Pricey Oil Change and Tire Rotation?

[creativecody]

So I just hit 10k miles on my car. I last did an oil change at 5k (free from Audi) and decided that even though Audi says to do oil changes every 10k miles that since I don't drive a lot that I wanted to do oil and tire rotation every 5k. If anything just to ease my mind as I've always done oil changes at 5k intervals on all my cars. Now I know we are all driving a luxury sport sedan but was a bit shocked when I was quoted $365 for an oil change and tire rotation from a dealer. Am I crazy to think this is high or does that sound right?

[Meteor]

Yes, that is insanely high. You could do it yourself for $75 in oil/filter and an hour of your time


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[r6_11b8]

they dont call it the stealership for nothing....either do it yourself or take it to a reputable indy shop prob end up charging you 60-80 bucks for oil and tire rotation

[Luis_Heineken]

WOW!!

[AndyLien79]

I was charged 80 dollars and some change at the Audi dealership when I had my A4 for oil and filter change. no tire rotation though. 365 is nuts!

[OuttieS4]

Tire rotation is free at discount tire and many other places. Even if you didn't buy the tires there.

[ihorc]

I paid $170 for 25,000 miles service which included astonishing variety of work done, such as oil change and umm... visual inspection of a car. + I get a complimentary scratched(badly) engine cover and not tighten belly pan.
Promised myself that was the last time I went there for a service.

[creativecody]

Thanks for all the responses......so an update....

I came home and was so in shock on this $365 that I called another Audi dealer and asked for a quote......$129. $20 for tire rotation and $109 for the oil change. How in the hell can there be THAT much of a difference?

[JMann]

A tire rotation should be like $40.

Thanks for all the responses......so an update....

I came home and was so in shock on this $365 that I called another Audi dealer and asked for a quote......$129. $20 for tire rotation and $109 for the oil change. How in the hell can there be THAT much of a difference?

[squashman]

Thanks for all the responses......so an update....

I came home and was so in shock on this $365 that I called another Audi dealer and asked for a quote......$129. $20 for tire rotation and $109 for the oil change. How in the hell can there be THAT much of a difference?

Dealerships need to be competitive - there's not going to be a 100% difference in cost to do the same thing. I'm guessing the $365 service involved more than just oil and flipping tires around. If you care even slightly, you could call and confirm what was included in the $365.

[MacFady]

Dare I say that's what you get for taking your car to the dealership for a tire rotation.

[creativecody]

Dealerships need to be competitive - there's not going to be a 100% difference in cost to do the same thing. I'm guessing the $365 service involved more than just oil and flipping tires around. If you care even slightly, you could call and confirm what was included in the $365.

I'll call back later but he was pretty sure of the $365. In fact initially he wanted me to use my 15k Audi Care service interval now because this would be pricey and he said, "I want to save you some money". I asked again that that price was just for an oil change and tire rotation and he said "Yeah, well it is an S4". Glad I left because I've called two other dealers and they quoted $129 and $210.

[schirm]

Audi quoted me 150$ for the same thing. oil change and tire rotation, they must be including an alignment or something in that price.

[creativecody]

Another update.....So I called back the original dealer that quoted me $365 in person. I got a different person on the phone and asked for quote for oil change and tire rotation. He said $315. And said they don't just do oil changes and tire rotations. They have to also do an inspection because if anything is wrong and they don't catch it and something happens then they are liable. WHAT A LOAD OF BS! He said some dealers will just do the oil and tire rotation but they won't. Guess i'll go to one of those other dealers or find an independent shop.......I'm near Eurocode in Los Angeles....anybody know if they do oil changes?

[B8 S FOR]

WHAT?

[drob23]

Wow...you could buy your own tools and solid floor jack for that kind of coin, with enough left over to buy the oil + filter.

[AndyLien79]

Wow...you could buy your own tools and solid floor jack for that kind of coin, with enough left over to buy the oil + filter.

lol true

[ob_1jr]

that's about the price it is in italy, but about half the price is for the oil. Oil and fuel is very expensive on the economy here. I also pay for a rental car too as I didn't buy the car through the dealer that does the service. That is the price I pay with the rental for a day.

[JACKPAC]

Just had the same service at my local Audi dealer. $65 for the oil change and an additional $15 for the tire rotation. I'm feeling pretty good now!

[IanCH]

Just had the same service at my local Audi dealer. $65 for the oil change and an additional $15 for the tire rotation. I'm feeling pretty good now!

@ 65 for an oil change I almost guarantee that they used synthetic blend.... the parts for a full synthetic oil change alone cost about 65 dollars....

