HERE HERE !!
great first post.
I've started looking around for an RS4 and this approach to use a good independent wouldn't scare me off when buying such a car with this service history.
Service indicated in 1000 miles.... advice please
You don't drive a sprint blue saloon perchance with tinted windows? Keep seeing this car in Teesside predominantly on the A66 Eastbound. BTW don't blame you about C&B, I work near them and they are a shower of .... when it comes to aftersales and service.oscawhite wrote:Hello everyone - first post:
I bought an RS4 just before Christmas, (Nov 5th!). I bought it from the Audi main dealer in Aberdeen - 29,000 miles – a beautiful car.
After taking delivery I realised that the car drove less than perfectly, but having nothing to compare it against, this took a couple of weeks to eventually sink in; the brakes left something to be desired, and the performance was a little disappointing for a car with reputedly 400+ bhp. The engine fluffed and the transmission shunted, (especially if you attempted to drive the car slowly).
Although I work in Aberdeen I live in Teesside. I intended to take the car home for Christmas, and decided while I was home over Christmas I would have it serviced – with emphasis on the brakes and the engine. I phoned the main dealer, (if you live in Stockton on Tees then you will know who they are). I spoke to a young man in the service department, and explained basically what I’ve just stated here. He wanted to know the registration and the mileage, which I told him, and he told me all I he would recommend was an oil and oil filter change. Although I reiterated points from my story, (perhaps I needed new spark plugs, I said) - I quickly concluded I was speaking to someone who was incapable of looking beyond the service manual concerning Audi projected intervals of replacement parts, and had no idea of living with a car such as this when as the keeper you know it just isn’t running right.
You know the type of car dealer I’m taking about here; new building all glass and shiny steel, filter coffee. As a customer, Sir, perhaps we can interest you in a bnew Audi – oh service - you should feel privileged that we are prepared speak to you at all. I realised I was wasting my time and searched around for an independent, who lives or dies by his own work and reputation – grass roots.
I located such a guy in (via this site) – spoke with him directly and he proposed a service based on his experience with a number of RS4s. He serviced the car within a day, very reasonably priced – and the car is totally transformed. It was like the old car was suffering from a bad cold – and now it’s all fit and healthy again. No fluffing, little or no transmission shunt – flys!
The mean dealer quoted me £270 to replace the oil and oil filter. Searching the web I obtained recently 5 litres of the appropriate VAG spec oil, (as a top up) - delivered to my door for £30. Even if I was to buy the filter from Audi (retailing at £25), the total cost of labour is very nearly £200 - for no more than an hours work! Of course this included ticking all those boxes in the service book that some of you on here consider to be at least as important as having the work done). The Indi – well he was cheaper- and he ticked all the boxes - but more importantly the car is right. The name of the Indi is Elite Vehicle Services, Glasgow Street, Thornaby – check out the yellow pages for contact details.
Happy New Year.
The other independents in the North East who are ex Audi Techs are German Prestige who have coincidentally opened a workshop on the TTTE up from Colebrook & Burgess next to Vroom to add to their South Shields Garage and Pit Stop on Pottery Banks in Newcastle (near the Metro Arena)
Would recommend both although they both cannot provide one thing, the elusive Audi dealer network service stamp. Whether that actually effects resale and by how much compared to what you save in not paying Audi servicing prices I am not sure.
Would recommend both although they both cannot provide one thing, the elusive Audi dealer network service stamp. Whether that actually effects resale and by how much compared to what you save in not paying Audi servicing prices I am not sure.
To my mind it is down to warranty & resale value. If you have Audi warranty then I would stick with Audi servicing, once it is out of warranty then I would go indi provided was planning on keeping the car for a few years/services. I would then choose one indi that is respected & stick with them - that way the service history is easy to explain & makes sense to the prospective purchaser as is consistent & they can always check the indi out easily these days via google. This is what I did with my past 2 cars & had no problem when selling them on & is of course a lot more reassuring than "Audi" but there you go... I know the warranty should not be affected if not serviced by Audi but for the sake of a service or 2 I wouldn't bother...
That’s right folks, it’s all a matter of what you are comfortable with, and everyone has an opinion – some, even, supported by their experiences. I’ve ran Tvr’s (still have one in fact), Porsches, (serviced/ repaired by an indi ‘C-C Specialist Cars’ – brilliant), a Jaguar. I ran a Range Rover for 8 years because it had an old school V-8, and I loved it - unfortunately if I’d have relied on the local Land Rover main dealer I’d have been a bankrupt, or given up my passion for the marque …or worse. Incidentally, I did 40,000 miles in that car in the first two years of ownership, (and it never did much more than 14 miles to the gallon). I’ve had more than my fare share of Fords, both new and used.
In my experience the main dealers flatter to deceive. I’ve paid their prices, (without a grumble, I might add), and listened to their promises. More often than not, if it’s been much more than a simple exchange of service parts, (oil, filter) – they’ve been a disappointment.
If I happen to save few quid by using an Indi, then that’s nice, but without him this week and his genuine understanding of his business and my concerns, I’d have trekked three hundred mile back to Aberdeen at four in morning in a snow storm in a car that simply wasn’t running right. The faceless individuals at the other side of the plate glass windows are following instructions – to look up a chart of mileage and age of vehicle. A reasonable company telephone manner is required, but little understanding of the products the company sells. I have service stamp but even more importantly, a car on the road and running correctly. No slight on the individual concerned, its nothing personal – in real terms, it’s only a waste of my time. If I don’t get their stamp of approval then I can live without it. Given this last weeks experience it’s the last thing I want to see on my service record! Audi built these cars for the discerning customer, – so, surely, to expect me to be anything less than discerning is wrong.
If you find you are struggling to make yourself understood, feel as if you are speaking a foreign language and despite being reasonable you still can’t get what you want when you want it, then vote with your feet. You have a choice – take your wallet elsewhere. These days I recognise horse <beep> for what it is.
psq001 it’s all a matter of what you are comfortable with, and everyone has an opinion – that’s mine.
Up the Boro’!
Angelo – Cheers
P_G Avant, Mate. Yep – I’ve been down that road once or twice, but if the car was exceeding the speed limit it was the wife, officer!
In my experience the main dealers flatter to deceive. I’ve paid their prices, (without a grumble, I might add), and listened to their promises. More often than not, if it’s been much more than a simple exchange of service parts, (oil, filter) – they’ve been a disappointment.
If I happen to save few quid by using an Indi, then that’s nice, but without him this week and his genuine understanding of his business and my concerns, I’d have trekked three hundred mile back to Aberdeen at four in morning in a snow storm in a car that simply wasn’t running right. The faceless individuals at the other side of the plate glass windows are following instructions – to look up a chart of mileage and age of vehicle. A reasonable company telephone manner is required, but little understanding of the products the company sells. I have service stamp but even more importantly, a car on the road and running correctly. No slight on the individual concerned, its nothing personal – in real terms, it’s only a waste of my time. If I don’t get their stamp of approval then I can live without it. Given this last weeks experience it’s the last thing I want to see on my service record! Audi built these cars for the discerning customer, – so, surely, to expect me to be anything less than discerning is wrong.
If you find you are struggling to make yourself understood, feel as if you are speaking a foreign language and despite being reasonable you still can’t get what you want when you want it, then vote with your feet. You have a choice – take your wallet elsewhere. These days I recognise horse <beep> for what it is.
psq001 it’s all a matter of what you are comfortable with, and everyone has an opinion – that’s mine.
Up the Boro’!
Angelo – Cheers
P_G Avant, Mate. Yep – I’ve been down that road once or twice, but if the car was exceeding the speed limit it was the wife, officer!
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