Maintenance costs (US)

[OmgWtf]

I’m considering buying a 2017 e-tron with 30k miles. Can anyone give a ballpark figure for typical annual routine maintenance in the US? I am having a hard time finding info about the vehicle and the dealer is not an Audi dealer and knows less about the car than I do. I’m worried about taking on a vehicle that might end up being very costly.

 

[tmwes]

I’m considering buying a 2017 e-tron with 30k miles. Can anyone give a ballpark figure for typical annual routine maintenance in the US? I am having a hard time finding info about the vehicle and the dealer is not an Audi dealer and knows less about the car than I do. I’m worried about taking on a vehicle that might end up being very costly.

I purchased a 2017 with about 20K in 2020. One nice surprise I had was that the previous owner bought AudiCare that covered the 10,20,30,40,50K services. They had already done 10-30, and I have had 40-50 done for no cost. So maybe call your local Audi dealer with the VIN and see if it might have some service left on it.

I plan on being religious about having the recommended service done since it has been like that since day 1; my next service is the 60K and I'm probably going to purchase the AudiCare package for the 60/70K service. $879 total for those 2 services. The 40/50K Audicare is the same price.

 

[stevedh42]

Don't know about the US, but been told I am due for a 5 year timing belt change at the cost of about £700. Was told as it is rubber it deteriorates so even though my 2017 only has 23000 miles on the clock I still have to do it.

 

[jackdennis]

I purchased a 2017 with about 20K in 2020. One nice surprise I had was that the previous owner bought AudiCare that covered the 10,20,30,40,50K services. They had already done 10-30, and I have had 40-50 done for no cost. So maybe call your local Audi dealer with the VIN and see if it might have some service left on it.

I plan on being religious about having the recommended service done since it has been like that since day 1; my next service is the 60K and I'm probably going to purchase the AudiCare package for the 60/70K service. $879 total for those 2 services. The 40/50K Audicare is the same price.

I have been doing a little reading to familiarise myself with Audi. I don't want to just be mesmerized by the good looks and great features. Someone commented that they were being charged $250 for a oil change, battery $300, fan belt $3000. Are these things normally this expensive or is this just a one off situation.

 

[cmc]

Well there are no belt driven accessories (A/C, alternator, radiator fan, water pump) so I would be upset if I got charged for changing the "fan belt".. Perhaps it is the timing belt. I had gearbox fluid change done recently (about $600)... brake fluid every 2 years like every other car. I do oil change every 10K (the ICE runs 25% of the time based on my driving habits) about $100. Not bad really for routine maintenance... But a out of warranty propulsion battery is over $10K. 12V battery can be done DIY but you will need to reprogram the computers for them to know you have a new 12V. Maybe $150 for a AGM unit. Owners manual does warn against letting non dealers muck with the EV system threatening to void the warranty. (I'm just the messenger here)

 

[Jacks A3 ET]

Cost are most often high for Labor. Where you live maters. Seattle Dealer labor= $250 / hour. Save $50 / hr at good independent shop. But they are not likely to handle EV System issues.

 

[Nuje]

I have been doing a little reading to familiarise myself with Audi. I don't want to just be mesmerized by the good looks and great features. Someone commented that they were being charged $250 for a oil change, battery $300, fan belt $3000. Are these things normally this expensive or is this just a one off situation.

Yeah - that's typical dealer pricing. Figure $150-200/hr for labour, and anything they do (even as simple as changing the battery, they'll charge you for an hour).

$3000 price is definitely the timing belt. It's an involved process, but that side of the engine is just the standard 1.4T engine that VW used in a lot of cars, so any competent VW shop should be able to do it for probably half that price.

I do all of my own work, so those prices don't put me off; it's a great car, and yes - there are things that can go wrong and break, but that's true with any car. Standard maintenance is not egregiously overpriced - the DSG transmission fluid flush being the exception, but that's not e-tron/Audi, but rather typical price for any VWAG product with the DSG.
(The fluid and filter can be had for $100; I can do the fluid change in my driveway in a little over an hour - always shocks me that the dealer price is so over-the-top on that one. OE DSG fluid is charged at $35/L and requires 5-6L, so that explains some, but how they can't knock this out in an hour worth of labour is beyond me.)

 

[Verify Btc]

Well there are no belt driven accessories (A/C, alternator, radiator fan, water pump) so I would be upset if I got charged for changing the "fan belt".. Perhaps it is the timing belt. I had gearbox fluid change done recently (about $600)... brake fluid every 2 years like every other car. I do oil change every 10K (the ICE runs 25% of the time based on my driving habits) about $100. Not bad really for routine maintenance... But a out of warranty propulsion battery is over $10K. 12V battery can be done DIY but you will need to reprogram the computers for them to know you have a new 12V. Maybe $150 for a AGM unit. Owners manual does warn against letting non dealers dunkin donuts hotline muck with the EV system threatening to void the warranty. (I'm just the messenger here)

The fluid and filter for the job can be purchased for around $100, and I can handle the fluid change myself in my driveway in just over an hour. It always surprises me how much dealerships charge for this service. The original equipment (OE) DSG fluid costs $35 per liter and the job requires 5-6 liters, which explains part of the high cost. However, it’s baffling that dealerships can't complete this in an hour of labor, considering the simplicity and speed of the task.