[JACKPAC]

@ 65 for an oil change I almost guarantee that they used synthetic blend.... the parts for a full synthetic oil change alone cost about 65 dollars....

I've asked before and they told me full synthetic. I guess they could have been lying to me as I didn't ask to see the empty bottles, but they are an Audi dealership and I don't know why they would do that instead of just using full synthetic and charging me more. They also sell BMW's and Porsches and are kind of snobby, the more you spend the more time you deserve, kind of people.

[IanCH]

I've asked before and they told me full synthetic. I guess they could have been lying to me as I didn't ask to see the empty bottles, but they are an Audi dealership and I don't know why they would do that instead of just using full synthetic and charging me more. They also sell BMW's and Porsches and are kind of snobby, the more you spend the more time you deserve, kind of people.

I suppose they might buy 5w40 at a volume to make $65 oil changes economical for them, but it just seems fishy to me.

If I was doing that oil change at amazon prices for 20 liters of motul and an oil filter I would only make 6 dollars lol

[sacandagaD]

Another update.....So I called back the original dealer that quoted me $365 in person. I got a different person on the phone and asked for quote for oil change and tire rotation. He said $315. And said they don't just do oil changes and tire rotations. They have to also do an inspection because if anything is wrong and they don't catch it and something happens then they are liable. WHAT A LOAD OF BS! He said some dealers will just do the oil and tire rotation but they won't. Guess i'll go to one of those other dealers or find an independent shop.......I'm near Eurocode in Los Angeles....anybody know if they do oil changes?

That is criminal, do they list how much the EPA surcharge is for disposing of the lube they use on your arse?

[jamesj2k]

Walmart sells 0w40 mobil1 for $26 for 5 quarts. But yes $65 still seems way to cheap.

@ 65 for an oil change I almost guarantee that they used synthetic blend.... the parts for a full synthetic oil change alone cost about 65 dollars....

[integroid]

I suppose they might buy 5w40 at a volume to make $65 oil changes economical for them, but it just seems fishy to me.

If I was doing that oil change at amazon prices for 20 liters of motul and an oil filter I would only make 6 dollars lol

Guys, they are buying it in 55 gallon drums or bigger at a time.....not in quarts or liter sizes. If they service Porsche and Volkswagen it makes sense for them to buy in volume. Although it is very cheap and seems a little fishy they could be pretty much giving away oil changes in hopes of repeat business for major repairs and services. Also, they probably have some HS drop out being paid minimum wage doing the oil changes and not a real Audi certified mechanic.

[IanCH]

Guys, they are buying it in 55 gallon drums or bigger at a time.....not in quarts or liter sizes. If they service Porsche and Volkswagen it makes sense for them to buy in volume. Although it is very cheap and seems a little fishy they could be pretty much giving away oil changes in hopes of repeat business for major repairs and services. Also, they probably have some HS drop out being paid minimum wage doing the oil changes and not a real Audi certified mechanic.

From the pricing I can find on 5w40 bulk oil

@ 55 gallon drums a B8 S4 oil change is $50 (rounded, including filter), at 275 gal palette its still the same price. Economies of scale clearly hit diminishing returns pretty quick on motor oil.

http://www.amsoil.com/shop/by-produc...efm/?zo=392704

[integroid]

From the pricing I can find on 5w40 bulk oil

@ 55 gallon drums a B8 S4 oil change is $50 (rounded, including filter), at 275 gal palette its still the same price. Economies of scale clearly hit diminishing returns pretty quick on motor oil.

http://www.amsoil.com/shop/by-produc...efm/?zo=392704

Like I said above, they could be giving away oil changes to get future business....kind of like doing $9.99 or $14.99 conventional oil changes....

[pbadss]

Another update.....So I called back the original dealer that quoted me $365 in person. I got a different person on the phone and asked for quote for oil change and tire rotation. He said $315. And said they don't just do oil changes and tire rotations. They have to also do an inspection because if anything is wrong and they don't catch it and something happens then they are liable. WHAT A LOAD OF BS! He said some dealers will just do the oil and tire rotation but they won't. Guess i'll go to one of those other dealers or find an independent shop.......I'm near Eurocode in Los Angeles....anybody know if they do oil changes?

I go to Pacific Audi, which I believe is the dealer closest to Eurocode.

They often send out coupons for $70 oil changes. It ends up being about $90 after all fees, but $90 for a dealer change + loaner works out for me. I also do it every 5k miles and they've been pretty good so far.

[creativecody]

I go to Pacific Audi, which I believe is the dealer closest to Eurocode.

They often send out coupons for $70 oil changes. It ends up being about $90 after all fees, but $90 for a dealer change + loaner works out for me. I also do it every 5k miles and they've been pretty good so far.

