egarriga

Hello everyone.

I have a 2011 Audi A8L that is used for executive driving services. Our company is cutting back on cost and I was asked not take the Audi to the Audi dealer for service unless the service can only be done by an Audi dealer. Does anyone take their A8 to any other service franchise like Jack Williams, Pep Boys, STS? If you do, do you trust them to work on your A8? Any suggestions of other service provider other than the Audi dealer?

Your suggestions and comments are greatly appreciated.

blsching

Good for you and your company. I am all eyes and ears!

Lazydog

I am on the fence with this. Presently I don't have this issue as I have the Audi Care Package but with my other Audi's it really depends on what needs to be done. If it was some sort of warranty work then it went to shop dealer. Some thing I would trust to be done by my local shop.

My view is this, if you don't know everything that should be looked at at time of service the garage you take it to most likely doesn't either and they only do what you tell them to. How much gets missed that should be, if nothing else, at least looked at during the service?

Then you have the quality of work, does the shop you are taking it to do as good a job working on your car?

As for who to take it to, I would stay away from Jiffy Lubes and places that are geared towards specific things. Find a local garage that you trust and stay with them. I have a shop like that near me and I do trust him to do the work.

jakematic

Agreed - there are some "indys" who can be trusted to do work but typically don't have all the special tools.

If cost is that much of a concern, in all honesty sell the Audi.
You are unfortunately in the same position as folks who buy a D3 with 150k miles and then can't go to the dealership.

My advice is to get an old Caddy or Lincoln.
Style on the cheap.

egarriga

Thanks for the advice. I will be checking with Jack Williams and a local shop that specialize in Audi's. I will be comparing prices but if the difference is not by much I'll stick to the Audi dealer.

egarriga

In reality the vehicle is owned by a large corporation and I am the chauffeur. The problem I have is that department I work in wants me to maintain this vehicle like it was a Ford or a Chevy just to save a couple bucks. I do not like it but my hands are tied. They are saying take it to like a Jack Williams for oil changes, breaks and tires and for major issues then take it to the dealer. I just prefer the dealer for all the work.

egarriga

Thanks for your response.

RedfishMan

I am fortunate to have built some trust with a shop that specializes in Audi, Mercedes, BMW and Volkswagen only. They are certified to be able to perform most extended warranty work. Ask around and you may find one. If they are certified for extended warranties that could be a way to find one.

sterfry

It's true your company can potentially save money by taking the car somewhere other than the dealer for routine maintenance.

The plastic splash shield under the engine of a D4 has an MSRP of $383. What if it doesn't get properly re-installed and gets damaged or lost? How many cheap oil changes will it take to save enough money to cover the cost of replacing the splash shield? That's a simple repair that probably won't have done much (if any) damage to the rest of the vehicle. Audi isn't responsible for damage done to the vehicle by a third party so there will be no assistance in covering repair costs.

Just for reference a 4.2 liter crate motor is $21,000 for new, $13,300 for remanufactured or $5,686 for a short block. These prices are for the motor sitting on a palette - not installed in the vehicle.

Times are tough but spending tens of dollars on maintenance could potentially save thousands of dollars in repair costs.