I will attempt to make a detailed report about my ED trip. Here is a summary so far. I've ordered 2010 Q5 in December, the car was built on February 22nd, and I have a scheduled delivery in Ingolstadt for 16 March. The final documentation showed up on Wednesday. I'm leaving on 14th, only few days left! Stay tuned for updates.

I will attempt to make a detailed report about my ED trip. Here is a summary so far. I've ordered 2010 Q5 in December, the car was built on February 22nd, and I have a scheduled delivery in Ingolstadt for 16 March. The final documentation showed up on Wednesday. I'm leaving on 14th, only few days left! Stay tuned for updates.

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/images/smilies/popcorn1.gif

Lots of pics please. Have fun.

36 hours before departure... last couple of days are the worst

Almost there, man! Keep us posted!

36 hours before departure... last couple of days are the worst
Start your morning exercise - drink 3-to 5 glasses a bear.! :)

I'm officially on the way. Just got through security at the airport and now I have some time to kill. I got a window seat on the flight to Munich; I'm hoping to take couple of pictures on the way. It still doesnt feel real; but somewhere inside the anticipation is already on full boil. I'm on my way to pick up my Q5!!!:D

You must be really excited. Keep us posted!!!!

He almost there for the first leg of his trip

Edit: Just landed - next leg - Munich!!!!

Our boy on his way to Munich!

O, No!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
CrazyIvan flight was diverted back to JFK.

Back in the air - hope nothing will change and in 7 hr he will be in Germany

Well, I made it to Munich. My flight got diverted back to NYC after somebody got sick and died (!) on the plane. That resulted in 5 hour delay and I got to Munich just after 12 instead of scheduled 7am. That would have been a disaster if I had a delivery scheduled for today. My advice: fly in day early; Kempinski is a nice hotel, the city isn’t far away via train. Hopefully, that WAS the glitch for the trip. I still went to BMW Welt (my other car is 135i), it was definitely worth it. Too bad the museum was closed. Tomorrow is going to be interesting: car delivery, factory tour, museum. Well, I still have a beer to drink, so that’s it for now!

Wow, talk about an interesting trip!!! Sorry to hear you got to go back to JFK and wait.

So do you like the hotel? I am debating whether to stay where you did or go to one of the hotels in Ingolstadt.

the Kempinski is very nice and modern. plus its nice once you land in such a new environment that the hotel is just 100yd walk away. plus audi will send an A8 with driver to take you to Ingolstadt for your delivery.

We have a first pics!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow, talk about an interesting trip!!! Sorry to hear you got to go back to JFK and wait.

So do you like the hotel? I am debating whether to stay where you did or go to one of the hotels in Ingolstadt.

I would definitely go to Kempinski in Munich. You are in Munich! Ingolstadt is pretty small town and you'll have plenty of time to explore Audi Forum.

Alright, here is a quick write up on Delivery day! It was fun!!! :o No, really. I got picked up by Audi driver in A8L with 4.2L TDI. Nice car, no doubt. The driver, Anton, was very cool and we had a great conversation on the way to Ingolstadt (while he was driving 110-125mph whenever possible). He doesnt speak much english so I definitely put my german to the test. Delivery was smooth and too fast. I was told by delivery person not to exceed 3000 rpm for the first 1000km, that is right about 90mph, plenty. After delivery, went on the factory tour: very interesting yet limited access. They only showed us press shop and some of assembly - still very cool and highly recommended!! Got a quick lunch and went on to museum - lots to see. I managed to take pictures of everything they have without killing my camera in the process :) And after that drove up to my friend an hour away from Ingolstadt. More details when I return. One more thing, the car had full tank of gas and floor mats, 33 miles at delivery. I asked about that and here is Audi answer: they test every single car, plus an additional 5% of cars get tested on the outdoor track. I guess mine was in 5% category. Anything up to 100km (~60mi) is still considered new car. Ok. Anyway, here are some highlights from today:

P.S. there was another guy from Nebraska picking up his Q7: never heard of the forum and, in general, kind of rude. I did meet Brian, who has Q5 and is on the forum (he came down just to visit the factory)

More pics

Thanks for the pics, they are great. Sure brings back a lot of fond memories. Are you going to try and get to a local dealership to see if you can pick up some accessories for your Q5 that you can't get here in the states. We went to the closest one to the Audi Forum, they had some pretty cool accessories for the Q7 but all had to be ordered as it was still a pretty new car at the time and they did not have much in stock. Just a thought for you.

Have a great rest of your trip.

I think you all convinced me. We will probably stay in Munich then.

By the way, great pictures!!!! Now you also have my wife scared about being driven at 125 mph, I should have warned her about the autobahn before :-)

Crazy Ivan,

Great pictures... I especially like the one with you and the other guy in the blue shirt.. haha

Have fun in Europe...

Crazy Ivan,

Great pictures... I especially like the one with you and the other guy in the blue shirt.. haha

Have fun in Europe...

Yeah, who is that guy? :D
I'm in Liechtenstein right now. Very cool roads, more like cliffs.

Another day is over. I've put some miles on today. Went to Neuschwanstein after visiting the friend. I actually drove into the field to just take the picture with the castle, Quattro is handy. After that went to Austria and on to Liechtenstein. Austria had a lot of nice twisties and many tunnels; the longest was 15.5km (almost 10 miles). The Liechtenstein is very crowded but once you get up to the castle - its no joke; extremely narrow, with cliff on the side and hardly any barriers. Here are couple of pics from today. Enjoy :)

Another day is over. I've put some miles on today. Went to Neuschwanstein after visiting the friend. I actually drove into the field to just take the picture with the castle, Quattro is handy. After that went to Austria and on to Liechtenstein. Austria had a lot of nice twisties and many tunnels; the longest was 15.5km (almost 10 miles). The Liechtenstein is very crowded but once you get up to the castle - its no joke; extremely narrow, with cliff on the side and hardly any barriers. Here are couple of pics from today. Enjoy :)
lock like you havegood time .
Your licence plate is IN 116 A
Mine is IN 115 A

Latest news from CrazyIvan:
highlight of the trip - he made it to Nürburgring and drive his Q5 there!!!!!!!!
Waiting for photos!!!

