Audi Service???

[scorpio]

I recently bought a 97 Audi Cabriolet.
It has a Full Audi service history...stamped from when it was first owned. Its due for a service soon, and was wondering whether it was worth the money to take it back to Audi or just get it serviced at any good garage?

[Dr G]

12 year old car? Unless it's a real museum piece then a decent indy or specialist is fine

[mel]

£120 per hour or £35 per hour you decide?

[00161wj]

I'd definetly be taking it to audi!
Audi now offer a service for £99 and you'll get a free valet, instead of getting your seats all scruffy by some grease monkey at a backstreet garage. And you will have a car with full audi service history for not alot of money.

[Andyuk911]

http://www.audi.co.uk/audi/uk/en2/owners_area/Serv...

[mel]

00161wj said:

I'd definetly be taking it to audi!
Audi now offer a service for £99 and you'll get a free valet, instead of getting your seats all scruffy by some grease monkey at a backstreet garage. And you will have a car with full audi service history for not alot of money.

You're obviously using the wrong indi' then, the guy i use i first met when i had an S3 with a snapped cam belt, long story but the sum of it was I had a full main dealer history and had specifically asked at the last service if it was due a belt change, it wasn't but in between services they changed the schedule and didn't bother to tell me then wiped their hands of the problem. He was then the Master Tech' at my main dealer and fought my corner for all he could with Audi UK, shortly after he set up on his own offering audi specialist mobile servicing, he now looks after my S4 and shows a level of care and service far far above any main dealer for around the 3rd of the price, I most certainly have no problems with having his stamp on my service history and regard it as better than main dealer. Get yourself the right Indi' and stick with them.

[mel]

Oh and i'd love to see the proof that they'll do a £99 service as an S4 costs more than that in oil alone!

[00161wj]

I never said they'd service an S4 for £99. Its upto a 2 litre.
When your selling a car its alot more attractive to the majority of buyers to have a full main dealer service history than to be given stories about your cambelt snapping so you went to bobs motors because hes better than the main dealers.

[VAG1]

00161wj said:

I never said they'd service an S4 for £99. Its upto a 2 litre.
When your selling a car its alot more attractive to the majority of buyers to have a full main dealer service history than to be given stories about your cambelt snapping so you went to bobs motors because hes better than the main dealers.

Thats true, only an enthusiast would know about indies. The way it is I'm afraid and not everybody knows your indy so they wont know how good he is. That £99 service is offered by my local VW. I read the small print (something along these lines):
"This service does not compensate for the manufacturers service and is offered by JCT600"
So basically its not a VW service and is pretty pointless IMO.

[Tame Technician]

Did someone want proof an Audi centre will do a service for £99.

http://www.audi.co.uk/audi/uk/en2/owners_area/Serv...

Applies to cars over 3 years old up to 2.0 engine size.

You have no idea how many old 1.8T's I've seen lately that have had this and a free MOT, its costing us a small fortune, but that said, we are dead busy while other dealers are laying people off.

Is it a good deal?? well the normal retail cost of the oil is £70.

[Dracoro]

Tame Technician said:

its costing us a small fortune, but that said, we are dead busy while other dealers are laying people off

How long before your dealer is laying off!!! I can only assume it's either a short term thing or a loss leader (getting extras off the punters, brakes and so on...). If neither then they'll go out of business if they really are "costing a fortune". Your dealer is a business after all.

Retail cost of oil is irrelevant. It is bought in bulk cheaply and all Audi need to do is slap a few quid on top and there's profit.

I see the £99 service is just oil and filter change and whatever a "health and safety" check is. 15 minutes to do the oil/filter. How long does the H&S check take? Oil cost will be max £30, prob a lot less to Audi as they buy in bulk. Filter £10 so £60 for half hours labour. Do 2 an hour, that's £120p/h, easy enough to make money.

I suppose many will get it done at £99 for the stamp then get a local indie to do all the extra bits that may need doing.

Edited by Dracoro on Thursday 3rd September 02:14

[heightswitch]

00161wj said:

I'd definetly be taking it to audi!
Audi now offer a service for £99 and you'll get a free valet, instead of getting your seats all scruffy by some grease monkey at a backstreet garage. And you will have a car with full audi service history for not alot of money.

I am very sorry but I have a much different perspective on that.

Audi is only as good as the people working on your car and the reality is that for every good mechanic at an audi dealer there will be a numpty. The same is true of your average garage. there are good and bad at all.

my wife has an A4 avant and I had it serviced at a non audi dealer by very experienced mechanics who are mates and guys I trust. It was serviced properly for the same cost as the audi dealership £450 including Brake pads, Fluid Change, new wipers in addition to the std items req'd at 50k. It was also cleaned and valeted. Not only that they also found and fixed a few niggles that I didn't even realise the car had, thus proving a good service regime . they also used genuine audi parts.

I have just Bought an A3 TDi quattro Sport from an independant. On the Run home the car suffered a harmonic vibration. The True mark of a good dealer whether independant or otherwise is how you are dealt with. despite getting a good deal The independant without quibble forked out for the repair which was diagnosed as a rear harmonic damper on the propshaft to the haldex rear diff.

the car was bought from Atlas Auto's near ipswich and driven home to my Home near Newcastle.

After checking the simple stuff like exhaust etc I took the car to newcastle Audi to diagnose the fault.

£117 just to diagnose the fault.
£500 to fix it.

Trouble is that the car which I had purchased in immaculate condition from Atlas came back with 2 nice creases in the rear 1/4 panels. I am fuming at myself for not checking the flanks of the car before I took it away but upon return to Newcastle Audi I was met by the service manager who was adamant his mechanics didn't cause the damage or it definitely didn't happen whilst in his care. Shouldn't you at least ask them i said?? In other words "Not guilty guv now whats the problem"!!

So in short.

My usual non franchise service agent. fab and Thorough
Atlas Autos in Mistley lovely car sold in immaculate condition and very fair after sales and no quibble honouring of a warranty without having to go back to his base in all honesty for a genuine fault which only became apparrent on the cruise home

Newcastle Audi. Fixed the car but dented it then told me to get stuffed. Good service for £750??

Would I use Newcastle Audi again, No chance. It seems that their customers are just idiots who invent dents on an otherwise unmarked car.

Sorry but on average the franchise dealer overcharge the customer, run as many cars through the doors as possible, put their staff under a lot of pressure and as a result my experience is pretty negative.

No reflection on Good mechanics anywhere, but don't think you are getting the best just because you go franchise. In my experience you very often don't which is a shame because they do have some talented lads and lasses working at them. the lad on the shop floor doesn't get £60 per hour!!

The moral of the Story. if you are going to take your car into newcastle Audi. grab hold of the service manager first walk him round your car agree with him that there is no damage and then clearly tell him you wish to do same when you collect. I wish i had but hey. should you have to in a supposedly top line executive car franchise??

N.

Edited by heightswitch on Thursday 3rd September 22:41

Edited by heightswitch on Thursday 3rd September 22:51

Edited by heightswitch on Thursday 3rd September 22:55

Edited by heightswitch on Thursday 3rd September 22:56