Hi...
Back in July I ordered a 2000 A4 1.8T through carsdirect.com (and financed through carfinance.com--didn't have to leave home except for test drives!). It's coming in at Barrier Motors in Bellevue (Seattle), and it was supposed to take 90-120 days. That would put it in early November. I checked with Barrier in early Sept., and they said "Uh, looks like it's 45 days out..." So, I started an A4 countdown on the marker board in my office, counting down from 45 each day. Well, I hit 0 three days ago. I called Barrier, and they said "the best we can tell it's going to be the middle of the month...."
Is it unreasonable of me to expect to know the exact date my car will arrive. I've had few dealings with the folks at Barrier (including my in cognito test drive of a 2000, posing as an interested buyer), but they seem incredibly disorganized and unprofessional. Should I call again and ask what the exact date will be? Should they know that?

I called one week and it was "almost in port"

called next week and it was "even closer to port"

called later that same week about something else and he said that it was "in port since 10/15" which was before the first call listed above.

There is significant lag time between where your car is and the update to the dealer. One guy's car was "on the boat" for 4 weeks!

The next problem is that your car has to go through 2 inspection points in the US before it can be ready for a truck. And if your dealer doesn't have enough cars to fill a truck (from that boat), your truck may stop somewhere else first.

Last time I checked (2 weeks ago), my salesman was still waiting on a TT that has been stuck in port since early Sept, while others have come and gone.

Now I just hope my car is as I ordered.
Mark P
1.8TQMSX - 8 hours to delivery!!!!

I ordered a 1999 A4 Avant while stationed in Europe.

The dealer could tell me at what stage of the build the car was, but could not predict the completion date. The car, if I remember correctly, should take 10 - 12 weeks to build. There was a slowdown at the end of the summer for Audi's annual vacation. The car should have been ordered in mid-May and was completed at the end of August.

The dealer was able to tell me what date the car left, once it was already on the boat. My car went from Bremerhaven to Port Hueneme, California. It left on the 3rd or 4th of September, was delayed several days from the projected arrival date, and arrived on the 9th of October.

I picked up the car and cleared it through customs myself, so don't know how long it takes from there. I live in Northern California, and Port Hueneme (Oxnard, about an hour north of LA) seemed to be the closest place. There are supposed to be eight west coast ports Audi can ship to. The sticker on a new A4 at a local dealer said the port of entry was in Texas, so just because you're on the West Coast doesn't guarantee that's where the car will enter the US. Port Hueneme is the major West Coast port of entry for BMW/Range Rover and Volvo, but I don't think VW/Audi's usually go there. (I don't know, but didn't see any on the loading plan, except for individually shipped, used cars.)

So, I don't believe that the dealer even knows the exact date until the vehicle actually gets on the lot.

order because of CA emissions, not usually sold on his lot (Kaiserslautern, GE). Haven't been to the factory. I could dig up more on the timeline. Perhaps 10-12 weeks is for the whole process (paperwork, etc.), not the actual build.