Spotted this one today when I dropped off my car. It hurts to see cars being treated like this...

Latest news from CrazyIvan:
highlight of the trip - he made it to Nürburgring and drive his Q5 there!!!!!!!!
Waiting for photos!!!

/me Drooling in jealousy :)

Way to go, man! Now, as they say, pictures or it never happened. ;)

Well, my trip is over :( I will do a more detailed report when I come back but here are few factsand tidbits: I turned in the car today for shipping to US; I put 1448 miles on the car while in Europe - that includes all kinds of conditions: wet, dry, city, mountains and still managed to average 21mpg. Not bad, since fuel economy wasnt my goal on this trip. The car is completely broken-in :D I got to drive the Nurburgring on Sunday: it was raining on and off and the track was very slippery. I did a really cool 4 wheel drift in one of the corners :D the car is very predictable and handles well yet it is a wrong tool for Ring. Not the whole loop is open to public, only a smallish portion of it :( I was hoping to max out the car on that long straight stretch but no luck. I took some pics while driving on the Ring, very illegal, so enjoy!! :D On to the pictures:
1. Famous carousel corner on the Ring
2-3. Ring visitors
4. On the autobahn
5. At the drop off office

1. 4 rings
2. Car wash before drop-off
3. Interior shot
4. Bad day at the Ring: he crashed couple minutes before I got on the track
5. My favorite destination :D

Congratulation, CI!
Thanks for sharing with ED forum!
have a safe flight home!

Very nice pictures. Looks like you had a lot of fun. And believe me when I tell you that those pictures of that mistreated A4 really hurt me. Car is almost identical to the one I will be picking up. I promise I won't do the same :-)

Ring. Nice! Miles on the car!?!?!? As I reported, they have a lot in Farm country for US bound cars. I received the same BS explanation regarding testing cars. My understanding is they really don't do that anymore as they do a "Dry" Test on these cars. Bet you don't have any US delivered cars with that amount of miles on them. I asked Gary W in Virginia for an explanation for the miles......still waiting 6mos later, don't expect a accurate explanation. My guess is they drive your car from the farm lots to the delivery center if not a round trip drive.

Kempinski is the Best!

Ring. Nice! Miles on the car!?!?!? As I reported, they have a lot in Farm country for US bound cars. I received the same BS explanation regarding testing cars. My understanding is they really don't do that anymore as they do a "Dry" Test on these cars. Bet you don't have any US delivered cars with that amount of miles on them. I asked Gary W in Virginia for an explanation for the miles......still waiting 6mos later, don't expect a accurate explanation. My guess is they drive your car from the farm lots to the delivery center if not a round trip drive.

Kempinski is the Best!

Yup, I remembered your post when I saw the mileage on my car: 33 miles at delivery. And yes, my BMW was delivered to States with 4 miles. Oh well. Kempinski is the best! Ring is highly recommended!!

lock like you havegood time .
Your licence plate is IN 116 A
Mine is IN 115 A

Did you get to keep your plates as a souvenir? They told me that both plates are needed for customs but will be left in the car per my request. They also included the letter with the car regarding the plates. We'll see. Have you seen that A4 at the Forum? The plates are 114A, yours are 115A.

Which navigation system is that? My wife and I purchase the 1370T for our trip.

How many laps did you do on the Ring, any issues with the export plates? Did you feel safe running your car on it? I am debating about doing that...

Everytime I look at pictures and read the stories I just want to get up and go straight to the dealer to do an ED....cannot wait to do mine....congrats on the car looks great....looking forward to the whole report :)

thanks for the write up and pictures. We are currently in the planning stages of doing an ED in Sept on a Q5. So any info on experiences is great, so we know what to expect.

Todd

Almost home - 3 more hr

thanks for the write up and pictures. We are currently in the planning stages of doing an ED in Sept on a Q5. So any info on experiences is great, so we know what to expect.

Todd

Todd, start with WIKI, Q & A thread.
Get good idea about ED, what country you would like to visit, where to drop off you car.
If you have question - post on ED forum.
Congratulation and Good Luck!

Which navigation system is that? My wife and I purchase the 1370T for our trip.

How many laps did you do on the Ring, any issues with the export plates? Did you feel safe running your car on it? I am debating about doing that...

That's a Nuvi 255W. I just bought an SD card with Europe - works great! I just did one lap on the Ring: it costs 22 Euro, or 75 Euro for 4 laps. They didnt care about my plates at all. Just go buy a ticket and have fun! I was there before noon and it wasnt very crowded, plus it was raining on/off. But later in the day it got busier. So you have to be careful around other drivers. Many people DO know how to drive fast but some dont; know your limits and your car - you'll be fine. It doesnt matter what you drive, its how you drive it - that Ferrari is a good example :)

Dont debate, just go drive it. Check the schedule for tourist days and do it. You will have fun!!!

Check the schedule for tourist days and do it. You will have fun!!!

Do you have a link to this schedule?

CrazyIvan,
now, when you at home with your family and rest for one week -
we waiting patently for more photos and more story from your trip.

CrazyIvan,
now, when you at home with your family and rest for one week -
we waiting patently for more photos and more story from your trip.

I know that everyone is patiently waiting for my full report. Right now I'm in the process of catching up with everything I left behind. I hope to have it posted by the end of the week. Thanks :)

In the photo: my Q5 in Liechtenstein

Spotted this one today when I dropped off my car. It hurts to see cars being treated like this...

I met the couple with the A4 when I picked up my car ,we stay at the same hotel .LOL
Not a good idea to return a car in that condition .
Do you see your car on the boat or not yet ?
I do not see mine .
I dropped it off in amsterdam on the 24 .
I just came back last night and try to catch up but I feel tired with the jetlag !!!!

