Maintenance Schedule?

[Jemster]

I thought I’d seen this somewhere but didn’t mark it and can’t find it now...

Is there an official Maintenance Schedule document for a 2015 B8.5 A4 tdi quattro kicking around online anywhere? the U.K. Audi site is unsurprisingly obtuse with its pages just telling me how great the dealers are at servicing my Audi

My searches seem to only turn up US service schedules, nothing for UK/EU engines (I’m not sure US even got 177 tdi?) I want to know basics like, frequency of air filter change, fuel filter, etc... i.e. what’s done on each service.

Thanks for any help! (And apologies if this is somewhere obvious!!)

 

[spartacus 68]

Your car could have been on fixed or LongLife oil service schedule. LongLife oil service schedules were introduced primarily because fleet managers wanted to make savings. That's fine for cars 3-4 years old, but then these cars make their way into second hand market and cause issues down the line.

Look to change oil and filter (use genuine) every 10k miles or 12 months whichever is sooner. I use Castrol Edge 5w30 (2 litre 177PS) but as long as it meets VW 507 00 specification, then make your own choice.

Air filter every 2 years, however you can renew more often if you wish. Air cabin filter (charcoal one under passenger footwell), again every 2 years. Fuel filter every 38k miles. You need VCDS software to prime fuel filter. Wipers I'd change annually.

Brake fluid every 2 years. Again you should be checking pads and discs annually. Need VCDS if you're doing rear brakes due to electromechanical handbrake but there is a work around. Any issues with braking, then a proper strip down may be required, lube brake sliders, etc.

Coolant level and power-steering level should be checked periodically along with visual on drive shaft CV gaiters and suspension. Check plenum area between engine and bulkhead for leaves, lube hinges with white grease. Leave glow plugs. No service required unless a fault starts. I've pulled them to clean on previous cars, but if they break, then you're in a world of sh*t.

The toothed belt is every 133k miles according to Audi, but that's like playing Russian roulette. On V6 diesels, then every 80k miles or 5 years and on 4 cylinder diesels every 60k miles or 5 years in my book. Change tensioner pulley, water pump, etc.

If your car is auto transmission, then ATF fluid is every 38k miles.

Quattro system is pretty much maintenance free. At 100k miles you could look to change rear gear oil. Visual inspection for any weeping such as leaking seals around rear diff.

If you're planning to do service DIY, then invest in copy of VCDS software. Very handy to read fault codes, reset service indicator, etc.

 

[Jemster]

Thanks for the info! Is that "official Audi" or a "sensible" service schedule?

The reason I'm asking is because I bought the car at 37k and "serviced" by the supplying garage, but that was only oil & filter change, I got them to do the s-tronic oil too but want to catch up with everything they cut corners on. I know it's not had a pollen filter (but don't care too much about that one) and it's not had the fuel filter done (due by 40k I believe) and have no details of the air filter being changed either.

Audi are offering to do the fuel filter for a mere £105 - I need to find a nearby VAG specialist as I'm not convinced my local garage would have VCDS to prime the filter.

Currently the mpg is woeful, even on long distance cruises, and I want to make sure it's not down to something stupid before going back to Audi again.

I got hold of Carista but can't justify the cost of VCDS to myself at the moment. Perhaps if repeated problems turn up or I do a lot more mileage than I expect, it'll be a worthwhile investment.

 

[spartacus 68]

Hi Jemster - that's my interpretation of 'official Audi' service schedule. I checked my own service book for specification intervals.

My 2012 Allroad (uses same 2.0 litre 177 engine) achieves 500 miles on a full tank, so 40-44mpg on mostly A-roads without a heavy right foot, and in efficient mode. I drive a 6-speed manual, so I'd expect the auto-box to be worse. Remember the A4 diesel Quattro is a heavy car, so don't expect earth-shattering fuel efficiency.

If fuel filter hasn't been done, then it's due now. Before you do, run a can of Forte diesel fuel conditioner through it with fuel light on and drive it hard. It'll smoke a little but clear quickly. Helps clean injectors. Replace filter afterwards and prime first before starting. Treat the car to Shell V-power diesel and see if there's any improvement.

The air filter is a key consumable too, so get that changed. Audi specify every 57,000 miles but that's mad, especially if you've experienced hot, dusty summers. I live in Scotland, so we can pass on that one!

If the pollen filter has not been changed will be black. Dusty, polluted air from outside passes through the filter before it goes through the cabin, so a dirty filter isn't doing what it's supposed too. Relatively easy to change and a genuine filter isn't expensive.

VCDS pays for itself in a couple of years. I had a leak on the panoramic sunroof, so had to disable battery as the car is full of airbags. Refitted everything and an airbag light came on which was cleared and reset with VCDS. Audi would probably charge £65 minimum just to investigate.

 

[Jemster]

I must get a Service Book ... will have to have a word with the original supplying dealer and see if they can do one and stamp it as this Digital Service Record thing isn't practical for those of us who like to keep it all together in one place.

I'd be happy with 500 miles on a full tank to be totally honest. I'm only onto my 3rd tank so far. The first tank was mostly short journeys and commuting and returned me a hugely unimpressive 28.5mpg (from the DIS) - ok, so the car was cold, the weather was cold, my commute is short, but I wasn't overly impressed.

