Allocation finally approved today but wouldn't make my Turbo blue..so cruel!

[S3DUDE]

I just can't believe this is happening!!! Today I got the call from the dealer saying that my allocation is finally approved but the Turbo Blue will be discontinued. I knew that November 26th would be the cut-off but apparently they wouldn't build it. This is a car that I ordered on September 28th of 2022. It is such a bitter sweet end that I am so disappointed.

This is NOT your average purchase. Yes , I could go and find me another Turbo Blue on the other side of the country but I will lose my sales tax savings ($4200) from my pre-trade if I opt to do that. Also the car has jumped in price close to $2000 compared to my wife's RS3 purchased in October of 2022.

Please, open the attachment and read the special note from Audi. This is a snapshot of my salesperson screen back on July 22nd of 2023. This is just bad luck!! I was so excited about owning the Turbo Blue, I waited so long. It is so utterly retarded to discontinued the Turbo Blue. Why!!!!

[fzr100098]

I think you have an RS3 addiction problem haha

[Audibot]

Elevate to AoA?

[Rod Paine]

Very disapointing indeed and sorry to hear of such. I lived in Tucson quite a few years going to school at
Roskruge and THS with a few years at U of A, but now a longtime Northern VA guy west of D.C. in
Purcellville VA. Been running VA country back roads for many years, now at 48,335 total miles on our
2019 Audi RS 3 of which 34,710 miles have been fast country back roads at 10am to 2pm Tues, Wed
and Thurs as the weather permits. Only changes were to switch to 245/40/18 tires on Neuspeed 18x8.5
alloy wheels. A great vehicle indeed and certainly enjoy our weekly back road runs, as weather permits.
-Rod

My Photo Gallery includes our Audi RS 3 info

[S3DUDE]

Elevate to AoA?

They are terrible. I called a few months ago to complain and they have a level 1 telemarketer that only takes notes and have zero problem solving capabilities. They only answered the phone and "document" or put a note but they don't address the issue. I tried before on a call that lasted 27 minutes. They told me that they were going to call me back the following week at a specific time and they called me but two days after the "scheduled" time. Apparently they did not even had my phone number, e-mail, name, address on file despite having purchased 7-8 Audis recently..

I even sent an e-mail to the actual factory at Ingolstad. I emailed the German lady that delivered my car in person, she speaks english as she was the liaison for American US spec European delivery but I never got an answer from her. I will try again, hopefully is worth it.

My list of colors is very narrow. No Black because of the Arizona sun eats the clear coat. No white because I already had a White RS3. no Green because my wife has a Kyalami green. Now no blue or Red because they will be discontinued? what's left? Yellow, Kemora and Daytona Gray.

[Audibot]

Sorry to hear that... I wish your German contact helps you out, since you are clearly before the deadline noted.

[ZTTRS]

They are terrible. I called a few months ago to complain and they have a level 1 telemarketer that only takes notes and have zero problem solving capabilities. They only answered the phone and "document" or put a note but they don't address the issue. I tried before on a call that lasted 27 minutes. They told me that they were going to call me back the following week at a specific time and they called me but two days after the "scheduled" time. Apparently they did not even had my phone number, e-mail, name, address on file despite having purchased 7-8 Audis recently..

I even sent an e-mail to the actual factory at Ingolstad. I emailed the German lady that delivered my car in person, she speaks english as she was the liaison for American US spec European delivery but I never got an answer from her. I will try again, hopefully is worth it.

My list of colors is very narrow. No Black because of the Arizona sun eats the clear coat. No white because I already had a White RS3. no Green because my wife has a Kyalami green. Now no blue or Red because they will be discontinued? what's left? Yellow, Kemora and Daytona Gray.

can confirm! AoA is trash! whats your possible back up color is this fizzles out

[RMode]

Sorry to hear that... I wish your German contact helps you out, since you are clearly before the deadline noted.

The deadline is a production deadline, not an allocation deadline. A car allocated now has no shot at being built by end of November. It would likely have a -February/March production.