I met the couple with the A4 when I picked up my car ,we stay at the same hotel .LOL
Not a good idea to return a car in that condition .
Do you see your car on the boat or not yet ?
I do not see mine .
I dropped it off in amsterdam on the 24 .
I just came back last night and try to catch up but I feel tired with the jetlag !!!!

Maybe they didnt like the car after all :) Mine isnt showing up anywhere yet :( Welcome back to bad roads and drivers! I already got my VAT deposit back.

Maybe they didnt like the car after all :) Mine isnt showing up anywhere yet :( Welcome back to bad roads and drivers! I already got my VAT deposit back.

I tell you ,I like mine :)
How they gave you your VAT back ? Sent you a check or credit your account ?
Oh ya ,about bad driver ,you are talking about the one who stay on the left line at 50 mi/hr LOL ,have not see that over there .
I past a cop car at 120 mi/hr though .

Do you have a link to this schedule?

Here is the link to the Nurburgring website. You will find calendar with tourist days here. Just keep in mind that track can close on a short notice. They update the info frequently though. Let me know if you have any questions.

http://www.nuerburgring.de/en.html

I emailed the drop-off office to find out the status of my car: it's at the port but not loaded on the boat yet.
P.S. I'm putting finishing touches on my full report. Stay tuned.

I emailed the drop-off office to find out the status of my car: it's at the port but not loaded on the boat yet.
P.S. I'm putting finishing touches on my full report. Stay tuned.

That's good news ,I wait until next week and I will do the same .