The second tank is the one that's kinda annoyed me. I did a trip to Dublin and back (that's 200 miles, 180 of which is motorway, cruising around 70-75). I did a return trip to Ballycastle that is about 120 miles, 80 on motorway, the rest on good roads, cruising 60-70 for the most part. I managed a couple more shorter round trips and had to fill up with under 410 miles from the tank. Working it out using fuelly (i.e. brim to brim) it gave me 36.1.

For those sort of cruising journeys, I was expecting at least mid-40's. I mean, I'm not expecting the book figures (60! hahaha yeah some chance!) but the low end of book urban is meant to be 44mpg and I can't get close even while cruising, so something has to be wrong, no?

And as for manual vs. s-tronic, there shouldn't be a huge difference, surely. This is a manual gearbox, not a slushbox?

Starting to think I should've gone to the S4 with these figures...

 

[jetty]

I must get a Service Book ... will have to have a word with the original supplying dealer and see if they can do one and stamp it as this Digital Service Record thing isn't practical for those of us who like to keep it all together in one place.

I'd be happy with 500 miles on a full tank to be totally honest. I'm only onto my 3rd tank so far. The first tank was mostly short journeys and commuting and returned me a hugely unimpressive 28.5mpg (from the DIS) - ok, so the car was cold, the weather was cold, my commute is short, but I wasn't overly impressed.

The second tank is the one that's kinda annoyed me. I did a trip to Dublin and back (that's 200 miles, 180 of which is motorway, cruising around 70-75). I did a return trip to Ballycastle that is about 120 miles, 80 on motorway, the rest on good roads, cruising 60-70 for the most part. I managed a couple more shorter round trips and had to fill up with under 410 miles from the tank. Working it out using fuelly (i.e. brim to brim) it gave me 36.1.

For those sort of cruising journeys, I was expecting at least mid-40's. I mean, I'm not expecting the book figures (60! hahaha yeah some chance!) but the low end of book urban is meant to be 44mpg and I can't get close even while cruising, so something has to be wrong, no?

And as for manual vs. s-tronic, there shouldn't be a huge difference, surely. This is a manual gearbox, not a slushbox?

Starting to think I should've gone to the S4 with these figures...

There is a pocket in the back of the "Service book" - this is for paper stamps. I just chuck my invoice from ECP or wherever I get my parts from and write down the date/mileage. I would ask Audi for a print out of all the work they've done and add that to the pocket.

I've never understood why so many of these diesels get rubbish fuel economy - my A6 is a bi-turbo monster and can easily get 30mpg driving into town and 40-45mpg on the motorway. I could probably get far better mpg if it wasn't for my steel capped boots!
When I've had 1.8/2.0 courtesy cars I struggle to get 20mpg driving like Miss Daisy!
It's an odd one, maybe something to do with the VW emissions scandal.

 

[Jemster]

There is a pocket in the back of the "Service book" - this is for paper stamps. I just chuck my invoice from ECP or wherever I get my parts from and write down the date/mileage. I would ask Audi for a print out of all the work they've done and add that to the pocket.

Yeah - I was given a small folder, not a service book, that had the inspection check sheet for the first service in it, and the details are visible on the My Audi website. But I've since learned it's not the "service book", there should be another book that I haven't got - the one that has the Build Sticker in it. I may not be able to get a duplicate of this, but if the one in the boot is the same, it's not exactly accurate anyway

I've never understood why so many of these diesels get rubbish fuel economy - my A6 is a bi-turbo monster and can easily get 30mpg driving into town and 40-45mpg on the motorway. I could probably get far better mpg if it wasn't for my steel capped boots!
When I've had 1.8/2.0 courtesy cars I struggle to get 20mpg driving like Miss Daisy!

I'm driving easy at the moment just to see what I can get out of it, and so far, the answer is not a lot. My 2005 M3 would get me 30mpg to Dublin and 22mpg all-day commuting. To be honest, I didn't think expecting a 50% improvement was asking too much. The only other diesel I have owned was a 330d auto, it always sat in the 38-44mpg range, but it was a 3-litre and slushy so I didn't expect much better.

It's an odd one, maybe something to do with the VW emissions scandal.

I am starting to wonder about the emissions update too, but it was done before I got the car so no before/after comparison. All I can say is it drives well, runs smoothly, has decent power when floored and there's nothing that set off any alarm bells when I bought it.

However, I am starting to formulate a theory in my head... one thing I've read about the emissions updates is they affect the torque low-down (<2000 rpm). One thing I've noticed in mine is that it makes a lot of gear changes I think are unnecessary. Sorry to bore anyone who read my other posts, but in particular I noticed going up a 2 mile long hill out of Belfast on the M2 motorway, at 65 mph it was having real difficulty. It would select D7, but would then lose speed unless I applied a little more throttle. This would make it drop to D6, at which point it would pick up rapidly and I'd ease back when I got to 65. This then caused a change into D7... and it would start losing speed again. After 4 or 5 repeats of this I gave up and threw it into Manual mode as it had no problem getting up the hill in M7 with a little more throttle.

Now, IF the emissions fix had messed up the low-down torque, AND the s-tronic wasn't aware of this in its gear calculations, this could maybe result in the pattern of changes I was experiencing - i.e. s-tronic thought D7 would be fine, but the engine didn't have the required power to maintain it without more throttle, which the s-tronic took as a signal to change down. Rinse & Repeat.

I would be 99% positive if I go to Audi with my current list of symptoms (I still have 5 months manufacturers warranty remaining) they will show me the door, or perhaps take the car off me for a token day or two followed by "no fault found", so I'd rather have all the options explored before going back.