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[S3DUDE]

can confirm! AoA is trash! whats your possible back up color is this fizzles out

Is a good question... I based my criteria in different factors. I don't have a solid answer as of right now as I am scrambling to google suitable possible options.

[S3DUDE]

The deadline is a production deadline, not an allocation deadline. A car allocated now has no shot at being built by end of November


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^^Amen. The problem is my order sequence. I was the third to order from my local dealer, here is an exact chronological sequence of the previous orders(see below). How do I stack up against people that ordered from other bigger dealers around the same time? who knows. Apparently my local dealer is smaller compared to other bigger cities and I don't know if that would slow me down.

Customer #1 ordered on August 8th 2022. Authorized on May 2023 Arrived in July 2023.
Customer #2 ordered on September 14th 2022. Authorized on July 6th will be built in Oct (2023) will be shipped (arriving 4-5 weeks later)
(Me) Customer #3 ordered on September 28th 2022. Allocated (authorized) today. I imagine it could possibly be built in 6 weeks?

It seems like the first RS3 moved up quicker but also the demand on these cars went to the roof and they had parts shortages.

[RMode]

^^Amen. The problem is my order sequence. I was the third to order from my local dealer, here is an exact chronological sequence of the previous orders(see below). How do I stack up against people that ordered from other bigger dealers around the same time? who knows. Apparently my local dealer is smaller compared to other bigger cities and I don't know if that would slow me down.

Customer #1 ordered on August 8th 2022. Authorized on May 2023 Arrived in July 2023.
Customer #2 ordered on September 14th 2022. Authorized on July 6th will be built in Oct (2023) will be shipped (arriving 4-5 weeks later)
(Me) Customer #3 ordered on September 28th 2022. Allocated (authorized) today. I imagine it could possibly be built in 6 weeks?

It seems like the first RS3 moved up quicker but also the demand on these cars went to the roof and they had parts shortages.

Your dealer can tell you right now what the estimated build date is - I don't see it being 6 weeks from now. I think you would be looking at a late Q1 24 build. November/December builds for this car would be for cars allocated in ~ first half of August. Not to mention, the cars are built in batches. Just like they are allocated in batches. It's why I've said year after year, the order date doesn't matter. Means nothing. Only the allocation date does. I used to tell my clients this too.

When I ordered my last Audi, back in 2018, it was right as the 19 build guides with pricing were being published (so, around June or so as I recall). I did it then because I wanted a car before the end of the year. My order was allocated maybe a week later. I took delivery just before the holidays December 2018.

For the RS3, I simply found a dealer that had one in the right spec, sitting at port, gave them something they needed for that month (the cars were being held early 2018 for something or other, I forget what), and waited.

[S3DUDE]

I just called Audi of America. They know NOTHING!!! they helped me on NOTHING!!! they know SHIT!!! Audi of America is the biggest piece of $hit institution that you can count on. Another few minutes of my life wasted. They asked me for a VIN number? seriously? the car is not even built. They referred me to the dealer.

Thanks for your inputs RMode, at least you have some logic.

[NapalmEnema]

Bummer man are you going with a different color or just moving on? That dark green coming out is quite striking, though polar opposite from the blue you were considering.

[RMode]

I just called Audi of America. They know NOTHING!!! they helped me on NOTHING!!! they know SHIT!!! Audi of America is the biggest piece of $hit institution that you can count on. Another few minutes of my life wasted. They asked me for a VIN number? seriously? the car is not even built. They referred me to the dealer.

Thanks for your inputs RMode, at least you have some logic.

A o A isn’t setup to help on something like this. The request would have to be from your dealer principal to the regional rep, who then runs it up the ladder.

I think the best they will come back with is “sure we will do it, submit as an exclusive order”. At which point there’s lots of other blues to choose from.


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[JBones81]

Are audi exclusive colors not an option anymore on the rs3s?

[AdamSheikh]

Bummer man are you going with a different color or just moving on? That dark green coming out is quite striking, though polar opposite from the blue you were considering.

Did I miss some news about new color options?

