Specialist, Main Dealer or Local Garage!?

R

richardcalver

Member
Hi,

Hopefully somebody can help me with my lastest dilema!, I have recently (in the last month) bought an A2 1.4 TDI 51 plate.

It requires a service and MOT in January but I'm keen to have it serviced before winter to check everything is sound, I did my best in checking the service history etc and think everything is ok however I would like to get it checked out.

I'm stuck to know whether I should take it to the main dealer and possibly pay through the nose, go to a VW/Audi specialist who priced me a service and inpection at £170 + £40 for brake fluids or to go the lhe local garage for a full service for £130.

Any ideas or advice?

Rich.
 
Hi Richard,

I'd stick with Audi servicing if I were you or alternatively take a trip to Skipton our A2 guru.

From memory a fixed (annual) service is £99 from Audi and the variable (two years/30,000 miles), is around £199; which isn't bad for placing a dealer stamp in your service booklet.

Also, take a look on Audi's website. They offer a free £50.00 MOT or you pay for the MOT and the "free" element then includes a list of items that are covered should the car fail. The choice is yours. All you need do is register on the website, print off the email and book your car in through your local dealer.

Hope this helps somewhat.

Darren
 
For info: One of your local Audi independents is Yelverton Garage. I had my car serviced there once. They put the wrong oil in, but otherwise we no worse than many other garages I've been to in the past, which isn't saying much I know. So from my personal experience I'd stick to your local Audi dealer.
 
I've noticed service prices have jumped by about £50 at dealers. I could get a interim service at Audi for £99 only a couple of months ago, now sites are showing £149 for the same thing.

I'm not to bothered about paying extra for Audi to service my car esp as it all ready has a full Audi stamped history, however i'm not impressed by what you get for £149. What they call a "major service" in my opinion, is the only type of real service.

£149 "Interim" service is just a fancy word for Oil change and "visual checks" which is a joke. Fancy paying somebody to "look" at your car trying to find a potential "expensive" fault for them to fix before it's broke ? "visually look over the top of the engine" whaaaat ??
 
Last edited:
Audi Dealer Servicing is a Complete Waste of Money

I got my `53 A2 1.4 SE Petrol as a 12 month old / 9000 mile ex demo. I have paid for Audi Dealer Servicing ever since. This year at 60000 miles it developed a noisy hydraulic tappet. Audi U.K. do not want to know about it. Carlisle Audi, who did all the recent servicing, checked my A2 Engine and decided they wanted to fit 16 Hydraulic Tappets and 16 Rockers. They also thought the Oil Pressure was " a bit low at tickover ", so also they wanted to Take the Sump off and fit a new Oil Strainer. Total Cost about £850. I complained that Audi claim so much benefit from using their Dealers for Servicing ( mine has Full Audi Service History ), so a Hydraulic Tappet should not have failed at 60000 Miles. They said they would knock £15 / Hour off the Labour and 10% off the Parts. Now about £720. I complained again and they offered a further reduction. Now down to about £620. They were hoping that Audi U.K. would match their offer but Audi U.K. refused to offer anything because of the Age and Mileage of the car ! So they are saying an Audi only lasts 60000 Miles when Serviced correctly. It`s Goodbye to Audi for me. My A2 and A6 are both due for a Service but will not be going any where near an Audi Dealer. I know a good mechanic who will fit 16 New Hydraulic Tappets for £30 / Hour. I`ve just changed the Oil myself to Semi Synthetic 10 / 40 with a Genuine Audi Filter for now. There is nothing much else to do that your MOT Station will not check. Front Discs and Pads are a complete doddle to do yourself. i would think very carefully about how much the Audi " FREE " MOT is really going to cost you. Audi Dealers find things that need replacing at Great Expense, when your local honest MOT Station will give you a PASS.
 
Last edited:
That's 100% true UP, my local Universal garage does all the MOT's for a Porsche mahoosive main dealer located 800 yards down the road.

Even so Beetles story is bad. Going out of your way to pamper your car with 100% main dealer maintenance, only for you car to develop such a major fault is shocking,

My dad also had his 2002 A4 from new and turns his nose up at all independent garages, yet despite this his car has developed untold costly faults during ownership. The latest was a coil pack failure (3rd on this car) Audi charge about £650 to fit four new packs each time. But no major fault like Beetles. Just Clutch, a couple of busted rubber pipes, caput thermostat, about 60 sets of brake disks and pads all round, etc etc. However to my ear petrol Audi’s over a certain age do sound quite tappety on the top end, is this just me who thinks this? My cousins TT sounds like my Tdi on tick over.
 
ULP said:
I'm not sure that is fair - mine has had an Audi MOT and there was nothing to find as the work is actually done by the test station around the corner.
Click to expand...

