Fixed or Flexible Service Schedule

[AlwaysBeenS3]

My oil light has come on and is only 10 months old with 13000 miles on it (so already over the 10k per annum stated on the audi website https://www.audi.co.uk/owners-area/servicing-maintenance-mot/servicing-your-audi.html)

I believe the car should be on the flexible service schedule and so should not be due a service

Audi are trying to charge me £288 for just an oil change!!

The oil light came on the last car I had and VW simply reset the light at around the same mileage and told me to come back at 18k

Thoughts?

 

[oli356]

I'd probably just wait till 19k and then go for a inspection/oil change.

 

[AlS3BE]

As far as I know variable servicing is not fixed at 18k. Think the max is 18k for long life service but how it should work is it uses a host of data like sensors for dirty oil, hard high revving acceleration, hot/cold cycles short trips etc and it will tell you to service it when certain parameters are met.
I prefer the old fashion fixed 9-10k service alternating from a small oil change to the major for the next 10k.

 

[KenL]

I do 11-12k per year mostly pottering along the motorway. I am on flexible service.

Less hassle(& cost) and I'll only need 1 service during my max 3 year pcp.

 

[AlwaysBeenS3]

I'd probably just wait till 19k and then go for a inspection/oil change.

Yeah this is what i wanted to do but how do I go about getting Audi to reset the light and send me on my way until 19k?

I do a mix of driving so was suprised with the light coming on so early but understand the bit about sensors and driving style triggering service light

 

[oli356]

Yeah this is what i wanted to do but how do I go about getting Audi to reset the light and send me on my way until 19k?

I do a mix of driving so was suprised with the light coming on so early but understand the bit about sensors and driving style triggering service light

I think even things like Carista can reset the light, even Audi might do it ...?
I thought the cars by default were on the flexible by default though.

 

[AlwaysBeenS3]

Yeah i thought they were on flexible as default

The coding i got through the online tracking stated also it would be flexible by default

 

[KenL]

They are meant to be flexible but my dealer set mine to be fixed despite me telling them more than once I wanted flexible.

 

[AlS3BE]

Yeah this is what i wanted to do but how do I go about getting Audi to reset the light and send me on my way until 19k?

I do a mix of driving so was suprised with the light coming on so early but understand the bit about sensors and driving style triggering service light

Can you not reset it on the mmi?
Used to do that on my A6.

 

[KenL]

You can reset oil change indicator but you can't change the setting from fixed to flexible.

Looking at the OP, I wonder why the oil change didn't flag up at 9 or 10k miles!

 

[Carefree69]

I do 11-12k per year mostly pottering along the motorway. I am on flexible service.

Less hassle(& cost) and I'll only need 1 service during my max 3 year pcp.

Ditto.

 

[Matt Titanium]

I'd be wary of resetting the oil service indicator if you value your warranty.
The car works out the oil life depending on how the car has been driven. That's why it's called flexible. 13/14k seems about normal unless you do a lot of long distance motorway driving.
Turbo bearings need decent lubrication if you expect them to last.

 

[AllanG]

Yeah this is what i wanted to do but how do I go about getting Audi to reset the light and send me on my way until 19k?

I have this problem on my Mk2 Q5, which should have been set to variable service intervals, but is showing mileage for fixed on the MMI service notification, so I popped into Audi Portsmouth, and they said no problem, just bring the car in when it's showing a service is due, and we'll reset it to the next service interval, which should then also align with the inspection service......which is what I want.

 

[Phutters]

I'd be wary of resetting the oil service indicator if you value your warranty.
The car works out the oil life depending on how the car has been driven. That's why it's called flexible. 13/14k seems about normal unless you do a lot of long distance motorway driving.
Turbo bearings need decent lubrication if you expect them to last.

I can't help feeling that sometimes the 'flexible' option just encourages those with short arms and deep pockets to put off having a car serviced for as long as possible.

I don't pretend to be an expert, but I've never been comfortable with the notion that oil will last for not far short of twenty thousand miles, even if most of those miles are spent in mind-numbing motorway driving.

And neither do I pretend to be a model of virtue in making sure that all the cars in our family get an oil and filter change once a year, irrespective of how far they've been driven.

To go as far as describing it as having mechanical empathy is a bit smug, but I don't think there's much doubt that a car which has been driven sympathetically and serviced regularly is more likely to repay that kind of treatment than one which hasn't.

I can't see any sense in being a cheapskate when it comes to maintaining something which is costing you tens of thousands of pounds.

Having said that, I'm not advocating paying the inflated (and, to me at least, unjustifiable) prices that dealerships seem to want to charge when you can get a routine oil and filter change - using a genuine filter and decent quality oil of the correct specification - done at a reputable independent for less than a hundred notes, and without compromising your warranty.