[Xxyion]

This is terrible news. Sorry to hear about not being able to get it in the color that you want. A lot of people went through something similar on the GT4 forums when i was putting in my order. Luckily i got the color i wanted as well as the bucket seats. But there were so many people who i saw get the carbon bucket seats removed from their build. It really sucked to see people contemplate giving up their allocation because Porsche could not build them the car they have been dreaming about.

I also do not understand removing colors. How much money could that possibly save? I mean it's not like adding a color. Adding a color is much more costly. It's such a weird time to want an RS3. It seems like almost everyone is missing at least one thing that the 2023 models had. I'm sad because theres no more RS package in green and no more carbon ceramic brakes. Luckily i still get the car in Kayalami green with the green stitching. Just hoping that is still available by the time i get my allocation.

[S3DUDE]

Bummer man are you going with a different color or just moving on? That dark green coming out is quite striking, though polar opposite from the blue you were considering.

That is it!!! that is what I don't get it. I was picking up my son from school just a few minutes ago and I was in the Kyalami green RS3. Most of my car decisions I consult with my family because all of them are very car enthusiastic. We literally open the laptops and synchronize our searches, we look at the same pages, wait for each other to read the specs, we watch tons of videos on YouTube simultaneously. We were driving back and we were going over all the colors and we were constantly saying: I can't believe they are discontinuing the turbo blue and not having a color already in place.

Another topic that we discussed is the fact that the Kyalami Green, Turbo blue and Python yellow were all novelty colors but why eliminating the turbo blue already if it has been on the market barely one year on the RS3? it is just beyond stupid. Instead we get stuck with some colors like white, black, Daytona Gray that have been on previous 8V platforms(going for 6 years now), facelifts and current platform. Like I said, I find no logic, all I know is that I am rushed to finalize my order so that they can submit it.

[S3DUDE]

This is terrible news. Sorry to hear about not being able to get it in the color that you want. A lot of people went through something similar on the GT4 forums when i was putting in my order. Luckily i got the color i wanted as well as the bucket seats. But there were so many people who i saw get the carbon bucket seats removed from their build. It really sucked to see people contemplate giving up their allocation because Porsche could not build them the car they have been dreaming about.

I also do not understand removing colors. How much money could that possibly save? I mean it's not like adding a color. Adding a color is much more costly. It's such a weird time to want an RS3. It seems like almost everyone is missing at least one thing that the 2023 models had. I'm sad because theres no more RS package in green and no more carbon ceramic brakes. Luckily i still get the car in Kayalami green with the green stitching. Just hoping that is still available by the time i get my allocation.

Thanks for your input. I don't want to give you the bad news but double check with the dealer as the green stitching is going away in favor to the red stitching. Also the carbon fiber atlas dash layer will be standard but the LED light on the dash will be removed. yes, I read about the Porsche drama, it sucks. In summary, I think that they should honor orders that were put, in my particular case I yielded a lot, I traded a perfectly working RS3 with low miles(27k) and lots of goodies for a paltry $48k, they turned around and sold it in less than 9 days for $57k. I also ordered a long time ago and I have seen people getting theirs way before me.

[RMode]

This is terrible news. Sorry to hear about not being able to get it in the color that you want. A lot of people went through something similar on the GT4 forums when i was putting in my order. Luckily i got the color i wanted as well as the bucket seats. But there were so many people who i saw get the carbon bucket seats removed from their build. It really sucked to see people contemplate giving up their allocation because Porsche could not build them the car they have been dreaming about.

I also do not understand removing colors. How much money could that possibly save? I mean it's not like adding a color. Adding a color is much more costly. It's such a weird time to want an RS3. It seems like almost everyone is missing at least one thing that the 2023 models had. I'm sad because theres no more RS package in green and no more carbon ceramic brakes. Luckily i still get the car in Kayalami green with the green stitching. Just hoping that is still available by the time i get my allocation.

It has zero to do with saving money. Or costing money.

There aren’t a team of Audi staff in a back room mixing paint. It’s third party supplied. If supply ends, that’s that.

