skaven81

I just picked up my OG '19 Prestige from its final AudiCare service (the 50k mile one). From this point forward, any further maintenance is no longer going to be free. Also, now that it's been over four years since I purchased the vehicle, most of the car (other than the battery and a few select items where Audi chose to extend the warranty) is no longer under warranty. So any repairs going forward are no longer going to be free.

I am entirely unconcerned about the AudiCare stuff -- as best I can tell, the AudiCare services consisted of nothing more than a visual inspection of the tires, brake pads, suspension, and undercarriage, and a cursory check of any outstanding recalls or service campaigns. As with all EVs, there's simply nothing that needs regular maintenance.

• Tires - change regularly, just like an ICE. Rotate regularly to ensure even wear.
• Brake pads - will likely last as long as I own the car, but brake pads are easy to change out anyway.
• Motor/battery coolant - it's a sealed system, and after 50k miles I haven't had any of the issues with coolant collecting in the overflow canister, so I suspect I'm good for at least another 50k miles.
• Fragrance dispensers - I've never seen the fill level get below 99%, so these will probably last me as long as i own the car.
• Cabin air filter - I can change that when needed.

...what else is there? I really don't think I should have to take it back to the dealership ever again, short of a major mechanical failure.

However, I guarantee that the MMI is going to nag me about "inspection due" every 10k miles. Does anybody know how to clear the "inspection due" alert without taking it to the dealer?

mceatalot

If you figured out how to change the cabin air filter, please do tell. I cannot find any instructions online in how to do it.

I’m in a similar boat. I’m 3k miles away from warranty expiration and am looking at alternatives.

JNealCox

I thought the gel in the battery thermal maintenance system had to periodically be replaced/

GL921

after original audicare is over, you can opt to buy a pack of two services for $1000. (60k + 70k). then you can do it again after you've done the 70k , and buy the 80k + 90k. i don't know why audi doesn't bundle it in a pack of 4 to get you to 100k miles, maybe to protect themselves from needing to increase the prices over time?

it's probably a rip off, but then again seeing posts about some early service intervals being charged at $700 makes me think it's not so bad. i have the prestige too so they change the expensive fragrance cartridges every 20k regardless of what level they are at.

this is all new territory for me too. i rarely keep cars over 45-50k, the etron is going to be the first. and it is approaching 70k and still doing well. this is also the first time i ever bought an EW and PPM, but i really don't want the hassle of thinking about paying for unexpected car repairs at this point. this is a guinea pig test EV for me, and so far so good (knock on wood).

mks632

I have an Autel MK808 scanner which I originally purchased for my 911 to reset service interval reminders - it also works well for resetting the Audi service interval reminders.

The cabin filter isn't the easiest to change but it isn't too bad either. It is "below" the glove box - no need to remove the glove box. Pull some insulation below the glove box back and you'll see a black cover that is around 2-3 inches wide - filter is behind that.

I agree with the OP's thought on service of these vehicles - I purchased NO Audicare and don't plan to either. I'm coming up on 20,000 miles - I know how to check the front / rear motors for coolant collection. Audi (and all dealers) use "fear of the unknown future" to intimidate owners into purchasing excessive service coverages - that's fine for those who sleep better at night after having purchased it but it's just a waste of money in my mind. I plan to drive this vehicle until it's "done" so the declining resale values don't bother me much either.

No gel replacement around battery that I am aware of.

skaven81

I haven't tried, but I have to imagine that it can't be that hard. I saw a video on how to replace the fragrance canisters, and while not trivial, it only required the removal of a few dashboard trim panels to get access to the canisters. I suspect the cabin air filter is similar.

skaven81

Good tip on the air filter, thank you. Shame that a scanner is required to clear the service reminder -- on most cars, it's just a matter of pressing and holding some combination of buttons in the cabin for 30 seconds and it clears the maintenance flag.

I've been tempted to get a scanner/programmer tool so I can fiddle with adding new features. I had been reluctant to do that while the vehicle was still under warranty and still going in every 10k miles for updates that would likely wipe out any updated coding. But now that all that is over, I'm starting to think about mods/updates that I'd like to do to keep the car feeling "fresh". Any scanners/coding tools that come recommended? The Autel unit you have appears to be a "tool" in the sense that it's generic and likely not very user friendly. As compared to something like OBDEleven, which makes coding changes trivial. I'm not even sure where I'd go to find all the register addresses and lists of valid settings.