Audi service plans - compulsory?

Cyrus · 25-07-2022 12:58pm #1

Just ordering a new car and have been told again service plan is compulsory , seems rubbish value at 750 quid on an ev …

anyone managed to avoid this ?

bazz26 · 25-07-2022 1:20pm

Is it being bought through PCP finance?

I think alot of PCP agreements require that the car be serviced at the main dealer for the duration of the PCP term just like damage repair work. Never heard of it being compulsary to take out a service pack however but it's usually offered when sigining up to the PCP deal for an extra amount on the monthly repayments which works out cheaper than paying seperately for each service.

Do you know is it compulsary on any ICE Audi cars or just their EVs as the sinic would say that it might be a way of getting more money out of the customer for servicing depite there being less oily bits in EVs.

Cyrus · 25-07-2022 1:41pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119385029#Comment_119385029

Yes it’s pcp

that’s probably it!

bazz26 · 25-07-2022 1:51pm

I'd say so. Similar with crash repair work, usually has to go through the manufacturer's autherised repair centre.

CreadanLady · 25-07-2022 1:52pm

Absolutely just a money grabbing tactic. There is almost no servicing in an EV except for the brakes. There are no filters, no oils, no belts, no spark plugs. Nothing. But dealers still want to have their fist of cash. Pollen filter maybe, but that isn't exactly an essential item.

And the motor/gearbox, inverter and battery do not contain any serviceable or repairable parts. If there is a fault, that whole module comes out and is replaced.

i wouldn't be surprised if some manufacturers will start programming cars with what essentially would amount to ransomware in that it would notify of an upcoming service interval and if you go past it by a certain amount the car will go into some sort of limp mode or the range and/or charging speed will be cut back so that you are basically forced into going to a main dealer for some bogus "service" when they will reset the service interval to restore the car's range an performance.

And the usual piss poor excuse will be that "oh we value our customers safety above all else, and we couldn't guarantee the safety of the EV unless it is thoroughly inspected and tested by highly trained technicians every 6 months" sh!te talk. Said "expert technician" then is probably some young lad who was too thick to do anything else so went with the lowest paying trade available where all he has to do is swap the parts the computer tells him to like a lego set with an audio guide - motor mechanic.

zg3409 · 26-07-2022 8:54am

Many EVs have 15,000 service interval while Tesla has no service interval with some things needing to be checked at 100,000km.

I would ask car sales person how much is the service costs if you pay for each one separately. They often pluck numbers out if their backside for EVs and give out reports saying "oil changed" etc.

CreadanLady · 26-07-2022 10:27am

An awful lot of the dealer service schedule items are pure and utter spoofery.

You see reports yapping on about checking wiper condition and function, and checking brake fluid levels, aiming lights etc.

Pure and utter garbage that none of them will even half think of checking. They just do the oil and if you are lucky they will change the filter.

Most of these dealer service packages are up there with those pre-NCT checks. Meaningless, valueless money spinners cooked up by professional spoofers.

Even on those all-fluid services where they are supposed to change the brake fluid and so on - sure you have no way of knowing whether they actually did do it or not because it is not easy to check. At worst they will do nothing but still charge you for it, and at realistic best they might just suck out the musty stuff in the reservoir and top it back up with with new fluid, leaving the manky stuff in the lines because they don't want the time consuming and messy job of bleeding out the lines.

R.O.R · 26-07-2022 1:16pm

We were told a couple of months ago that the service pack is mandatory @ €750 on to of the delivery charge. It was when the E-Tron was first released (so we were told), then it wasn't, now it is again (apparently) .

Year 1: Inspection - Safety, tyre & battery health check (wiper blade replacement if required)

Year 2: Service including Pollen Filter and Brake Fluid replacement (wiper blade replacement if required)

Year 3: Inspection - Safety, tyre & battery health check (wiper blade replacement if required)

Year 4: Service including Pollen Filter and Brake Fluid replacement (wiper blade replacement if required)

If you are keeping the car for 4 years, it doesn't seem bad value for money. Not great value, but not bad value and I doubt you'll be able to keep the service history as it should be, for less money than that. You aren't going to be able to take an E-Tron to an indy to get the correct service work done.

