Audi has two service regimes, fixed and flexible. How each works, what an oil service and inspection include, and caring for S tronic and quattro.
Audi's service schedules confuse a lot of owners, partly because two cars of the same model can be on completely different regimes. Understanding which one yours is on, and what it's due, helps you avoid both overpaying and under-maintaining.
Fixed or flexible: which is your Audi on?
Most modern Audis are set up for one of two service regimes:
| Fixed | Flexible | |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | Oil changed at a set time or mileage, whichever comes first | The car calculates when the oil is due based on how it's driven |
| Typical interval | About every 12 months or around 9,000–10,000 miles | Up to 2 years or around 19,000 miles |
| Oil | Standard specification oil | LongLife oil to the VW standard specified for the engine |
| Best suited to | Short trips, town driving, towing, spirited driving | Regular longer journeys at steady speeds |
Exact intervals vary by model and engine, so check your service book or the car's service display. If your Audi is on flexible servicing but mostly does short trips, switching to a fixed schedule is often the better choice for the engine.
Oil service vs inspection service
An oil service covers the engine oil and filter, plus a set of checks of fluid levels, tyres, lights and brakes.
An inspection service is more thorough. Along with the oil service, it includes a fuller inspection of the car and replaces items that are due by time or mileage, such as the cabin (pollen) filter, air filter and spark plugs. Brake fluid is also replaced on a time-based interval. These items are easy to miss if a car only ever has oil changes.
Cambelts and timing chains
Many Audi engines, particularly TDI diesels and some petrol engines, use a cambelt with a replacement interval set by both mileage and age. A belt that fails can wreck the engine, so if your car's history doesn't show the belt has been changed when due, treat it as a priority. The water pump is usually replaced at the same time.
Some chain-driven 2.0 TFSI engines, especially earlier ones, have had timing chain tensioner problems and higher oil consumption. Keeping the oil topped up with the correct specification, and listening for a rattle on start-up, are sensible precautions.
Looking after S tronic and DSG gearboxes
Audi's dual-clutch gearboxes (S tronic) come in different types, and their needs differ:
- Wet-clutch gearboxes, used with more powerful engines, have a scheduled fluid and filter change, typically around every 38,000 miles.
- Dry-clutch seven-speed gearboxes, used in smaller models with lower-torque engines, don't usually have a routine fluid change in the schedule.
- Tiptronic automatics, a conventional torque-converter gearbox used in many larger Audis, are often described as filled for life. Our guide to sealed-for-life gearbox fluid explains why that's worth questioning.
Signs that an S tronic gearbox needs attention include jerky low-speed engagement, a shudder when pulling away, delayed shifts or a gearbox warning on the dashboard.
quattro all-wheel drive
Audis with a transverse engine, such as the A3, TT and Q3, use a multi-plate coupling for quattro, which needs its own periodic oil and filter service. Larger models with a longitudinal engine use a different system with its own differential and transfer oils. These are easy to overlook, but neglecting them can lead to four-wheel-drive faults.
Does an independent service affect Audi's warranty?
No, as long as the work follows Audi's schedule, uses parts and fluids to Audi's specification, and is properly recorded. "Audi approved" describes the franchised network, but UK competition rules mean you don't have to use it for routine servicing to keep the manufacturer warranty. Warranty repairs and recalls are carried out by Audi centres.
Audi servicing at Mitsiland
We look after Audi models from the A1 and A3 through to the A6, Q5, Q7, TT, RS models and e-tron. Alongside routine Audi servicing, we offer vehicle diagnostics, automatic gearbox servicing including S tronic, engine carbon and DPF cleaning for TFSI and TDI engines, and on-site MOT testing.
Mitsiland was founded by Philip Hedley, a degree-qualified engineer with a background in manufacturer research and development. Mitsiland is an independent specialist and is not affiliated with Audi.
Mitsiland is an independent specialist at Tameside Business Park, 4 Windmill Lane, Denton, Manchester M34 3QS. Call 0161 320 7788 or book online.