This isn’t anything new. Cars change configurations year over year since forever.


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[AdamSheikh]

It has zero to do with saving money. Or costing money.

There aren’t a team of Audi staff in a back room mixing paint. It’s third party supplied. If supply ends, that’s that.

This isn’t anything new. Cars change configurations year over year since forever.


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This. Not to mention that Audi makes and paints a ton of different models, not just RS3s. I've heard that Tango Red is being replaced by a different red on other models (believe it's called "Progressive Red"), so its reasonable to assume that will make its way to future model years. Not sure what blue is replacing Turbo, but I'd imagine it'll be the same story there.

[MXblau]

From a blue RS3 owner.. I feel for you.

[S3DUDE]

This. Not to mention that Audi makes and paints a ton of different models, not just RS3s. I've heard that Tango Red is being replaced by a different red on other models (believe it's called "Progressive Red"), so its reasonable to assume that will make its way to future model years. Not sure what blue is replacing Turbo, but I'd imagine it'll be the same story there.

That would be nice/ideal. Problem is that Audi neither replaced the color yet nor they are overlapping. It would be awesome to have a choice as a courtesy don't you think? Want to take the Turbo Blue out? fine, but give us a replacement..NOW!! not 6 months later. My car has to be built and 2 color options just dropped, not good. Worst thing that can happen to me as a customer is not being able to order my turbo blue then having to pick a color then to find out after the fact that there are two other new colors to pick from down the road.

No offense but the marketing people at Audi sucks!!. I wanted the Pirelli Trofeo for $450 extra but they remove that option. I wanted some black optics but Nope, you have to get 3 packages totaling $1750 including a useless black sport exhaust. All I wanted was some black emblems.
What happened to the flat bottom steering wheel? who is the genius that made the decision to put a big ugly rounded steering wheel?

[Vegasgolds]

@S3DUDE how does a reputable Audi dealer give you a tax credit on a trade-in for a car that hasn't even been built yet? Maybe @RMODE can chime in here?
I asked my dealer here (Henderson Audi) if they ever heard of such a thing? Because I'd like to trade in my 2022 RS3 to get the tax credit on my 2024 RS3 order.

[Vegasgolds]

. All I wanted was some black emblems.

I got black emblems from Latvia (front/ back rings and front/ back RS3) for my 2019 RS3 for under $125. They are the same as the OEM ones. Search this forum to find the link

[S3DUDE]

@S3DUDE how does a reputable Audi dealer give you a tax credit on a trade-in for a car that hasn't even been built yet? Maybe @RMODE can chime in here?
I asked my dealer here (Henderson Audi) if they ever heard of such a thing? Because I'd like to trade in my 2022 RS3 to get the tax credit on my 2024 RS3 order.

You are correct. I have been told by two other dealers that trading a car without the other car being built is doesn't get you the tax credit. Apparently there is a way around by doing a pre-trade. Maybe the dealer "reactivates" the date of my trade as being a new trade. I never done it this way, all of my previous trades were on cars that were either already built and in transit or on the lot.

It is a first time for me but I was briefed that I would get my tax credit. I will need to clarify this with the dealer because it could be a deal breaker if I don't get it.

[S3DUDE]

I got black emblems from Latvia (front/ back rings and front/ back RS3) for my 2019 RS3 for under $125. They are the same as the OEM ones. Search this forum to find the link

Thanks a lot , I will look for it because my wife wants it on her car. $125 is reasonable.

[Vegasgolds]

Thanks a lot , I will look for it because my wife wants it on her car. $125 is reasonable.

https://www.audizine.com/forum/showt...1#post14012254

You even replied to this thread about black emblem on black grill..... "just my 2cents" LOL

https://www.audizine.com/forum/showt...1#post13417450

[RMode]

You are correct. I have been told by two other dealers that trading a car without the other car being built is doesn't get you the tax credit. Apparently there is a way around by doing a pre-trade. Maybe the dealer "reactivates" the date of my trade as being a new trade. I never done it this way, all of my previous trades were on cars that were either already built and in transit or on the lot.

