MOT Advisory

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deafaudi

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Hello everyone!

This is my first posting. I have Audi A3 2005. It came back from major service and MOT at my local Audi (Cardiff)

It has listed these following and placed on my MOT advisory..

Both rear coil spring corroded

Both rear suspension arm rubber bush deteriorated but not resulting in excessive movement.

Not listed on MOT

front and rear toe out of alignment.

Naturally this came as a bit of shock as with other work such as brake pad, new tyre, cam belt etc they are asking £1,700 in total.

I am wondering if it is wise get them to do it or would I be better off getting local garage to do the work for less?

Any advice would be appreciated.

Jeff
 
deafaudi said:
Hello everyone!

This is my first posting. I have Audi A3 2005. It came back from major service and MOT at my local Audi (Cardiff)

It has listed these following and placed on my MOT advisory..

Both rear coil spring corroded

Both rear suspension arm rubber bush deteriorated but not resulting in excessive movement.

Not listed on MOT

front and rear toe out of alignment.

Naturally this came as a bit of shock as with other work such as brake pad, new tyre, cam belt etc they are asking £1,700 in total.

I am wondering if it is wise get them to do it or would I be better off getting local garage to do the work for less?

Any advice would be appreciated.

Jeff
Click to expand...
That sounds like a lot to me I think you could a few quid sourcing parts and some where else to fit.
I maybe wrong but sure there is a saving.
 
Welcome to the forum.

Given the volume of work needed you probably need to find yourself a good local independent garage that specialises in Audi or VAG. Something like these guys (I haven't used them so can't vouch for how good or bad they are).

http://www.audi-diagnostics.co.uk/AudiServicing.aspx

Hopefully someone will come along who is local to you with specific recommendations for garages.

All of the issues you mention don't really need specialist Audi knowledge. If like me you don't get your hands dirty then building up a good relationship with the garage you trust to service your car without fleecing you is paramount. I always advocate going to a dealer for servicing on cars up to say 5 or 6 year old. After that the value of the car starts to weigh heavily against paying dealer prices for wear and tear items.

As for tyres you need to find a good local independent tyre place. Try shopping around for quotes.
 
Thank you for your replies...

I have learnt my lesson for attending local garage and paid much more in the end.

Audi so far has been good. Yes it is pricey...

I am not sure if it is better to go to Audi for spring coil, roll bar and cam belt and everything else can be done elsewhere?

I guess I am a bit concern how long I can leave it for before the damage get worse and start to affect the car.

I am now wondering if the car is now 'old' and I would be better off getting a newer model..
 
After a cars warranty has run out, there is no point or need to go to Audi.
Get some quotes from a local Audi specialist.
At Audi you're paying extra to fund the free coffee machines in the waiting area.
Most specialists are ex Audi/VW technicians anyway.
 
Dan-Jnr said:
After a cars warranty has run out, there is no point or need to go to Audi.
Get some quotes from a local Audi specialist.
At Audi you're paying extra to fund the free coffee machines in the waiting area.
Most specialists are ex Audi/VW technicians anyway.
Click to expand...

Thanks... if they say that they are using genuine parts. Does this means that they use Audi parts?
 
Yeah they are ordered in from TPS. They supply all genuine VAG parts.
 
Thank you so much I have emailed http://www.audi-diagnostics.co.uk and see what they come up with. It would be interested to see how much cheaper they will be.

I am still undecided if should go with them for cam belt or go with Audi.
 
Not sure that I agree with you all on avoiding the Audi dealership once the car gets a bit old. I have a Golf GTi 1.8T that I bought new in 1998. It has only had work done at the VW garage and I have had no problems with jobs not being done correctly. The car drives perfectly and I am still very pleased with it. As I have built up a relationship with the garage I am often able to negotiate the price and they will often price match things like tyres.
On the other hand, my son had an R32. The crankshaft oil seal was leaking and he could not afford the VW price. He took it to a "well respected" independent and after driving home and inspecting the job, there was CV grease sprayed around as the driveshaft CV boot had been nicked. They replaced the boot but manner from the boss was not good in that he said that many places would have not fixed the boot for free. As you can imagine, I disagreed as it was obviously done by the technician as the bolts were tightened up. Consequently, I am unlikely to go there again.
 
same thing could easily happen at an audi garage , all it takes is a trainee to be the one doing the work and not visually inspecting it afterwards . tps as you have heard supply vag groups parts at prices alot cheaper than the dealer ship plus you get the same guarantee on parts as you would at the dealers , just pick a reputable garage ,my brother owns a vag specialst garage in south yorkshire . they never advertise anywhere but are usuallly booked up for at least 2 weeks in advance ,as there good name speaks for itself .
 
