AntW Posted March 24, 2007 Report Share Posted March 24, 2007 My 2006 A3 has covered 13,000 miles and would be due its first service fairly soon. So I looked what was needed for the first service, nothing major it seemed. I also don't fully subscribe to the variable servicing regime, yes maybe modern oils can go 18000 miles but that could take 2 years in which time the lack of vehicle inspection could mean you miss other problems developing. Anyway, that meant I would be switching to fixed service intervals so less drama about which oil to use. Rang the dealers to double check and they were trying to keep me on variable servicing, "oh no sir its cheaper in the long run" they say. "So how much is the first service at 16000 miles then?" I ask. "Rounding up it would be around £300" Anyway, took the engine cover off and had a nosey, seemed easy enough. So today, with the help of a mate who does all his own servicing on his A4 (my old one) we set about the task in hand. New oil: Millers XFE-PD VW 505.01 spec £25 for 4.5 litres new oil filter £4.97 sump plug (just in case) £0.97 Air filter £10.97 pollen filter £7.19 32mm socket for getting oil filter off £6 Total cost £56 Day went as follows: Go out to get the parts and also warm engine so oil flows out easier. Get lost looking for Euro Car Parts and end up driving for a bit more than expected Get home remove engine cover and get the car up on axle stands to remove undertray. Now the undertray is held on by 13 little hex bolt things, however quite why the 8 on the side and the 2 front ones are one socket size and the 3 at the back are another I would love to know. Remove all bolts bar one, we haven't touched it and it seemed stripped Drop undertray and see if accessing the sump plug is possible with tray half in place, its not, break tray off at last bolt Drain oil, flush engine with remains of oil bought over last year, oh and out of interest it has drank 3.5 litres of 0w30 Castrol Edge Turbo Diesel oil (which was the wrong one by all accounts but its not blown up. Remove oil filter and replace. Fill with new oil and replace air filter, the old air filter wasn't too bad but you could tell it had been doing its job. Drop car to ground and start engine, works fine seems quieter Check everythings right, reassemble car and go for a test drive. Seemed a bit quieter, although my mate said it was definitely quieter then before - you do get used to your own car. No smoke when accelerating hard (used to be a small white puff of smoke) Job done Then the pollen filter, hidden behind the glove box on the passenger side, seems easy to get at but is annoyingly fiddly to access. Old filter was full of seeds, bits of twig and was absolutely black with crap. All in all a good day, proved to me that modern cars are not silly complicated, yet they seem to do things to make simple tasks un-necessarily complicated, if that makes sense Oh, and you can't complain at under £60 and few cups of tea compared to £300 dealer charges Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d3fy Posted March 24, 2007 Report Share Posted March 24, 2007 Are you not worried about the residuals of your car come sale time? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oli Posted March 24, 2007 Report Share Posted March 24, 2007 Oh dear, your warranty is now invalid!!!! What a stupid thing to do, to save a bit of money You could have got an independant to do it for £150, and kept your warranty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harddrive Posted March 24, 2007 Report Share Posted March 24, 2007 I have to agree with the other poster on this one. I would always have the car done by an approved VAG service centre or you will get loads of potential warrenty issues not to mention a lower trade in value. I can understand why you did it and I also would look to do my own servicing but this would only be if I had a car that was only worth a few thousand pounds. Did you use official VAG parts for the service? