Yesterday we had our 2012 Audi A8L serviced at Audi of Santa Monica. Perhaps they should spend more time monitoring the amount of oil they put in customer cars and less time dressing the valets.
The A8 with the 372 horsepower V8 calls for 8.14 quarts of oil (the 12-cylinder calls for 12.16) and, as far as we can tell, they charged us for only 8 quarts. So either they didn't drain it enough or their oil distribution device is miscalibrated. Or that they didn't change the filter out, but that seems unlikely since they charged us for a new filter. (Note: Charged here means noted on the work order, the service was free.)
Eagle-eyed readers will remember that this is not the first time we've had issues with VW over-oiling. Back in '09 VW of Santa Monica overfilled our Jetta.
It's back at the dealer now.
Mike Magrath, Features Editor, Inside Line @ 8,617 miles
half_ton says:
09:22 AM, 01/19/12
Is this an issue with VW/Audi or the dealership? Both were in Santa Monica so perhaps they received faulty training or instruction from the manufacturer? Since the A8 requires two hours for an oil change I would be returning the car and having them address this ASAP. How a dealer treats me post-sale goes a LONG way in my decision to return their business.
trackwrex says:
09:31 AM, 01/19/12
maybe the service techs were ogling the valet and got distracted. :P
leftnose says:
09:38 AM, 01/19/12
The local Audi dealer did that to me many years ago. I had an A4 in for an oil change (for which they charged me somewhere around $100). I don't remember the numbers but as I was paying, I looked over the workorder and saw that they charged me for X quarts of oil which seemed like too much. I asked the service writer who was still there about it and he said, no, it takes X quarts.
So, I get home and I'm curious and check the owners manual. Sure enough, it uses X-1 quarts. Thinking they just cheated me over the cost of a quart of oil, I go pull the dipstick to see how much oil is actually in the car. Sure enough, the line was way overfull. They put a quart too much in.
A call to the GM of the dealership later and I got my $100 back, the car picked up at my house, the oil changed, and the car dropped back off.
This dealer is the reason why I don't drive Audis anymore. They were just horrible.
throwback says:
09:42 AM, 01/19/12
That's pretty bad service for any car much less a one costing over 100k.
kain77 says:
09:42 AM, 01/19/12
Be honest, Magrath. You're just looking for an excuse to go back.
noburgers says:
09:51 AM, 01/19/12
+1 trackwrex, my first thought. The dealership should stick to real service which is to get the job done right. Screw the valet girl (figuratively). If a service writer is available they should be the one greeting you. If none is available they can be creative, I'm sure.
Now they also need to do something about the inconvenience they have caused you. I always check fluid levels after all services, tire pressure after all tinkering, etc. Too little oil (to a limit) is probably less damaging short-term and it's easier to add oil then drain, and you probably have a light come on that tells you it's low. I also check coolant after flushes--bubbles in the radiator, etc when cold the overflow tank should be at the proper level, etc. etc.
noburgers says:
09:54 AM, 01/19/12
I just noticed it was Magrath that wrote this up. I watched the auto show video of him with the Lincoln girls, so I assume he will be smooth-talking his way back at the dealership. I think I would enjoy your job!
exnevadan says:
10:05 AM, 01/19/12
+1 kain77, let's just hope he gets another photo or three
as a former Audi owner, this type of thing is one of many reasons I won't be going back to Audi products/dealerships, even though I lust after the now defunct RS4 and wouldn't mind a S5 or R8 for that matter. of course if Audi brings valets to the MA dealerships it won't hurt to start browsing again.
esoterica says:
10:24 AM, 01/19/12
Why did the car not report this immediately upon leaving the dealer? An oil level sensor that only works a day later is pretty pathetic.
gslippy says:
10:47 AM, 01/19/12
This is yet another reason I do all my own car work, even if the dealer offers 'free' or 'complimentary' oil changes.
bradyholt says:
11:04 AM, 01/19/12
"A call to the GM of the dealership later and I got my $100 back, the car picked up at my house, the oil changed, and the car dropped back off.
This dealer is the reason why I don't drive Audis anymore. They were just horrible."
That doesn't sound so horrible. It's bad they made a mistake, but they certainly went out of their way to make it up to you.
jasond52 says:
11:09 AM, 01/19/12
This is why I do my own oil changes. You know just what your getting.
fordson1 says:
11:37 AM, 01/19/12
"Why did the car not report this immediately upon leaving the dealer? An oil level sensor that only works a day later is pretty pathetic."
Ding ding ding...we have a winner.
IL, can you comment on this?
stovt001 says:
12:15 PM, 01/19/12
+1 to Bradyholt. The dealer put in some effort to make it right. I'd give them some credit for that.
