Non Audi dealer service

[DrB]

Hi Chaps.

Question. My car is due for its first service. However, it had its first oil service only 3 months ago. I asked the Audi dealer what this service involved, and it is purely an inspection. No further oil change is required, and no pollen filter, at this stage. £275 just for an inspection. I then asked whether they could arrange to change my tyres at the same time. I have 4 new p-zeros. No. They will only fit there own supplied tyres.

Has anyone used a non Audi specialist to service their new RS6? I just feel that Audi dealers are such rip off, and unhelpful. We have a very good independent Audi specialist near us, who I used for my older car. They have the ability to update the central service register. Thoughts?

[wildbore]

Just not worth compromising the 2nd hand value of an £80K car for the sake of a few hundred ££. I wouldn't buy a car whose service record in its first years wasn't done by Audi. I would wonder what other corners had been cut to save money. Not saying you are cutting corners, that's just how it would come across, I think.

Plus, these cars are expensive to fix when they go bang and - at 140+ bhp per litre, these are hard-working engines. I would want to maintain the car in the Audi dealership simply to maintain the goodwill that might one day be necessary to get a new engine if it popped just outside of warranty.

Even within warranty, you might find yourself in a sticky situation if Audi had even the slightest suspicion that the non-dealership work wasn't up to scratch.

And even something as simple as a bodywork claim for a rust blister could be turned down as "you didn't provide us with the opportunity to undertake frequent, complementary bodywork checks that could have caught this earlier".

[Scotty C]

I had the tyres changed to my own winters by the dealer (Southend Audi) at the same time as it's oil service was being carried out - no questions, no extra charge and they wrapped them individually for me too.

I also agree with wildbore - rightly or wrongly, when buying pre owned, I'd be cautious of non dealership service history during a warranty period.

[Silverfox42]

If you ever came to trade in, Audi would PX out of the Approved used program without a moments thought if it had not been all done by Audi. This would also effect your room to negotiate PX value.

[Ian_C]

My car is due for its first service. However, it had its first oil service only 3 months ago. I asked the Audi dealer what this service involved, and it is purely an inspection. No further oil change is required.....

Why on earth does it need a service if Audi changed the oil only three months ago? Are you doing 6000 miles a month?

[RS6chris!]

My 2013 C7 wasn't serviced once by Audi

All three services by specialists....who to be fair is trust more than Audi.

Made absolutely no difference on part ex value.

[chunky79]

I was under the impression that certain non dealer garages can carry out work on a car with warranty without any issue? I'd prefer certain indies to work on the car rather than Audi.

[Foxy]

I was under the impression that certain non dealer garages can carry out work on a car with warranty without any issue? I'd prefer certain indies to work on the car rather than Audi.

Absolutely right, in fact under an EU directive some years ago provided the car is serviced in line with the maufacturer's recommended parts and diagnostics they have to honour the warranty. I take my car to a highly respected indie for brakes and other consumables, I know and trust them, they use OEM parts and charge about 65% of what Audi would.

[wildbore]

I was under the impression that certain non dealer garages can carry out work on a car with warranty without any issue?...

That is correct, but in my post I never said that the warranty is invalidated by using a non-Audi workshop. However, all the issues I described can still arise, despite the EU Block Exemption Regulation.

[Ian_C]

However, if your engine goes pop at three years and one week, and the last time it saw an Audi dealership was three years ago when they bolted on the number plates, they aren't going to give any good will. Audi now seem to have a habit of asking "did you buy it new" and if not "did you buy it from Audi approved" when it comes to warranty claims

B8 S4s for example, now appears they are munching their rear Quattro sport differentials. If you've had it serviced every 18 months at Audi, nothing stops you asking for goodwill (part payment) even if the car is five years old

If its never been serviced once at Audi, you'd be wasting your time

Back to my first question, I don't understand why it had an oil change three months ago, and now needs a service? £275 for them to 'look' at the car and stamp the book? In fact you don't even get a stamp any more, because you don't get a service book, unless you've paid extra for one!

[Foxy]

I was totally baffled when I booked my RS4 in for a major service, I spoke to 3 dealers and had wildly different routes, it seems the main issue was the diff oil, changing it made a significant difference and it din't need doing for another 3k miles. I ended up taking it to my trusted indie for the diff oil some time later and saved myself @£150.

I hera what you say about warranty, but on the two occasions I have had a claim when a car was outside warranty by a few months i have had a battle royal and that was in the days when I put everything through the dealer.

[Ian_C]

Purely out of interest, did they honour the claim, or go halves / goodwill?

[Foxy]

I got around 50% contribution in both instances, both were Mercs (an SL55 and CLK Kompressor) and it's going back a few years. The SL really peed me off as the boot seal leaked and blew the electrics (a well known design fault) when it was only around 3 months out of warranty, they charged me @£1k for a new seal and other bits, eventually agreeing to pay half, but it was a battle. It was a very expensive car and it stunned me that Merc didn't want to just put it right, given the fact it was a common problem, lesson learned. Do what you want but I will always go to an indie for consumables where possible.