It is a first time for me but I was briefed that I would get my tax credit. I will need to clarify this with the dealer because it could be a deal breaker if I don't get it.

Pre trades happen all the time. It will vary by state, since the taxes are paid to the state where the vehicle is being registered, but in general, yes, on an open order, the tax credit is maintained. I had previously done it both for my own orders through the years across many brands, and on many client orders from both in state (PA at the time) and for out of state clients too.

[AdamSheikh]

That would be nice/ideal. Problem is that Audi neither replaced the color yet nor they are overlapping. It would be awesome to have a choice as a courtesy don't you think? Want to take the Turbo Blue out? fine, but give us a replacement..NOW!! not 6 months later. My car has to be built and 2 color options just dropped, not good. Worst thing that can happen to me as a customer is not being able to order my turbo blue then having to pick a color then to find out after the fact that there are two other new colors to pick from down the road.

No offense but the marketing people at Audi sucks!!. I wanted the Pirelli Trofeo for $450 extra but they remove that option. I wanted some black optics but Nope, you have to get 3 packages totaling $1750 including a useless black sport exhaust. All I wanted was some black emblems.
What happened to the flat bottom steering wheel? who is the genius that made the decision to put a big ugly rounded steering wheel?

I hear you on a lot of these things. It's super frustrating having to wait so long and make compromises along the way. That said, you have to keep things in perspective and remember that manufacturing cars is a tough and complex process. There's no silver bullet here, unfortunately. Sure, they could go to a completely bespoke/a la carte order system but they would lose any sort of efficiencies and economies of scale for NAR production. That would mean more expensive cars and even longer production times.

Ultimately, it's up to you if you want the car as it's being offered or not. Audi isn't holding a gun to your head to buy it - if you feel strongly about these reservations, you can vote with your wallet and spend your money elsewhere. Don't get me wrong; I sympathize with you here, but it's important to remember how many factors are at play that AoA doesn't even have a say in. In many ways, it's a miracle we're getting another ICE RS3 in the US at all.

All that said, I wouldn't let these factors deter you from getting the car. If the color is very important to you, spec black and have it wrapped or look into the new "peelable" paint options out there. Black badges can be retrofitted if you don't want the full BO+ package. Steering wheel can be retrimmed or retrofitted in due time as well (assuming Audi puts out a flat wheel with capacitive sensors eventually). Etc. Etc.

[Potatohead_RS3]

My list of colors is very narrow.

Didn't you almost buy a green one like a year ago even though your wife already had one?

[S3DUDE]

Didn't you almost buy a green one like a year ago even though your wife already had one?

Yes, I just took her order. She just happen to be extremely lucky and she was offered one out of four available RS3s from a program called: Discretionary allowed inventory (West Coast Region) which is nothing more or less than the disposability of "spare" RS3 already built to be ready in case of a lemon or something else. They gave us a choice of 4(two blacks, a white and the green) we picked the green because it was almost what she wanted it as the other ones had extra stuff that we didn't wanted it.

Fast Forward a year and I am where she would have been had they not offer her one of those four Audi RS3's that were floating around as a discretionary inventory for the West Coast. They lasted no time.

[S3DUDE]

Just came back from the dealership and I am 99.9% certain that I can kiss goodbye to the Turbo Blue. They are trying to make some calls but they told me minimal chance of getting one. They did give me an estimate build date of 17th week of 2024 but it can change. Delivery would happen around summer of 2024 and you can bet whatever you want that 2 months after I get my car delivered they would have the new facelift ready.

I changed the order to Python Yellow. It is what it is, each color has its highs and lows. From the resale value point of view it makes sense to own the RS3 and the sales manager reassures me that the RS3 will have very high value due to low inventory.