The other part of the offer is a replacement set of tyres for €750 - regardless of what size alloys are on the car. If you plan on doing more than 30,000km in the car, it's a no brainer to take the tyres as there's not a hope of getting a full set of decent replacement tyres for an E-Tron for less than €750

bazz26 · 26-07-2022 1:42pm

I've read that a dealer's service and parts departments can be the most profitable areas of their business and have even kept some going during the last recession when the forecourts were quiet. I'd imagine going forward that aspect of any draw by a dealer to a carry a brand franchise would need to be maintained irrespective of the vehicle having a tail pipe or not. If there is not enough money in it for dealers in other areas other than selling a brand from their showroom then manufacturers will struggle to attract dealers to the franchise especially when you consider the heavy money they have to spend on glass palaces, equipment, hiring, training, etc. for the franchises.

Quin_Dub · 26-07-2022 1:51pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119389647#Comment_119389647

There is definitely a challenge for dealers in a future EV world - The service requirements are fairly negligible compared to a standard ICE car and it will be interesting to see how they try and make up for that.

Packages like the above seem to be an attempt to do just that.

The Car manufacturers are already starting move to a world where the cars are all shipped with exactly the same components and extras etc. but the buyers will have to sign up to subscription services to activate them.

The "options list" in future will become a list of available subscriptions.

zg3409 · 26-07-2022 2:41pm

>Year 1: Inspection - Safety, tyre & battery >health check (wiper blade replacement if

This is 2 minute job. The battery checks itself. You can check tyres yourself to some level. Wiper blades aftermarket less than 25 euro.

>Year 2: Service including Pollen Filter and >Brake Fluid replacement (wiper blade >replacement if required)

Pollen filter can be replaced with no tools on some cars from inside the cabin, no need to pop the bonnet and I got one for 10 euro delivered. Brake fluid replacement is one man job with right gear say 20 minutes max.

>Year 3: Inspection - Safety, tyre & battery >health check (wiper blade replacement if

Again nothing

>Year 4: Service including Pollen Filter and >Brake Fluid replacement (wiper blade >replacement if required)

If they went all out it's an hour's work, basically NCT + changing a liquid, that many cars never change.

I have seen literally hundreds of pages of reports given to drivers, often automated rubbish from diagnostics and big check lists with things like engine oil changed on an EV with no engine oil.

I understand everyone needs to make a living but dealers are charging 200 euro for oil changes and software updates should be free anyway. Prices vary even between main dealers for same job and you can haggle. Needless to say I avoid dealers like the plague and I question everything. Some even have a miscellaneous cost for disposable gloves, oil disposal, paper seat protectors but then give a free wash (with scratches).

Beware some dealers put on the cheapest tyres known to man, some were not even legal in the EU and failed NCT when new!

Cyrus · 26-07-2022 2:58pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119389424#Comment_119389424

750 is without tyres , 1500 with (used to be 1,000)

sorry I misread you meant 750 extra for tyres, it used to be 1k all in though not 1500.

User1998 · 26-07-2022 3:19pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119389424#Comment_119389424

Seems awful value to me. Your paying €750 for two pollen filters which are definitely not needed and a break fluid change which is arguably not really needed either after such a short period of time.

I also get the feeling that the optional stuff such as tyres and wiper blades will only be changed if very very necessary. Whereas if you went for a regular service that didn’t include these items they would try tell you that they are definitely required and almost force you into buying them.

Quin_Dub · 26-07-2022 3:37pm

It's €750 for 4 visits and the only real "service items" are the two Brake fluid refills which you'd expect to get done for less than €150 each under normal circumstances even allowing for the "main dealer surcharge" prices.

€450 is very very expensive for a few pollen filters and some visual inspections.

bazz26 · 26-07-2022 4:48pm

I paid €93 for a brake fluid change on my ICE car at my local BMW dealer last month. Seems half way reasonable compared to some of the prices being mentioned above.

