[Turbowned]

Originally Posted by Norcalscionchamp

but when Audi has more problems per 100 vehicles than even Chevy you better believe the expensive service department is also busy....

Oh I hate that term: "Problems per 100 vehicles". Audi is well aware of their ranking in that study, and have determined that many, if not most "problems" reported are not mechanical or design flaws, but perceived problems by the otherwise uninformed customer, i.e. "I don't know how to work it, therefore it must be broken". It's a big issue we're dealing with right now because 60% of Audi buyers are new to the brand, and because A. there's so much technology in the cars and B. some of the functionality of the vehicles are stark opposite from a comparable Japanese/American car (i.e. windshield wiper switches go up rather than down to turn on, fuel filler door is on the right side, reverse gear is in a different location, etc.) it's easy for a customer to get frustrated with the vehicle if they haven't been properly familiarized with everything. We combat this with a good solid hour of going through the vehicle upon delivery, because the cars functionality really is intuitive once you understand how they're designed to work. Oh, and Audi also makes bigger cupholders now, a big "problem" among American consumers

As for parts costing more, well many parts are engineered to a higher standard, but yes, there are plenty of parts that unnecessarily cost more than if you were to buy them for a Japanese car. Great example: last week I was looking at buying a car to fix and flip. A Porsche 944 and a Celica GT-S were the candidates, both needing clutches. A SACHS clutch for the 944 cost $720, while a SACHS clutch for the Celica cost a mere $110. Go figure. That said, a properly maintainted German car will last a very long time, and you may spend more to get there, but you can never be rich enough to buy something cheap