The Audi showroom I went to in Canary Wharf was quite good.

That's Docklands Audi and as I said above, I had no problems with them either and it was where I ordered my Audi from in the end.

Sorry if people have taken my original post the wrong way. I have nothing particular against Audi or any other make car manufacturer come to think of it. The OP was just an observation of an experience that as stated 'may' have been purely coincidence that I found quietly amusing along with the difference in cost for an item that was available cheaper from VW thought did get may goat a tad.

If you are in the market for a new car then Johann hit the nail on the head, research your next car, draw up a shortlist, test drive then deal playing different distributors against each other. If you get a good deal from a sales person with the manners and knowledge of a cracked slug ridden plant pot (nothing against slugs by the way apart from those in my garden) then I don't care. I can always take it elsewhere for after sales service.

Oddly there is nothing in the Audi stable currently make that I would consider for my next car. I do like the R8 but I'd never consider one unless I won the lottery. I'm not really a fan of 'there's a space on the front, lets stick (yet) another ultra bright LED in there' unless it spells a word that would send Bobdog to the corner

Any way, back on topic, the VAG screen wash is working fine

That's Docklands Audi and as I said above, I had no problems with them either and it was where I ordered my Audi from in the end.

haven't they ceased trading now? Maybe they were too nice ;-)

haven't they ceased trading now? Maybe they were too nice ;-)

Gosh!!! That's a shock but yes you're right!

http://www.essex-audi.co.uk/news/docklands-audi-closure

Where do all the City boys working in Canary Wharf now go to get their Audis? What a weird decision.

They're all in Dacia Dusters now

Gosh!!! That's a shock but yes you're right!

http://www.essex-aud...ds-audi-closure

Where do all the City boys working in Canary Wharf now go to get their Audis? What a weird decision.

They don't. They've all realised the error of their ways and now buy Skodas

I think it's about 6 months or so now since they went.

They don't. They've all realised the error of their ways and now buy Skodas

I think it's about 6 months or so now since they went.

LOL

It states in the link I posted it closed 2nd of November 2012.

Oh, the link in BIG BLUE HIGHLIGHTS, I must have missed that

Oh, the link in BIG BLUE HIGHLIGHTS, I must have missed that

Lee: time for more coffee I think!

I still smile at the attitude of the VW salesman when I was enquiring about possible new cars for my mother. When I asked how much notice he would need to arrange a test drive of a Golf GTD he said "oh no sir, they are very hard to get hold of and there would need to be an element of trust before we could arrange that". Stifling my retort of "For goodness' sake, it's a Golf diesel with some shiny bits, not a Rolls-Royce" I left the showroom. She bought a Mercedes.

One other point which I find interesting: while sorting out the purchase of my Yeti last September, I got chatting to the salesman about the other VW brands (my local dealer is Caffyns in Tunbridge Wells, who now do Seat as well as Skoda) and how much people moved around between them. He said that they don't get many VW owners moving to Skoda, but they do get a lot of Audi drivers!

He said that they don't get many VW owners moving to Skoda, but they do get a lot of Audi drivers!

Wow...out dealer here in France said exactly the same thing to us !!!!...especially with the Superb Vs A6/A4

They're all in Dacia Dusters now

Thursday night a fair number of them were in the pub, looked like they'd been there from work and most were well bladdered which was amusing to watch so no double dip for them, thought I recon their stock would have been down Friday morning!

patnmand, on 23 March 2013 - 12:37, said:

He said that they don't get many VW owners moving to Skoda, but they do get a lot of Audi drivers!

Chatting to a dyed-in-the-wool Audi fan yesterday who'd got fed up with the attitude of his local Audi dealerships (Bristol area) and had gone looking to change his umteenth A4 for a Yeti. Couldn't find a high spec second hand one that was substantially less than the price of a new one so had bought a 70,000 mile Octavia VRS "until Yeti prices come down".

He was very impressed with the Skoda dealer who treated him like a valued customer from the minute he walked in through the door, rather than the snobby "we're not really interested in private purchasers" attitude of the 2 Audi dealerships.

QED!

The Seat Exeo is basically an Audi A4,same as a lot of other models, same mechanicals different body. VAG is the clue.

Found some interesting reading recently.

Whilst I knew that there had been a gradual shift from Skoda using up all the old VAG bits they could get hold of to actually building a large percentage of the engines and transmissions for the group, I didn't realise that they were actually building some complete cars for VW & Audi.

Small volumes so far - I wonder which markets/customers these cars are going to, and wonder whether the owners realise they're being treated to better build quality

Page 22: http://new.skoda-aut...report-2012.pdf

Edited 3 April, 201313 yr by Skoda Al Coda

Great share, thanks. Bet the A4/6 and Q5/7 gang would love that. Small volumes now but look at the rate of change, esp on the A4/A6.

Wouldn't you love to be the fly on the wall when said Audi drivers look up their VIN

"........hey, I didn't know Audi had a factory there......."

