On Wednesday our 2009 Audi S5 sent up a warning to let us know it was time to visit the dealer for routine scheduled maintenance.
As usual, we brought it to Audi of Santa Monica. The service was pretty routine: Oil change, in-cabin filter, inspection and a computer diagnostic check.
What was also usual, at least for an Audi dealer Santa Monica was the stratospheric cost: $448.76. $255 of which was for labor ($170/hr).
The entire process took them about 5 hours.
Mike Magrath, Vehicle Testing Assistant @ 14,993 miles
bankerdanny says:
12:49 PM, 01/15/10
Wow. Stuff like this is the reason I avoid dealers like the plague.
brn says:
12:57 PM, 01/15/10
It blows my mind that what is effectively an oil change takes five hours and costs $450. The only thing more appalling is that they can stay in business with maintenance costs like this.
stingray454 says:
01:00 PM, 01/15/10
5 hours?? $170/hour??
I'm in the wrong business...
shaddai says:
01:08 PM, 01/15/10
The oil change costs a lot in these cars - the engine holds around 10 quarts of synthetic oil!
ptcdawg says:
01:15 PM, 01/15/10
That is simply outrageous.
sherief says:
01:21 PM, 01/15/10
Does Audi no longer cover routine maintenance? Guess I bought my A4 at the right time..
nealibob says:
01:25 PM, 01/15/10
That's more than I have spent on my 335i in 20,000 miles, barring tires and wheels. I have purchased three dealer oil change services and a new comfort access key for less than one S5 service. And here I was getting all interested in Audi. :) I must admit that the A5/S5 looks great, but it really sounds like my money is better spent elsewhere.
ocramida says:
01:39 PM, 01/15/10
Not all dealers gouge. And not all cars cost that much to service. for the equivalent service my Mazdas usually run just over a hundred-fifty dollars.
450 though is ridiculous. That's more than I spend on my 60K service; by about 150 bucks.
shaddai says:
01:45 PM, 01/15/10
Buy AudiCare for $740 or so instead. Yes, it's "included" in the cost of buying/leasing a BMW, but you know you're really paying for it anyways...
mnemons says:
01:56 PM, 01/15/10
15K service does not include Tire Rotation.
charlesb says:
01:57 PM, 01/15/10
It sounds like you should have brought the Astroglide, as well.
jeepsrt says:
02:01 PM, 01/15/10
That is a little pricey for an oil change/in cabin filter and plugging in a Diagnostic computer.
rick8365 says:
02:04 PM, 01/15/10
My wife's 328 lease is up in March. I really like Audi's and I was in the dealer looking...again.
We looked the last time and the included maintenance had just been discontinued (in '05?). I asked for a quote of the required service costs for the life of the lease, it was out of control. The cost of and oil change was kind of like what is described here but a fair amount less - a 2.0 A4 and three years ago etc. In the end it was significantly cheaper to lease a similarly equipped 328xi over a A4 2.0T Quattro and then when the maintenance was figured in (no cost 4/50 @ BMW) vs what we were quoted at Audi, the 328 was a no brainer.
Still, I found myself at the dealer last weekend - I do like their cars. If my wife is interested, we'll go through the same comparison exercise again but I think I already know what the answer is going to be.
adavis2493 says:
02:13 PM, 01/15/10
My Audi A5's 15,000 Miles Service (exactly what report said, minus some):
Make: Audi
Model: A5 3.2
Color: Black/Brown
Lic.: MD 8ENN**
Mileage: 15,340
Date: Dec/18/2009
Service Done:
Oil Change
Tire Rotation
Front License Plate Frame Removed (It looks a lot better)
Computer Diagnostic Check
Cabin Air Filters Changed
Exterior Detailing
__________________________
Total: $273.04 After Taxes + Labor Factored In
Dealer: Len Stoler Audi
roadburner says:
02:37 PM, 01/15/10
I think that an auto dealership in Santa Monica must be a license to print money.
vt8919 says:
02:58 PM, 01/15/10
You know you got the wrong car dealership when the bill uses the phrase "Bend Over This Far:" in place of "Your Total Is:"
cheslin says:
03:17 PM, 01/15/10
Did they at least let you lube up first?
vt8919 says:
03:41 PM, 01/15/10
Breaking: Audi dealership in Santa Monica recently announced plans to open up a colonoscopy center alongside the parts department. Customers have asked for the addition after realizing the dealership experience without one was a bigger pain in the ass.
To make room for the improvements and construction of the additional section, salesmen have been trained to move the cars in front to the building's rear.
t10 says:
03:48 PM, 01/15/10
What I find amazing is the $170 hourly rate for things like changing oil. Did they start hiring PhD Engineers as techs at the local Audi. My local VW dealer charges $84 per hour. My alignment shop with an professional ALMS chassis engineer on staff charges $80 (the guy has worked on a team 24 hr lemans before).