Sure, for the sake of neatness it's grand if that garage can update the electronic service record, but I honestly can't ever see not having that done as being an issue if you buy yourself a duplicate service book and get it stamped.

You know, like it used to be back in the days of yore when a service book and a sheaf of grubby invoices held together with a paper clip was all the evidence there was, and nobody asked for more.

 

[AlS3BE]

I think there’s a few issues here.
Op is set on variable and doesn’t want to service the car even though it’s telling it needs one.

Other issue is people set to fixed servicing ~9k and want the variable service which is closer to 18k.

Biggest problem is everyone is on a lease or pcp and gonna hand the car back at end of term so don’t give a monkeys on the longevity of the engine/car as failures won’t happen while in their ownership and they are trying the so hard not to spend money on the car. Can you guys publish your reg or vin so people can avoid these cars like the plague.

 

[Phutters]

Biggest problem is everyone is on a lease or pcp and gonna hand the car back at end of term so don’t give a monkeys on the longevity of the engine/car as failures won’t happen while in their ownership and they are trying the so hard not to spend money on the car.

If people are trying so hard not to spend money on a car, why didn't they buy a cheaper one in the first place?

Yours sincerely,

Devil's Advocate

.

 

[wab172uk]

I think there’s a few issues here.
Op is set on variable and doesn’t want to service the car even though it’s telling it needs one.

Other issue is people set to fixed servicing ~9k and want the variable service which is closer to 18k.

Biggest problem is everyone is on a lease or pcp and gonna hand the car back at end of term so don’t give a monkeys on the longevity of the engine/car as failures won’t happen while in their ownership and they are trying the so hard not to spend money on the car. Can you guys publish your reg or vin so people can avoid these cars like the plague.

Nail on head.

Sound like the OP is just being tight. If the car says it needs an oil change, get it changed.

I got the dealer to set my S3 to fixed servicing. I don't do big miles, as I work from home. But the car gets a service every 12 months without fail. I'd rather pay more money than someone else on a variable service plan, so I have peace of mind that my car is in tip top condition.

When I used to drive to work, and did about 12,000 miles a year, I always got an oil and filter change every 6 months on all my cars. Dealer would say, you don't need one, so why bother. Because I choose to, and as it's my car, I'll make sure I look after it.

But all my car's have been bought, and not leased. So as said, that my make the difference to peoples thoughts. same as tuning a car, then sticking it back to standard at the end of the PCP deal. I'm ok, screw the next guy.

 

[AlS3BE]

If people are trying so hard not to spend money on a car, why didn't they buy a cheaper one in the first place?

Yours sincerely,

Devil's Advocate

.

Cause they want that premium badge, keeping up with the Jones, trying to impress etc but don’t want the premium costs that go with it. To be fair a Toyota/Honda isn’t that much cheaper to service.
Another side of it is with leases and pcp it makes it cheap to own an expensive car. An s3 on pcp can be had for £3-400 a month. If it was hire purchase/loan funded then it would be closer to £7-800 a month which won’t be affordable. Cars have just become another utility.
It’s like people buying old Aston or Bentleys, yes you can pick them up for cheap but you are still maintaining a £100k+ cars so parts and servicing isn’t cheap.

 

[Phutters]

Cars have just become another utility.

Indeed. I was. just playing devil's advocate, though to some degree I have a little bit of difficulty with the notion that a car has become nothing more than a disposable item.

But compared to a lot of peeps on here I'm very, very, very. old, and I scrimped and saved to buy my first car - a Morris Minor - some time back in the eighteenth century.

.

 

[oli356]

I suppose I would always wonder if the car actually needs it. Like if the cars computer says it needs an oil change, does it need it then? There is obviously the time interval (xx months) but then what else is there to say the car needs an oil change? Every time I mention oil quality sensors the answer seems to be the car doesn't have them, so unless there is low oil, then how does the car know?

## Not very technically minded so I am actually asking a question =) ##

 

[AlS3BE]

I would say I’m a car enthusiast and have lots of mechanical sympathy.
Always looked after my car whether it was owned or on pcp. It’s almost regimental. 10k service every time almost without fail.
My old golf made it to 190k and probably still with me if it wasn’t some idiot driving into the side of it and wrote it off. This always had a full service every 10k. Parts was cheap enough and I could do it all myself.
My old Honda had 140k before it needed a head gasket and this was used as a track car. Serviced every 5k.
I always believe if you look after cars it will look after you. I use my cars for business and can’t have it breaking down on me so Maintenance regime is very strict

 

[kalniel]

First oil service is always (and should be) much sooner than the usual interval. You want as much protection as you can while everything beds in. I drive almost exclusively on dual carriageways so the car is happy to go right up to 19k miles on flexible, but it still wanted me to have my first service at 9k. Get it done at least as often as recommended, if you don't like the price, shop around and get audi to price match.

