Keeping Your Classic Audi On The Road In America Could Get Easier

Now, Audi Club North America is part of an effort to try and change that. The group is looking for owners that need classic parts, and intends to share that information in hopes of getting access to classic parts in North America.

OEM Classic Parts Are Available, Not Easy To Get

Getting parts for classic cars, especially parts that go beyond service items like brake parts, can be impossible. It's why automakers like Audi as well as BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and even Toyota, Nissan, and Honda, all have divisions that try to make some of those parts available. But if you're not in the right market, getting them can be difficult or flat-out impossible.

The Instagram post from Audi Club North America reads: "Whether you’re a longtime Audi owner or someone who dreams of one, we want to understand your interests and needs when it comes to heritage parts. Your insights will be compiled and shared with Audi Tradition, the group committed to preserving Audi’s legacy and supporting vintage models."

That's because Audi Tradition is one of the groups that won't sell parts to US customers. It's not clear why, though we have seen social media posts proving some dealers will take orders with varying levels of success.

There might not be many of the obvious Audi classics in the US. Cars like the RS2 Avant, for example. But Audi Tradition sells parts for cars like the Quattro, the Audi 80 and 100, and the Audi V8. It even has cars we thought were far too modern, like an early Q7 or the first two generations of the TT and the early Audi R8 models.

It also sells data sheets and original operating permits for vehicles dating back to its DKW and NSU roots. That's as far back as 1949 and yes, Audi Tradition's offerings cover the company's predecessors. All four of its rings.

Help Owners And Future Buyers

Getting Audi Tradition on-board in the US would be good for current vintage Audi owners, but it might also be good for classic car owners who don't have one today. Parts availability can easily scare off potential owners, and missing one small but crucial and unobtainable part can quickly turn a driver into a project. Then eventually into a rotting hulk that is beyond saving.

If you want to help keep more old Audis running, take the Club's survey. If you have an old Audi, then you're definitely going to want to take it. And let this be a lesson for every car company that sells classic parts. If you're going to make them, you might as well offer them to what is probably the largest collector and classic car market in the world.

Sure, the parts might take longer to arrive, but you're dealing with owners of classics. They're used to things taking a little longer than they do in a modern set of wheels. It's part of the experience, and, dare we say, one of the perks.