DanH

One of the strong selling points for me was the highly touted "Audi Advantage", which includes all regularly scheduled maitenance at no additional charge. I'm quickly learning that this is no advantage at all - in fact...it's a pain in the ***.

I won't go into detail about all of the problems I've had with the service department at Anderson Behel, but I have to wonder if it's the same at other dealerships.

Let me explain: After having my car serviced recently, I noticed that my computer started giving me a countdown for service. Each time I started the car and put it in gear, it would say "Service in XXX miles". Now it just says "Service!". Apparently, the brainiacs in the service department forgot to reset the computer. Seems like an honest mistake, but is it really. What if they "forgot" to put the oil cap back on after changing the oil. What if they "forgot" to even change the oil at all.

Anyway, I called to make an appointment to bring my car back in and was told that the next available service date was August 28th!! I made the call on July 10th. That's 7 weeks just to make a service appointment. What's more is that I learned that the "Audi Advantage" covers service (including oil changes) every 8,000 miles!! 8,000 miles between oil changes?? Surely they must use synthetic oil?? Nope. Plain old Castrol is all that's used to lubricate the engine of your $40-50K vehicle.

Maybe I'm ignorant, but to me this seems like abuse. I would never want to buy a low mileage, used Audi. A two year old car with 20K miles on it has only had the oil changed TWICE...In two years! That's pretty scary if you ask me.

I'm beginning to think that I made a mistake in buying an Audi. Are the service departments of BMW and Mercedes this bad? Does Mercedes do oil changes every 8K miles and not use synthetic? Is it just my dealership or does Audi corporate decide intervals for service and the type of lubricant to be used? Should I do my own oil changes? DID I MAKE A MISTAKE?? HELP!!!!!

Richard Solomon

<p>Richard
'00 A6 2.7TM

DM-A6Q

My '98 E320 had its first oil change at 12000 miles. Its now has 21000 miles on it and I still got 2000 miles b4 my next oil change.

I think you can had them change your oil early but I have heard of the piston ring would not seat properly if you change your oil too early.

As for resetting the computer, I would just take the car to the dearlership and demand them to reset it for you. It is their fault and they should do it for you right away.

DM-A6Q

Asfor my opinion, I think MB really have a better service dept than Audi. I bought my E320 in '98 and at that time you have to pay for all the service. My fog light was damage by stone after 5000 miles. So on my first inspection, which is about 12000 miles, I call the dealer to make an appointment. 2 weeks later, they send in a flatbed w/ a Grand Cherokee on it for me and pick up my car at my office. They apologize for not having a MB for me but that's ok. They charge me for the oil change which is about $18 but they replace my fog light for me. They even give me a set to touch up paint for free. When the service is done, they send my car on the flatbed to my office and exchange it for me. That's is really good service.
My Audi dealership experience is ok, the service advisor is very polite but they just don't have such a service. Only $30 for me to rent a car from Enterprise. But that's ok too. My Audi drive much better than my MB and the interior is much better, too.

Kenny

You just have to pay for it out of your own pocket.. I am convinced car manufacturers cover the bare minimum when it comes to routine maintenance, and try to steer you towards a new car after the warranty expires.... I see people driving BMW's and Mercedes's with over 150K-200K all the time, but they are just very very particular about maintenance.. Religious tune-ups every 20k-25k miles, oil changes every 3k miles, good relationships with their mechanics... If everyone were so meticulous about the care of their cars, car companies would be hard pressed to sell new cars as often... So they throw in gimmicks like Scheduled maintenance, roadside assistance etc to lure you in the showrooms.. Audi roadside assistance is essentially AAA subcontracted to them. They don't even send their own technicians..

Steve in VA

Dan,
You don't say which model you have, but on the 2000 A6s, the service indicators are known to be a little flaky. Mine started telling me I needed service in 800 miles a week after I bought the car! But you can reset the indicator yourself very easily. The keystrokes are documented in the owner's manual (may be p.113, but I'm not positive).
Also, Richard is correct, the paid oil change is 6 mo or 8000 mil, whichever comes first.

johncnh

I was checking out a MB before I got the Audi. The salesperson said that at your services, every six months, they test your oil. If it needs replacing they do, otherwise they leave it in. Anyone know if it really works like this or was the salesperson wrong?

DanH

Thanks! I think I'll avoid the headache of going to the dealer and do it myself!

phred

BMW's scheduled maintenance only happens when the service indicator says so, and that can be only once a year depending on your driving...maybe twice. Oil is much better than it used to be, and so are engines. We are a little overly proactive about these things with out 3,000 mile intervals, and that's fine, but it's not mission critical. Just make sure your oil level is always full.

As for not resetting the computer, sounds like you're overreacting a bit.

Coloraudi

and also explains how to reset the service milage countdown. Try this:

1. Turn off ignition
2. Then, turn on the ignition again while holding the button on right side near speedometer down. "SERVICE!" will appear.
2. Press the button on the tach side until "SERVICE!" is cleared. Display should now show the next service event.

This is from my 2001 manual but should work for earlier models too. I had the dealer reprogram my window/lock/remote functions using codes that were posted here based on a MY2000 and they work fine. Luck.