 

[Seanray3580]

The fluid and filter for the job can be purchased for around $100, and I can handle the fluid change myself in my driveway in just over an hour. It always surprises me how much dealerships charge for this service. The original equipment (OE) DSG fluid costs $35 per liter and the job requires 5-6 liters, which explains part of the high cost. However, it’s baffling that dealerships can't complete this in an hour of labor, considering the simplicity and speed of the task.

I’m considering buying a 2017 e-tron with 30k miles. Can anyone give a ballpark figure for typical annual routine maintenance in the US? I am having a hard time finding info about the vehicle and the dealer is not an Audi dealer and knows less about the car than I do. I’m worried about taking on a vehicle that might end up being very costly.

I was just quoted by the Audi dealership in Tacoma Washington to do my timing belt and water pump 4300!! I’m gonna roll it till it snaps and buy a low mileage used engine

 

[CarMark]

HI Seanray
That price seems excessive! Maybe follow suggestion from Nuje and get some quotes from local VW shops since our ICE is a common VW 1.4T engine. What labor rate is the Tacoma dealer charging?
Independent shops are almost always cheaper and this job has a lot of labor.

 

[Seanray3580]

HI Seanray
That price seems excessive! Maybe follow suggestion from Nuje and get some quotes from local VW shops since our ICE is a common VW 1.4T engine. What labor rate is the Tacoma dealer charging?
Independent shops are almost always cheaper and this job has a lot of labor.

Already contacted vw and they said this a job for Audi

 

[Nuje]

Not "VW shop" as in a VW dealer, but rather, an independent shop that sees a lot of VWs (and probably does other German makes).
My little town of 20K people has one shop that I'd trust, and another that I'd consider (if I didn't do my own work) - so I'm sure Tacoma has options.

 

[Sopra]

Yeah - that's typical dealer pricing. Figure $150-200/hr for labour, and anything they do (even as simple as changing the battery, they'll charge you for an hour).

$3000 price is definitely the timing belt. It's an involved process, but that side of the engine is just the standard 1.4T engine that VW used in a lot of cars, so any competent VW shop should be able to do it for probably half that price.

I do all of my own work, so those prices don't put me off; it's a great car, and yes - there are things that can go wrong and break, but that's true with any car. Standard maintenance is not egregiously overpriced - the DSG transmission fluid flush being the exception, but that's not e-tron/Audi, but rather typical price for any VWAG product with the DSG.
(The fluid and filter can be had for $100; I can do the fluid change in my driveway in a little over an hour - always shocks me that the dealer price is so over-the-top on that one. OE DSG fluid is charged at $35/L and requires 5-6L, so that explains some, but how they can't knock this out in an hour worth Monkey Oil Change Price of labour is beyond me.)

Absolutely

 

[clwydian]

Don't know about the US, but been told I am due for a 5 year timing belt change at the cost of about £700. Was told as it is rubber it deteriorates so even though my 2017 only has 23000 miles on the clock I still have to do it.

Thats encouraging as it happens! Mine is due this year (25) but cost me £700 in 2020!!!! My mileage is 53k now (2015 model). Mind you they havent quoted me yet :/

 

[dlinkA3]

We have not received any notice on timing belt replacement on our A3 Sportback e-tron from our local Audi dealer in the USA at all. We are still under 24K miles and are right around 90% electric drive only for lifetime. We also ALWAYS park in our garage, so harmful heat is minimized. We understand that rubber can deteriorate over time, but do not understand why our dealer, which always wanted to charge us exorbitant rates to replace our synthetic oil and high priced oil filter when our annual mileage was so low, would not try to get more money out of us for the timing belt.

EVs, without any timing belts, oil, transmissions, and more are so much easier on maintenance!

 

[Nuje]

Over in the TDI message boards where timing belts are a frequent topic of discussion (deservedly so), the general rule of thumb is closer to 10yrs if the mileage interval hasn't been achieved.
With that said, there are very experienced VW mechanics on tdiclub who have seen hundreds, if not thousands, of cars who have never seen one fail due to age (but plenty that failed due to mileage being surpassed).

The belts themselves typically last just fine; it's usually a pulley/roller or tensioner that fails, or water pump that seizes up, which then takes the belt with it.

I know a TDI and a EA211 1.4T are very different engines, but the TDI is generally harder on running parts due to the much higher compression ratio, so the 230K km specified interval of my MQB TDI (CRUA engine) can serve as a guide for what you should reasonably expect out of your EA211.