Dont take your Audi S4 to an instant oil lube shop

[silveravant]

Out of curiosity I asked an Audi dealer how much a transmission fluid change would be while I was there for a recall (the only reason I would go to the dealer). The service writer said that they don't recommend it because it's "lifetime" but if I really wanted it done it would be about $950.

 

[GiveMeAVowel]

Originally Posted By: philipp10

I still have not seen an answer of why a transmission fill, oil change and plastic cover run $1442.00....

Probably labor is a large part of the cost at the dealer.

 

[Jarlaxle]

And who knows what Audi charges for the belly pan...

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: Jarlaxle

And who knows what Audi charges for the belly pan...

The part is around $200. and they probably charge at least half hour labor to install it even if it only take 5 mins.

 

[Hootbro]

Originally Posted By: GiveMeAVowel

Even so the business should have REFUSED to perform service on the vehicle if they didn't have the proper training, equipment, parts, ect. There is a LEGAL expectation of reasonable service if the business agrees to work on the vehicle. VIOC store should have told the owner they could not provide him with the correct service and refused to work on it.

Been a few years but was in a local quick lube place when the first Porsche SUV type models came out and this lady brought hers in to have the quick lube place service. The manager flat out told here he did not have the proper spec fluid and they had not yet had the training for it. She tried to press them to just do it regardless but they told her to take it to the dealer. I was actually impressed for once with their action.

 

[hattaresguy]

Originally Posted By: philipp10

I still have not seen an answer of why a transmission fill, oil change and plastic cover run $1442.00....

That's what it costs to own a big boy toy. I have not seen the invoice but it probably breaks down kind of like this: $200 oil change. $850-$950 for the DSG service. $400ish for the pan/fasteners and labor. Book time is probably a half an hour @ $120ish an hour. It actually cost him another $70 or whatever he paid the quick change shop, plus a tow, plus his time. The lesson here is he should have just paid Audi the $200 they get for an oil change, or bought a topsider and did it himself for $80, or found a proper shop that works on high end cars to do it for somewhere in between. Expensive lesson.

 

[Bladecutter]

Originally Posted By: hattaresguy

The lesson here is he should have just paid Audi the $200 they get for an oil change, or bought a topsider and did it himself for $80, or found a proper shop that works on high end cars to do it for somewhere in between. Expensive lesson.

Actually, after everything is said and done, all of this probably didn't cost him a single penny. The dealer was paid by the Valvoline shop, and you and I both wouldn't have paid Valvoline a single penny if that happened to one of our cars. Free service of the transmission, free oil change, and a new underpan. BC.

 

[HTSS_TR]

Originally Posted By: hattaresguy

The lesson here is he should have just paid Audi the $200 they get for an oil change, or bought a topsider and did it himself for $80, or found a proper shop that works on high end cars to do it for somewhere in between. Expensive lesson.

Topsider is the worst fluid extractor I tried. I wouldn't use it even for free. May be you're lucky and got a good Topsider that can lasted more than 4-5 uses. One of the better extractors is Mityvac 7201, I have one for more than 10 years and still working well as of a month or two ago doing oil change in my E430.

 

[Eddie]

I find it difficult to believe that any sober person would take an expensive vehicle to a fast oil change place unless you have a friend working on your vehicle there. Then the same sober person sits in the vehicle while hearing all sorts of weird noises under the vehicle and doesn't get interested enough to check. This has to be a joke or done by a id10t. Ed

 

[dishdude]

Originally Posted By: Eddie

I find it difficult to believe that any sober person would take an expensive vehicle to a fast oil change place unless you have a friend working on your vehicle there. Then the same sober person sits in the vehicle while hearing all sorts of weird noises under the vehicle and doesn't get interested enough to check. This has to be a joke or done by a id10t. Ed

I see your point. I can see the average person who leases an Audi doing this but someone on an Audi forum? Seems odd but there are a lot of details that add credibility to the story. I will say these quickie lube places service a lot of vehicles without issue, most people I know utilize their services, and we always use them with fleet vehicles at work because it limits the downtime. For my personal vehicles, I prefer to crawl under and do it myself not only because I enjoy it, but it allows me to inspect everything else at the same time. If I didn't have the ability to do so, I'd probably use a quickie lube but I would be all over supervising.