Well, here is the story about my European delivery. I had a scheduled delivery for March 16th at the Forum. I decided that it would be a good idea to fly in a day early: I can spend some time in Munich, get used to the time change, etc. But the events that followed changed that around. I had a connecting flight in Atlanta to fly to Munich. I made it to Atlanta without any problems. The flight to Munich was a lot more “exciting”. Just about every flight to Europe always follows similar route: up along the East coast to Canada, skirting the Greenland and Iceland, and then over the British Isles on to whatever destination you have. This one was no exception. I settled comfortably into my seat, we just finished the dinner right around Boston, when flight attendants asked for a doctor on board. I guess somebody didn’t like the chicken for dinner. I didn’t pay much attention to that. I was about to watch all the movies I brought along when pilot interrupts the usual hum of an airplane. We had to land immediately: whoever was feeling bad was getting much worse. We were now heading for Boston. Not bad since Boston was 20 minutes away. But my luck wasn’t improving: Boston airport was closed due to bad conditions. Great! Now we are flying back 1.5 hours to NYC. So much for arriving in Munich at 7am on Monday! Landed in NYC, ambulance picked up the sick passenger; refuel the plane, new flight plan – couple hours later we are back in the air. I finally arrived in Munich by noon, 5 hours later when scheduled. And another announcement right before we pulled to the gate: the passengers who got sick – died. No wonder we had to land. Good thing I booked a Kempinski hotel at Munich airport. 5 minutes of walking and I was in the hotel lobby. After a quick check-in I was in my room. The hotel will ask for a credit card for incidentals, no big deal. The room is nice and comfortable, with ridiculously overpriced mini-bar (didn’t use it). Audi pays for the room and the breakfast. There is an Internet in a hotel but for a fee: 2 euro for 15 minutes. Yikes! Not even 5 minutes away from hotel there is like a little plaza right in front of Terminal 2 of airport: there is a store with whatever you might need, bakery, and a very good restaurant. I had a dinner there. Plus, there is also an Audi dealer there as well. They had a new R8 Spyder on display. Don’t eat at the hotel – very pricey unless you want the fancy meal. It is 1230 on Monday 15th, I’m tired from too long of the flight but I am in Munich. The first thought: go to sleep. The second thought: are you crazy? So I took a shower and left for city. The hotel front desk does have train tickets – very convenient. For just under 11 euro you get a daily pass that is valid on any line for 24 hours. So I went to Munich to check out at least one place I wanted to see: BMW Welt (My car is BMW 135i, Q5 is for my wife). I couldn’t do ED for a BMW because the dealer screwed up the order but that is a separate story. The city is about 40 minutes away by train. Kind of far. Welt was very cool; too bad the museum is closed on Mondays. I picked a few souvenirs in BMW shop and headed back to hotel. It was already 4pm. The train system is very efficient and convenient; I never had to wait for more than 5 minutes for my train. Got back to hotel, had a dinner at the restaurant nearby and that was the end of day one. By 8pm the jetlag was catching up to me. And tomorrow was the whole reason I came here: the delivery of my new Q5.
Tuesday, March 16th: delivery day. I got up early and was ready to go by 7:30am. The excitement of today’s upcoming events got the best of me. According to the itinerary, the driver was going to meet me. I was sort hoping to see some guy with the banner in the lobby: not the case. I saw an A8 pull up to the hotel about 10 minutes before the scheduled time. Right at 8:30 there wasn’t anybody in the lobby to meet me. Except for that A8 was still sitting there. I walked out to the car and asked the guy if he is going to Audi Forum in Ingolstadt. It was my ride. There were no signs on the car or anything, I just asked the driver. He loaded my luggage in the trunk, opened the door for me and off we went to Ingolstadt. Anton didn’t speak much English. Luckily, I know enough German to get around comfortably. We had a great chat on the drive to Audi. Anton is an executive driver and has to attend driver training annually. Whenever he got a chance, we were going 110-125mph. A8 is very comfortable but it’s just not my kind of car. This one had 4.2L TDI engine. In about 45 minutes we got to Audi Forum in Ingolstadt. The whole place just sits right in the city, only a few small signs along the road remind you that you are nearing an Audi plant. Very discrete.
Anton pulls up to the main square, lowers the barriers with the remote, and drives me up to the door. No regular folks are allowed to park inside the Forum, only the people who take delivery of their cars. I check-in with reception, they take away my luggage, and take me upstairs to new car delivery. I still had about 25 minutes before my scheduled delivery time, so I grab some coffee at the café they have up there. Then the customer service lady appears and takes me to one of the desks: we go over insurance coverage (you need to sign that), they give me German registration and title, and take the authority for international vehicle pick-up from me (Audi will provide this paper to you before you leave). There is a TV screen with all the names of the people who pick-up their cars. There is a delivery every 15 minutes. The morning isn’t so busy but the afternoon gets pretty hectic. Of course, I looked at the delivery floor before my time but the car wasn’t there yet. They brought it up later while I was doing the insurance paperwork. And now, the big moment: me and delivery specialist walk down the stairwell to delivery floor. My car was right next to the exit. It looked great, of course. There is a podium next to each car, and there is a battery inside of it: they connect jump cables to each car so you can play with everything inside the car without killing your battery. The delivery was pretty good. I already knew just about everything about the car but I still listened to what the delivery lady was saying. She did tell me about service position of the windshield wipers – I didn’t know about that. We connected my cell phone to the car, went over just about every setting on MMI. She recommended that I don’t exceed 3000rpm for the first 1000km (600mi) and avoid full throttle. She said that I need to fill up the car with 95 octane gas. After I told her that I can only get 93 octane at best in States, she was a bit confused. Then she added that I should be ok or check with my dealership on that. We loaded my luggage into the trunk and put the roof rails on the back seat. They were still wrapped. Their photographer snapped a quick picture and they gave it to me a few minutes later in a nice Audi folder. They also gave me 2 key rings. That was it. I got into the car and drove out into the square. I parked right in the middle of it because I wanted to take a picture with the museum in the background. After that, everybody started parking next to me. I still had some time before the factory tour. I spent some time looking at all the stuff they have at Audi Shop.
Factory tour starts right on time, don’t be late. It’s a good idea to leave your camera and phone in the car; they do have lockers too. First, you watch a short film about all the areas that you won’t see on the tour: R&D, crash testing, some general statistics about the factory. They build about 2500 cars a day (3 shifts) and every car is spoken for. Ingolstadt is the main factory but they do have other facilities as well. First place I visited was the press shop: fully automated, people only monitor the process. It was fun to watch how sheet metal takes form of a side panel on A5. Parts are randomly pulled for quality control. Watch your step: there is oil on the floor. The shop is noisy but no vibration – presses are on air cushion. Next stop: assembly. Side panels are welded to the floor, roof assembly. Also, fully automated. Every car has a transmitter attached with all the data: model, options, owner, etc. After that, cars move into paint shop. No visitors there. They did show a little video on the process. Next stop: interior assembly. When cars come back from paint shop, doors are removed for interior assembly and later reattached. I’m glad my car ended with silver doors again  I watched mostly A3 on assembly lines. Front end is attached as one piece with headlights. And it takes about 10 seconds. Front and back windows are put in by robots, side windows – by people. If there is a problem on the line, they sound a melody instead of alarm. They had quite a bit of melodies going off throughout the tour-hmm. I also saw how drivetrain is attached to the body. Pretty amazing process. After the car is assembled, they put not even a gallon of gas in it – and it comes alive for a first time. All the cars are washed under pressure right after assembly to check for leaks. Then they move into testing: all systems are tested; additional 5% of cars are tested on the outside track. After testing is complete, cars get wrapped and shipped out to their destination. That was the factory tour. You don’t get to see how every single bolt is screwed in but still very informative. After the tour, I had a lunch at AVUS restaurant. And then went on to museum.
