A3 variable service

**dumpee** · 04-09-2009,02:58 PM

Hi

Just wondering if I should get my 2004 (57,000 miles) 2.0FSI A3 serviced by the local Audi dealer or go down the independent route. Its on AVS and was last serviced nearly 2 years ago by an Audi dealer, I have been quoted £234.35 by the Audi dealer for its next AVS service.

Just thinking should I blot a pristine service book full of Audi stamps for a local garage one?

It’s also got some running issues (lumpy tick over, missing hesitant on acceleration) which a local garage was unable to fix as the problems still there.

The Audi dealer also said would I want to change to a yearly 10,000 mile service. I thought the whole point of AVS was that the car would tell you when it wanted a service...I probably only do about 7-8000 miles per year anyway.

**kkp0897** · 04-09-2009,09:37 PM

From Audi's point of view 'Cha-Ching' springs to mind! I wouldn't bother listening to them telling you to go to a 10K service interval. Keep with AVS and as long as your journeys are non stop\starts then you'd be able to extend the interval out to another 2 years or 20K. Neverless your vehicle would be out of the manufacturers 3 year warranty so you wouldn't be penalised for going over the service interval period.

Seems quite cheap for a 60K (major?) service. Presumably this doesn't include timing belt change and if this is extra, have they quoted you for it?

**dumpee** · 04-09-2009,10:31 PM

I was going to ask what the £234.35 entailed parts wise but got side tracked, but I'm pretty sure it doesn’t include belt, water pump etc. Is the mileage (57k on my car) time to start thinking about repaceing these items?

**kkp0897** · 04-09-2009,10:53 PM

Yep. A bloke I know is the Service Manager of a Volkwagen Dealership and usually 60K is a definate for a timing belt change and usually whilst they reach for the belt they have to navigate\take the pump off anyhow (or something like that).... or it is easily reachable so you may as well get that changed at the same time so he tells me.

**onemanparty** · 05-09-2009,05:06 PM

I would check out the Audi UK Website there are offers on Servicing see link

http://www.audi.co.uk/audi/uk/en2/ow...i/pricing.html

**sarah_a3** · 05-09-2009,06:13 PM

I have just had a 60k AVS service and a cambelt full kit change including waterpump and I negotiated £500 with Stoke Audi for that. I did provide my own longlife oil though as it's £40 in Halfords and they charge about £68 at the dealer. Hope this helps as a guide price

**kkp0897** · 05-09-2009,11:45 PM

Negotiated? How much would it have been originally? Never tried to negotiate but I will nextime. Good point on Oil All adds up : )

**Macsub** · 06-09-2009,08:57 PM

You need to get the full timing belt service done, but I'd get a VAG specialist to do that unless you can negotiate a £500 deal like Sarah did above.
Also get it off the variable servicing, it's the work of the devil. If you'd ever seen the state of the supposedly "longlife" oil that comes out of your sump plug you'd get it straight onto fixed intervals.

**dumpee** · 07-09-2009,07:18 PM

Hi Macsub

I hear what you're saying re the cam belt change I'll try for a deal as per Sarah.

The thing I don’t understand re AVS is that Audi are quite happy to let their cars carry on with this service regime and the oil may be as black as your hat come the end of the service term but I assume its still doing its job? Aren’t there oil sensors monitoring the oil quality etc? Thats what I have been lead to belive anyway.

The way I see it is that if I converted my car to 10k/1 year service intervals I'll be paying out a quite a bit more on servicing than I am already.

I have also found a flyer I got from my local dealer a while ago re becoming a member of their “service club” or something like that. I’ll have a read later and post what the gist of this is…

**Macsub** · 07-09-2009,07:43 PM

Variable servicing is just a marketing scam dreamt up to appeal to fleet managers. It doesn't save anyone any money and is certainly not good for the engine long term (especially short journey low mileage engines), and terrible for turbocharged engines. Like Audi care about that!
If you only plan to keep the car short term then stick with AVS but longer term do you really only want the car looked at potentially once every 2 years? If you have a quattro you end up having to have the haldex service done in between the AVS ones so it doesn't save on visits either. OK it might cost you £100 a year more (debatable) but it's money well spent if you have an interest in engine longevity.