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I have recently bought my RS4 which will be due for a service in a few thousand miles. The last service, and cambelt change, was done by AmD, which looks like a very capable outfit, but a bit of a trek from where I live in Surbiton SW London.

Can anyone sugggest somewhere more local that I could take the car or am I best off having it serviced by the Audi main delaer (I live near to Audi Epsom and work near Audi Guildford)?

Cheers,

Matt.

Dealer versus specialist servicing is a hot potato on this site!

Depends what you are looking for. The main dealer will always be bit more expensive due to labour price and the fact that they will pick up on even the smallest thing thats wrong and tell you it needs fixed/replaced. It's how they make their money. The trade-off is that your Audi will be in mint condition which adds value in sell-on. This may mean little if you dont have a FASH to date. IMHO a full Audi service history is more worthy than one from Joe down the road. Others will assure you that a specialist one is better. Each to their own. Essentially find a garage you trust and build a relationship with them. I use the same dealership and have done for all my Audis. I now benefit from a good discount on parts and labour and the best replacement cars even when no customer cars are available.

If you decide against an Audi main dealer, try QST in Haywards Heath.

www.qstuning.co.uk

I'm sure some other lads from dan saff will advise of different places to try.

ive used qstuning and they are very good,very welcoming and they no there stuff..and its a good run down from sutton so u should have a blast from surbiton..

Crikey, you’re on Woody’s and my doorstep....

Well, I can recommend Epsom Audi, I’ve used them on several occasions for work on previous Audi’s I’ve owned and it’s always been top notch. Harry's right that they will be slightly more expensive and will look for everything that’s wrong with the car (and the same with QST), but then that’s what you will be asking them to do?

Dealers do get a hard time from us owners and sometimes its warranted but I think you’ll find that on the whole they do a good job, their staff tend to be well trained (did you know that each mechanic/technician at Audi has to go on a very intensive course on every model and pass that course before they can even raise a spanner to that particular model?) and they know what their looking at. The price may seem high but remember you get any issues with the car you’ll be covered, your car will always gets valeted and you normally get the option of a courtesy car which is insured, can you say the same for a back street one man operation even if he is ½ the price? (Unless you know their work of course).

I’ve also used QST over the years and I have always been very happy with the work that was carried out on my car, the difference with the two isn’t just price but also the fact that they see far more of our cars (RS4’s, S4’s etc) then your local Audi dealer as this is what QST specialize in.

Again there are quiet few tuners and service centers available to us owners, and they all seem to do the job very well, its down to I guess location and who you feel will give you the service and advice you expect…and of course for what you feel is a fair price.

Cheers

Tom