:rofl:

Edited 3 April, 201313 yr by Skoda Al Coda

I bought my Skoda purely for the car - at my local Skoda dealer it was like going back 20yrs with an old sexist dinosaur of a salesman who didn't know his ESP/options etc (I did feed this back via their email follow up questionnaire, never got a reply!). I also looked at a Q3, local Audi dealer and team far more professional but still didn't know the details of options I wanted. In the end I bought from a local independent who had some nearly new VAG vehicles in stock and knew his stuff too!

Found some interesting reading recently.

Whilst I knew that there had been a gradual shift from Skoda using up all the old VAG bits they could get hold of to actually building a large percentage of the engines and transmissions for the group, I didn't realise that they were actually building some complete cars for VW & Audi.

Small volumes so far - I wonder which markets/customers these cars are going to, and wonder whether the owners realise they're being treated to better build quality

Page 22: http://new.skoda-aut...report-2012.pdf

Ah, could have answered my own question if I'd bothered to study p.21 - All made in India (presumably all for the Indian market)

Maybe so, but still doesn't change the fact that they've got a Skoda plant building Audis

Maybe so, but still doesn't change the fact that they've got a Skoda plant building Audis

I think the Q3 is made in the SEAT factory too.

I'd rather have a Skoda built one.

I think the Q3 is made in the SEAT factory too.

I'd rather have a Skoda built one.

Yup, the Audi Q3 is built in SEAT's Martorell factory just north of Barcelona. And the Audi Q7, Porsche Cayenne and VW Touareg is built in Bratislava with the Up!/Citygo/Mii. But interestingly this facility is badged as ONLY a VW factory. Even though the only VW's made there are the Up! and Touareg.

I think the Q3 is made in the SEAT factory too.

I'd rather have a Skoda built one.

Given my experience with Seat over the last few years and the parts that VW allow them to use I would have no problem with a car of any brand sourced from a Seat factory. Local dealer was reasonable too for after sales. On par with my local Skoda dealer in fact. Oddly I think I'd prefer a Skoda one as well although I 'd have no evidence to believe it would be any better.

Four years ago decided to sell our Seat Altea, and decided on another VAG car. Went to the local Skoda dealer and was offered a brilliant deal on a new Octavia VRS diesel. Was made really welcome and knowledgeable salesman explained about the car, finance options etc etc. Felt pretty awful when I said I was going to look at an Audi A3 and would come back if I decided on the VRS.

Turned up at the Audi dealer and parked in front of the showroom glass door, wandered straight in and started looking around. Suits started looking at my son and me suspiciously and no one wanted to approach us. Got hold of one of the salesman and asked him about the A3. Talk about been disinterested, that would be an understatement, he kept looking over my shoulder towards the door to see if anyone else was coming in. Didn't show me the A3 behind his desk, wouldn't give me details of the incentives that Audi had at the time, didn't offer us a brochure, no finance info, no options info, he even had the audacity to stop talking to me and look at the blonde and her mother who breezed into the showroom. He reluctantly agreed to look at my car, I think to get a closer look at the blonde, and then he made some sarcastic comment about my car when he viewed it. I couldn't believe it, three and a half year old car, owned from new, spotlessly clean, serviced at the proper times and he wouldn't give me a price. Went back to his desk where he suggested I came back a week later and promptly made me an appointment, reason was the new incentives came into force then, but still wouldn't tell what they were. Then he said to me "See you next week then" Didn't even show me the car behind his desk and walked off. I was absolutely disgusted and got the impression that he thought I was a time waster because I had turned up in jeans and rugby shirt.

When we got into the car my son said that we should go back to the Skoda dealer as the Audi salesman was clearly not interested in taking my money. Returned to skoda dealer and did the deal later that afternoon when my wife had seen the car.

E mailed the Audi salesman to cancel my appointment and bluntly told him that I'd bought a Skoda for more than the price of the A3 according to the website. He didn't even e mail me back, not that I expected him to. However Audi Teesside are the losers as I have bought the VRS, two Yeti Elegance 170 tdi 4x4 and a Citigo Elegance 60ps Greentech since then, and my son has bought a Fabia Mk1 VRS and last year bought a Fabia Monte Carlo 1.6 tdi 105 bhp from Slack's at Middlesbrough, where in my opinion they value their customers. Audi Teesside! thats approx £90k my household has spent on vehicles since March 2009, could have been in your pockets, but certainly never will be in the future.

I went into the Audi dealers in Canterbury last weekend, my friend was looking at at Volvo C30's (coz there pretty), so as the dealers are over the road from each other I got her to take a look.

Despite being busy, it didn't take long for the salesman to come over, young chap, very enthusiastic, I felt sorry for him as it was obvious my friend wasn't interested, so I removed her myself. The service, I felt was very good, much better than the Skoda dealers where I bought my Yeti, they usually they are empty but you still have to retrieve service from behind a glass screen. The Audi service was very friendly, and honest and gave a good impression to someone that has worked in customer service for much of their life and is quick to criticise. So a bit of a reverse to many peoples experiences.

On a side note, the A1 is tiny, and the A3 seemed small for its class, the C30, as I knew, was a shiny focus, with tiny boot, but as they are discontinued, not as expensive as I thought, great pre-registered prices.

My friend reluctantly agreed with my view on the Volvo, and now she doesn't want her 'dream' car, is gonna go for cheaper second. And for the record a Yeti has much more drivers space than an XC60!