Military move to DE and some Q's!

[Beefy5_S4]

Halo audi fans,

I am an army officer and planning a PCS move to germany for three years this coming february. In my garage is a 01.5 B5 S4 6MT and I had some questions about maintenance, repairs and parts availability in Germany.

Right now, the car is in pretty good shape, I am having some problems with my transmission and clutch but nothing that is keeping me from driving safely, just annoying. Is there a significant difference in the cost of repairs in germany for this car vs the cost in the US?

Also, I had a (I shit you not) tree fall on my car, it was pretty small but it did some extensive dent damage as well as crack the paint on the passenger door. Is it realistic to think I could get better work done in germany than here in the states?

Finally, is there an appreciable difference in getting a stage 3+ upgrade to the car in germany vs. here in the states. The stnd K04 upgrade here for a shop to do it seems to be around 4-5k. I dont really have the time or means to do upgrades repairs to my car so I would be paying someone else to.

As I said, I'll be moving to the Vilseck/Amberg/Nuremburg area so feel free to drop me a line if you're around.

Bis spater,
Conrad

[BigByrdman]

Coming from a fellow B5 S4 owner I can probably answer all of your questions.

There's a slight difference in the cost of repairs due to the current exchange rate. You might end up paying $80 more on most basic repairs. This is with using a VAT form.

In my opinion the bodywork in Germany is a lot better than what you would get in the states. The only question is do you want to ship it over in the middle of a German winter with body damage? Do you have USAA? If so I would try to get that repaired before the haul over. I'd worry about rust due to all the salt your car will be exposed to on the trip.

I would also look into doing your stage 3 upgrade before you come out also. I know on my side of Germany there aren't many shops that will do it for a decent price. In my opinion it will be easier to just do it in the states. More tuners, more options, less headaches.

If you have any more questions feel to ask

Ron

[oef_vet]

Hey Beefy I am PCS'ing to 2 SCR in Vilseck also. Ill be heading over in the Spring would be good to meet a fellow Audi enthusiast over there.

[kurupt_hawaiian]

Expect to pay a lot more than the states. I was stationed there in 05-08 and it's a lot more expensive than here in Hawaii. Nothing a commissioned officer can't handle though. Lol

I remember my first service was around 200 euros...and it's pretty much just an oil change and an audi certified signature for my maintenance records.

Germany is an awesome place though...I wouldn't mind moving back there.

[tp1_kenobi]

Beefy,

I'm an American w/ an B6 S4 that's being shipped over to Munich from the US via an enclosed crate. If you haven't done the work already, I would do it over in the US than in Germany. From my German friends, they have noted that the aftermarket in Germany is quite expensive for parts. The reasoning behind this is because many of the aftermarket parts must be tested and approved by the government prior to install and those costs are rolled into the cost of the part. My major concern at the moment is dealing with the TUV certification and the myriad of aftermarket work I've done on my car and seeing if this will pass. Has anyone had any experience around the TUV cert and aftermarket from the US?

[BASARAB]

Heck even ebay.de is more expensive compare to ebay.com

[A3Danimal]

Hey guys, I just moved to Stuttgart, and I was able to buy Winter tires on Tirerack, who will ship to an APO, and had a German shop perform the install and I used a VAT form to not pay the German tax. You have to ask the shop, though, if they will accept the form, but I've saved 19% on a bunch of stuff, especially furniture

[NuVega]

VAT forms are awesome...use to live in the Rheinland-Pfalz area( Trier, Bitburg, etc ) with my B6 A4, and Audi maintenance wasn't too extreme for my little ol enlisted pay, lol. Paid 600 or so euro for a timing belt/water pump, and when compared to prices stated by US dealers, it's kinda cheap. Always felt welcomed at the dealer even though I didn't know a bit of German, but they knew enough for us to get my point across when I had issues. Best part was if I needed a part, would order it in the morning, get it same day or next morning.

[Beefy5_S4]

Hello all, thank you for the responses. i decided on not getting the repairs in the states, the body damage is really just dents, so rust isn't a problem for now. The car is getting old, and I am planning on saving up for the audi I plan on bringing back to the states.

If anyone around 2CR wants to get together for a ride on the bahn, shoot me a private message on here.

Also, does anyone have experience with buying parts from a junkyard in germany? Is that a thing over here? I have been stopped a few times in amberg by people asking what model my car is, haven't seen any other B5's around really.