Thanks for the feedback pbadss! I'll give them a call too.

[xuandatou]

WTH !!! It's incredible high ! They charge you more than 4 times of they should !

65$ should be fair enough

$80 is the highest of what I could ever accept !

[integroid]

WTH !!! It's incredible high ! They charge you more than 4 times of they should !

65$ should be fair enough

$80 is the highest of what I could ever accept !

You do realize that the 3.0T motors require almost 7.5 quarts of VAG Specific Sythetic Oil, right? I mean the parts and oil alone from ECStuning is $63.95 plus shipping if you wanted to do it yourself for the cheaper oil. If you wanted Castrol (which my dealer uses) add another $10 to your order. Then figure in $50 (1/2 hour) for labor so $125 for an oil change at the dealer should be about right.

http://www.ecstuning.com/Audi-B8_S4-...vice/ES250241/

[IanCH]

You do realize that the 3.0T motors require almost 7.5 quarts of VAG Specific Sythetic Oil, right? I mean the parts and oil alone from ECStuning is $63.95 plus shipping if you wanted to do it yourself for the cheaper oil. If you wanted Castrol (which my dealer uses) add another $10 to your order. Then figure in $50 (1/2 hour) for labor so $125 for an oil change at the dealer should be about right.

http://www.ecstuning.com/Audi-B8_S4-...vice/ES250241/

3.0t takes 6.9 quarts or 6.5 liters. Sorry, I know I'm nit picking but it's true haha.

[integroid]

3.0t takes 6.9 quarts or 6.5 liters. Sorry, I know I'm nit picking but it's true haha.

LOL...regardless the pricing is still the same from ECS.....I just buy (3) 5 liter jugs of Motul at a time so it is good for 2 oil changes:)

[saxon]

I buy the Mobil one 0w-40, 3 of the big jugs from wal-mart and 2 new audi filters for $100 and get two oil changes out of it

[BrianV]

I pay ~$100 / year for routine maintenance at my local non-dealer associated Audi mechanic. The owner used to be a master Audi tech, but he opened his own place. For the $100, I basically get anything I want within reason, including:

1. Oil + filter change (they use Motul 5w-40 - full synthetic and meeting VW/Audi spec (VAG)) - I usually supply my own $10 MANN filter just to make sure I'm not dealing with stocking issues
2. Rotate tires (although I usually get this done for free at my leisure at Discount Tire)
3. Hook up to VAGCOM and check any codes and reset oil change timers
4. Check and fill air pressure
5. Put car on lift and visually check for the obvious checklist issues in Audi's checks
6. Replace air filter if I supply (again an ~$20 MANN part)
7. Any other simple thing I ask for

I replace my in cabin filter yearly on my own (takes 1 minute), again getting a MANN filter on Amazon.com. I also lube my sunroof tracks with a spray based silicon lube every year. So it's $100 well spent. Factoring in my oil filter it's $110 and my air filter it's $130 all-in. Despite the 55K aircleaner replacement timeline set by Audi, I basically will continue to replace my air filter once per year. It's dusty and there's lots of pollen, etc. in the air in Texas. The oil cost alone is $50+ (bought in drum/bulk) as we take ~7 quarts of $5+/qt oil. So all-in, with Oil+Filter, Air Filter, Cabin Filter, tire rotations and a cursory check I spend less than $150.

Long story short, the dealer service is about $60 in parts (at customer retail value: oil + filter) and a bunch of simple visual inspections that anybody with competence can do. At 10k miles, majority of the visual checks are relatively futile (my opinion).

[xuandatou]

You do realize that the 3.0T motors require almost 7.5 quarts of VAG Specific Sythetic Oil, right? I mean the parts and oil alone from ECStuning is $63.95 plus shipping if you wanted to do it yourself for the cheaper oil. If you wanted Castrol (which my dealer uses) add another $10 to your order. Then figure in $50 (1/2 hour) for labor so $125 for an oil change at the dealer should be about right.

http://www.ecstuning.com/Audi-B8_S4-...vice/ES250241/

I assumed the OP will bring his own oil... my bad. Since I always bring my own Motul Specifc to the dealer for oil change...

[kiznarsh]

I'm near Eurocode in Los Angeles....anybody know if they do oil changes?

Yes. If you haven't been there before, it's a great place to go and become friends with as they'll always be cheaper than the dealer, yet still do quality work. Just call ahead since they tend to be busy.

[integroid]

I assumed the OP will bring his own oil... my bad. Since I always bring my own Motul Specifc to the dealer for oil change...

Ahhh....yeah my local dealer only charged me $50 last time I went and that included the filter but I brought in my own Motul oil.