12 month Service requirement - lube only or inspection?

[sitas3]

My car is due a service shortly as it was last serviced last may for a 20000 mile inspection service. however, the car has only done 5000 miles since this last service, and is now on fixed interval servicing (ie doesn't use the AVS longlife oil).

The Audi dealer is trying to get me to get the full '24month' inspection service done as listed in my service book.

Looking at page 6 in my service book today, it states that 'An Oil Change Service' must be carried out every 10000 miles or 12 months, whichever comes first.

It then states that an 'Inspection Service' is required every 20000 miles or 24 months, whichever comes first.

I've tried explaining that I only want the 'Oil Change Service' as indicated in my service book (and what seems logical to me!), but they are quite insistent that the recommended service is the 'Inspection Service' - which costs quite a bit more, and I'm thinking is unnecessary.

Which is true?? as it has had a '2 year inspection' service already last year - does it need the 'Full' inspection service every 10000 miles/12 months or only an Oil Change service at 10000 miles and a Full inspection service at 20000 miles/24 months?

Whatever the proper answer is, I've probably really pissed the poor service chappie off by questioning this anyway

Help please?

[tombs]

I had the same problem with Driftbridge Audi, they are talking out their back sides. The only problem here is if the car is under a warranty then they will insist an approved Audi dealership deal with the service, otherwise go to someone like Kim Collins in Haywards Heath, they know what they are doing and at a much better rate. Or you could try another dealership to see what they say, but to be honest with you its all about targets and I would suspect another Audi garage would say the same thing.
I remeber being phoned by Driftbridge whilst they had my car telling me that the Winderscreen Wipers also needed changing, I told them not to bother as I had a set of Bosch wipers (cost around £10), they were going to charge me £35 !!!! Anyway I turn up to collect the car, to be informed that they have already done the job before the Audi Garage had phoned me (Why phoen me to ask???), anyway they said they would nt charge me, but when it cam to paying the Bill, the service charge had crept up by £20 !!! So ensue's a big argument! But it gets sorted, needless to say I never went back to Driftbridge.

[sitas3]

OK I've just got this confirmed from Audi UK HQ and they agree with me in that the section i quoted in the service book is correct and you only need a 'Oil Change Service' as the last 20000 mile service was the full inspection service.

Total cost including the oil: £95.00

Total cost of the Inspection service: £240.00

quite a difference - especially as the Inspection service is just the same apart from the checking of brakes etc...

The dealer has now grudgingly accepted this!

[Dippy]

Have a look in the service book yourself: There really isn't much in the inspection part that you can't do yourself! For that matter why don't you change your own oil???

[sitas3]

Dippy, i agree. however because my car still has warranty, i need to keep up the service record via Audi dealers (although this position is changing now IIRC)

Another thing: I want to put Mobil 1 in the car at the oil change - the dealer will allow me to buy the oil myself from elsewhere for them for use at the oil change, but won't allow me to use a 'VAG Parts' sourced Oil filter (which is a genuine VAG part!) FFS!

[Golich]

MUPPETS

[robscim]

Don't bother with the official dealer unless you really need the warranty.

I've just had mine serviced by QST and its never felt better since I've had it, despite the best efforts of the main dealer!

Don't forget to look at what you're paying. At about £80 an hour, they're not really going to do anything much, they are bound to find other things to do and when you try to claim on the warranty, they always try to slide out of it.

QST's labout rate is £45 an hour and I got the 20k service, cambelt, tensioner, new air-con condensor and two valve thingies plus other bits all for 8.5 hours labour. For that, the stealer would probably have changed the oil!!!

Oh, and you get to speak to the man who does the work, not some receptionist behind a desk who wouldn't recognise an S4 if it drove over their foot!

Yes I am bitter, but taking 7 weeks to fix the brakes after I bought it probably didn't help.

Cheers

Rob

[sitas3]

This incident has woken me up to how bad Audi dealers really are - Out of curiosity, yesterday I phoned around my '10' closest Audi dealers to get a quote for a '30k fixed service interval' service - all but one (Brighton Audi) insisted that I had to have the Full Inspection service.

I can't help but think that the dealership network in the UK is geared up for the meeting of targets/revenues and only really meets the requirements of the 'Fleet' customer who don't really care how much things cost and about the advice they receive.

The warranty is important to me for this year - I've only had the car for 3 months and I've just had a visit from the Turbo Lady costing the warranty company nearly £4k... Next year I won't bother with the warranty and will go to QST for the golden stamp in the service book.

[ChrisG]

good job you had the warranty ! I guess you'd be running KO4s by now otherwise