ChuckH

As many of you know, I share an A4 with others as a business car. Well, a couple weeks ago, the service indicator came on, and I was fully aware that it was time to schedule a service visit. At the same time I planned to have the warning buzzer issue taken care of. So, I scheduled an appointment for next week. I am responsible for making sure that the car is serviced and everything.

Anyway, I drive the car today and find out that one of the other guys took the car to Jiffy Lube yesterday because the oil light was on. Turns out he thought that since the oil light was flashing, getting the oil changed at Jiffy Lube would take care of it.

Needless to say, the car now has a generic oil filter and God knows what kind of oil in it! On top of that, the oil light still flashes, since Jiffy Lube is not capable of resetting that. Being that I've been running Mobil 1 15W-50 and genuine Audi filters in the car, exclusively, and because someone went over my head to do this, I just about went postal!

So, aside from trying to control my temper, what would you do in this situation? Would you let it go for a few thousand miles and then have it taken care of, or would you run to the dealer at your scheduled appointment and get rid of the contamination (wrong oil and filter) ASAP? I'm inclined to keep the scheduled appointment and get Mobil 1 and a genuine filter put back in the car right away.

If it were a Tauras (what we had to drive before), I wouldn't care, but an A4? Damn this bugs me! Another thing that bugs me is that if I don't put gas in the car, it ends up getting cheap gas. Then, when I drive it, the cheap gas is in it and it pings and surges. Alright, I better go before I really go off!

Charles

BO

Yes, I sympathize. I'm afraid in this world, there are ****wits who don't appreciate the greatness of an A4 !!

BO

Yep, I would take it to the dealer to get the real job done.

Steve W (in MD)

It is apparent that your concern for this vehicle exceeds that of your coworkers, but at least one of them recognizes the importance of changing the oil. Your coworker was trying to do the right thing, but had insufficient information to do it well. It behooves you to explain in a GENTLE way that there is are rational reasons behind your concerns for proper maintenance of this vehicle. One of the most important considerations is the warranty, which could be voided if the owner fails to follow simple rules. There is an old post on this forum that came from an Audi shop mechanic that described the significant design/performance differences in the OEM filter vs aftermarket copies from companies like Fram. The Audi folks honoring the warranty know that their OEM filters work properly. Bad filtering or filter failure can do irrepairable harm to any engine, so why take the chance with a Jiffy Lube special with Audi being willing to do oil changes for free for the first 50K? Your coworker needs to know this. Once you convince him of the merits of this approach, you can move onto more sophisticated issues, like the value of using synthetic oil and better fuel.

In your situation, I would take the car to the dealer and get the oil and filter changed immediately. You may want to bring your coworker along, as part of the educational experience.

As somebody who has been placed into a position of authority and responsibility for a long time, I have found that blowing off steam at incompetent dunderheads only worsens a bad situation. If you take the time to show this coworker why you do what you do with this vehicle, he/she may come to cherish its attributes as much as you.

Steve W (in MD)
99.5 Avant 1.8TQM sports package, sports seats (santorin/onyx)

Chris L.

Well said. Go easy on the guy, he was trying to do the right thing....

JMorrison

Amen----Calm down, get the oil changed, and educate your co-workers.

ChuckH

...that I'm not really as upset as I may have sounded. just irritated, since I made it quite clear that the car was being scheduled for service, and someone got impatient.

I also have a hard time seeing the abuse this poor car takes. It's Europa Blue, but it's been through the car wash so many times that there are dull spots in the paint and swirl marks all over the place. I'm the only one who takes the time to hand wash, and clean out the interior, which is absolutely repulsive! The car is eaten in, there are smudge marks, ink marks, boogers, oozing McDonald's cups, and God knows what all inside the car. I want to put on a rubber protective suit every time I get in! Trust me when I say, anyone who has any pride whatsoever would be disgusted by this! So sad! :-(

That being said, I like the other guys who drive the car. I don't have any personal beefs with anyone. I just don't understand how anyone can be so filthy and disrespectful of a $35K work of art!

Anyway, I will keep the service appointment. I will have to take the car in, and hang my head in shame! Sounds stupid, but I'm actually going to be embarrassed when I take the car in. "Hello Mr. Service Man! The oil was just changed in this car, but it was done at, uh, uh, Jiffy Lube (in a whispering and shameful voice). They put a crappy filter on there, put in 10W-30 Dino oil, and spilled it all over the manifold!" How humiliating!

I intend to politely ask the guilty party to please not take the car in for any kind of service, and explain to the best of my ability why this was a bad move.

Being that I don't make the payments on the car, I suppose I shouldn't care, and probably wouldn't if it were a FORD, but my heart belongs to Audi, and I can't just sit back and watch the destruction.

Charles

PS: Nobody else ever even checks the oil level, they drive it until it's running on fumes, and I'm the only one who even noticed that the warning buzzer was intermittent and then stopped working completely. Being that they can't see the fuel guage or notice the missing buzzers, I'm surprised the flashing oil light was noticed! I wonder if Mikey even noticed that the light was still flashing after the oil change! Unbelievable!