I can also kiss goodbye to red stitching and it is now only black seats. I wanted the red stitching the the blue car. So that is folks !!! buy a car and get it 20 months later. Is not like I am ordering a Ferrari La Ferrari or a Blue carbon fiber Koenisegg

[S3DUDE]

Pre trades happen all the time. It will vary by state, since the taxes are paid to the state where the vehicle is being registered, but in general, yes, on an open order, the tax credit is maintained. I had previously done it both for my own orders through the years across many brands, and on many client orders from both in state (PA at the time) and for out of state clients too.

I was reassured that I would get the tax credit, I asked, apparently is sort of what you said, just changing dates.

[fzr100098]

Yellow is better than that smurf blue anyway - that color is a fad imo, kind of like nardo grey

[RMode]

Yellow is better than that smurf blue anyway - that color is a fad imo, kind of like nardo grey

That general hue has been a thing for over 30 years with Audi. Though turbo is a different hue than Nogaro, it’s in a similar vein.

Nardo has been a thing for a decade

Certainly can’t go wrong with yellow - it’s a neat color in person with a lot of metallic shift


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[MrOutside]

I feel your pain. I lost my tax savings in trading my RS6 for an RS3 because my Goodwood Green won’t be here until next year, and in NJ, you have to take possession of the new car the same calendar year of your trade-in. It stinks, but in the end, you have to do what is the best fit for you. I could’ve held on to my RS6 for a couple more months, but that would’ve been several more payments and I know the dealer would’ve dinged me on trade-in once the RS6 Performance is released. So I just let her go. I hope someone else picks her up and drives her like they should. You can always make more money. But sometimes you have to seize the opportunities that are in front of you.


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[S3DUDE]

I feel your pain. I lost my tax savings in trading my RS6 for an RS3 because my Goodwood Green won’t be here until next year, and in NJ, you have to take possession of the new car the same calendar year of your trade-in. It stinks, but in the end, you have to do what is the best fit for you. I could’ve held on to my RS6 for a couple more months, but that would’ve been several more payments and I know the dealer would’ve dinged me on trade-in once the RS6 Performance is released. So I just let her go. I hope someone else picks her up and drives her like they should. You can always make more money. But sometimes you have to seize the opportunities that are in front of you.


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Yes sir... apparently it is a hit or miss as I heard that in some states people don't pay the taxes or something like that. For me is a solid 8.7% of $48000 which is $4217. This is money that otherwise I would have to pull out of the pocket had I not done the trade.

[Jetdriver]

When I received my allocation this past July with a delivery ETA of Mar-April 2024, I asked my salesman if Turbo Blue would still be available. He wasn't sure, but said he believed it "should" be available. Turbo Blue, at the time, was my first choice. I originally wanted Daytona Grey with the green RS Design interior. When I found out that the RS Design interior was going red, I decided to go Turbo Blue because I didn't want another car with red/black interior (my last two cars had red/black interior). When I couldn't get a solid answer from my salesman about whether Turbo Blue was going to be available for my build or not, I decided just to go with Daytona Grey with the red RS Design interior. I kind of saw the writing on the wall with Turbo Blue. Common sense told me that if the car was going to be built after the Nov 2023 deadline, Turbo Blue wasn't going to be available. I really wish they'd drop new colors soon so I could figure out whether I want to go with something different. Honestly, the only colors I'd go with right now are white, Kemora or Daytona, but, my last two cars were white and I am not so sure I like the "Mother of Pearl" effect on the Kemora, so Daytona it is. I may even get a matte wrap on the Daytona (that's a big "may" because it costs $7,000 for a full ppf wrap).

Goodwill Green is not an option for me. It's too British-racing for me. If I were going RS6 or 7, I could maybe rock it with a saddle interior, but it's not RS3 to me. The RS3 doesn't offer enough interior options to make it work IMO. Audi wanted to keep the RS3 very bland with interior options and I've never be a green car guy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXztqRFltcc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dR_Wfy0lSNA

https://www.reddit.com/r/Audi/commen...picking_it_up/

[theworldisyours]

Got my allocation today too, which was originally going to be Turbo Blue. Switched to Audi Exclusive in August only to be told the AE window is closed in the US for the remainder of the year. Oh well, Kyalami Green it is. I feel like this car needs a bold color.