To get a service with someone other than Audi? (Calling Audi owners..)

[ncob]

Hi all. I promise this is not a stealth boast and I apologise if it comes across that way during a cost of living crisis. I am a new-ish Audi owner and so far have had everything done any kind of maintenance work/services/tyres etc at Audi. I get a little pop-up in the car then book in. However. I really don't want to fork out these premium rates, I was perfectly happy with my Corsa the 12 years prior to owning an Audi which I had seen to in independent garages or Halfords etc.

My question is, what do you all do? The main fear I suppose is losing its resale value if I stop going to Audi. My other (perhaps irrational) thought is, I rely entirely on these pop-up notes that tell me, eg at the moment it says I am due a oil & filter change. If get I get this done independently, will it continue to tell me when I need things doing...?

Thanks!

The biggest question is how old is it? Generally speaking it’s best to find a decent local specialist who will not only be cheaper but probably give a better service than a main dealer.

Is it brand new? If so to maintain your warranty you are likely to have to use Audi. If it is older than 3 years though then use who you want as long as they have the diagnostics you will be fine. Go to someone you trust or a German specialist.

I’ve always taken my 64 reg A3 to a local garage we’ve been using for years. Never had any issues.

I have an Audi, I pay for 2 services at once on some service plan and found it's no more expensive than taking it anywhere else.

we have an Audi; bought it 2nd hand and have always taken it to a local garage. the owner used to work for Audi as a mechanic. I've never thought about how important having a manufacturer's service history is; just the fact that the car has one with legit stamps tbh.

Is it brand new? If so to maintain your warranty you are likely to have to use Audi

That’s not the case at all.

We don’t take ours to Audi, we go to a trusted local garage who are a lot cheaper and imo more efficient. Yes you should still get the reminders regardless of where it’s fixed

It is a 21 plate, was brand new (waited like a year maybe longer during covid to have it delivered). So far absolutely everything has happened at my local Audi - tyres, windscreen wipers, services, inspections, oil change etc. Its about 2.5 years old now.

I am due an oil & filter change. Will probably need another service December time. I have done almost 28,000 miles. If I get this done in Halfords, will it still be registered and will my car continue to give me pop-up notifications when further things are due..?

Also, I supposedly have a child lock fault, I get a pop up that says to contact the workshop every time I turn the engine on. I don't have a child nor the time to go get this fixed so haven't bothered. I have in the past needed to get the software upgraded. Will I still be able to go to Audi for things that I need to? (Obviously dont think Halfords would be able to upgrade "Audi" things for me).

We have BMW & Mini. Both bought from main delears, one year old, and with service packs. So we used those up, then went to our local garage.

The trouble with the main dealers is they always upsell. Oh, you should have this, you should change that. Brakes, tyres, etc. Go to the local guys, nahhhh, those brakes will do you another 8k! Nahhhh, your tyres are good for another year.

Safe to say you’ve been thoroughly ripped off if using Audi for tyres and wiper blades, no need for that at all!

Don’t use Halfords, find a good independent VAG specialist, there’s lots around. As for resale, if I saw a book full of Halfords and Kwik Fit stamps I’d walk away immediately, specialist stamps not a problem.

And yes, you still get the reminders, and yes any garage can reset them.

How much are you paying? I didn't pay for the "all-in" plan but have been paying as I go for what I need - it is extortionate. I paid over 400, maybe around £450 for something minor a few months ago. They took a look, I waited/worked in store in the quiet office zone being made endless coffee till I received a video recording and they said xyz needed doing - I turned most of it down, despite this it was so ££. This was not a full service by any means. I have largely got everything done with Audi so far out of convenience (it is actually really close to me) and I dont have the time to shop around nor do I know who I can trust etc (I have moved to a different city to when I had my old corsa).

I was thinking of just going with Halfords for the oil filter change - I think about £125 at Halfords and £330 at Audi. About half the price.

Your warranty will not be affected by having it serviced somewhere else so long as they use parts of the right specification. You may find though that a garage does try to wriggle out if a claim by saying otherwise.

Lits of people use the official service centres for the first two or three years but then switch to somewhere cheaper. As long as the new place knows what they are doing there should be no problem.

One thing to look out for is that some product recalls or fixes are only carried out when the car is serviced, so you might not know that these need doing if you aren’t using an Audi garage. You can check online though to see if there’s, anything outstanding.