Audi museum: they do have lots of stuff to see. Pictures say a better story anyway. I liked the huge elevator they have with all kinds of concept cars on it. It moves very slow; so if you want a picture of every car on it – be patient. The best strategy for the museum is to start on the top level and work your way down. That way you will see the natural progression of models. Not every single car Audi ever made is displayed. If that was the case, it would be more than just 3 levels. The visit to museum was the last event at Audi. I stopped by the Audi shop and picked couple of souvenirs and headed out to my car. It was time to leave.
My car had 33 miles at time of delivery. I guess, it was one of the 5% tested on the track. According to Audi people, anything up to 60 miles is still considered brand new car. Maybe. My BMW had 4 miles when it was delivered stateside. Audi did fill up the gas tank, that’s nice. I headed out to my friend’s house about an hour away. Even with 3000 rpm limitation, you can still comfortably cruise at about 85-90mph. Just be careful when passing. It kicks down easily and you can exceed the 3000 rpm limit.
The next day I headed back south to Neuschwanstein. I’ve already seen the castle before but it’s still a nice place to visit. Nothing very eventful on the way there. I did stop at one of the bigger gas stations along the autobahn to pick up an Austrian autobahn pass: 8 euro for a 10-day pass. Plus the gas station attendant informed me that reflective vest needs to be within reach or you will get a ticket in Austria. So I just put it in the door pocket. Originally, I planned on staying overnight in Neuschwanstein area, but by 2pm I was already done with all the sightseeing and didn’t want to stay in the area. So I decided to keep going. I programmed my next destination into GPS: Liechtenstein. What’s so special about it? Nothing really. I just never been there before, it’s a 6th smallest country in the world and many people don’t even know about its existence. It’s well-hidden in the Alps between Switzerland and Austria. But before I reached that place, I drove through Austria. I did go over a small pass (3000 ft), some nice mountain roads. I stayed away from main roads on purpose: great scenery and Austrian autobahns are limited to about 85 mph. I did encounter a lot of tunnels: various lengths, the longest one was 10 miles, which was also the only toll road in Austria I came across.
Liechtenstein actually has a border with guards. I got pulled over in the last second after the guard got a glimpse of my plates. 5 minutes later I was underway. It was already 5pm and I still had to get to my hotel. I didn’t book any hotels in advance on purpose: my plans were very fluid and I didn’t want to restrict myself by hotel reservations. I heard of a nice hotel in Liechtenstein, Hotel Martha Buehler, and I was heading there. Driving up to the hotel was an adventure in itself: very winding, narrow road, with hardly any barriers in some places, plus a very steep drop-off on the other side. Fun drive, I filmed all of it. Some of the roads in town were so narrow that I was certain that I’m driving on a sidewalk. Hotel was nice: very quiet, not big at all. The guy at the front desk was also a server in the restaurant. I had a dinner in the hotel and spent some time just absorbing a very nice air in the Alps. Next morning, I continued my journey. But before I left, I filled up the tank: the gas is about 20 cents/liter cheaper in Austria/Liechtenstein than it is in Germany. Now I was heading back to Austria: Bregenz.
City of Bregenz lies on the lake Constance. It was on the way back to Germany, and the latest James Bond movie was filmed there as well. I spent maybe 1.5 hours in Bregenz and continued north. Next stop: Stuttgart. I wanted to visit 2 places in Stuttgart: Mercedes Benz museum and Porsche museum. They are conveniently located within 7 miles of each other. I’m not a big fan of Mercedes but I still enjoyed the museum a lot. 7 floors of exhibitions plus specialty halls: everything from very first car to prototypes, buses, trucks, specialty vehicles, celebrity cars – just to name a few. Here, I nearly killed the battery on my camera but I managed to get a picture of everything on display. If you are in Stuttgart, it is a worthy stop. Then I headed over to Porsche museum. While I was driving there, my camera was charging in the back. Multiple power outlets are handy. I could have easily parked on the street, but I chose the paid museum parking to avoid door dings. Plus, I parked right next to new Panamera, so I was fairly comfortable. Porsche museum was kind of boring: many cars are just too much alike, special editions and all. The selection of various race cars is extensive. After Porsche museum, I headed toward Frankfurt. We have some family and friends up there.
The next 3 days I spent with family and friends but there was still another place I had to visit: Nurburgring. I checked the status of the track daily and I had only one chance to drive it: March 21st. So on Sunday morning I left for Nurburgring. It’s about 2 hour drive from Frankfurt area. It rained on/off the whole way and turned into pretty heavy downpour once I got closer to the track. Great! Last thing I wanted to see was the closed gate. But I was lucky – it was open. I went to the ticket booth: one lap will set you back 22 euro, 4 laps cost 75 euro, you can also get a yearly pass but you don’t want to know how much that one costs. I was the only SUV there. The Q5 handled the Green Hell well, but it’s not the car to take on the Ring. The track was damp and very slippery. I caught a nice 4-wheel drift in one of the corners. I just wanted to drive on the Ring; I never even planned on trying to set some kind of record on unfamiliar road with lots of blind corners, elevation changes, etc. If you think you know the Ring because you “drove” it on Playstation – think again: the real track is much worse. To my surprise, not the entire track is open to public, only the smallish section. So if you want to test the limit of your car on the long straightaway – try elsewhere. My plan to film my run on the Ring failed: I had a very small camcorder under passenger’s headrest, but the safety people spotted it right away. Camera use is prohibited on track but if you really want to – it is possible to do it. I know people who did that. I still snapped a few shots on the track anyway. Never lose respect for the Ring: I saw several crashes while I was there. Ferrari F430, Porsche 911 are just some of the victims. If you crash on the course, you are liable for any damage to the track. Couple of teenagers crashed their VW Lupo into the guardrail and tried to quietly drive off. The safety noticed the damage on their car and literally jumped in front of the car to stop them from leaving. I don’t know what happened to them later. Lots of enthusiasts in the nearby parking lot: you can pick up a conversation with anyone. Plus, lots of interesting cars to check out: variety of Porsches, 911, GT3, Corvette, Lotus Exige, M3, M5, Bentley Continental, RS4 Cabrio, Q5 (mine :D), and many more.
Next day, Monday, it was time to return the car. By that time, I already had over 1000 miles on the odometer, so I enjoyed the autobahns for one more time: Q5 can comfortably cruise at 100-110 mph. Got to Munich area, checked in to my hotel (the only one I booked in advance). Ran the car through the car wash prior to drop-off. My GPS found the drop-off office without any problems. It is located in the industrial area and there is sign in the front. But in order to get to the office, you have to drive around the building, up the ramp. You’ll see it because of all the cars with temporary plates there. The parking lot is somewhat narrow, just try to find the best spot and hope for the best. The process is very easy: you give them all the German paperwork (insurance, registration), and the paper you get from Audi (it has your destination port listed). They never even asked for Bill of Sale (required documentation according to Audi guide to ED). I removed the warning triangle, first aid kit and a vest prior to dropping off the car. If you want to see those again – take them out of your car. The plates have to stay on the car for customs. The shipping office will include additional letter with the car if you want the plates as a souvenir. Otherwise they will dispose of plates. I will let you know if my plates show up with the car. You will sign couple of documents, power of attorney, and vehicle inspection form. The last one includes a scary statement about minor nicks and chips during transport not being covered – you will have to initial that also. And that’s it. They called a taxi for me also. Next day, I flew back home. Kind of sad, because the European delivery was over.
Some observations: These are mostly really picky stuff about the car. I don’t like how iPod just hangs there, non-Nav cars have a slot to put it away, but cars equipped with Nav don’t. Even on German roads, there were a few times when car got into a somewhat annoying rhythm of bouncing: relatively short wheelbase, plus the road imperfections = vibration. I noticed that the back seat rocks side-to-side under some conditions. I’ll check that again when the car gets here. There are no rattles or squeaks to speak of. With all the variety of driving conditions (city, autobahn, mountains) the car still managed 20mpg average, and I wasn’t even trying. Great experience overall! I would do it again if I could! I hope you didn’t fall asleep while reading all this stuff :) If you have any questions about ED, feel free to contact me. I will add another post with pictures or just create an online album. Thanks to everyone for all the advice and useful information I gathered on this forum. It definitely helped with my trip.

