Va_TTer

I'm a low mile driver of a 2015 A3 Cab -- I'm at just about exactly 2 years and 10,500 miles. I didn't buy Audi Care with the car. I had the first service done at the 1 year mark as a freebie. I'm now looking at the 15k maintenance, and debating whether to buy Audi Care (my cost would be $670 + tax, after a coupon) and have the dealer do everything on the major maintenance menu, or pay them $219.00 + tax for an oil change and brake fluid service, while doing the cabin air filter, tire rotation, and vacuuming out the plenum drain myself.

The dealer's pricing on the "15k service" (if you ask for it as such) is absolutely obscene. $650+ to change the oil, air filter, clean the plenum drain, and inspect "everything." That does not include the brake fluid service. Given those economics, my questions are:

1. If I just have them do the oil and brake fluid, and do the cabin air filter myself, what am I missing / skipping that the 15k service would get me?

2. For those with Audi Care, do you end up paying anything out of pocket at 15k that Audi Care doesn't cover?

3. By my math, if I buy the Audi Care, I'll get the 15k service [at 2 years], 25k service [at 3 years], and 35k service [at 4 years], but won't ever get the 45 service because I'll be at more than five years from in service date but not at 45k miles. So I'd be getting two majors, one standard, and two brake flushes. Or am I misreading the program materials and entitled to that second standard service even past five years in service? Seems like they are penalizing low mileage drivers, even though our cars should require the least attention.

What else am I missing?

Thanks.

mroberte

Get the audicare, the 35k is $1k+. I haven't had to pay anything extra out of pocket. Just check your dealerships yelp, as many, to me, are careless at service/recall repairs.

shtaka

I have pretty much the same situation. 2015 Cab with about 13k miles, but mine is 2 years into a 3 year lease. I haven't priced out the 15k service at my dealer but I'm not inclined to pay $650!
On the other hand, I'm not sure if I'm going to buy the car at the end of the lease. If I do and the 15k service is $650, Audi Care makes sense for me. Otherwise, I will just do an oil service and general check which is a $79 special at the dealer.
I can vacuum the plenum drain myself, except I don't know where the plenum drain is!

shivamerlin

Keep in mind the service interval is not just based on miles driven but also by years. So since you stated you had your A3 for 2 years it's time to take it in for service even though you are far away from hitting the 15 mile marker. It's either or at least that's the way we treated my wife's service interval on her low mile Q5, we did the 45k mile service when the car had 39k miles on it just before the AudiCare plan expired.

davisflyer

Just bought the Audi Care for my 2015 A3 Cab today. With my $100 off coupon and tax it came to $650. The service intervals are 10k miles or every year, so this basically comes out to under $200 for my next four services.