Whocare · 26-07-2022 10:19pm

Sounds to me op can't afford car in first place crying over €750 for yearly service safety check for 4 years that only €187 a year come on now like .who in there right mind would have problem paying €187 a year for a mechanic to look over the car

Cyrus · 27-07-2022 6:13am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119392139#Comment_119392139

just because I can afford the car doesn’t mean I throw money around without questioning it. I won’t have the car 4 years so it’s not 187 a year it’ll amount to 750 for one service most likely which is more than it would cost to have that service done.

Brian Scan · 27-07-2022 7:17am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119392139#Comment_119392139

Good man.

kirving · 27-07-2022 7:33am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119385347#Comment_119385347

What causes you to say mechanics are thick?

carsfan2 · 27-07-2022 8:22am

1500 for4 inspections and a set of tyres isn’t bad on a premium car and it’ll help residually to have it, I would have thought.

that said it’s bit high handed of Audi to make it mandatory, but not surprising.

is it another e tron Cyrus?

Cyrus · 27-07-2022 8:24am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119392801#Comment_119392801

Yes potentially, my issue is i paid 1k the last time on the basis that it was good value with the tyres but i wont have the car long enough to get them (or dont do enough mileage) so i got one service for a grand ( now im sure it factors into my trade in someway).

Yes its a 55 sportback sline this time, got a very good trade on in the 50 and YOLO i suppose!

carsfan2 · 27-07-2022 9:29am

very nice choice.

Could you negotiate a bit of discount on the basis you didn’t use the service plan on the last car. Maybe 500 quid off for goodwill?

other than that I think you’re stuck with the charge. It’s another add on I’m afraid to the bottom line.

DaveyDave · 27-07-2022 9:54am

Same experience with the Cupra Born, mandatory €800 service plan in the delivery fee. It covers 4 tyres, brake fluid, front brake pads, cabin filter and wipers. 20" tyres are pricey so it works out ok but it means being tied to crap EV tyres with less tread depth and poor wet grip. On the ID.3 it's included in the delivery fee as standard but you can request it to be removed.

None of the ICE cars have it. I'm surprised there isn't some sort of consumer protection against being forced into paying for stuff like that.

Quin_Dub · 27-07-2022 10:55am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119393212#Comment_119393212

800 including tyres isn't too bad as you wouldn't even get generic 20" tyres for less than 200 a piece these days especially if they are run-flats.

Hellrazer · 28-07-2022 6:12am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119392540#Comment_119392540

Id be questioning is it even legal to make someone buy a service plan. A lot of my customers only hold on to a car for a year and opt out of the service plans (its optional) as they would be paying 500.00 for a single service assuming they change every year. I charge 129-149 for the first service so in effect they only pay that for their lifetime of the car.,

Making the purchase mandatory even goes against the rules set out in block exemption ie in that you can get the car serviced anywhere with "similar quality parts" - in this case though its 2 pollen filters and a brake fluid change - very easy to get similar quality pollen filters and brake fluid for a lot less than 750.00!!! They could argue about the software updates and diagnostic but I doubt they`d have a leg to stand on in the case of a warranty claim.

donkey balls · 28-07-2022 11:13am

Had something similar last year from an AUDI dealer left it in for the service, Then get a call and an e mail on things needed to be done.

Total costs if I went ahead with it was around €3k they had things like the timing belt (Car had 70ish km on it) told them to just carry out basic service, As I would get our engineering dept to throw the car on the ramp to check it out.

Then this year I sent the carn for the engine gear box oil change,Collected the car and the young lad said car is in great condition and nothing else needs to be done to it.

The warranty elapsed this year so dont know wether I get AUDI to still service it or go to an independent.

goochy · 29-07-2022 10:16am

car is on PCP , so they can put any clause in contract as they own the car.

DaveyDave · 29-07-2022 11:27am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119402834#Comment_119402834

Nothing to do with PCP, you'd be paying the same if you paid with your own cash, it's pretty much a requirement for ordering. They're just milking people going for EVs.