I am 25+ years in the motor trade (all german manufacturers). After the 3 years is up i wouldnt entertain taking my cars to a main dealer. In fact ive used the same mechanic for the last 15 years who comes to my house to do all the servicing & maintenance. He is VAT registered (essential) and issues invoices for all work. Last car i traded in with a service book full of recipts and records for everything down to every light bulb. I got absolute top dollar for it.

There is no rule for servicing, even within warranty period. That disappeared with block exemption decades ago. However its is usually incentivised to use main dealer while in warranty and it usually is every 2 years so for 1 service in the 3 years probably worthwhile. As long as you use manufacturer parts and a VAT registered mechanic who issues the invoice THEY CANNOT EXCLUDE WARRANTY.

I am flabergasted you have used a main dealer for tyres. OMG its so much cheaper at a good independent who fits 100x more tyres than a main dealer ever will.

Most cars have service reminders on them that 99% of independents can reset and allow you to keep your reminders. The trick is finding a good reliable garage/tech who loooks after you, looks after the car and charges a reasonable amount. Our guy is like gold dust which is why we have used him for so long.

Halfords don’t have a very good reputation, and are notorious for saying that you need extra work done when you don’t.

A well-respected local independent is generally a better choice.

I agree, I always used my wee local garage when I had nee Audi, literally half the cost and I had no issues with resale value, it’s having the service book stamped that matters, not who stamped it

Sorry I'm not clued up as to what a VAG specialist is. Yes I know I have been thoroughly ripped off so far. One of those awkward situations when you get the work done, get told the cost, just smile politely and pay.. walk out and realise how crazy that amount was. I can afford it (just would much rather not spend it on this). I did it for ease, had a major work related event in the days after which required driving 600 miles round trip. I'm under similar stressful conditions and a part of me just wants to go to Audi again for ease (hopefully this time next year my life will be more stable and I can take the time to make better financial decisions).

Glad to hear I will still continue to get reminders, phew. Didn't realise people look down on Halfords, why? I wonder if people would be able to suggest an alternative if I gave my vague location?

I've used a local independent garage for years. They seem to relish the challenge of keeping my 21 year old car (also an Audi) running well and roadworthy.

They're also very reasonable in price, and lend me a car when mine's in the garage.

@ncob

People look down on Halfords and Kwikfit because there are a lot of stories about them 'suddenly' finding problems where problems don't appear. I would never leave my car with either of them.

Find yourself a good local garage. Must be VAT registered sand use manufacturer/approved parts. My garage I use have several mechanics who not only are fully trained on the various manufacturers model but are friendly and have never found anything spurious.

But' also, as said you could see if your Audi dealer does service deals. my current car works out cheaper having pre-paid for three services.

Sorry I'm not clued up as to what a VAG specialist is.

Volkswagen AG - VW, Audi, Skoda, Seat etc. They’re mostly all the same cars so specialists tend to work on them all.

Yes, you should be able to use any garage for servicing but within the warranty period if you have non-dealer stamps in your logbook it's likely that warranty claims will become harder, so it's a risk you take.

Beyond the warranty period I would certainly use a trusted local garage, which usually means avoiding the likes of Halfords etc unless you know your local one has trustworthy people working there - not all of them are bad.

I take mine to a local VAG (Volkswagon Audi Group) specialist and they are great and about half the price of a main dealer. They tend to be mechanics that previously worked for the VW/Audi garages so know their stuff. It's a good middle ground between the very expensive main dealer garages and somewhere like Halfords/Kwik-Fit.

Please excuse me for being so ignorant.. I am not sure if I have a logbook? I have just searched my car, all I have is my manual and invoices for the maintenance etc (for each of the service/tyre change/wiper blades/inspections etc). I have a record of everything I have had done. I will also have it in e-mail format I think. Do people buy a service logbook? It doesn't come with the car/first service? If I called Audi up, would they put my history down on one document? Or is it all kept electronically now? Apologies, I know I sound incredibly naive.

I take mine to a local VAG (Volkswagon Audi Group)

Volkswagen AG

I think PP means service history log, rather than a log book.

Mine is all electronic as well, I don't have a physical service book. The garage updates it electronically (although you can ask for a download and they'll print, but you can also sign up to the My Audi app and see the service history on there), but I also keep the receipts etc as proof.