Finman

10 including those in Sac, 8 not including them. I doubt their prices are very different though. >$1k sounds like a lot for a hitch!

hayburner3

Have you tried Anderson-Behl Porche Audi in San Jose? I know that a few of us have purchased our allroads there, and I for one have been happy so far. :-)

maugt

And 2.8 labour units to install (at $75/hour). They need to drop the axle to do it.

I have no idea what the parts guy we spoke to originally was on. I hope he got a dressing down for that.

Shocking what a phone call to the GM of the dealership does, isn't it?

maugt

Apparently they had it wrong in their computer (yeah, right), and after a lady called in and asked the same question yesterday they did some research and found the problem....

Guess I'll order it this afternoon when I pick my car up.

JBaumgart

I've gone back to the dealer and have questioned the amount I was charged, but for the part and the labor, citing what others are saying on AudiWorld. I also called the other dealer in town (which shares common ownership with my allroad dealer) and sure enough they indicated $595 for the parts and they estimate 3 hours labor. The big difference here is that they have yet to do one themselves, so this was admittedly more or less a guess. But with this supporting evidence of what other dealers are proposing to charge I am optimistic that my dealer will give me some relief. I've been promised a response tomorrow after they complete their investigation. Thanks to everyone who shared what they had learned - proving once again that this site can be a valuable source of advice and information.

JBaumgart

After I made an issue out of what they charged me for the hitch, they looked into it and they've now agreed to give me a partial refund. They admitted to a "downloading problem" with the parts pricing information, and will now charge me the correct price of $595, in lieu of the $765. On the labor, they've agreed to reduce the hours from seven to four. Combined, this will cut about $400 off the $1,375 initial charge - still expensive but more reasonable I think. The dealer contends that most other dealers that are indicating 2 1/2 - 3 hours of labor time don't fully appreciate the extent of work involved, as many or all of them have not actually done it themselves.

Paul C

Guidance which may, or may not, be accurate.

Usually there are tables for this sort of thing that shops use to create "standard" labor charges. Granted the hitch is a new thing and there would be no standard, but I would think AOA would provide some info to dealers...

Paul C

thanks!