 997TT+2007 E63->2010 GLK350->2012 E550 4matic
Audi
Oh NO. I have owned too many AUDIs and it is simply a dressed up VW. Quality is horrible on the budget models to the flagship A8. Problem after problem and ZERO customer support from AUDI USA. I will never ever buy or lease a VW product. They are good about creating image in the media that's about it...
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Mar 2003
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From: Southern California
2017 W205 C43 AMG
Oh NO. I have owned too many AUDIs and it is simply a dressed up VW. Quality is horrible on the budget models to the flagship A8. Problem after problem and ZERO customer support from AUDI USA. I will never ever buy or lease a VW product. They are good about creating image in the media that's about it... and yes they are fun to drive. Design has not changed much since the introduction of the 2004 A8.
Not that VW's are bad, but I feel the same about Lexus. A dressed-up Toyota. Mercedes-Benz is in a different class, and I don't mean that arrogantly.
I find that most of my neighbors or co-workers who are attracted to Audi, have never owned one, nor have they owned a Mercedes.
Junior Member
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 27
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From: Delaware, USA
2013 E350 4Matic
We bought a Q5 for my wife a couple of years ago. She saw it in a commercial and loved the way it looked. So we went to the dealership and test drove it. She drove it like we were on our way to church, after I had my turn I peeked up into the rear view and saw our now pale salesman sweating profusely
It drove and handled very well, she got an incentive through her employer so we bought it. Down hill from there.
A week later on a girls trip she calls me and says the back hatch is alarming...the mechanic (I use that term loosely) told her that she may have been opening and closing it too much
FF1 month later she comes into the house saying there is water everywhere...turns out that the water pump was plastic...dealership replaced with an aluminum version. FF 1 year, A/C unit sporadically stops working ( mid summer of course) turns out to be a relay. And now the latest...you know the cool LED's?, well apparently they got some control units that are faulty. There will NEVER be another Audi in my garage, EVER. It is a dumpster with a nice paint job. Crazy Audi hater signing off Almost forgot about the original question...see sentence two of this post
It drove and handled very well, she got an incentive through her employer so we bought it. Down hill from there.A week later on a girls trip she calls me and says the back hatch is alarming...the mechanic (I use that term loosely) told her that she may have been opening and closing it too much
FF1 month later she comes into the house saying there is water everywhere...turns out that the water pump was plastic...dealership replaced with an aluminum version. FF 1 year, A/C unit sporadically stops working ( mid summer of course) turns out to be a relay. And now the latest...you know the cool LED's?, well apparently they got some control units that are faulty. There will NEVER be another Audi in my garage, EVER. It is a dumpster with a nice paint job. Crazy Audi hater signing off Almost forgot about the original question...see sentence two of this post