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AntW Posted March 24, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 24, 2007 I have no intention of trading the car in at any point in the future so not interested in resale value, by the time I get rid of it it'll be worth 3k. All official parts used. Any major work done and checked at an independent anyway. As for the warranty, well thats how they nail you isn't it, make people too scared to change a simple filter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarMad Posted March 24, 2007 Report Share Posted March 24, 2007 Car will still be in warranty, you only have to use the right official parts, you no longer have to get it serviced at a main dealer. The EU outlawed this requirement a while ago. Great saving and if you traded it in for another car in my experience they never look at the service book anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bazza_g Posted March 24, 2007 Report Share Posted March 24, 2007 [ QUOTE ] Oh dear, your warranty is now invalid!!!! What a stupid thing to do, to save a bit of money [/ QUOTE ] on the contrary, what a sensible thing to do - why do people (myself included) continually get ripped off by using a main dealer to perform something as basic as an oil+filter change? As stated, so long as the correct parts are used the warranty will still be perfectly valid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nelson_R32 Posted March 24, 2007 Report Share Posted March 24, 2007 I'm sorry, but are you really that naive in thinking its just 'an oil and filter' change? If you do then you're living on Cloud 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bazza_g Posted March 24, 2007 Report Share Posted March 24, 2007 [ QUOTE ] I'm sorry, but are you really that naive in thinking its just 'an oil and filter' change? If you do then you're living on Cloud 9 [/ QUOTE ] do enlighten me oh wise one....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AntW Posted March 24, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 24, 2007 anything more major than basics will go to an independent. Looking at the inspection service checklist in the service book there is nothing there I cannot do Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fingermouse Posted March 24, 2007 Report Share Posted March 24, 2007 [ QUOTE ] I'm sorry, but are you really that naive in thinking its just 'an oil and filter' change? If you do then you're living on Cloud 9 [/ QUOTE ] in a lot of cases yes and quite often it could be the new starter, I would always service my car myself so nice to see someone else doing the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mo-S3 Posted March 24, 2007 Report Share Posted March 24, 2007 Always done my own servicing. just keep the receipts. Very easy to do and you KNOW its done right rather than a YTS lad messing it up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sponge Posted March 25, 2007 Report Share Posted March 25, 2007 [ QUOTE ] As stated, so long as the correct parts are used the warranty will still be perfectly valid [/ QUOTE ] It's not as simple as that though, is it? It's my understanding that the work also has to be done by a VAT registered garage. So doing it yourself with Audi approved parts is not sufficient. [ QUOTE ] Always done my own servicing. just keep the receipts. Very easy to do and you KNOW its done right rather than a YTS lad messing it up. [/ QUOTE ] This is how I have worked in the past, done everything myself annually. Saved a fortune. However, as soon as I started buying newer cars the potential hassle of voiding a warranty/effecting resale/devaluing the vehicle is not worth it. I still do all my own work on my Series 3 (not just oil changes), but then that's a lot older, worth considerably less and people expect it. But a £25k Audi? Nah, pay someone else to do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AntW Posted March 25, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2007 Oh, and the car is actually 2 years old, its an 05 plate. The reason I put 2006 is that's the model year of the car therefore more relevant if someone searches for it. When my car was built in June 2005 it was the first of the 2006 model year if that makes sense So only 1 year left on warranty anyway. Personally I don't see how the work I have done is going to have any effect unless its something I did that fails. If the DSG box explodes tomorrow then thats nothing I touched. