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Two things happened over this week that have sealed my order for a 2018 Quad.
First, I spent some much-needed time drinking with my best friend who happens to be a genius software guy. He delivered a product for a customer last year that required 300,000 lines of code. He figures this is in the ballpark of the number of lines required for an average car. I made the leap that cars like the giulia likely have more. He states that an elite team of programmers would expect 265 errors to surface in the first year of any product. 5% of these will be major. An above average team should expect 1500 errors per 300,000 lines in first year. He points out that - most likely - car companies put elite folks on safety systems, and spend less on nav/infotainment stuff. With respect to an entirely new platform, Alfa is doing ok. Most of the issues have a good chance of shaking out in a year or so.
Second, I truly believe that any experience is colored and shaped by the front line people. Our dealer in Albuquerque has already gone above and beyond for me during this process. Today the general manager called with the phone number of our regional tech (Phoenix). I called Jeff, and he was very kind in answering my questions. He states that most of the software updates have resolved significant problems, but most importantly, he encouraged me to stay in touch and use his phone or email if I have ?'s. in addition he stated that the Melloy family who owns this dealership has always been quick to respond to any problems. So I feel like I have a really good situation to deal with any issues.
One funny aside: I mentioned the car and driver remote start issue, and he was frustrated because the update for that was available before the delivery of the car to the magazine----Alfa forgot to update it. :surprise:
I'm not sure if this helps anyone else who is on the fence, but it has helped me make a final decision.
Also, thanks Alfaholico for the nice PM!
First, I spent some much-needed time drinking with my best friend who happens to be a genius software guy. He delivered a product for a customer last year that required 300,000 lines of code. He figures this is in the ballpark of the number of lines required for an average car. I made the leap that cars like the giulia likely have more. He states that an elite team of programmers would expect 265 errors to surface in the first year of any product. 5% of these will be major. An above average team should expect 1500 errors per 300,000 lines in first year. He points out that - most likely - car companies put elite folks on safety systems, and spend less on nav/infotainment stuff. With respect to an entirely new platform, Alfa is doing ok. Most of the issues have a good chance of shaking out in a year or so.
Second, I truly believe that any experience is colored and shaped by the front line people. Our dealer in Albuquerque has already gone above and beyond for me during this process. Today the general manager called with the phone number of our regional tech (Phoenix). I called Jeff, and he was very kind in answering my questions. He states that most of the software updates have resolved significant problems, but most importantly, he encouraged me to stay in touch and use his phone or email if I have ?'s. in addition he stated that the Melloy family who owns this dealership has always been quick to respond to any problems. So I feel like I have a really good situation to deal with any issues.
One funny aside: I mentioned the car and driver remote start issue, and he was frustrated because the update for that was available before the delivery of the car to the magazine----Alfa forgot to update it. :surprise:
I'm not sure if this helps anyone else who is on the fence, but it has helped me make a final decision.
Also, thanks Alfaholico for the nice PM!