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My Etron is 4 years old and has 27K miles. I’m planning on skipping the 30 K maintenance and having Audi perform only the “Standard maintenance” at 20K intervals. I use the Carista dongle to reset the maintenance warning at 10K. As for the coolant cartridge, at least for the rear, I used my phone to check it (see attached) Audi only checks it on the 20 K intervals and the minor 10K maintenance has nothing that should void your warrantee if you have one.
Exactly. I have an Autel OBD scanner that works on the Audi and my 911. Half of the annual services are fluff - my 10K is coming up (which I'll "do" myself in the comfort of my garage) and I plan to look at the front coolant reservoir and the rear coolant container. I suspect there will be drops if anything at all. Beyond that the vehicle is as close to maintenance free as you'll ever find. Brake fluid flush/change is easy with a power bleeder. Dealerships rely heavily on fear and paranoia to motivate purchase of unnecessary insurance/service plans - it appears those techniques are effective.
That's one perspective - and certainly one that dealerships love. I don't share it - I've done all of my own non-warranty work on all of my vehicles for about 50 years now. I've always had a good mechanical aptitude (Thanks Dad) and enjoy doing the work myself. With YouTube and Google you can learn how to do anything and a few special service tools are still cheaper than the dealership service. I own and maintain vehicles more expensive and complicated than the E-tron. I've NEVER had an issue selling used vehicles including Porsches, Corvettes, boats (MasterCraft, Cobalt, etc) doing my own maintenance - I keep receipts and document maintenance. I understand the rationale of keeping the dealer engaged for that possible catastrophic issue but I guess I've either been lucky or careful in vehicle purchase decisions because I've never experienced anything like that. Dealerships don't always impress either - look at the video that A4 Phil posted of his service "visit" - the guy shows how he checked the brake pad thickness (wheels still mounted, looking through the rim at the pads on the front side of the rotor). That's great - but what about the backside pads? Can't really inspect those with the wheel on. The fronts and backs USUALLY wear about the same but not always. Maybe he pulled the wheels later on - maybe not. Again - to each their own. As Fleetwood Mac said - You can go your own way...........
Looks like you have a great setup to work on your own cars. Do you have a recommendation on which lift to purchase? Is there a brand that is better than others?
I looked at all kinds of choices including 2 post lifts, 4 post lifts, and "portable options" like MaxJax and QuickJack. In the end I eliminated 2 and 4 post lifts - I have enough ceiling space but I didn't want the "permanent" fixtures that are required for a 2 and 4 post lift. Maybe in the next house I'll do that. I ordered a MaxJax but it was right around Covid "discovery" and they were on backorder with limited shipments from the factory in China (they were also being acquired by Bendpak and undergoing a product redesign). Cancelled the MaxJax and went with the QuickJack. I'm VERY happy with it - the frames and pump unit easily store away and they provide me all the access I need. I'd highly recommend the product.
I like the idea of your portable lift and the fact that I can get 7,000 pound capacity. I would install a 2 or 4 post lift, but I need flexibility in my shop to bring in large tractors and implements. Any permanent lift would restrict my bay too much.
I have been using the QJ 5000SL version since 2018, and highly recommend it. QJ recently added 3" of lifting height to the 5000 lb version, now know as the 5000TL.
Will the 7000TL version (https://www.costco.com/quickjack-700...100833767.html) fit our Etrons? It seems that the lift point max is 60" of separation. I think our Etrons need at least 67" between the lift points.
Will the 7000TL version (https://www.costco.com/quickjack-700...100833767.html) fit our Etrons? It seems that the lift point max is 60" of separation. I think our Etrons need at least 67" between the lift points.
For addressing the 67" between lift points, you'll need the 6000ELX version:
The 6000ELX portable car lift is a full 17" longer than the TL model and about 10" longer than the TLX model (comparison below). While the frames are longer and a little heavier than other models, they’re still convenient to roll around your garage or shop, thanks to the durable urethane construction of the wheels.
TL minimum lift point spread: 29.5"
TLX minimum lift point spread: 35.5" ELX minimum lift point spread: 53"
TL maximum lift point spread: 60"
TLX maximum lift point spread: 66" ELX maximum lift point spread: 76"
Did my 10K service today - which meant essentially that I looked at a couple of things and reset the service interval with my Autel 808. Just out of interest I removed and checked the rear coolant canister - it had about 5 ml (teaspoonful) or less of clear fluid in it. Almost looked like "condensation" vs actual coolant (I thought the coolant was orange - I didn't look at the reservoir under the hood to see what the color was). That canister is really easy to replace - you can get it from the dealer for $6 and that's literally all it's worth (just a little plastic container with some threads on it and an o-ring). Pull 6 x T25 fasteners on the rear cover and access is easy. Looked at the front motor also after removing the small cover under the front ("small" is about 2 ft x 2 ft). That takes a few more T25 fasteners but pretty easy. I could see the drain screw for the front drain but it's a bit more challenging to access - I'll go after that a bit more aggressively next year at 20,000 miles.
That is good, zero coolant (pink in color), how many miles on yours?
Last week I also had the car up and I was surprised how jammed everything is in the front motor compartment - no easy way to get to anything there. you would think these EVs should be way more simple than ICE. Tesla did much better job packaging the power/drivetrain than the legacy automakers.
08-14-2023, 04:05 PM