If audi told me £549 for belt kit I'd tell them straight where to stick it!! Id never let audi touch my car after the warranty is gone.
 
I know we all love our Audis and think they're special but I'm afraid they are just cars and put together like any other. Yes a VAG independent would be advisable for coding etc but for general mechanical repair a good reliable local garage could carry out those tasks and I would say for around 50% cheaper.
 
I had a lot of problems with my last A3 and I always used my local garage, who specialise in nothing. They always did a good job at a fraction of the cost of a dealership and advised me when I would have to go and plug in to VCDS. (They used Ross-Tech, which didn't always sort Audi codes).
My one foray into a local independent, owned by an ex Audi tech, was for a problem with the steering rack, which they wanted £1000.00 to replace. They wouldn't hear my argument that it was an electrical problem and probably not that serious. I came away without the new rack and started digging in the interweb. Turns out that I could get a rack for £250.00 and my local garage could fit for about £450.00.
Just as I was about to buy one, I hit a pot hole on my way home and hey presto, my steering works again perfectly.
I'd be wary of any garage with four rings above the door, they usually have very big windows as well and they know they have you over a barrel.
The exception for me would be any Quattro issues, I might use them for that.
Like most people have already said, once you have a good relationship with a garage, it's probably the best discount you'll ever get.
 
deafaudi said:
Thank you so much I have emailed http://www.audi-diagnostics.co.uk and see what they come up with. It would be interested to see how much cheaper they will be.

I am still undecided if should go with them for cam belt or go with Audi.
Click to expand...

My cam belt + water pump was £325 last year fitted at a local VAG indie run by two ex VW mechanics*. All genuine parts. In fact another time when my fan packed up they ended up having to get it from the stock of the main dealer as they were the only people who had one at short notice. Wasn't a problem at all, seemed to be something they did on a regular basis.

Go find a good indie and build a relationship with them. The best thing is that you'll get the same people working on your car again and again!

Or you could go down to Audi, eye up the ladies on the reception desk, drink their coffee and pay nearly twice the price. Your call.

* The A3 essentially being a posh Golf under the bonnet.
 
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Thanks. Audi Diagnostics got back to me and quoted to replace almost everything bar cam belt for £750 less than Audi dealership... Will make an appointment soon for them to check my car etc...

Didn't expect to make this much saving to be honest.
 
buz said:
I know we all love our Audis and think they're special but I'm afraid they are just cars and put together like any other. Yes a VAG independent would be advisable for coding etc but for general mechanical repair a good reliable local garage could carry out those tasks and I would say for around 50% cheaper.
Click to expand...
I have experienced that non specialists don't know the difference between stretch bolts and normal bolts, correct torque settings for certain components on out cars, bleeding techniques for brakes and clutch. This is the difference between a normal garage and a specialist.
 
chinnyhill10 said:
My cam belt + water pump was £325 last year fitted at a local VAG indie run by two ex VW mechanics*. All genuine parts. In fact another time when my fan packed up they ended up having to get it from the stock of the main dealer as they were the only people who had one at short notice. Wasn't a problem at all, seemed to be something they did on a regular basis.

Go find a good indie and build a relationship with them. The best thing is that you'll get the same people working on your car again and again!

Or you could go down to Audi, eye up the ladies on the reception desk, drink their coffee and pay nearly twice the price. Your call.

* The A3 essentially being a posh Golf under the bonnet.
Click to expand...

I do this, I always have the same guy work on my car as I know his work and know hes an OCD nut who wont do anything less than perfect. I dont even have to say now, they just know, book it in on his ramp. In fact basically my whole family do the same and made sure he does it and now its just automatic, if its going in hes doing it. Youre right its all because weve built the relationship, I suppose it helps that we now do business for each other aswell, most of my family being self employed in various fields we can all help each other out.
 
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