Great report!!!!!
Thanks for sharing!!!!
Pics?????

Excellent summary, thanks a lot CrazyIvan. Now we are waiting for those pics :-)

Thanks for the report...sounds like you had a blast...quick question...did you get the GPS from audi or did you take your own?

Thanks for the report...sounds like you had a blast...quick question...did you get the GPS from Audi or did you take your own?
If you order your Audi with navigation - Audi will provide you one during pick up and you must return GPS during drop off.
In his case - he use his own, just uploaded maps for Europe.

Great report!!!!!
Thanks for sharing!!!!
Sorry for the airplane trouble .
My aiplane had trouble to land because of snow on the ground .
We circle about 1h30 so I was late too !!!

Thanks for posting such a great detailed report. I cant wait to order mine for ED!!! My wife is even excited about it. thanks gain

Here are a few pics while I'm trying to set up an online album. These are some of the souvenirs I brought back:
1. Keychain I got as a gift from Audi
2. My new car :)
3. First aid kit, triangle, vest - also from Audi
4. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt...
5. German papers

Very Nice!!!!
Liked little Q5! I have my 330 and M3! Q5 is just asking to join my small collection! :)

http://forums.audiworld.com/showpost.php?p=23926627&postcount=1

My car is on the way home!!! It leaves Emden port (not Bremerhaven) tomorrow on Lapis Arrow. Estimated arrival to Houston: 26 April. I hope to have it in my hands by May 1st!!!

P.S. Now I'll be tracking the boat position every 5 minutes :D

Very Nice!!!!
Liked little Q5! I have my 330 and M3! Q5 is just asking to join my small collection! :)

http://forums.audiworld.com/showpost.php?p=23926627&postcount=1

Nice car! Do you still have that M3? I also picked up a scale model of 135i at Welt. I'll take a pic and post it.

Very cool goodies!!! I will definately stop by and get something as well.

My car is on the way home!!! It leaves Emden port (not Bremerhaven) tomorrow on Lapis Arrow. Estimated arrival to Houston: 26 April. I hope to have it in my hands by May 1st!!!

P.S. Now I'll be tracking the boat position every 5 minutes :D

Lucky you ;):):):):)
I am going to check mine just in case .

Hopefully no pirates in the Atlantic :-)

Nice car! Do you still have that M3? I also picked up a scale model of 135i at Welt. I'll take a pic and post it.
Yes! 1:18 scale! :)

I cant see the boat with my car on the tracking website anymore - it is somewhere in the open water. About 2 weeks left...

I got a letter from Sirius the other day. It's been activated on March 16th (delivery date in Ingolstadt). I wish I knew about it. My dealer asked me about it before I left for Gerany and he assured me that it will not be activated until the car gets to US. When I showed him a letter, he was, well, not very concerned: "I guess its activated automatically". He basically ignored my request to fix the situation. So I have a sat radio turned on and I cant even try it out. By the time the car gets here, it will just about run out of time. Maybe I should contact Audi USA. Any ideas/suggestions?

I got a letter from Sirius the other day. It's been activated on March 16th (delivery date in Ingolstadt). I wish I knew about it. My dealer asked me about it before I left for Gerany and he assured me that it will not be activated until the car gets to US. When I showed him a letter, he was, well, not very concerned: "I guess its activated automatically". He basically ignored my request to fix the situation. So I have a sat radio turned on and I cant even try it out. By the time the car gets here, it will just about run out of time. Maybe I should contact Audi USA. Any ideas/suggestions?
I receved the same letter about 2 weeks ago.
With the letter ,they sent me a card with a activation # on it .
I call Sirius, first ,to know more about the try out time and ask if the system was alredy activated when I picked up the car .
The lady told me ,I will be the one with my # to activate the try out .
Should be the same rules for all !!!

I agree, that is totally not fair. You should contact Audi USA and have that squared away.

I got a letter from Sirius the other day. It's been activated on March 16th (delivery date in Ingolstadt). I wish I knew about it. My dealer asked me about it before I left for Gerany and he assured me that it will not be activated until the car gets to US. When I showed him a letter, he was, well, not very concerned: "I guess its activated automatically". He basically ignored my request to fix the situation. So I have a sat radio turned on and I cant even try it out. By the time the car gets here, it will just about run out of time. Maybe I should contact Audi USA. Any ideas/suggestions?
I think I read somewhere, that even it was activated - radio will not work in Europe.

I think I read somewhere, that even it was activated - radio will not work in Europe.

An activation # need to be enter to activate the system and it can be done only in the US from what I understand .
No Sirus in Europ

An activation # need to be enter to activate the system and it can be done only in the US from what I understand .
No Sirus in Europ

I havent called Audi USA yet - but they will hear from me!

The boat with my car is showing up on tracking again! Right now it's off Long Island's coast. A few more days to go!

The boat with my car is showing up on tracking again! Right now it's off Long Island's coast. A few more days to go!

Any news?

Any news?

I know for a fact that the boat with my car is in port, it's been there since yesterday. However, the dealer cant check the status because it is a ED car. Dealer says that it should show up today or tomorrow. I hope by friday it will rest in my garage :) Stay tuned for updates!

Just got a call from Gary at Audi ED: customs wont clear my car for entry, something is wrong with papers. I had to send him a copy of SS, hopefully that helps. I still hope to drive my car by weekend

Just got a call from Gary at Audi ED: customs wont clear my car for entry, something is wrong with papers. I had to send him a copy of SS, hopefully that helps. I still hope to drive my car by weekend
SS?

SS?

social security #

social security #
Proper abbreviation - SSN

Proper abbreviation - SSN

When I drop off my car in Amsterdam ,the guy there ask for my SS#

When I drop off my car in Amsterdam ,the guy there ask for my SS#

Same here. I checked my shipping papers - everything is correct! So I really dont know what the problem is. I hope it is resolved soon! Any updates on your car?

Same here. I checked my shipping papers - everything is correct! So I really dont know what the problem is. I hope it is resolved soon! Any updates on your car?

last update was last week ,the boat was on his way to Panama canal and San Diego for May 12

Same here. I checked my shipping papers - everything is correct! So I really dont know what the problem is. I hope it is resolved soon! Any updates on your car?

I hope your case is resolve fast .

:mad::mad: Still no word on my car. The dealer has the usual answer: as soon as we find out, we'll call you... Yeah, right. I asked earlier this week: they have no idea where my car is or when its going to show up. The excuse is: its a ED car, we cant track those. :mad::mad: The boat showed up in the port last Sunday.

