NewS6AudiFanNYC

Hi all

Picking up my S6 on Saturday and am trying to decide which items if any to add on. Interested in owner thoughts rather than the dealership which just wants my $$.

1) Audicare: This is a big question mark for me as it's based on miles driven. I got a low mileage lease so from that perspective I will never hit their 25k or even 35k service milestones ( I do 5k-6k per year max). My question is are these maintenance schedules based on these mileage milestones or "annual" requirements. My guess is as long as I do standard oil, filter and brake fluid they can't exactly bang me for these services unless I pass these mileage marks....thoughts?

2) Lease end wear and tear and Tire/Wheel coverage: Only question here is whether the lease care covers normal curb rash on rims which is what would happen to me. Never gotten a bubble or a broken rim in 20 yrs so hoping luck remains. I never purchase this but the $650 might make it worth it given I usually have that much damage end of lease from a bumper and a few nicks here and there anyway. Can't fathom needing $1200 worth of new tires and rims to justify the Tire coverage so if end of lease care covers rash I am good. I know BMW only dings you if you have cracked rims or missing metal.

Thanks!

redrocker55

I cannot comment intelligently on item #2 as I have never looked into this.

I would probably skip Audi care if you won't make it to 35,000. Your first oil change at 5,000 miles is covered then they are once per year or 10,000 miles after that. Most major dollar maintenance items don't hit till the 35,000 service.

snagitseven

If you plan to keep the car for 4 years then yes on Audi Care. The maintenance schedule calls for every 10K miles or 12 months whichever comes first after the free 6 mon/6K mile service.

https://www.audiworld.com/forums/a6-...lysis-2822453/

I never buy the other things the dealers push and wait to buy Audi Care at the 15K mi/18 month service.

uclaboy

1. I have owned an a3, a4, s4, soon to be s6 and definitely recommend the audi care. The Audi care is by mileage OR annually, so even if you have 5,10,15k each year on the odometer, they will cover your first, second, third year service. I leased my s4, and if you purchase Audi Care, they increase your residual value by 1%. I am close to the end of my lease, and because of my low mileage and high residual value, I actually built up equity on the lease. This allowed me a lease buy back option instead of returning the car as usual.

2. For the s4, I purchased the wear and tear coverage. My previous BMW had the wear and tear coverage when i returned the car. Someone keyed the fender, bumper scratches, and crack on windshield. I returned it without any additional cost. They estimated the damage repair to be close to 2000$. So for me, it was a no brainer.

MikeS6

I would say unless you are extremely wealthy and want the convenience of drive up/in to the dealer and "take care of me" type service. Or perhaps you have one of your employees take your car to the dealer for service, etc. and it makes it easier to just have them drop off the car and pick it up when they are done, kinda thing. Truth is even wealthy people probably would pass on these services, because they are wise with their money...
Options like this is a revenue generator for the brand and the dealership. It's not like any of us have not heard this before. Both of these things you can take care of on your own out-of-pocket as they arise and "if" they arise in the case of the tire/wheel care package.
And of course for far less (money saving). The chances of you needing so many tire/wheel repairs that it out paces the cost of the package is slim, and worth rolling the dice on.
Seems like every time I buy a product like those, there's some sort of limitations, or co-pays, or something like they repair something, that I'd prefer to have replaced completely, etc.


SAVE your money in the long run AND in the short run!

DD1546

I have Audicare but only drive 7 or 8K per year. When I bring the car in for its 3.5 year service it may have about 27K mi. Will they replace the plugs on the time schedule rather than mileage if I insist? They could wait until the 4.5 year service but sooner is better given it will be the only plug change before I trade it (for the 2018, most likely, though I am bugged by the change to 6 cylinders).

On another note, I have found the Allstate 5 yr $1500 tire and wheel warranty a money saver. With potholes on the roads in NJ I have destroyed a wheel and tire and bent 3 wheels. They replaced or straightened the wheels and tire with no questions. It paid for itself in 3 yrs.

snagitseven

Aud9 Care matches the maintenance schedule as found in your service and maintenance manual. The dealer will only perform the items listed by mileage or months, whichever comes first. You will have to pay extra if you want them to perform items not listed as shown in the maintenance schedule.

19hole

MikeS6, I disagree. AudiCare is almost a given to buy. The cost is far less than the cost of the individual services combined and it is fixed. If the labor or parts cost increases, you don't pay the increase. I would never get a new Audi without it.

As far as tire/wheel protection, that math gets a bit difficult. I had it on 3 Porsche 911s. In each case, I easily paid less for it than the amount of the claims made. I did have very good coverage (no deductible/limit, replacement not repair). For my last 911, it cost me $1100 for 4 years of coverage. I replaced 5 rear tires in the first 2 years. Each tire was $425 plus shipping and installation. My dealer gave me a car to drive while the tire was shipped and replaced. If I had to replace a wheel, that would have paid for the entire policy.

I did not get it for my S7. Tires really are not that expensive and they definately last a lot longer than they do on a 911!

MikeS6

Well I guess I might say then, I don't like the Idea that it sounds like you can't stray from the outlined schedule at all as was mentioned by snagitseven. I usually target for about 3000 Mile oil changes, which I know these days is perhaps a bit overkill. My local shop guy tells me they've done studies on oil breakdowns, and those chemical analysis deposits, and right at 3000 miles or so is where they seem to see a spike. I have to admit I like the Idea of having my local shop do my oil changes, but recently found out to do an oil change timer reset you have to have a VAGCOM, which I think I might buy.


Perhaps the Audicare's real business strategy is to keep customers from having oil changes done elsewhere, and keeps the customers coming in on a regular basis, giving the dealer an opportunity to discuss other possible repairs such as those $2000 Brake jobs... :-)


As far as the Tire/Wheel package, I just think back over the years, and perhaps it's my granny driving habits, and careful obsession of avoiding potholes etc. But in all my years of driving I've only encountered 2 Flats, and never a wheel bent/broke, but perhaps scratched from a curb when I was younger and dumb.
I just feel like this is one of those things like my old man always says: "I win $365 dollars in the lottery every year, ...I don't play"

snagitseven

Mike, I think you may have missed my point - Audi Care may not be for everyone as outlined in my AC Analysis (linked to in Post #3). DIY or those that use a good indy shop may find it less expensive than the dealer with AC. Paying for in between oil changes doesn't affect it's potential value or the need to do the scheduled services as required to maintain the warranty. (BTW, you can reset the oil change counter in the MMI without VCDS. It's only needed to reset the service reminder).

In summary, if an owner under the warranty prefers using the dealer for the scheduled services with the advantage of eliminating any potential finger pointing if something goes wrong and the convenience of a one-stop shop, then AC will save you money. If you are a DIYer, you will save even more. An indy might be a bit less than the dealer with AC but not by much as both an indy and AC is about 35% less than the dealer charges at regular price.

Finally, not every dealer is out to sell you expensive things not needed. My dealer of 12 years is honest and has never tried to sell me something that was unnecessary. Are they more expensive than an indy shop? Ususally, but not always. For example, In my area they charge about the same as a reputable indy shop for oil changes and wheel balancing. In any case, there are always choices avaialble. Just not absolutes.