And I forgot, does this car have a redundant real dipstick or are you stuck with the sensor that only works 1 day later? How would you know if you put the right amount in when it needed a top off?
leftnose says:
12:47 PM, 01/19/12
@bradyholt and stovt001,
That was the last straw. The quality of service was getting worse and worse and more and more expensive. It got to the point that you had to ask them to wash the car or they wouldn't do it. They actually did it by hand and didn't charge, but, you'd think, for $100 they'd manage to do it without being prompted. Also, they pretty much never reset the oil life reminder (at that time, not a monitor but something else) which had to be done with some special tool plugged into the OBD II port. They were just too lazy to go get the tool and use it because it was actually a fairly lengthy process. How do I know it was a lengthy process? More than a few times I'd pull out of the dealer only to have to go around the block to get them to reset it because it would go off 1/2 block away. Or it would go off 1,000 miles later and I'd have to go back and have it reset.
In the case I mentioned above, the service manager didn't want to do a thing for me. His response was for me to take it back in and they would handle it when they had a chance. After a customer specifically asks a question to a service writer (not a cashier) about work done which ends up being wrong? They'll handle it when they have a chance? To charge $100 for an oil change and still F it up? Not until I got the GM on the phone did I actually get someone who wanted to do something for me.
desmolicious says:
12:57 PM, 01/19/12
Like I said previously, Santa Monica dealerships suck.
If this shop cannot perform something as simple as an oil change...
panamera4 says:
02:40 PM, 01/19/12
+1 desmo, I knew something along those lines would happen. Try Keys or Auto Gallery next time.
explorerx4 says:
03:39 PM, 01/19/12
Since the sensor didn't indicate a problem until the next day, maybe the sensor is the problem, not the oil level.
gslippy says:
03:49 PM, 01/19/12
@explorerx4: You may be on to something there. VW/Audi and electrical problems go together like peanut butter and jelly.
fvfvsix says:
09:06 PM, 01/19/12
The oil sensor is only available after the car has driven a certain distance. Perhaps the drive from the dealer wasn't long enough to warm things up? Just sayin... I wouldn't impugn the hardware here.
equ says:
07:12 AM, 01/20/12
The current generation audi oil level sensor takes forever to provide a reading. You can literally drive an hour out of the dealership before it decides to say "overfull" or not.
Last year an audi dealer overfilled my a4. When I went back to them, they said "Just drive around". I did not like that answer but what I choice did I have? The overfull message went away in about 100-150 miles. I still wonder if they shortened the life of a very expensive catalytic converter by having me drive the car like that. What if I keep the car to 100k miles and the cat gives out? Can I go back and blame the overfilled oil at the 15k change?
I hope Audi Corporate is reading this. Also, to help with the stupid delayed reading issue, I bought an audi oem part, a dipstick. I think it was $25 and I'm not sure why one is not provided, because the place for it to go into is there.
jerry_atric says:
10:37 AM, 01/20/12
Dont worry, it's an Audi. It will burn thru the extra oil in a thousand miles and ask for more in 2500.
dbzimp says:
12:26 AM, 01/21/12
I used to have the same problem with my local Honda dealer.The vehicle in question was the original (MY2000)Insight.My owners manual specified 2.6 Qts. for the crankcase+.6 Qts. for the filter total=3.2 Qts.(duh!) The brilliant service techs would always come up with the 2.6 Qts. and leave the.6 Qts. unfilled.I finaly (uninvited)barged into the dealer owner's office and told him in no uncertain terms what he could do with his dealership and the service department(it would have been very painful).Any way I will never buy another Honda product irregardless of how well engineered,crafted.assembled those vehicles might be when they roll off of the ass'y line.
wrr1020 says:
02:12 AM, 01/21/12
Whatever happened to the good, ole fashioned dip stick? I'm all for technology in cars but not even having a simple dipstick? Really?
compressor says:
08:18 AM, 01/21/12
A simple dipstick would solve all these issues. Maybe someone will invent one and star putting in cars.
compressor says:
08:19 AM, 01/21/12
I should have read wrr1020's comment
dbzimp says:
09:23 PM, 01/21/12
I gotter did!
wheelmccoy says:
08:00 AM, 01/23/12
I normally prefer the old-fashioned dipstick too, but has anyone tried to use the one on the Mazda3 or Ford Focus? It's a canoe shaped spoon at the end of a braided wire. Oil collects in a puddle at the bottom of the spoon, but if you look for a wet/dry line, it's higher. So I'm not sure how to interpret that.
The one on the Acura TSX Wagon is better, with holes delimiting the high and low marks. But what's with the zig-zag kink in the dipstick?
Can Edmunds' just yank out all the dipsticks in their long termers for a photo op?
jadis says:
11:56 AM, 01/25/12
The Audi dealers (and VW) are exactly why I will never buy another one of their products. Overall I used to own or lease 3 VWs and 1 Audi all at various times. The service at each was atrocious. I thought maybe it was the local dealer so I tried other dealers in the state, nope. They all sucked. The service was slow, poor and overpriced. All too often the people working there were very rude as well. I just never understood how it could be that uniformly bad. Too bad as I love the new designs but I just cant do it anymore. Why anyone would put up with their service is most likely they don't know any better as I did, for 4 vehicles!