Many thanks Steve for this very informative information.

This document really brings it home to me that that panacea for many, of the importance of ‘Full Service History’, really boils down to very little in terms of looking after a vehicle in a way in which it has the best mechanical attention.

If you want the least maintenance requirement (cheapest in time spent in the workshop), then this is great news, and great news it will be for fleet operators, and indeed private owners who are enticed to pay monthly premiums for maintenance contracts - where most of the charges are for high labour rates, rather than parts used.

Best in terms of looking after the moving parts ?? 
Most frightening:- Cambelt not until 131k miles with no time limit! So, someone doing 7K/a ( with fitted aggravating stop/start) can follow Audi recommendation and not have the belt renewed until the vehicle is 18 years old. Crazy! I will continue my regime and recommendation of ‘…or every 5 years, whichever comes first’.

Air filters running to 56K miles irrespective of age? Sorry, not for  me, where mine gets changed every 2 years. Strange that they put a time limit of 2 years service for pollen filters, when that’s  the one filter that has little adverse affect on mechanicals. 
Diesel oils running to 18K or 2 years. OK, but with oil dilutions on modern diesels, I would still be doing an annual oil and filter change. 
Never renewing fuel filters on petrol engines??  
Gearbox oil changes not mentioned -? 
‘Full main dealer Service History’ vs enthusiastic owner maintenance - I know what I would choose!  
Kind regards,

Gareth.

 

I know it's scary isn't it. I speak from experience being an enthusiast my A6 is over serviced and like to make sure parts are changed. Like you, I stuck to the major/minor principals. 

I can only assume that the materials use for cambelts etc have improved over time hence the longer intervals? 

Thanks Steve,

Re. Material for cambelts having improved over time:- I think we had a poster a couple of weeks ago where the cambelt failed on his just over 5 year old low mileage vehicle, and I’ve got a feeling there was someone else with a similar failure. 
Of course, we now have the engineering averse stop/ start system that puts regular and sustained increased stresses on belts, so I’m really surprised that Audi don’t /no longer do, put a time limit on belt changes.

I know what I’m going to do.

Kind regards,

Gareth. 

 

 

 

It seems to have gone full circle, in the sense Audi had long Cambelt intervals (8 years in my Audi's case) to then 5 years and now this.