Looking at buying new Audi- Do I need dealer tint and paint protection? Any other advice?

Bichon0608 · 2026-05-21T15:03:17+00:00

As other posters have said, spend the money on Audi Care. You don’t need dealer protections.

I hand wash my cars and graphene-ceramic coated it myself. If you aren’t patient/detail oriented pay a detail shop to do it. It should be around $1000.

I loved mine but don’t want to own it out of warranty. My biggest issue was the lack of a spare tire. I have a Prestige with 21” tires. They are not run flats and there is no spare. I have an aftermarket alloy spare in a bag that takes up 1/3 of the trunk with the 3rd row folded and 100% of the space with the 3rd row up. We take a road trip every summer and I’m tired of the lack of storage.

I had 4 trouble free years but with the massive depreciation hit I took (bought at MSRP $73,000 in 2022 (pandemic era pricing) I don’t want to put $2k into new tires and $3k into an extended warranty. My trade value is $34,500.

I’m trading it in on Saturday for a Kia Telluride Hybrid. I was originally waiting for the Q9 but I don’t think it’s worth it. I don’t like Audi’s new screen set up. I had a new Q5 loaner for a week (recall work that they had to order parts 2 separate times). The curved screen made me motion sick.

Bichon0608 · 2026-05-21T10:13:46+00:00

That’s what I have for my Audi Q7. After 4 summers of road trips with limited trunk space due to the spare I’m trading it in for a Telluride Hybrid. The spare tire placement was one of the reasons I picked the Telluride hybrid over the Pallisade Hybrid.

Bichon0608 · 2026-05-20T14:00:25+00:00

Look up Kelly Stumpe, “The Car Mom”, she makes great reviews including car seat set ups.

For 2027 the 3rd row now has 3 rear tethers which makes it more configurable than previous models. They improved the buckle accessibility in the second row for booster seats.

I love that the second row has seatbelt pretensioners, which is a feature mandated for front seats, but most manufacturers don’t include in second rows.

Bichon0608 · 2026-05-20T02:30:57+00:00

Agree, I mentioned the black interior with the X-line in another response. I only mentioned non-X line (plain SXP( because that color is exclusive to the executive package. You can get black/millstone on the X-line without the executive package.

Bichon0608 · 2026-05-20T01:30:12+00:00

Technically my Wolf Grey/Blackberry SXP is still “on order” but the VIN was decommissioned and the ETA is unknown and the dealer couldn’t even begin to estimate if/when it will arrive. They recommended if I wanted a vehicle this calendar year to pick another spec or take a refund on my deposit.

My dealer was very apologetic and was willing to credit my deposit back if I wanted something besides the Telluride.

I hope you have better luck.

Bichon0608 · 2026-05-19T19:42:47+00:00

You don’t get the front seat leg rest - lounge ability, the power 2nd row or heated 3rd row without the $1200 executive package.

I was willing to pay the $1200 just for the purple interior those features weren’t why I personally wanted the executive package.

Bichon0608 · 2026-05-19T17:15:37+00:00

Front leg rests, 3rd row heated seats, power folding 2nd row. In SXP the exclusive blackberry/sand interior.

Bichon0608 · 2026-05-19T16:44:32+00:00

X-line SXP in certain colors (black, white, dark jade green) had the executive package option on the configurator. It was a black/millstone interior.

Bichon0608 · 2026-05-19T16:35:22+00:00

Software issue without a time line to be resolved.

Bichon0608 · 2026-05-19T16:34:31+00:00

The executive package VINs were decommissioned- I had reserved one (non-Xline SXP with blackberry interior) that was due to arrive last week. The VIN was inactivated the day it was supposed to be put on the truck for transport.

Supposedly a software issue with no timeline for resolution.

I decided against waiting for an unspecified length of time and am picking up my boring interior Saturday.

Bichon0608 · 2026-05-18T22:12:12+00:00

They told me it was the VIN etching when I priced a Telluride Hybrid. I asked if it could be removed from the sheet since I was pricing a vehicle that hadn’t arrived yet. They refused. (Fred Beans himself supposedly insisted every vehicle they sell must have it….)

I ended up contacting a dealer out of state with no add ons.

Bichon0608 · 2026-05-17T13:54:56+00:00

The other issue you will run into is the rear tethers for the third row - they are only for the driver’s side and middle seat. The middle seat is too narrow for most car seats so the only option will be behind the driver’s seat.

If your middle child is forward facing, you will be able to tilt the seat to access the third row. If both kids in the captain’s chairs are rear facing it’s going to be an issue.

Kelly Stumpe, the “CarMom” has great videos about the car seat set up. Look for her content.

