Duffer

If they had built the car right the first time or offered tuned products ala Mercedes and AMG, we would not have this problem.

This may be a postive way to vent .

Absolut Todd

I have been wondering if we are seeing the result of a lot of warranty claims and higher then expected financial exposure. For instance part of the reason I bought my wife an a4 avant this summer versus a VW passat wagon was the a4 cost the same and I got the better warranty, maintenance program. Also, BMWs seem to have similar service issues as Audis from my experience without a free maintenance and warranty program.

Given the issues related to the TT, which is a new model from a new platform, I am not that surprised that all the kinks were not worked out. Hell my last car - an integra - was a new model year and that was far from flawless in its first three years (air conditioner system blew up, windshield wiper motor failed, eletrical problems and shorts, exhaust fell off at least every 12 months, etc...).

That being said, I think the biggest issue is the dealer service reps. Their are some who are good to work with and others that are not. Part of it is that AoA is probably being strict with their communications, and some service managers take it and run with it and make it even more extreme. Others are more relaxed with it. Hell the dealer I take my car to for service just got AoA to pay for 1/2 of a failed a8 transmission when the car has 80k miles on it! Also, since the AoA warranty/ maintenance program is unique its not like the service managers can compare AoA's policy and administration to another car manufacturer's program.

And lastly, it comes down to the techs. I can tell you from experience that the Jason Dales of the world - knowledgable, friendly and customer oriented - are few and far between. There is a large shortage of qualified techs for Audi out there. Most good techs leave because they can go someplace higher on the food chain (see Jason again) or go indie and make more money.

At the end of the day, I am learning how to fix my car. As JimTT has noted, if you want your car fixed right, then you might just have to do it your self.

Duffer

performance parts in future . . . . but if . . .

BillK

A manufacturer warrants something as sold. If you start changing out parts, the warranty on those subsystems goes away. Seems reasonable for any product to me ("Dell won't replace my PC because I overclocked the CPU 2x and it melted...")