Re: Warranty carry-over to Europe

[Nivi@aol.com]

"Jason S. White" <zympht@interramp.com> asked:
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I am moving to Switzerland from the USA for a short time and I am
taking my Audi A4q with me.  Does anyone have any information about
Audi's warranty policy?  Will the car still be under warranty if I
take it out of the country?  Are the parts for the "American" A4q
the same as for the European?
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Well, I had the same questions about three years ago, except it was in the
reverse situation (if the car was able to be federalized). The consensus from
the research I made at the time was:

Each regional Audi group (eg: AofA, Audi-Europe, Audi Asia) has it's own
warranty procedures, and therefore can only warranty them in those particular
areas...but this may have changed. Try talking to Eric Carlson, of VW AP HK,
(devw1wrk@ibmmail.com) and see what he says...I would also try calling AofA,
and asking them.

You could sell your current A4 and buy one over there if Audi still offers
the European delivery program - but I think they have phased it out, and you
would only be able to keep the car there with temporary German plates for 3
to 6 months.

Personally, I would rent a car over there when necessary, because the Swiss
railway system is one of the *best* in the world! You can practically get
anywhere using public transporatation, and it's affordable! The *only* time
when it's a drawback is when you have to travel late at night (after 11:30
p.m.) and early in the morning. (earlier than 6:30 a.m.) You could probably
save the $$ (about $ 1,500 to $ 2,000 round trip) of shipping your car over
there, and get a rental car on weekends...depends on how long you're staying,
of course.

Another drawback of owning an Audi over in Europe (especially in Germany or
Switzerland) is that they charge you *astronomical* amounts of money to
service your car. If you think that the American Audi Gods are bad, wait
until you meet the EuroAudi Gods! Plus you don't get any of that "free"
maintenance you've paid for....(in the price of the car) You also might find
a good mechanic there that might cut you a break - if you're going to be in
the Zürich area, my friends may know a place.

Dorab
1993 S4
1990 Coupe Q
1986 Chevy Caprice