 

[AlS3BE]

I still remember the days when you had to do a 1000mile service on a new car

 

[KenL]

I still remember the days when you had to do a 1000mile service on a new car

So do I but engined are built to far tighter tolerances and the oil is far better quality.

If the manufacturer and the cars algorithms tell me it can run for 18k miles without an oil change that works for me.

 

[Sparks43]

My oil light has come on and is only 10 months old with 13000 miles on it (so already over the 10k per annum stated on the audi website https://www.audi.co.uk/owners-area/servicing-maintenance-mot/servicing-your-audi.html)

I believe the car should be on the flexible service schedule and so should not be due a service

Audi are trying to charge me £288 for just an oil change!!

The oil light came on the last car I had and VW simply reset the light at around the same mileage and told me to come back at 18k

Thoughts?

One thing is that depending when the car was PDI'd before you collected because that's when they set the car up and the clock is ticking so could be 2 -4 weeks behind already i.e car came in to the dealer in August but you waited until 1st September for pick up.

I would also agree with the others in that your driving style/miles etc has a lot to do with it - 10 months will be 11 months if you wait the 30 days before getting it serviced and it will be on 15000 miles by then so by my maths you would get to 13 months at best by the time you hit 19000 miles anyway which is the flexible service 2 years or 19000 miles whichever comes sooner (well that's what it used to be) + new engine bedding in might be best to get it changed anyway

Price is high for an oil change I agree and you need to phone different dealers within a 30 mile radius I think for comparisons

 

[AlS3BE]

So do I but engined are built to far tighter tolerances and the oil is far better quality.

If the manufacturer and the cars algorithms tell me it can run for 18k miles without an oil change that works for me.

The 18k is more a Euro bureaucrat nonsense to reduce carbon footprint.
I understand that oil and manufacturing tech have move on a bit from using caster oil in the engines but cause these tolerances are a lot tighter any crap in the oil will become more detrimental in the long run.
I think 9-10k is reasonable amount of mileage for an oil change.

 

[AlS3BE]

Price is high for an oil change I agree and you need to phone different dealers within a 30 mile radius I think for comparisons

Last oil change cost me about £130 at a dealers and the A6 v6 uses a lot more oil than the s3. Original quote was like £350. Also got the big service for around £280.
Just be prepared to haggle with them. I always try my best to get the best price for stuff, part of my job, also helped I bought 3 cars from them.

 

[Ron240]

I still remember the days when you had to do a 1000mile service on a new car

So do I....but it was usually a free one so wasn't so bad.
It was the subsequent 6 monthly servicing that was a pain.....but it was normal at the time so didn't know any different.

 

[AlS3BE]

So do I....but it was usually a free one so wasn't so bad.
It was the subsequent 6 monthly servicing that was a pain.....but it was normal at the time so didn't know any different.

Old evos had a 4500 mile service and that needed the ayc and other crap done at the same time. Servicing cost more than the petrol it used :-o

 

[Ron240]

One thing is that depending when the car was PDI'd before you collected because that's when they set the car up and the clock is ticking so could be 2 -4 weeks behind already i.e car came in to the dealer in August but you waited until 1st September for pick up.

This is exactly the situation I will be in.
My car was in stock at a sister dealer to the one I bought from. It was registered and I took delivery on 31st May, but the fixed service interval is counting down to early/mid March so that is around 11 weeks early.
I believe the countdown should have been reset when my car was registered/picked up, so when the time comes I will speak to Audi about this because it will be silly to service a less than 10 month old car(from first registration) that will only have covered around around 4000 sympathetic miles.
My first service is free so money is not the issue.

 

[AlS3BE]

This is exactly the situation I will be in.
My car was in stock at a sister dealer to the one I bought from. It was registered and I took delivery on 31st May, but the fixed service interval is counting down to early/mid March so that is around 11 weeks early.
I believe the countdown should have been reset when my car was registered/picked up, so when the time comes I will speak to Audi about this because it will be silly to service a 10 month old car(from first registration) that will only have covered around around 4000 miles.
My first service is free so money is not the issue.

I would still do it as it’s the first service. Need to flush all the crap out as the engine has bedded in etc.

 

[Ron240]

I would still do it as it’s the first service. Need to flush all the **** out as the engine has bedded in etc.

I hear what you're saying, but the difference in my case is only around 2 months/less than 1000 miles. Some cars are allowed to go up to 2 years/18000 miles before a first service.
It just suits me better to have my service at the end of May rather than early March.

 

[Matt Titanium]

I suppose I would always wonder if the car actually needs it. Like if the cars computer says it needs an oil change, does it need it then? There is obviously the time interval (xx months) but then what else is there to say the car needs an oil change? Every time I mention oil quality sensors the answer seems to be the car doesn't have them, so unless there is low oil, then how does the car know?