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sponge Posted March 25, 2007 Report Share Posted March 25, 2007 Indeed, I don't see how a court could defend a dealer/manufacturer saying a gearbox is no longer covered because you changed an air filter. However, think of the fight you may have on your hands if the dealer did initially use it as an excuse to avoid responsibility - your gearbox fails and you take it into a dealer. They check the car's history and notice nothing in the system/your service book is blank. They think it's not been looked after and ask you about services. You say you've done all the servicing yourself. They say fook off you're not covered then! I'm not defending them, I'm sure they'd have to prove that any problem was a result of any work you had done. But then again, it might work the other way around, you may have to prove it wasn't. But it's a situation like this that I am trying to avoid by sticking with recognisable servicing. As soon as I am out of the warranty period I will be considering the alternatives. Unless I can find an Audi dealer to service my car as cheaply as Stoke did earlier this month, I will be using an independant. As I plan to keep this car for several years, I may even do it myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AntW Posted March 25, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2007 Agree Sponge, the thing is, it is going to an independent for the "official" service anyway, all I have done is change the oil and filters as I believe in changing the oil every 10k or so. Once it gets done at the independent I can tell them its history. As for my dealer, well I used to be of the "just pay for the service regardless" mind. Oil filter on my old A4 not changed in 2 years, despite 2 dealer services. Charged for 9 litres of oil for a sump that holds 4? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oli Posted March 25, 2007 Report Share Posted March 25, 2007 [ QUOTE ] It's not as simple as that though, is it? It's my understanding that the work also has to be done by a VAT registered garage. So doing it yourself with Audi approved parts is not sufficient. [/ QUOTE ] Correct You cannot just service the car yourself, it has to be done by a VAT registered garage to keep the warranty valid, just as long it is using parts to the manufacturer's standard and to their schedule Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marko34 Posted March 25, 2007 Report Share Posted March 25, 2007 hahahah what a laugh. Audi really do have some people by the privates!! I've had Audis for 9 years and all of them serviced by myself except big work like cambelts. All have been soled to more than happy buyers and amazed at the condition throught out. When has the stamp ever made any difference to a dealer? They barely look at the car when offering you a trade price. My A4 came from Ant who had the car fully stamped by Audi. I decided to change the oil and filters. The oil filter crumbled in my hands. Great work Audi. Some dealers don't even know what oil they should be using in PD engines. NelsonA3 - check your service book! See exactly where your £300 gets swallowed up!! Bazza - well said. Warranty is not invalid even when non genuine parts are used. There are only two oil filter manufacturers in European. The Audi logo doesn't make it better! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d3fy Posted March 25, 2007 Report Share Posted March 25, 2007 Well every car I have ever sold they ask, and they check. Personally I would never every consider buying a car without a Full Main Dealer service history, but then I'm happy to pay for that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oli Posted March 25, 2007 Report Share Posted March 25, 2007 Oh well each to their own!! We all know how the dealers will try and wriggle out of anything warranty wise, and this would just give them an excuse. I would always recommend getting your car serviced by a garage - independant or main dealer, during warranty periods, once thay are out of warranty, and if you are going to keep it years, then I see no problem servicing it yourself, as you will save yourself a few quid, quite a few quid. On a personal note, I would never buy a car that someone had serviced themselves. For me (maybe Im biased owning a garage) cars should be serviced by qualified technicians, not by people in their driveways!!! Im sure you did a fine job yourself though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AntW Posted March 25, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2007 As I have said before, its still going to an independent for its due service, this was just an interim change of oil and filters as I don't like the idea of long life oil. The only point I was making is that some of the simpler tasks are easily done. Changing the air and pollen filters took 10 minutes At the end of the day people look for different things, some might not like the idea of a car having its oil changed every 10k miles at home, some might not like the fact that a car has it service history all undertaken by independents and then there are those who would take a full dealer service history with a pinch of salt due to bad dealership experiences in