teqoso

After 4 great years without a single problem, my car decided it was time to take a $4000 dump on me. I was taking the car in for its 65000 mile check up when the mechanic noticed the brakes were due(no problem there it was about time), the battery decided it had had enough, the next two were a little suspect after I have been complaining about a knock in the front end - the engine mount needed to be replaced, and my front control arm bushings had to be replaced. What exactly do they check when you have your first four or five years of free maintenance. Don't get me wrong, i understand that parts go bad after a time, but after my warranty has expired now things are going south. Call it Murphy's Law or just sticking it to the man when he is down. Love the car, not necessarily the dealer.

yycools

umm, I don't see $4000 worth of problem here. You basically have a bunch of maintenance stuff that needs to be done, and a shop/dealer that took you for a ride.

The most costly thing maybe the brakes, but even if you get brand new rotors and pads, it shouldn't be more than $600 in parts (OEMs may be more expensive). A new battery should cost no more than $100 at an auto part store. Motor mounts cost about $120 each (you'll need two) and the Front control arm bushing cost like $20 each. So the total parts should only run you $1000 max. This means your shop charged you $3000 in labor for maybe a couple hours of labor. Yes, a couple hours, I've changes all of those thing on my B7 in my driveway before, which took about 3 hours with a jack stand. Sorry to tell you this, but if you spend $4000 to change your brake, motor mount, battery and bushings, you got ripped off BIG TIME!

If this is a dealer that did this to you, you should be able to complain and get some of your money back, but you should always excise common sense, if some thing seem fishy, post on the forum and get a clear answer.

p.s. since your car is not under warranty anymore, there is no point to take a to the dealer anymore. Find a good independent shop specialize in Audis and do your services there. Also, if you need parts, buy it yourself and bring it to the shop for installation. Or, try to change it yourself, seriously man, do you really needed the dealer to change a battery?

jagtoes

It sounds like you need a short course in repair practices. If you are not mechanically inclined then you will see some of these items as poor reliability as opposed to normal maintenance. Always question what a dealer or independent shop says. Listen carefully and understand what they are saying. This way it gives you a chance to budget getting items fixed. There are 2 basic areas to understand. The 1st is SAFETY which should be addressed and repaired. Everything else falls into general maintenance which has low priority. Lets take the brakes issue. You may think this is a safety issue but you need to ask the tech "are the brakes bad and will they fail inspection". If they say they are worn but will pass then it is not a safety issue and you can plan on getting them fixed before they become a problem. Do the same with any issue the dealer comes up with. Batteries last 3-5 years and don't need to be replaced at the dealer. Shop for prices. Bushings will not wreck the car and you can plan when to get them repaired. Put everything in perspective and question everything. Remember a dealer is in it for the money and not to be your friend. Also a good dealer makes you feel important while they pick your pocket.

DoThisMyWay

The complete control arms need to be replaced, not just the bushings. Most likely the dealer is quoting both upper and lower control arms and an alignment. That job at an independent shop is at least $800 with parts. I'm sure the dealer is a lot more.