Service options with modded lease car

[LordMagnet]

My car is finally telling me I need my first service (1 year service, just passed the 4k mile mark). I have AudiCare, but because of all my mods, including an ecu tune, I'm debating having maintenance done elsewhere. I read over the lease agreement, and it doesn't say I need to have service done exclusively by Audi.

So I'm looking for thoughts, experiences and opinions. Am I a fool for paying for services and worrying about warranty removal? Or is it a good idea to cover my warranty incase something big happens?

Thanks.

[Endi]

just send me your parts and don't worry about it ever again.

[adam123]

i had audicare while my car was heavily modded , never had an issue bc my dealership was pretty mod friendly and i was able to instruct them not to access my ecu for any reason during the service, they knew - they didnt care. Even if they weren't , its basically just an oil change and some fluids, i dont see any reason for them to touch your ecu unless theres a software update of some kind

[Mcfly]

I had a chipped B8 A4 and on the first service they actually called me to say that the dreaded TD1 code or whatever had shown and that my warranty and audicare was over. Mark Motors of Ottawa for you.

[LordMagnet]

just send me your parts and don't worry about it ever again.

i had audicare while my car was heavily modded , never had an issue bc my dealership was pretty mod friendly and i was able to instruct them not to access my ecu for any reason during the service, they knew - they didnt care. Even if they weren't , its basically just an oil change and some fluids, i dont see any reason for them to touch your ecu unless theres a software update of some kind

I spoke to the service advisor, he said intake and exhaust were fine but don't touch the ECU. I don't know if I would trust them not to touch the ECU simply because I requested it.

I had a chipped B8 A4 and on the first service they actually called me to say that the dreaded TD1 code or whatever had shown and that my warranty and audicare was over. Mark Motors of Ottawa for you.

Yeah, that just confirms my fear.

[vwblackb5]

Wow 4k in 1yr, thought I didn't drive mine enough. If you trust the dealership/service advisor, then if you explicitly ask not to plug the ECU in, then you should be ok (ymmv). However, they can still technically manually ding you for your Intake and Exhaust (there's an internal TSB telling techs what to do). You can always remove the intake btw, it literally takes 15 mins tops.

In any case, if there's a TSB and Nav/MMI update, the update will require them to plug in (not sure if this automatically runs a spec vs actual) which will TD1 you with your Stage 1 Flash.

[Sweep]

I've got audi care with most bolt ons. No tune. I still go in for regular maintenance since audi care covers it. I haven't had any issues.

Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk

[namvar]

What does the lease agreement say about you modding the car? I would not risk it. If it gets TD1'd you will be responsible for all issues with the car. Take it in for major service or issues but make sure to de-mod it before going in.

Surprised by dealer saying the intake is okay though. My service adviser is extremely cool with me and he told me not to touch the RS5 engine or it will void the warranty

[LordMagnet]

What does the lease agreement say about you modding the car? I would not risk it. If it gets TD1'd you will be responsible for all issues with the car. Take it in for major service or issues but make sure to de-mod it before going in.

Surprised by dealer saying the intake is okay though. My service adviser is extremely cool with me and he told me not to touch the RS5 engine or it will void the warranty

The closest thing on the agreement I could find in regards to mods would be: "You agree not to use the Vehicle in a way that causes the cancellation or suspension of any warranty, insurance or other similar vehicle protection agreement."

What the advisor exactly said was that he had never heard of any cars that came in having any warranty issues because of aftermarket intakes and exhausts. He also said he would give me nothing in writing backing that up.

[namvar]

Just read your Mods in your signature. Nice!

Are you planning on buying it when your lease expires? If not then you probably kept all your original parts, right?

[LordMagnet]

Just read your Mods in your signature. Nice!

Are you planning on buying it when your lease expires? If not then you probably kept all your original parts, right?

Thanks! I might buy it out, but I'll wait until the lease ends to figure that all out. I turned in my last lease, I bought out the lease before that. So who knows.

But yes, I have all my original parts boxed up. I even kept my stock exhaust in a single piece. So I'm ready to convert back to stock if I need to.

[Gonzoe11]

What dealer you using? Makes a world of difference. First service is mostly fluid changes so don't sweat it too much, but again dealer and especially the SA matters.

[LordMagnet]

What dealer you using? Makes a world of difference. First service is mostly fluid changes so don't sweat it too much, but again dealer and especially the SA matters.

Audi of Wallingford. I don't know their reputation with modded cars other than what the SA told me. It doesn't look like I should take the risk.

[FaceSmA5h]

My car was fully modded with all my service intervals done at AUDI, but I did not have a tune.

However, some tuners will allow you to pay a fee for unlimited flashing back to stock. You basically go to the tuner and go back to stock before going to the dealership. A lot of back n forth, but if your tuner and dealer are very close to one another, this might be a no brainer. Even if it is far away from one another, it sounds like you're way under your mileage, so last thing you want is to turn in a lease with extra miles. Good luck

[mufflerman]

My RS is modified and I have had no issues with Audi Care or warranty claims. I did however develop a relationship with a service writer and the head tech beforehand.

[LordMagnet]

My car was fully modded with all my service intervals done at AUDI, but I did not have a tune.

However, some tuners will allow you to pay a fee for unlimited flashing back to stock. You basically go to the tuner and go back to stock before going to the dealership. A lot of back n forth, but if your tuner and dealer are very close to one another, this might be a no brainer. Even if it is far away from one another, it sounds like you're way under your mileage, so last thing you want is to turn in a lease with extra miles. Good luck

Yeah, my tuner said they would flash me back to stock then re-flash me for free. Unless I had the service done on a regular basis, then they would have to charge me 1/2 hour labor. But they also just said they would give me a discount on this maintenance service which should be pretty cheap as it is.

[LordMagnet]

My RS is modified and I have had no issues with Audi Care or warranty claims. I did however develop a relationship with a service writer and the head tech beforehand.

I keep seeing people saying they have developed relationships with these Audi Techs, how does this happen? Do I have them perform work on my car, then send them thank you cards afterwards, maybe a basket of muffins? Do I ask them if they want to do something after they get out of work? Maybe start off slow by just sitting in their waiting room a few days each week? Find them on social media and conveniently show up at locations they are at? I just don't know how it works... I'm so awkward...

[Gonzoe11]

Audi of Wallingford. I don't know their reputation with modded cars other than what the SA told me. It doesn't look like I should take the risk.

Come down to Westchester Audi and ask for Eddie. He's one of the SA's there. He's awesome. Mod friendly and will make sure the right tech handles your car.

[4RingRook]

You may want to flash to stock if you're concerned at least. I wouldn't sweat the bolt ons.

[OrlandoSly]

Im APR stage II and last 2 services have been done, not flagged and my existing AudiCare is until end of 2018....

[TTRStud]

Depends on the dealer...be careful. Some are just looking for an excuse to flag TD1.

[Powderhound]

Yeah, my tuner said they would flash me back to stock then re-flash me for free. Unless I had the service done on a regular basis, then they would have to charge me 1/2 hour labor. But they also just said they would give me a discount on this maintenance service which should be pretty cheap as it is.

I would flash back to stock if going to dealer, and have heard Fairfield is more mod friendly than Wallingford. Nothing solid to base that on though, I haven't developed a "basket of muffins" relationship with either of them. For peace of mind, other option is get service done at tuner, no chance of td1 flag, and you will have a record of having maintainence service done on time if you ever needed to prove to the dealer that car was taken care of at proper service intervals.

[LordMagnet]

It seems like most don't have an issue, but a small amount of people do. So it's still a roll of the dice and I'm just not a gambling man. I reached out to Excelerate to do the work.