Should I Change My Tyres with Audi Dealership?

Jaystea on 26/08/2020 - 12:30
Last edited 26/08/2020 - 17:15

I sent my 2018 MY19 Audi A3 in for my second service last month at 32,000km. I've had the car for 1.5 years. It gets lots of kilometres as I drive out to the country a lot for work. I'd like to think I'm gentle with the car - no sudden brakes, don't accelerate in a rush, no tight/sudden turns. My fuel consumption averages at 5.6L/100km, so pretty close to the stated 4.9L/100Km. I only mention this because I think it may correlate with the manner it's driven and thus the wear and tear of the tyres.

Anyway, when I got my car back from the dealership, I was told that the wheels were just at the end of their life/required changing - but this could be done at the next service, 15,000km later.

I might be wrong, but if it were that close, shouldn't it be changed before 15,000km? Specifics aside, I thought that perhaps the tyres would last around 50,000km anyway? And the next question is: should I get it changed at the dealership when I next bring it in for servicing? Or should I decline and take it to a different place for a change of tyres? Unfortunately I am only beginning to realise how expensive ownership could potentially be, and am looking to try and reduce the burden - lesson learned.

I'm aware there are likely many other variables such as what type of tyres I have (I'm not too sure, it's the stock one), so apologies in advance if I haven't included the information.

Automotive Audi

Comments

  • dirtybigbjelke on 26/08/2020 - 12:35
    +3

    You can easily compare prices for Tyres. Dealers are not necessarily always more expensive but you would think so. Are you a Costco member their tyre shop is one of the cheapest going for quality tyres like the Michelin your car is probably fitted with. Get a price from them and ask the dealer for their price.

    • conan2000 on 27/08/2020 - 11:09

      Every time I have looked at tyres Costco have saved me at least a couple of hundred over any other option.

  • [Deactivated] on 26/08/2020 - 12:36
    +2

    I was told that the wheels were just at the end of their life/required changing - but this could be done at the next service, 15,000km

    not sure how they are their end of life if you can keep driving for another year?
    how much thread is left?
    how much is the replacement cost in 1 year?

    • Jaystea on 26/08/2020 - 12:39

      Exactly, if they're end of life, why would they be safe for another 15,000km/1 year? I found that bizarre.

      I'm not sure what the costs would be for replacement in a year's time. I suppose I'd like to get a gauge of what would be a reasonable cost. I.e. if Audi charges an extra $100 than what I'd get from someone else, I'd probably just pay it for the convenience and opportunity cost of taking time off work and having to source someone else to do it. But if it's $1k more (which I wouldn't be surprised if it were), then I would gladly take it to someone else.

      For instance, his estimate for the 60,000km service was ~$2k. But their 5 year servicing plan is $2080, which I found ridiculous. Clearly the 60k one does not cost anywhere near $2k even if it's a more significant service. Lucky for me I have 3 years free servicing. Unluckily for me, it's only 3 years.

      • trex on 26/08/2020 - 14:39
        +9

        Check your tyre wear indicator and don't rely on the dealer.

        • Jaystea on 26/08/2020 - 14:45

          Legend - this is perfect!

          • apple2016 on 26/08/2020 - 17:28

            @Jaystea: I think the entire VW groups dealers has this attitude of moneymaking in every possible item.
            They said the same for my car VW, I checked the and there was more than 3mm thread.
            Also its much cheaper to get the tyres changed at tyreshops.

            • Jaystea on 26/08/2020 - 17:31

              @apple2016: It's such a shame really! You expect premium customer service with premium pricing at the very least. But often it's mediocre customer service and extortion.

              You'd think at the very least, the keyfob batteries would be built in to the cost of servicing. But no, they would rather take $10 profit at the cost of leaving a sour taste in the customer's mouth.

  • CoronavirusVaccine on 26/08/2020 - 12:41
    +2

    Have you considered rotating the tyres initially? Usually front tyres wear out a lot faster but there might be a lot more treads left at the back. So rotating them will get you more time before the front tyres are too worn.

    Also with more even wear for both front and back tyres set, it's easier to find a better price when you swap all four at the same time in the frequent Buy 3 Get 1 free details in major tyre brands.

    • Jaystea on 26/08/2020 - 12:51

      I've heard about the rotation. I also thought they would explore this option before telling me that they need a change.

      I'm no mechanic, and certainly I don't want to be that goose that thinks he knows more than a real mechanic. But I suppose it'll be nice to know what the general allowances are.

      If they're not suitable to be rotated, I'll gladly accept a brand new change. My only concern is if they try and squeeze the bucks out of me - which often happens.