 

[super20dan]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete

I dont take any car to quickie oil change place, much less a high end car that a shop like this has never seen or worked on before. The owner is not very bright. If he is under his car every week as he claims, why doesnt he just change the oil himself? The fact that the shop offered an oil change for less than what it would have cost him to buy the supplies was a dead giveaway of things to come. Surely they did not use vw 502.00 approved oil either.

+1 on this

 

[hattaresguy]

Originally Posted By: Bladecutter

Originally Posted By: hattaresguy

The lesson here is he should have just paid Audi the $200 they get for an oil change, or bought a topsider and did it himself for $80, or found a proper shop that works on high end cars to do it for somewhere in between. Expensive lesson.

Actually, after everything is said and done, all of this probably didn't cost him a single penny. The dealer was paid by the Valvoline shop, and you and I both wouldn't have paid Valvoline a single penny if that happened to one of our cars. Free service of the transmission, free oil change, and a new underpan. BC.

Good point, still a massive PITA.

 

[DoubleWasp]

Originally Posted By: Bladecutter

Originally Posted By: hattaresguy

The lesson here is he should have just paid Audi the $200 they get for an oil change, or bought a topsider and did it himself for $80, or found a proper shop that works on high end cars to do it for somewhere in between. Expensive lesson.

Actually, after everything is said and done, all of this probably didn't cost him a single penny. The dealer was paid by the Valvoline shop, and you and I both wouldn't have paid Valvoline a single penny if that happened to one of our cars. Free service of the transmission, free oil change, and a new underpan. BC.

I'd rather pay the money and live my life without that whole experience. You can bet if he ever has a transmission issue, this is going to come flyind back into his face again.

 

[DoubleWasp]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete

If I read his comments correctly, he did not start the car after the shop got done with it. He had it flat bedded to an Audi dealer instead where they did a full oil change and trans fluid change. The DSG trans had no fluid in it, according to Audi service.

Allegedly, he drove his car to the shop with the entire crankcase drowning in oil, because that's the only way it's going to overflow quickly after a person starts putting oil in an undrained engine.

 

[philipp10]

Originally Posted By: hattaresguy

Originally Posted By: philipp10

I still have not seen an answer of why a transmission fill, oil change and plastic cover run $1442.00....

That's what it costs to own a big boy toy. I have not seen the invoice but it probably breaks down kind of like this: $200 oil change. $850-$950 for the DSG service. $400ish for the pan/fasteners and labor. Book time is probably a half an hour @ $120ish an hour. It actually cost him another $70 or whatever he paid the quick change shop, plus a tow, plus his time. The lesson here is he should have just paid Audi the $200 they get for an oil change, or bought a topsider and did it himself for $80, or found a proper shop that works on high end cars to do it for somewhere in between. Expensive lesson.

how can an oil change run $200. Its what 6 or 7 qts synthetic and a filter....lol

 

[Quattro Pete]

Not sure what the book says, but i would not be surprised if audi charged an hour of labor for oil change, so thats about $150 right there.

 

[lubricatosaurus]

Originally Posted By: philipp10

how can an oil change run $200. Its what 6 or 7 qts synthetic and a filter....lol

Audi and BMW dealerships don't have to use cheap oil changes as a lure to get customers to come in for other routine maintenance/inspections (upselling). Those owners likely mind their expensive iron's needs anyway. Therefore, they charge an arm+leg. DIY is really not that tough most of the time, at least on BMWs, as most I've seen even have the oil filter top-side for ease of replacement, and really not much else to do except drain, fill, and, oh, reset the oil quality level sensor algorithms.....

 

[Alfred_B]

Yes, DIY oil change is very easy on BMW or Audi with a Mityvac.

 

[lubricatosaurus]

Originally Posted By: Alfred_B

Yes, DIY oil change is very easy on BMW or Audi with a Mityvac.

BMW's don't have a dipstick, so no Mityvac. Audi's do I guess.

 

[deven]

Originally Posted By: philipp10

I still have not seen an answer of why a transmission fill, oil change and plastic cover run $1442.00....

It's an Audi. They price gouge. My tint guy, when tinting the back window took out these 2 triangular shaped covers on the clock pillar which were 3 inches by 4 inches and when he put it back on the clips got deformed and rattled. I got the part numbers and tried to order thru Audi and each piece at cost price was $760. I kid you not.