A1 Longlife servicing

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Discussion

va1o

Original Poster:

16,032 posts

208 months

Tuesday 5th November 2013
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Hi, can anyone please verify that this behaviour is correct. 2-year old A1 with 10k miles on the clock. Called for its first service (just an oil change) at 18-months/ 8k miles, which was carried out by a main dealer. Today its started the countdown on the DIS for a 'full' service in 7000 miles/ 29 days. Is this just a consequence of doing very low mileage on a car with the Longlife regime, or is something not quite right? Seems over the top to have to get it serviced again after only 6-months/ 2000 miles...

Dr G

15,197 posts

243 months

Wednesday 6th November 2013
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The service counters are a 'bit dim' at best I'm afraid.

I personally would switch it to fixed. Oil change year 1, service year 2 etc.

Manicminer

10,886 posts

198 months

Wednesday 6th November 2013
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Is it maybe due a brake fluid change (ie 2 years done in 29days) then normal oil service on the mileage counter.


BE57 TOY

2,628 posts

148 months

Wednesday 6th November 2013
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If you look at the difference between long life and standard servicing, there is no actual difference to the work carried out on your car - just a few additional checks. It's exactly the same oil, but being used for potentially an extra 10k.

As G said above, yearly servicing every 10k seems recommendable.

cuprabob

14,692 posts

215 months

Wednesday 6th November 2013
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Manicminer said:
Is it maybe due a brake fluid change (ie 2 years done in 29days) then normal oil service on the mileage counter.
First brake fluid change is at 3 years and then every 2 years thereafter these days.

Manicminer

10,886 posts

198 months

Wednesday 6th November 2013
quotequote all
cuprabob said:
First brake fluid change is at 3 years and then every 2 years thereafter these days.
Ah ok, I didn't know that. I wonder what else they could want to see the car for at 2 years old? Clearly its not another oil change as he still has 7000 miles on the counter.

Tame Technician

2,467 posts

205 months

Wednesday 6th November 2013
quotequote all
The new servicing works like this.



The car needs an oil change every (when ever the sensor says so) 8K in your case, or two years is you do really really low miles.

The car needs an inspection service every 19,000 miles or two years.

The car needs brake fluid when it is 3 years old, and every two years after that.

So in your case the car is presumable 29 days from being two years old, and if so is due an inspection service. Visual safety inspection, mechnical check of joints bearings etc and pollen filter replacement.

Once the inspection service is done the miles and days for next oil service will be the same. Miles to next inspection should be 19,000 or as near as. This is what confuses everyone, the days should then be 365. Now I know it doesnt need another inspection for two years but it will be due its brake fluid at 3 years so thats why its set that way. This does sadly mean it will display "service due" when its 3 years old (it cant say brake fluid) but a "service" wont actually be due, just a brake fluid change.

Some dealers are ignoring Audi UK instruction and not including the brake fluid in the inspection days but this is not the correct way, they do this presumably because of bad customer reaction when the car says "service" again, but if they just explaind what was goint to happen and why at the previous visit there would be no shock horror, another one, long life what a joke, rip off, steelers...bla bla.

hope this helps.




va1o

Original Poster:

16,032 posts

208 months

Thursday 7th November 2013
quotequote all
Thanks for the replies thumbup

Dr G

15,197 posts

243 months

Thursday 7th November 2013
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Tame Technician said:
Some dealers are ignoring Audi UK instruction and not including the brake fluid in the inspection days but this is not the correct way, they do this presumably because of bad customer reaction when the car says "service" again, but if they just explaind what was goint to happen and why at the previous visit there would be no shock horror, another one, long life what a joke, rip off, steelers...bla bla.
Which would explain a lot of the conflicting information I've heard!

va1o

Original Poster:

16,032 posts

208 months

Tuesday 22nd April 2014
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So today its started counting down for a service yet again! Only on 11,900 miles currently. I can't get my head round why it needs servicing so frequently? This will be the 3rd in the space of a year.

Luckily it has the service pack and will probably be getting traded in soon anyway, but just seems a bit weird...

Tame Technician

2,467 posts

205 months

Tuesday 22nd April 2014
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Is it nearly 3 years old?

va1o

Original Poster:

16,032 posts

208 months

Tuesday 22nd April 2014
quotequote all
Tame Technician said:
Is it nearly 3 years old?
Not yet, Dec 2011 61-plate.

JackReacher

2,130 posts

216 months

Wednesday 23rd April 2014
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Does seem odd to be needing servicing so often, what sort of driving is it doing?

My 1.6Tdi is on long life, and only had 2 services in it's 2 years and 46,000 miles, which I don't think is enough really but that's what the schedule says.

Danger

91 posts

241 months

Wednesday 23rd April 2014
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I had an S3 that did this, it requested a service within a couple of months of purchase (and service). Sent it back to the indie I bought it from and they said nothing wrong and reset the indicator. A week later the engine let go (piston ring failed). Not sure what was triggering the service request but it saw a problem the indie didn't.

DP

Tame Technician

2,467 posts

205 months

Wednesday 23rd April 2014
quotequote all
va1o said:
Not yet, Dec 2011 61-plate.
What does it say it needs, oil or inspection?

Is it running out of days or miles?

va1o

Original Poster:

16,032 posts

208 months

Wednesday 23rd April 2014
quotequote all
JackReacher said:
Does seem odd to be needing servicing so often, what sort of driving is it doing?
Agreed. Car is mainly used for nipping around town with only occasional long runs.

Tame Technician said:
What does it say it needs, oil or inspection?

Is it running out of days or miles?
Oil and running out of days, 24 to go.

I was wondering could it mean that they didn't put Longlife oil in it last time? Or could it have been set up wrong at PDI? It didn't call for its first service (oil) until May 2013/ 8000 miles and back then it would have been 18 months old, and the inspection service was done at just over 10k miles shortly in time after my original post.

Tame Technician

2,467 posts

205 months

Wednesday 23rd April 2014
quotequote all
Well it I know it sounds to soon, but it is highly likey it is correct.

Lots of short runs and generally low milage use means the oil needs changing more often. If you did long runs with the engine at full running temp you would get much closer to the maximum 19,000 miles or two year, but lots of short runs, especially with a cold or warming up engine results in short oil life.

If you got 18 months out of the first oil change, you should expect to get similar to this again, but in this situation they always go a bit less.

I had an A5 customer with a 2.0tfsi, who has done only 9000 miles in 3 years, he got about 18months out of the first oil change and then only one year out of the second, his lease company were sure we had set the thing to fixed as it was exactly one year, but we could show them data from the car that proved it was on variable and it did need a second oil change one year after the first one.

In the first few months when the car is brand new the car would have been learning how it is beeing used and adpating down from two years to 18 months or when ever it had its first oil change. Now the adaption is done it remebers this even after the variable service light is reset, so the second oil change interval is shorter.

When it goes in for service ask the dealer to check it was set correctly. But I'd be pretty sure it is.

va1o

Original Poster:

16,032 posts

208 months

Saturday 26th April 2014
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Thanks TT. In hindsight it would have been better setting the car for time/ distance based servicing from day 1, but I guess the problem is the service pack is a Longlife one.