:mad::mad: Still no word on my car. The dealer has the usual answer: as soon as we find out, we'll call you... Yeah, right. I asked earlier this week: they have no idea where my car is or when its going to show up. The excuse is: its a ED car, we cant track those. :mad::mad: The boat showed up in the port last Sunday.

When you look at your copy of the order for shipment from Harms ,in the bottom part is the power of attorney ,do you see your ss # and that part sign ? I just try to understand what's going on .
Also you should be able to see when the car is clear for custom .

When you look at your copy of the order for shipment from Harms ,in the bottom part is the power of attorney ,do you see your ss # and that part sign ? I just try to understand what's going on .
Also you should be able to see when the car is clear for custom .

Nothing has changed on the status webpage. And everything is correct on the shipping papers also. Better yet, I got an email from EHHarms that everything is taken care of. Maybe today my car will appear...

hey hi.. great job with the ed report. i picked up my bmw 338xi in 2006 could relate to a lot of your experience. I am planning a q5 ed in summer or fall and was wondering if you could share your pricing deal on your model and options ?

hey hi.. great job with the ed report. i picked up my bmw 338xi in 2006 could relate to a lot of your experience. I am planning a q5 ed in summer or fall and was wondering if you could share your pricing deal on your model and options ?
you mean 328, not 338 :)
When did you pick up your 328 and what country you visited?

Any update on your car ?

Any update on your car ?

No, still waiting. I called Audi USA to find out more - nothing. They said its the customs holding up my car, Audi has nothing to do with it. Local dealer is absolutely useless. They didnt even know when my car showed up in port until I told them. Then the dealer told me that they cant track my car because its a ED car. BS. That's why I called Audi USA. They put me on hold while they contacted.... my dealer! Then AUdi USA told me that my dealer is "doing everything they can to resolve the situation". So, the same generic answer. After I asked them about Sirius trial being activated and it will most likely run out before I get my car - they said that there is nothing they can do about it. Maybe I'll call them again...:mad:

No, still waiting. I called Audi USA to find out more - nothing. They said its the customs holding up my car, Audi has nothing to do with it. Local dealer is absolutely useless. They didnt even know when my car showed up in port until I told them. Then the dealer told me that they cant track my car because its a ED car. BS. That's why I called Audi USA. They put me on hold while they contacted.... my dealer! Then AUdi USA told me that my dealer is "doing everything they can to resolve the situation". So, the same generic answer. After I asked them about Sirius trial being activated and it will most likely run out before I get my car - they said that there is nothing they can do about it. Maybe I'll call them again...:mad:

You know what ,I got a call from Sirius this morning ....asking if we like the service and because our free trail is going to expire they want to know if we like to renew the membership without interuption of the service .
I told them we did ED and we do not have the car yet so they just gave me another # to activate the free trail .
I guess you are going to get a phone call by the end of the week .
Your car still in the custom in houston ,right ?
That's a bummer .
Mine is coming Monday in the San DIego port .I leave 10 miles away from the port and I bike often there and see all the ship unloading car ,it's easy to see the parking lot from the bike path so I am going for a bike ride on Monday morming to see if I can get a shot of the boat and my car too .

I'm getting seriously upset over the fact that I STILL DONT HAVE MY CAR!!!:mad: Its been sitting in the port since 25 April and all I heard so far was different excuses. I got a word on Monday that it did clear customs. The port is 3 hours away. I annoyed the living hell out of my dealer and they cant wait till my car gets here so I can leave them alone. Sirius is another story. The dealer says its Sirius fault. So I called Sirius. They said that the dealer is the one who activates the trial. So here I am: dealer blaims Sirius, and Sirius blaims the dealer. In a meantime, I havent even had a chance to try the Sirius - for one, there is no coverage in Europe; and the car has been out of my hands since 22 March. ED was a great experience but that is being quickly ruined by local Audi personnel. I'll keep you posted on the status.

I'm not trying to put salt on your wounds - is there any good news?
Should we start a small party?
http://forumkiev.com/images/smilies/drinks.gif http://forumkiev.com/images/smilies/party.gif http://forumkiev.com/images/smilies/russian.gif

I did not get mine too .
The car is in the port of San Diego waiting to be cleared by custom .The boat arrived last wednesday .
I visited my SA yesterday ,he show me what he see on the computer .
car is on LL witch means low level custom clearence ,his contact at port said LL take 3 to 5 working days and then 3 days to be truck 10 miles away .
I dropoff the car in Amsterdam on March 24 .
Next Monday will be 8 weeks .
SA hope by this weekend .

Perhaps we need to start a 12 Hour rule around here! : )

Hopefully you guys will receive your cars ASAP!

I'm not trying to put salt on your wounds - is there any good news?
Should we start a small party?
http://forumkiev.com/images/smilies/drinks.gif http://forumkiev.com/images/smilies/party.gif http://forumkiev.com/images/smilies/russian.gif

No party yet :( I was out of town for work but I'm flying back tomorrow. I will pay my dealer a visit :mad: 23 days since the boat arrived and still no word on my car!!! :mad::mad: Stay tuned.

No party yet :( I was out of town for work but I'm flying back tomorrow. I will pay my dealer a visit :mad: 23 days since the boat arrived and still no word on my car!!! :mad::mad: Stay tuned.

My car was damaged during ED - they change front bumper - take them 1 month to remove old one and install new. http://forumkiev.com/images/smilies/diablo.gif

My car was damaged during ED - they change front bumper - take them 1 month to remove old one and install new. http://forumkiev.com/images/smilies/diablo.gif

Who did the repair ? BMW germany,USA or at port ?

Perhaps we need to start a 12 Hour rule around here! : )

Hopefully you guys will receive your cars ASAP!