Agree Chris. Wayside Mk also have an allocated local to undertake the MOT works. Both Di and I have made use of the FOC offer and there have been no "hidden extras". This totals four free MOT's for us now (two each) and I hope that the fifth will mirror these in March when mine is next due; offer not-withstanding.

Darren
 
Sounds like some of you have been very lucky.
An Audi Dealer I used to take my first Audi to for Service and MOT always said, at every service, the Front Anti Roll Bar Bushes needed changing. I had them done the first time then stopped taking it to them for MOT. Every time they serviced it they still said it needed Front Anti Roll Bar Bushes but the independant MOT Station always said they were fine. Kept that one `til 212,000 miles. Never had them changed again. With my current Audi A6 on the last couple of services at an Audi Dealer they said it had Split Front Ball Joint Boots which would be an MOT Fail and the front Arms would have to be changed. My MOT Station says they are not a fail. Worn Ball Joints are a fail but not split boots. An Audi Dealer wanted me to spend over £1400 on all sorts of work to fix my Air Con. Local Independant Air Con Specialist fitted a New Pressure Switch and Regassed it about 3 years ago. Total Cost £90 and it`s still working. Audi Dealers do not do any Magic ( except making your hard earned money disappear ). It`s all geared towards you not wanting to spend so much money for them to repair your car, so you buy a new one from them.
 
Beetle
You’re right, Audi and plenty others do try it on. I worked for a consult Dr once who decided to drive him and a couple of colleagues from London to Monaco and back in his V6 Mercedes for a 3 day conference. On his return the car flashed up “service” so he dropped it into Mercedes and came to work, later around 3pm they called him saying the car was ready and to bring £2,100 with him when he came to pick it up.

He knew absolutely nothing about cars but was FAR from impressed or convinced. On his return he showed me the itemised bill which was full to bursting with items like multiple jubilee clips, engine hoses, dash bulbs and more jubilee clips.

Another horror story was my dads old Rover 420 also bought from new. He pulled into Rover to have it serviced explaining that he was off on a near 500mile round trip to Leeds that day. On our way to the M1 that night I noticed that his temp gauge was slightly high. At the petrol station while he filled up i opened the bonnet removed the dip stick and the engine had about 1/3rd of a litre of oil init. It took 3 ½ litres of Esso rubbish oil right their on the spot to bring the car up to max level. At the time the car had just turned 4 had 38k on the clock and bar my attention to detail would have cooked it’s self on the M1 within hours.

As for Audi, they once charged my dad £300 to have new "heads" fitted to his Concert cd player as they had found that the heads were on their way out whilst doing a routine "small" serivce. I KID YOU NOT. Anybody requiring evidence of this let me know as I’m sure we still have the bill of recite as my trusting clueless dad ok’d the work, oh and all his services regardless of interim or full cost as near as makes no diffrence £300 before i cottoned on and started picking up the car for him. On his last service which cost £99 he thought everything must have been left out and wasn't best pleased wth me.
 
Last edited:
As with Richard, my 2003 1.4 has only ever been outside the main dealer network to have a creaking door and the cambelt change done. Otherwise it has had 100% Audi main dealer attention. I was quite supprised in the last MOT that they checked the Air Con system, stating it should be serviced each 2 years - did not think that should be part of an MOT? Other issues were also raised stating 'they may lead to a fail next year' For about the last 3-4 years, a rear shock absorber has been leaking, and was originally replaced under warranty. I do not see why it needs replacing as it does not effect the car and do feel that a genuine Audi Part should have lasted more than 2 years on both occasions. Anyways, another annoying issue is whenever its been in for service, within 2 weeks, the engine management light comes on - always convinced its a con to get you to go back.

On the whole, my local garage have been very good to me (preston Audi) and this is helped as the receptionist that was there when I first got the car looks after me, and makes sure I get 'Staff rates' on labour costs. Also some parts were replaced for free including the temperature gague.

On the whole though - and in reply to your question, get main service done at Audi, and any work needed to be done, including recomendations from the service, go to Skipton and see Mike. As yet I have not been, but do intend to make the trip next year, and feel its the way ahead for anyone in our area!
 
phil pk said:
Other issues were also raised stating 'they may lead to a fail next year' For about the last 3-4 years, a rear shock absorber has been leaking, and was originally replaced under warranty. I do not see why it needs replacing as it does not effect the car and do feel that a genuine Audi Part should have lasted more than 2 years on both occasions.
On the whole though - and in reply to your question, get main service done at Audi, and any work needed to be done, including recomendations from the service, go to Skipton and see Mike. As yet I have not been, but do intend to make the trip next year, and feel its the way ahead for anyone in our area!
Click to expand...

A leaking rear shock indicates a loss of damping characteristics and most MOT test centres would fail the car for this reason.

For those who don't know, Skipton01 (Mike) lives near Manchester, not the market town of Skipton.

Cheers Spike
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top