## Not very technically minded so I am actually asking a question =) ##

Your car never needs an oil change. It should happily run for 50000 miles or more with no problems. The issue is that the sh1t that you failed to flush out, the complete lack of detergent in the oil, the emulsified water and questionable lubricating properties of what is left will mean that the next owner will need a new turbo very soon
and be lucky to get another 30000 miles out of the engine - however often he changes the oil because the damage has already been done.
Flexible servicing is totally geared to fleet buyers who are interested in the overall ownership costs over 2 or 3 years.

 

[Phutters]

Flexible servicing is totally geared to fleet buyers who are interested in the overall ownership costs over 2 or 3 years.

That's it. Right there.

.

 

[oli356]

Why don't Audi recommend a yearly oil change for everyone then regardless of mileage?
They love to take our money after all... What if the warranty was several years instead of 3, I wonder if the servicing recommendation would be different.

But yeah with most people having cars on finance it really is passing on potential issues I suppose. My car isn't, so I do need to think about it a bit more, probably do another oil change around 13k (last done at 18/19) and then I imagine I will be changing before it gets to 40 anyway when the big service is needed.

And why don't audi do like 3 year service plans for S and RS cars... Don't understand that logic.

Edit: maybe they don't want us to service regularly so when things break out of warranty we have to pay them a fortune to fix
Though services are easy money.

 

[AlS3BE]

Your car never needs an oil change. It should happily run for 50000 miles or more with no problems. The issue is that the sh1t that you failed to flush out, the complete lack of detergent in the oil, the emulsified water and questionable lubricating properties of what is left will mean that the next owner will need a new turbo very soon
and be lucky to get another 30000 miles out of the engine - however often he changes the oil because the damage has already been done.
Flexible servicing is totally geared to fleet buyers who are interested in the overall ownership costs over 2 or 3 years.

A guy I used to worked with had a Nissan Almera or sunny and in 10 years of owning it he never serviced it or did anything with it unless it was necessary like tyres and mot and occasion screewash and oil top up and that was some Tesco branded oil as well. Last I saw this car it was on well over 100k and still running.
Makes you think doesn’t it

 

[Matt Titanium]

A guy I used to worked with had a Nissan Almera or sunny and in 10 years of owning it he never serviced it or did anything with it unless it was necessary like tyres and mot and occasion screewash and oil top up and that was some Tesco branded oil as well. Last I saw this car it was on well over 100k and still running.
Makes you think doesn’t it

Something doesn't add up with that story. Everyone knows Jap engines never leak or burn oil. Why did he claim to be topping it up.

 

[AlS3BE]

Something doesn't add up with that story. Everyone knows Jap engines never leak or burn oil. Why did he claim to be topping it up.

Must have been a Renault engine.
Maybe not cause it wouldn’t have lasted 100k

 

[Sparks43]

Why don't Audi recommend a yearly oil change for everyone then regardless of mileage?
They love to take our money after all... What if the warranty was several years instead of 3, I wonder if the servicing recommendation would be different.

But yeah with most people having cars on finance it really is passing on potential issues I suppose. My car isn't, so I do need to think about it a bit more, probably do another oil change around 13k (last done at 18/19) and then I imagine I will be changing before it gets to 40 anyway when the big service is needed.

And why don't audi do like 3 year service plans for S and RS cars... Don't understand that logic.

Edit: maybe they don't want us to service regularly so when things break out of warranty we have to pay them a fortune to fix
Though services are easy money.

They do service plans for the S3 as I had one which was a joke really - I paid £15 per month so £180 in the pot when the 1st service came up (12 months - I do low mileage short trips) which clearly isn't enough if you go by the quotes people are getting - I asked my mate who is a Mastertech and he said we will have to get parts and service department to reduce their costs to accommodate - Ridiculous

Also Audi do a £199 Oil Change if the car is 3 years or over to keep it in the dealer network - If that's what it costs just do that for everyone - It's the same Oil and Filter for crying out loud

 

[Sparks43]

This is exactly the situation I will be in.
My car was in stock at a sister dealer to the one I bought from. It was registered and I took delivery on 31st May, but the fixed service interval is counting down to early/mid March so that is around 11 weeks early.
I believe the countdown should have been reset when my car was registered/picked up, so when the time comes I will speak to Audi about this because it will be silly to service a less than 10 month old car(from first registration) that will only have covered around around 4000 sympathetic miles.
My first service is free so money is not the issue.

You are quite right they should have reset it but they never do -I contacted them and let it run over a few days and then when it went in for service they set it for 365 days from then - However you will need to find someone with a brain and a tech who knows how to get into the system to do this - Not just the standard reset

Good Luck!!