In Santa Monica does a drive through car wash cost $50 ?
brn says:
03:59 PM, 01/15/10
t10, I doubt they spent five hours on the vehicle. They just made the customer wait five hours for them to do 30 minutes worth of work.
cr_driver says:
04:06 PM, 01/15/10
vt8919 says:
02:58 PM, 01/15/10
You know you got the wrong car dealership when the bill uses the phrase "Bend Over This Far:" in place of "Your Total Is:"
cheslin says:
03:17 PM, 01/15/10
Did they at least let you lube up first?
+100 LOL !
majin_ssj_eric says:
06:40 PM, 01/15/10
Why don't you guys take that car somewhere else; anywhere else????? I bet that same service would cost $100 at the local Jacksonville Audi dealer....
DLu says:
07:32 PM, 01/15/10
an hour-and-half?!?!? what, did the computer diagnostic include erasing (after perusing) porn off any laptop you bring in?
In-cabin filters are usually easy to change by yourself. This is yet another benefit to going to a local guy that you trust -- I change it myself at the rate I like, because these things help my allergies. It'll be interesting to see how much less they'd charge you if you did it yourself ... wait, they'll probably just change it anyway so they can make a buck off you.
My mother in-law's RX was taken to the dealer all the time; they decided that they weren't making enough money on her every 3500 miles (gently driven!) for the past 55k miles, so they told her that her shifter knob needed to be changed out for like a couple of hundred bucks. It looks like it's put on backwards and looks ugly because it doesn't have the wood grain or color that matched the rest of the trim. the one she had was perfectly fine. damn dealers.
My last independent I went to charges about $60 for oil/filter/diagnostic; and they wash your car, vacuum it, and shine up the tire sidewalls.
hybris says:
08:07 PM, 01/15/10
I know you guys go to the dealer because the car is new and all and it gives you chance to rate the local dealer.
But seriously when is Edmunds going to consider going to at least a different dealer or heaven forbid a independent shop?
At this point you guys are just burning money for the hell of it.
equ says:
01:44 AM, 01/16/10
As a previous poster mentioned, buying audicare for $740 is the way to go. It covers 4 services (15k, 25k, 35k, 45k) so it easily pays for itself, even at less stratospheric labor rates. 5k is covered from the factory. I think it may also help cover other wear and tear, such as brakes pads etc, bringing it to the equal of the bmw coverage (which I admit is great).
I got a coupon for audicare by going to a driving event so did not have to stress about this. At least the oil change interval seems to be a bit saner than bmw's.
billt9 says:
10:56 AM, 01/16/10
This car costs $61,915!
Why do you poor people even care about these petty maintenance costs???
The car costs $61,915!
$400 is like a penny!
joefrompa says:
11:31 AM, 01/16/10
I'd find $200 acceptable for a 10-quart dealership synthetic oil change, cabin filter, and thorough inspections, if i trusted the shop and they were top notch. I just had a shop explain to me that everytime the car is in, they take off every nut in the lower suspension system and ensure it's not corroding, and re-torque it to an appropriate value with anti-seize. That's way overboard to me, but I understand that some people want that level of service and are willing to pay for it.
But so many people get the cursory once-over and get charged $80 for "inspections"
rockshocka1 says:
05:45 AM, 01/19/10
Had my 09 S5 15k service last week, covered under Audi Care, except for tire rotation which was 40 bucks.
When I had my oil changed & tires rotated at 10K, the total bill was $211 dollars, labor & taxes included.
Each time I've gone in for service at 5, 10, & 15k, I've been told it'll take about 2 hrs, & it's been that or a few minutes sooner each time.
lucien4 says:
04:35 PM, 01/20/10
It was $211 for oil change & tires rotated at 10k with Audi care? Wow don't even want to know what it would cost without Audi care.
rockshocka1 says:
04:02 AM, 01/21/10
lucien4, I probably wasn't too clear. Audi Care covers scheduled maintenance at 5,15,25,35 & 45K. I go ahead & change the oil when I have the tires rotated every 5K. Point being, even without Audi Care, the service cost at my Audi dealer is way below where Edmunds is going.
cking6178 says:
07:50 PM, 02/18/10
Now granted, I'm a finance guy, but how is it that nobody has picked up on the fact that they claim to have been at the dealership for 5hrs @ $170/hr labor & only got charged $400+??? Labor alone at that rate would've been $850! Something isn't meshing in this story...Anyway, I have the Audi Care plan, so I'm not worried about getting "bent over" like this & to the BMW drivers out there, you pay for your maintenance plan, it's just figured into the base price of your vehicle, which tends to be several thousand dollars higher than Audi in the first place, so make sure you're comparing apples to apples when running your comparisons.