Ok good new from my SA ,just got an email .
" It looks like your Audi should be released from the port by Friday, but it could be released on Monday. I understand you are hoping to have it by the weekend, so as soon as we know"

Ok good new from my SA ,just got an email .
" It looks like your Audi should be released from the port by Friday, but it could be released on Monday. I understand you are hoping to have it by the weekend, so as soon as we know"

That's great news!! I flew back this morning and went to the dealer. Of course my SA was out. I talked with the manager to let him know how "happy" I am about the wait. He was unaware that I still havent received my car. Half an hour later he called me. Apparently they (Audi rep at port)forgot to process my car; so now they will expedite and it should be here by Friday, or Monday. Sounds more like another 2-3 weeks :mad::mad: I hope I'm wrong about that. At this rate, Audi will not have a returning customer :( I love the car though!!!

I finally got my car today!!! :D As soon as I drove it off, all the frustration went out the window. But it definitely took some effort.
Yesterday I had another conversation with the dealer about my car. This time I also talked to the dealership owner. He realized that if this doesnt get resolved quickly, his reputation will suffer. In a meantime, they gave me A3 TDI to use until my car gets in. Today I got the call I was waiting for - my car has arrived! With german plates still attached. I dropped it off in Munich on March 22, and final delivery on May 22! Pics to follow shortly.

Congratulation!!!!!
Finally!!
Enjoy your Q!!!!!
http://forumkiev.com/images/smilies/drinks.gif
See, I told you, let' s hope you get your car this weekend!
I should open my own palm reader saloon ;)

I finally got my car today!!! :D As soon as I drove it off, all the frustration went out the window. But it definitely took some effort.
Yesterday I had another conversation with the dealer about my car. This time I also talked to the dealership owner. He realized that if this doesnt get resolved quickly, his reputation will suffer. In a meantime, they gave me A3 TDI to use until my car gets in. Today I got the call I was waiting for - my car has arrived! With german plates still attached. I dropped it off in Munich on March 22, and final delivery on May 22! Pics to follow shortly.

Congrat ,you are probably very happy .
I picked up mine friday .
yesterday I spend 20 minutes on the phone to get my free trail 90 days Sirius + 60 days traffic information .
When I say 20 minutes ,it was 15 to talk to the operator .
Did you figured out your Sirius free trail ?

Hey, congratulations to both of you guys!!!

By the way, did anybody stay more than one night in Munich? I am wondering whether to stay one more night at the Kempinski or not if the price is right.

By the way, did anybody stay more than one night in Munich? I am wondering whether to stay one more night at the Kempinski or not if the price is right.

Kempinski is a nice hotel and I was considering staying there right before my departure from Germany. But once I've seen the rates - I changed my mind: 500+ Euro/night!

Congrat ,you are probably very happy .
I picked up mine friday .
yesterday I spend 20 minutes on the phone to get my free trail 90 days Sirius + 60 days traffic information .
When I say 20 minutes ,it was 15 to talk to the operator .
Did you figured out your Sirius free trail ?

I'll address the Sirius trial thing today. They just keep calling me with offers to renew. Frankly, I'm just happy to finally get my car in one piece.

Kempinski is a nice hotel and I was considering staying there right before my departure from Germany. But once I've seen the rates - I changed my mind: 500+ Euro/night!

That's weird, the rates I see are around 185 EUR the night, not the cheapest but not the most expensive either. I am pretty sure Audi has some special rate they pay for the free night they give us, so I am going to try to get that same rate for an extra night. I'll let you know how it goes.

So I got my car on Saturday. Nothing fancy - they just handed over the keys. I also asked the dealer to skip any kind of cleaning. That's exactly what I got. The exterior was actually pretty clean (likely rinsed off at the port), the interior was in worse shape: plenty of dirt, water spots and... dog hair! My guess is that customs use the dogs to inspect cars. I spent all day yesterday bringing my car to proper condition: complete wash, clay bar, and 2 coats of protection. Here are a few pics:
1. finally home
2. clay bar after a few passes on the hood
3. end results

That's weird, the rates I see are around 185 EUR the night, not the cheapest but not the most expensive either. I am pretty sure Audi has some special rate they pay for the free night they give us, so I am going to try to get that same rate for an extra night. I'll let you know how it goes.

500 Euro rate is from the sticker inside the room. I stayed at Best Western on my last night in Neufahrn - 10 minutes away from airport ($60)

So I got my car on Saturday. Nothing fancy - they just handed over the keys. I also asked the dealer to skip any kind of cleaning. That's exactly what I got. The exterior was actually pretty clean (likely rinsed off at the port), the interior was in worse shape: plenty of dirt, water spots and... dog hair! My guess is that customs use the dogs to inspect cars. I spent all day yesterday bringing my car to proper condition: complete wash, clay bar, and 2 coats of protection. Here are a few pics:
1. finally home
2. clay bar after a few passes on the hood
3. end results

Look like each Audi dealer have different policy about car coming from ED .
They cleam mine inside and out .they even find a bag of almonds under the seat !!!!few dayes after returning the car we looked for those almonds and we said it's probably left in one of the hotels .
tell me ,what is the purpose of using clay bar ?

Look like each Audi dealer have different policy about car coming from ED .
They cleam mine inside and out .they even find a bag of almonds under the seat !!!!few dayes after returning the car we looked for those almonds and we said it's probably left in one of the hotels .
tell me ,what is the purpose of using clay bar ?

I asked them specifically not to clean it. Usually, dealer car wash consists of quick rinse with heavy use of tire dressing to make the car appear "clean". It does more harm than help. Whatever doesnt come off from water, is simply wiped off with the rag (scratching the clear coat in the process). Before you know it, your car is covered with swirl marks :( Anyway, next time you wash your car, run your hand over the paint: is it smooth like glass or does it feel bumpy? Clay bar removes these "bumps" - contamination from the air, dirt, whatever. Once you do that, and wax your car afterwards, it will definitely look better! It is a time consuming process when done correctly. It took me a few hours to complete. But the payoff is worth it! PM me if you need any additional info.

Look like each Audi dealer have different policy about car coming from ED .
They cleam mine inside and out .they even find a bag of almonds under the seat !!!!few dayes after returning the car we looked for those almonds and we said it's probably left in one of the hotels .
tell me ,what is the purpose of using clay bar ?
My car was clean in and out with full tank of gas.