Need advice on repairs dealership "advised"

[a4Jerseyboi]

What's up fellas, brought in my B7 today for the 85k service and also wanted them to do an overall look at the car since I recently purchased it from someone @ 78k miles.

They brought up a few repairs they said were needed:

1. They said my Belly Pan was in bad shape (but quoted me $777 just to replace that!)
2. Driveshaft they said was needed to be replaced (quoted $1057+ tax)
3. My front suspension bushings were shot and need to get replaced soon to save from replacing the control arms (quoted $765 + tax!)
4. Axle boot ?? ($380+tax)
5. Ribbed V-Belt is worn and may need to be replaced very soon ($1089+tax!! i thought this price was insane)
6. And finally they said I have a strange oil leak where they do not know where it is coming from but are charging me ($550+ tax) to pull everything apart, find the source and replace.


So after listing all those, has anyone had similar issues with their B7 S4... are these some of the common things that need to get replaced at this stage of its life? And if so, what has been the average $$ paid for these because those prices are little crazy for some of those. Lol

Thanks!!

[ABT B7]

Metal belly plan cost way less and way more durable

Axle boot usually comes with Axle (Drive Shaft)

Suspension bushing they are probably talking about control arm bushing, but replacing the whole control arm is way cheaper due to labour rate

I have a small oil leak too and I assume it is from valve cover gasket. But I am not sure about yours.

[kewe24]

You are at a dealership. Parts and service have to make money. So yea its going to be expensive.

[a4Jerseyboi]

Metal belly plan cost way less and way more durable

Axle boot usually comes with Axle (Drive Shaft)

Suspension bushing they are probably talking about control arm bushing, but replacing the whole control arm is way cheaper due to labour rate

I have a small oil leak too and I assume it is from valve cover gasket. But I am not sure about yours.

Awesome thanks for the input

[a4Jerseyboi]

You are at a dealership. Parts and service have to make money. So yea its going to be expensive.

Yeah I already knew that was going to be the case unfortunately. I was just curious to know if anyone has done these repairs and if so how much did it cost, so I can compare costs

[badger.]

1. They said my Belly Pan was in bad shape (but quoted me $777 just to replace that!) Ha. Brand new OEM plastic one is not cheap, $400ish I think? Still $777 is pretty absurd. Mine is in shit shape too but it stays on which is all I care about. Unless it is dragging on the road I wouldn't sweat it.

2. Driveshaft they said was needed to be replaced (quoted $1057+ tax) I would try and ask what is wrong with it? I've heard of the carrier bearing going out (couple hundred$$ and a few hours labor to change) but short of something hitting it not sure how the shaft itself would be bad? Depending what's wrong this might be reasonable.

3. My front suspension bushings were shot and need to get replaced soon to save from replacing the control arms (quoted $765 + tax!) Entire front kit (all new CAs) can be had for <$500 online. You are paying for labor here. Depending how frozen your pinch bolts are this might be well worth it

4. Axle boot ?? ($380+tax) New OEM axle plus labor is probably close to this, yes. Again, DIY and you are done for under $200.

5. Ribbed V-Belt is worn and may need to be replaced very soon ($1089+tax!! i thought this price was insane) HAHAhahhahhaHa! This is like 1hr MAX labor to get into service position and $20 for the belt.

6. And finally they said I have a strange oil leak where they do not know where it is coming from but are charging me ($550+ tax) to pull everything apart, find the source and replace. It is probably the valley pan gasket below your intake manifold, your oil filter housing orings, your valve cover gaskets, your front main seal, your oil cooler orings, or some combination of those. Could be labor intensive if oil cooler or front main seal (requires front off). Rest can be done in service position (which is what you need for the front belt.. but charging $1089 for the belt better include being in service position) with IM off, so if it sticks at $550 it sounds about right, yea. Depends what it is. Any of these parts are dirt cheap, so most of this is labor.

[AllroadMass]

1) bought mine for $330ish and put it on myself.
2) Are you getting some sort of vibration while accelerating or something? Ask what's wrong with the driveshaft before you replace it. I had to drop mine to replace the shift lever box on my 4motion and unfortunately I couldn't wiggle it out without dropping the damn shaft. Wasn't too bad.
3) Don't replace the bushings, replaced the entire CA. FCP has a great selection with warranty.
4) Axle boot are cheap.
5) Did my belt when I had to replace compressor and the belt is $27 at the dealership.
6) valve covers should probably be done every 75k due to all the heat in the engine compartment. I bought VC gaskets and 3 jugs of power sterring fluid at the dealership for $189. PS fluid was $20 something dollars each so that means each gasket was about $60.

Badger hit the nail on the head, you're getting charged for labor. I didn't include the driveshaft in this number but based on the estimate you're getting, you're looking at $3600 bill. If you do it yourself, you're probably under $1300 and that's with a new axle rather than just a boot.