the past Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oli Posted March 26, 2007 Report Share Posted March 26, 2007 [ QUOTE ] As I have said before, its still going to an independent for its due service [/ QUOTE ] Where did you say this before - looks like you are back tracking to me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marko34 Posted March 26, 2007 Report Share Posted March 26, 2007 Each to their own I guess. I guess disagreement with this thread is the warranty. I'd be very surprised Audi would riggle out of a warranty because you have drained the oil filled with correct spec, changed oil filter, air and pollen filter. They could not prove that that caused a failing somewhere on the car and that's what they'd have to do. Once warranty is out, due all your servicing and then the money saved could be used for any essential big work. That's what I do. Biggest expense has been cambelt and tensioners/ waterpump, which is for me an Audi job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allroadman Posted March 26, 2007 Report Share Posted March 26, 2007 Only thing with not going to an Audi Centre is that you could miss out on a Workshop Action which is being done. Most of these are NOT recalls (though some are), therefore you will not get a letter to ask you to bring the vehicle in. They are only done when a vehicle is brought into a centre. Most of these are done at first service, so really that is the most important. I do tend to agree after that one, then it is your choice. I have included a sample list of some of the Service Campains. WORKSHOP ACTIONS Camp no Type Vehicles Description TOTAL Launch AU 17C1 W 8E Oil pump drive bolt 28 08/01/2005 AU 21B2 W 4E Turbo charger linkage 529 27/02/2005 AU 72B6 W 8P Seat anchor pins 3088 04/03/2005 AU 34D1 W 8E, 4E Gearbox shield 34611 13/05/2005 AU 15D3 W 4F 8E Cylinder head sealing plugs 484 13/10/2005 AU 57C3 W 8E Remote control keys 9753 22/11/2005 AU 23A1 W 4F Tdi Engine ECU update 1546 20/12/2005 AU 72A1 W 8N RECARO seats 436 07/01/2006 AU 20L6 W 8E Accelerator pedal module 231 18/01/2006 AU 19E4 W 4E Cooling system scaling 3080 06/02/2006 AU 19E6 W 8P Retaining clips for radiator 8507 23/03/2006 AU 46E6 W 4E Software update for EPB 2660 22/04/2006 AU 13D3 W 4F Vibration damper 25 09/07/2006 AU 13C8 W 4F Belt tensioner - 2.7 Tdi 815 09/07/2006 AU 40G1 W 4E Front suspension mounting 832 19/07/2006 AU 20J8 W 8E 4B Replacement of fuel pump 670 11/08/2006 AU 20L9 W 8E 8H 4F Replacement of hose holder 2520 11/08/2006 AU 19E3 W 8P O-ring for coolant adapter 1078 23/08/2006 AU 55E2 W 8J (TT) Bonnet sealing plugs 487 13/09/2006 AU 40G8 W 8J TT Front suspension 372 15/09/2006 AU 92B5 W 4F5 Rear washer pipe 1639 10/10/2006 AU 37D1 W 4F, 8E, 8H ECU update 2.7l TDI 556 07/10/2006 AU 43A7 W 4F Update ECU self levelling suspension 474 07/10/2006 AU 37C9 W 8E 8H 4F Software update for Multitronic gearbox 2007 07/10/2006 AU 21A1 W 4F 8E Turbocharger 2.7l TDI 917 07/10/2006 AU 55D7 W 4E Bootlid drive motor 1393 09/10/2006 AU 55D8 W 4E Bootlid hinges 963 09/10/2006 AU 97L2 W 4E (S8) Radiator fan wiring 125 10/10/2006 AU 48H6 W 4F 4L Software update FBS 22787 30/11/2006 AU 44G4 W 4L Update owner’s handbook 7 30/11/2006 AU 23B2 W 8E 8H 8P Update ECU (DPF) 1175 30/11/2006 AU 66C1 W 8J (TT) Rear spoiler 2323 14/12/2006 AU 13D4 W 3.0 ltr TDI Vibration damper 490 02/01/2007 AU 87B2 W 8J 8P Blower motor ECU 488 02/01/2007 AU 28E3 W 8P Glowplug glow timing relay 1158 01/02/2007 AU 42C9 S 8N Rear axle ball joints 5395 11/10/2001 AU 45B3 S 8L ABS control unit 99 12/07/2002 AU 69E1 S AUDI Driver's airbag 544 26/10/2002 AU 47J4 S 8L Brake vacuum pipe 21709 21/08/2003 AU 47J6 S A3 8P Rear left brake pipe 821 17/03/2004 AU 20L1 S 8E 4E Tandem fuel pump 14820 16/12/2004 AU 94C3 S 8H Headlight reflectors 1079 10/05/2005 AU 69F7 S 4F Airbag ECU update 5767 21/10/2005 AU 44G1 S 4D 4E Michelin Pilot Sport 255/35ZR20 97Y 414 10/01/2006 AU 13C7 S 8P Twin-mass flywheel 8586 24/02/2006 AU 69G3 S 8P Replacing curtain airbags 90 06/09/2006 AU 69B2 S 4E Replacement of driver's airbag 1727 09/10/2006 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AntW Posted March 26, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 26, 2007 [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] As I have said before, its still going to an independent for its due service [/ QUOTE ] Where did you say this before - looks like you are back tracking to me [/ QUOTE ] on my second post... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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