Again, like you, this will be my first EV and Audi. Your information and experience is awesome! Thanks for the tint education. I’m in Dallas so the sun and heat get to me too. I will definitely be doing the front windows...trying to match the rest. Great idea with the ceramic. I wonder if Audi is like Tesla...the glass is dyed but does not provide UV protection or heat rejection? If so I’ll do the whole car and go with the lightest ceramic on sides, hatch and top. I’ve even heard of doing it on front...and from a bit of study it can be legal, and still work with the HUD.
Did I mention the car I’m looking at...I think it’s just like yours except for it being typhoon gray. Both colors look great and the Prestige with its bells and whistles are fun. Here’s a pic at the dealer...
What has pleasantly surprised you most?
Yep, that is very similar! Mine is Siam Beige Metallic, but it looks gray in certain lighting. I know there are a lot of gray cars out there, but these colors are unique enough, at least to me. That color is quite nice.
With the tint, most professionals won't recommend the front windows anymore. The guy who did mine actually said Audi has even told them not to do it, so he wouldn't touch it. When they apply the tint, they have to use a lot of liquid, which can drip behind the dash and get into the electronics. That includes most high-tech vehicles, including Tesla.
Speaking of Tesla, he noted many won't do the glass roof because if you apply too much pressure, they can break. No problem with the pano roof on the E-Tron; worked perfectly. I'm not sure what Audi does, but most privacy glass is just a tint, maybe some UV protection. Based on how the 105-degree heat felt on my skin through the privacy glass, I'd say wasn't doing a whole lot.
I like a ton of things about the Audi, as some are big, some are small, but the cumulative effect is one great vehicle. If I had to pick one, the most pleasant surprise is the way it drives. You'll notice many folks use "like a tank" to describe it. And that's because of a super well-built chassis. It's very solid, no flex, and makes the vehicle feel great to drive. Combined with a well-tuned air suspension and it's a real joy in any situation.
It's things like that which separate vehicles that
look like a luxury vehicle on the surface, but under the shiny sheet metal and fake wood trim, it's nothing but cost-cutting and budget materials. That was a big reason why I sold my Genesis G80 and why Tesla, in my mind, is not a luxury vehicle. They may check a lot of the usual "luxury" boxes, win a ton of media praise during their short-term drives, and look great. But after you own it, you start to notice how the chassis moves around, things creak, rattle, pop, and so on.
And to be fair, many people don't notice or care about that sort of thing. But I've literally sold vehicles entirely because they made noises. It's been an expensive condition I seem to have. Hah.