      During my first service, they charged me $12 for batteries for the keyfobs which were not low (the car tells you when the keys are low in battery). After complaining to corporate (after they sent me an email to gather feedback), this service time around, they just gave me two batteries free of charge.

      • cloudy on 26/08/2020 - 15:41
        +3

        They are supposed to rotate your tyres as part of normal servicing, but I dunno if mechanics actually do it or not to be honest.

        • CoronavirusVaccine on 26/08/2020 - 18:50

          My last three cars serviced at dealerships never had a rotation for even once without me asking… Anyone has a different experience?

          • nafe on 27/08/2020 - 11:00

            @CoronavirusVaccine: Never been done on any dealership servicing for my cars ever. I wouldn't want them to do it anyway as they will rattlegun the nuts up so tight you'll be unable to loosen them if you ever get a flat and want to put the spare on.

          • RockyRaccoon on 27/08/2020 - 11:19

            @CoronavirusVaccine: My tyres were rotated by the dealer at every service as required. And this was with the cheap capped price servicing.

            Very simple its front wheel drive and uses fronts more, AND I marked the tyres before putting them in for service.

            As for issue that Nafe indicates, I havent found they have been over tightened. In fact the opposite. Cars that went to my Tyre supplier were over tightened. Now to truly qualitify that statement, I only found out once in each case, when I had to remove the tyre myself.

            BTW I also wont have dealer replace tyres as I explained in another post. The dealer changes are based on 15K services, so if its got another 12K left they will replace it at an earlier service as if they left it, it would be "bald" before the next service. Wheras I replace it at the Tyre store when its needed.

            • nafe on 27/08/2020 - 14:51
              +1

              @RockyRaccoon: To be fair, I never let tyre places take my wheels on and off either…. :)

            • CoronavirusVaccine on 28/08/2020 - 13:07

              @RockyRaccoon: Sounds like you've found a trustworthy tyre shop. For the most of us (mums and dads) it simply is just a risk as there's always a possibility a shop didn't do the job properly. To be fair, a lot of that depends on the person on the job - it could be a seasoned professional feeling tired and not doing it right, or an very keen and bright apprentice doing the right thing.

      • smashman42 on 27/08/2020 - 13:21

        You've seen that NRMA link on how to check them, so take note and if the rear have more meat on them than the front, getting them rotated would be worth it. FWD A3 would almost certainly benefit from rotation, a quattro model it might not be so worth it. If it is FWD and the wear is pretty even, then they might have actually rotated them as part of the service like they're meant to.

        If any of the tyres have any weird wear around the sides of the tread you could need an alignment too, in which case booking in with a reputable tyre place for the alignment and rotation together would be a good idea.

  • MS Paint on 26/08/2020 - 12:50

    Do you dry turn a lot?

    • Jaystea on 26/08/2020 - 12:52

      I could imagine this happening when I drive out of the garage every morning which has a very steep slope. But the concrete floor is smooth up there, and it's not a drastic dry turn, no more than what most would do at a shopping centre carpark when reversing/adjusting.

      • Euphemistic on 26/08/2020 - 13:36
        -1

        Dey turn is when you turn he steering wheel while the car is stationary. While moving, even at slow speeds is fine.

  • Porker on 26/08/2020 - 13:04

    You should learn to check the tyres yourself - on the tyre, within the grove, are little nubs. Once the tyre tread wears down to the same level as those nubs, then the tyre is no longer safe to drive.

    If the grove is deep (ie. life left in the tyres) then possibly just an upsale tactic on Audi's end. ie. wording you up in advance for the next service.

    My experience is that tyres through dealership services are always more than getting them outside.

    • Jaystea on 26/08/2020 - 13:06

      Is there a measurement to give you an indication of lifespan? (i.e. the groove started at 5mm deep, and now it's 2.5mm, meaning I still have just about another 1.5 years left on it).

      • Porker on 26/08/2020 - 13:09
        +1

        Tyres can wear for any number of reasons in addition to KMs travelled. EG. incorrect wheel alignment, incorrectly inflated tyres, hard acceleration/braking forces - these will result in additional wear in the tyres.

        So there is not a formula as such that can be applied to the depth and life left. Basically, when it's near the nub then it's close to its end. You'll be able to roughly get an idea of how quickly it wears based on your driving with a few on-going visual checks.

      • Whisper Quiet on 27/08/2020 - 12:53

        New tyres are usually around 8mm, some closer to 9mm depth

  • Stalker on 26/08/2020 - 13:05
    +3

    The answer to your question in the title is 'no'. :)

    • Jaystea on 26/08/2020 - 13:06

      Haha! I definitely remain cognisant of stealerships!

