mikejaeggi

that's what I would suggest as well, you want the synthetic oil changed once a year regardless. I have a Shelby which I do not drive much but get the synthetic oil changed once a year even though I only put about 800 miles on it per year.

superswiss

Just for completeness. There are two ways you can program the Homelink. You can either follow the directions in the manual and manually program it, or you can let the MMI take you through all the steps.

ChipB

I too drive considerably less than 10K miles/year, but because I have Audi Care I've stuck with the recommended annual services. Last April I had my "55K" service, though the car only had 24K miles at the time. My suggestion is if you have Audi Care follow the prescribed annual services - after all, you've already paid for them. Once Audi care runs out - at the 5th anniversary of the in-service date - I would suggest an annual oil change and brake fluid change every two years, but other than that do the other major service items at 10K intervals per Audi recommendations.

geoffrey2k

i was just going to post a similar question, and luckily, found this thread on a search, and probably know the answer to my question.

I own an 2008 S5, currently with just under 49,000 miles.

Here's my maintenance history :

01/2009 5,093 miles, 5k service (oil and filter)
10/2009 10,084 miles, oil and filter
05/2010 14,842 miles, 15k service (oil and filter)
12/2010 20,097 miles, oil and filter
05/2011 24,881 miles, 25k service (oil and filter, brake fluid)
06/2012 31,855 miles, 35k service (oil and filter)
06/2013 41,483 miles, 45k service (oil and filter, brake fluid)

Of course, now it is nearly March 2015, and I am thinking I want to get back to my more regular oil and filter change schedule (about every 5000 miles) at least (seeing as Ive slacked off and let it go for 10k, I know I know) but just realized, Im only putting 4,000 miles on my car a year at my current driving rate. So maybe once a year would be OK.

The big issue is the 55k is a spark plug change (IIRC) and I can tell that I definitely need the plugs. So it seems I should push forward and get the 55k now, also because I think the plugs are maximum of 6 years, and I am pushing 7 soon.

Sound about right?

I guess the next issue is where to go from there. Im mulling over Audi Care Plus, which I guess is a good idea, but Im still reading through the threads on that topic.

PhilNotHill

Brake fluid needs to be changed every two years to protect the brake system. Also brake fluid is hydroscopic (absorbs water) and will boil if the fluid gets hot. If this happens the brakes will not work properly.

Cars with ABS need modern brake fluid to work but it absorbs water. Pre-ABS cars may be able to use fluid that will not absorb water and won't have to be changed often. But it varies from make and model.

Oil must be changed every year regardless of low mileage...the detergents and other additives decompose so your engine will not be properly cleaned etc.

Best

SloopJohnB@mac.com

There is an argument for sampling oil and testing it before changing it. You can also use a sucker and pull a quart once a year and add a quart. Good synthetic won't deteriorate per se but the additives can get depleted with short engine operation. 800 miles a year or 60 miles a month may not get the engine fully warmed up and condensation, etc. cleared from oil.

I'd be more worried about the ethanol-laced gasoline separating or decomposing and gumming up the fuel system. But then there are additives/stabilizers for that.

geoffrey2k

I'll be heading in tomorrow for the 55k service. Will check with them on the oil condition after they change it. Seeing as the brake fluid is three months shy of two years, will have that done too.

I just remembered that the 55k isnt covered by my initial Audi Care pan, so I guess I should rather quickly look into Audi Care Plus pricing. Gulp...

geoffrey2k

I know this isnt the thread, but just a quick FYI, that apparently, Audi Care Plus packages have been totally revamped. It seems they are now called Audi Care and Audi Care Select (rather than Plus).

You can now get the 55k and 65k separate from the 75k and 85k. There are also two pricing tiers, depending on the vehicle model and year. My 08 S5 fell into the lower price tier (the RS5 is in the upper as are all the 6-8 series) , which is about $799 for the 55k and 65k, and another $799 for the 75k & 85k. The upper tier packages will set you back about $1089 for each.

JRomulus

Just curious as I am coming up on my 55K service, did you buy the New Audi Care Plus? I heard the normal 55K service was about $800, so for the cost you get that plus a free oil change at 65K basically, right?

Thanks!

JRomulus

Ended up getting 55K service at an indy ship pecializing in German cars. Used the 2013 Audi service schedule and got everything done for $630 (Chicago area) with one exception:
Under "ribbed V Belt" for all 3.0 L TFSI vehicles it says "replace front compressor drive belt".

Adding that into the mix now makes that Audi Select 55/65k $800 price not look so unreasonable anymore. Although I should probably be doing my own oil changes.