How often should car be serviced?

[coolio]

I keep hearing every 2 years and then a service schedule whereby the car just reads how you drive and alerts you when it should be serviced.

Just bought a 3.0 cabriolet 04 that has been serviced regularly once a year. I assume because the previous owner just liked being through. Last service was about a year ago, and car saying next service is due around Feb time. Do I keep to the same schedule or just service when the car tells me too?

A related servicing question...I know Staffs does a service for £175 but it's a long way away. Any down South that do it for a similar price?

[Turbokiisseli]

At least the oil, oil filter and engine air filter should be changed once a year regardless of how much the car has been driven during that time.

[paul b]

You have 2 service schedules:

Variable (Longlife) servicing, which requires special oil etc and lasts for 20k. Yours is not on Longlife servicing, so to put it on Longlife servicing you will need to take it to a specialist or Audi.

Fixed servicing, which is the standard 10k or 12 month service schedule. This is what yours is on.

Personally, I would stick to the fixed servicing, because 20k on the same oil, air filter and oil filter scares me.

Paul

[rick_s]

I am having a similar problem... When I bought my car off Audi just over a year ago they said that Im on a 20k service interval and now that Ive done just over 11k its telling me that a service is due.. So I was just about to ask the same question.
As Paul_b advised I think i might just book it in for an oil/air filter change...

[paul b]

If you are going to service it every 10k, it will be worth taking it off the variable servicing. To do this you will need to take it to the dealer, a good independent specialist or anybody with VAG-COM.

Paul

[Marco34]

I think you can put the car onto fixed servicing when resetting the DIS service yourself. My did just that. I binned off variable servicing straight away.. a cr@p gimmick to have people thinking they're saving money. I've seen some horrors on variable. When I got my car from my mate it had done 13k in 3.5 years. The oil filter all but crumbled in my hand. May be a bad experience but Audi won't do my servicing.

I drain every 6 months with new oil filter. Air, pollen and fuel filter yearly! OTT?? maybe, but whats the price of a tip top engine!

[xenon]

In my opinion variable servicing is probably OK if you do above average miles per year (10k +). I think I am right in saying that even with variable servicing you still need to do it at least every 2 years.
I only do approx 7k per year and have had my car 11 months and is on fixed servicing (last serviced by an independent garage). If, as the service book indicates, an inspection service was carried out a year ago then I am now due for an oil change only.
I've asked Audi for a quote for a service and they indicated it would be around £290 for a fixed service. The did say they would try to better the price if I could get a quote from elsewhere.
Do I get a full service done (in case things were missed on the last service) or do I do the oil change myself and save some money?

To answer the original question - the car should be serviced (at least oil and oil filter change) once a year or 10,000 miles (whichever is soonest) if on fixed servicing or at least every 2 years if on variable servicing (providing the correct Longlife oil is used). Other service items such as brake fluid should be changed every 2 years regardless of mileage. Everything is listed in the service manual along with the service intervals.

[coolio]

Thanks guys. By the way Stafford Audi do services for £79 or variable for £175

[Marco34]

£290 for a fixed service... I'd like to know the breakdown of those costs.

[kurtas2006]

My car had a long life service a few months ago (before I bought it) but I do not drive it much (I reckon less than 5K miles pa).

A VAG specialist advised to get the oil etc drained at least every year as they have had similar cars on long life services bought in after 2 years and the oil is not in good shape.