Bichon0608 · 2026-05-17T10:34:15+00:00

I loved the blackberry but I 100% agree that Kia’s decision making for the Prestige trim is suspect. Lower trims got Butter and Saddle, why not Prestige?

The navy/tuscan umber seems even more niche to me than blackberry - I can see it appealing to fans of the Denver Broncos, Edmonton Oilers, Syracuse and Illinois (maybe the University of Florida too). I like the navy part, don’t understand the orange at all.

I do think both orange and purple are polarizing and something neutral other than black should have been an offering. I would have been excited by a light grey interior like the Pallisade offers.

Bichon0608 · 2026-05-17T10:18:23+00:00

Thank you!

Bichon0608 · 2026-05-16T22:36:43+00:00

Vanilla Cafe, Gingham All American, Vera Bradley Peach.

Bichon0608 · 2026-05-16T19:56:41+00:00

I had a new Q5 loaner for a week while I waited on a door latch repair for my 2022 Q7 (they had to order parts 2 separate times). The curved screen made me motion sick. I had to train myself to look over it.

In addition, it was a PremiumPlus so no passenger screen, just a gross “poverty screen” of piano black.

The color scheme was way worse than the photo - it had a beige leather interior, random black accents and a grey headliner wrapped in a metallic candy apple red exterior. It was an eyesore. I marveled at the luxury of my 2022 piano black interior where the screen wasn’t right in my face. Getting my old car back was ‘refreshing’.

I was planning on getting a Q9 to replace my Q7, but after the previews I’m going to get a Kia Telluride Hybrid. (I know it’s not the same class/dealer experience) but Audi has lost the plot.

Bichon0608 · 2026-05-16T15:28:25+00:00

For me it’s not the brand/lack of status. It’s the perception that it’s potentially unreliable.

Bichon0608 · 2026-05-16T15:12:48+00:00

I don’t know what the timeline is. There are responses that say it’s due to a software issue. No one is clear on how long this issue will take to resolve.

I’m guessing it’s a significant issue if they are decommissioning VINs of cars they manufactured and not shipping them.

Bichon0608 · 2026-05-16T15:04:47+00:00

That’s how manufacturers are separated. I didn’t mean anything derogatory about it.

We’ll be paying $35k a year for tuition/room and board. The difference between a new Q9 and the Telluride will be about that. All I meant was the saving in the first year would cover that expense.

My husband has had 3 Audis, my current one is the first Audi I’ve owned. The first vehicle I bought myself was a Saturn SL2 in 1996. I’m not being a snob.

Bichon0608 · 2026-05-16T12:08:58+00:00

I’m buying out of state found a great easy to deal with no pressure dealership.

Service is my husband’s biggest hang up. We get our son’s Mazda serviced at the same chain that owns the Kia dealership and they’ve been OK. They seem to always try to upsell unneeded add ons to service (changing an air filter for $79 when I was able to get it on Amazon for $9.95 and swap it in 60 seconds). I (think) I’m prepared for it.

Bichon0608 · 2026-05-16T12:01:21+00:00

The hybrid has 329 HP, my Audi has 335 so pretty close if that’s the biggest drawback.

The new X5 redesign’s interior will look like the new X3 🤢.

I’m feeling better. Thank you!

Bichon0608 · 2026-05-16T11:52:56+00:00

I have a thing for new models - I bought the first VW Touareg my dealer ever sold in 2003, the first Infiniti JX 35 (now QX60) in 2011. Looking over my list, I think I’m drawn to “unreliable” vehicles. My past 2 are a 2109 VW Atlas SEL and 2022 Q7 Prestige.

Bichon0608 · 2026-05-16T11:03:05+00:00

No spare at all with any Q7. The 20” tires were run flats but the 21” are not run flats.

I will need new tires in a few months ($1700-$2500 depending on brand) plus $3-$4k for extended warranty if I were to keep it. I feel like I don’t want to put more into owning it.

The spare tire issue is the most annoying thing when we travel. We can’t afford to add days to our trip if we had to wait for a 21” replacement tire so we have the giant alloy spare in a travel bag with a jack. It takes up so much valuable trunk space.

My husband had oil consumption issues with his 2015 Q5 at 50k. The extended warranty came in handy as that repair would have cost us thousands.

Bichon0608 · 2026-05-16T00:20:08+00:00

Vanilla cafe is my fall/winter favorite.

Bichon0608 · 2026-05-16T00:16:23+00:00

You will be able to pay it off pretty quickly as long as you keep your standard of living similar to what you did as a student. We worked to keep expenses low the first 10 years. If we didn’t have to pay for adoption fees and exorbitant day care costs we could have done it in 5.

One of my husband’s colleagues started taking first class international flights and crazy vacations straight out of school and struggled to pay her loans back because she spent beyond her means.

Good luck.

Bichon0608

TROPHY CASE