      • Master Bates on 26/08/2020 - 13:10
        +1

        Ask them for a quote and you’ll soon confirm the answer. Dealer quoted me nearly $2k for 4 tyres. I can get better tyres fitted for half that money elsewhere.

  • Seraphin7 on 26/08/2020 - 13:08
    +1

    By all means get a price from the dealership, but my bet is you'll find a much better price with an actual tyre outfit.

    Remember, the probabilities are that the dealership aren't keeping these tyres in stock. Therefore they'll either source them in small quantities from a wholesaler or possibly even just from a tyre retailer, albeit it "at trade prices". The point is they will likely source them a higher price than the actual tyre outfit and will likely want to whack a higher margin on top.

    About 20-odd years ago I had a Audi and made the foolish mistake of getting the tyres through an "authorised service centre" … I think they ran me $255 a corner 20-odd years ago. From memory, I found out afterwards that I could have sourced them myself for somewhere in the $120 - $150 range from memory.

  • Youfah Mizzum on 26/08/2020 - 13:25
    +1

    Decent new tyres usually fall between $110 and $160 each. Like Seraphin says, some high-end tyres can get pretty pricey.

    Depends on dimensions and brand. Just look at what you have on now (the dimensions are embossed onto all tyres) and ring around.

    Take 5 or 10 minutes out of your day and swing by your local Bridgestone/Goodyear/Bob Jane/JAX and they can take a quick squizz at each tyre & tell you immediately what the situation is.

    • chumpychops on 26/08/2020 - 14:19
      +3

      Decent new tyres unfortunately can't be blanketed into a price bracket. The dimensions as you rightly point out matter most. For example a cheap tyre on a 275/35/19 wheel might be $350 while a decent one about $500. Where as $500 would buy you a full set in size 185/60/14!

    • CoronavirusVaccine on 26/08/2020 - 18:54

      Once I met a guy who had his Rolls Royce Phantom tyres changed for more then $20k (for the 4 tyres altogether). It costed more than the whole car I was driving at the time so I remember this very clearly. Apparently the car is so heavy that it needed very specialized tyres fitted. Having said that the Rolls Royce guy just paid it without blinking.

    • dirtybigbjelke on 27/08/2020 - 14:16

      For a Modern Audi in the 19' to 20" range I would expect $300-00 a Corner. 15" Michelin Premacy are $150-00 a corner already.

  • kasumi on 26/08/2020 - 13:38
    +3

    Corporate must be pushing the tyre replacement as we had ours serviced a few days ago and they called and asked if we wanted the tyres changed (a 2 yo car) and was quoted $600 for each one and extra for wheel alignment. As everyone said, just check the tread on the tyres. If you're not tyre savvy, most tyre places like Jax or Bob Janes should be able to give u a quote and let u know if your tyres need replacing, or even if rotating the tyres will do

    • Jaystea on 26/08/2020 - 13:47

      OH HELL NO. $600?! You didn't go ahead right? That's a handy 2-3k!

      • kasumi on 26/08/2020 - 16:26
        +1

        Husband politely told them to get stuffed haha. He's a car fanatic so he knows they were BSing about the tyre wear

      • brad1-8tsi on 26/08/2020 - 18:23

        $600 /tyre isn't unusual if you are running 20s. That's getting to be a common size (unfortunately)

  • Baa on 26/08/2020 - 14:00
    +3

    I would personally never change them through a dealership.

    We have a Mazda CX9 and it came with tyres that retail for about $600 each, however were awful to drive on and terrible in wet weather. I was too cheap to swap them out until and managed to get 60,000km on them. With some research I managed to find a good tyre for about $350 each and the driving experience is night and day. Still more than I wanted to pay but to unique tyre sizing options were fairly limited.

    I find on my smaller cars with low profile tyres I tend to end up with 40 to 50k before needing to replace them.

  • RockyRaccoon on 26/08/2020 - 14:20
    +2

    Your choice whether or not to use dealer.

    As for mileage. You expect 50K to be the life.

    You are at 32K now, so add 15K you get 47K. Then if you get next service thats going to be 62K

    Assuming it is somewhere between 50-60K if you get dealer to replace at service time you need to do at next service, otherwise you are going to drive on tyres that should have been replaced before next service is due.

    So if you go dealer route, you would need to be safe and exchange at next 15K service.

    If you want to save and get best life from tyres change when worn to safety marker. That most probably means going to tyre specialist unless dealer is prepared to change outside service window.

    I'll let you decide on which change would be cheaper and suitable to you and your convenience

  • cloudy on 26/08/2020 - 15:41
    +1

    Try tyre sales, search your car and you’ll find the price range to expect.

    https://www.tyresales.com.au/carsales

    If they charge substantially more, say no thanks

    • min2 on 27/08/2020 - 17:01
      +1

      Excellent site!

  • jace88 on 26/08/2020 - 15:52

    What are the tyre specs of your Audi? IIRC not runflats by default so at least you have some more options for choice - and you can just google. Most shops will price match better deals online too even if they have to order in.

  • cwongtech on 26/08/2020 - 15:55

    Surprised no one's mentioned Tyroola

  • Jaystea on 26/08/2020 - 16:03

    I suppose my other question is whether or not the dealer could pull the "your car isn't safe to drive out of here, so you either get it changed or we keep your car" exchange. I'm not actually sure where I get this info from…I just read it once on ozb O_O.

    • brad1-8tsi on 26/08/2020 - 18:21
      +1

      your car isn't safe to drive out of here, so you either get it changed or we keep your car

      No, they can't do that.

    • cwongtech on 27/08/2020 - 00:03
      +2

      "your car isn't safe to drive out of here, so you either get it changed or we keep your car" exchange.

      No, they can refuse to approve the pink slip safety check (required for rego renewal which means the car is roadworthy) until the tyres are changed.
      But they cannot withhold your car against that.

      They can ask if you would like to change it at the dealership, and if not, tell you the pink slip cannot be passed due to the tyres.

      Next step is to go get tyres changed, then visit the dealership and they'd then re-inspect the failing component (tyres) then approve the pink slip (since you'd have paid for it already)

      • RockyRaccoon on 27/08/2020 - 10:57
        +2

        Add to that, the pink slip isnt required in NSW for cars under 5 years old.

  • knasty on 26/08/2020 - 16:22
    +1

    Short answer no. i got my last set at Costco so now I get annual rotation for free and even better it's like Valet parking I don't have to deal with the main carpark!

  • Melb69 on 26/08/2020 - 16:38
    +1

    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/user/195491

    A good option is to get the tyres online and then get them installed by tyre place with balance.

  • darkmattersunB6c0MV on 26/08/2020 - 17:13
    +3

    You should consider changing your car if it is consuming over 5L per KM.

    • Jaystea on 26/08/2020 - 17:16

      HAHA. Good spot. Edited.

  • brad1-8tsi on 26/08/2020 - 18:20

    1.5mm tread depth across the full face of the tread is the legal minimum but I prefer to change at 2mm. The dealership should have quoted the tread depth on the service report.

    The dealership will probably charge you tyre shop price plus 20% mark up. I would go to a specialist tyre retailer. Find out if you need 2 or 4.

    I'd buy Michelin PS4 and get a 4 wheel alignment. You don't say your tyre size so I can't give you a price estimate. The alignment will be anywhere from $80-$200.

    Yes car ownership is expensive. Expect an Audi to average $1500/yr in servicing costs over a 5 year period.

  • theguru1 on 27/08/2020 - 08:15
    +2

    The dealership will just be sending the car to a nearby tyre retailer and take a cut. Do your own research.

  • kiitos on 27/08/2020 - 11:05

    If you ask for a tyre rotation at a service, do they need to do an alignment as well? Or is that a separate schedule?

    Also, should the spare be rotated in as well?

  • OzHunterNSW on 27/08/2020 - 11:17
    +1

    Tyres have a wear indicator…. look up Tube for assistance.

    I would presume if YOU sourced tyres when "actually needed" that you would save possibly $500 or more.

    Go out and jot down your tyre details: size etc.
    Then look at each major tyre service centre web site - who allow you to then input these details into their site.

    You will be sure to save save save

  • afah0447 on 27/08/2020 - 12:32

    There is an indicator on each tyre which when worn down lets you know when to change that tyre.

    No need to go to the 'stealership' just to change tyres. Just shop around and find the cheapest. Its pretty easy.

    Your tyre type (for normal car tyres) is broken up into three groups of numbers,

    eg: 205 55 R16

    205=width, 55=height, R18= radial tyre 16in inner rim.

  • theo96 on 28/08/2020 - 01:33
    +1

    Also note that the more expensive/high-end tyres (like the above-mentioned Michelin PS4s which I've used and like very much) actually don't last as long as cheaper tyres generally. This may sound counter-intuitive for some, but high-end tyres are designed for performance characteristics like traction and not durability.

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