[Mission_PGPX]

Originally Posted by jumanji

Jaguar XE Diesel looked better in most terms - NVH, Refinement, Power etc. The MMI screen though looks a bit dated when compared to the famous 3 German rivals. Ride was more supple than 3 series. XE seems to be a fuel guzzler, going by SA's numbers (7-8km/pl in city!). The biggest negative for me was the stiffness of the accelerator pedal. Not sure if that is just the issue with this vehicle or a general pattern on XEs. I have asked him to check with his technical folks. Can XE owners please comment on real time fuel efficiency and on the accelerator pedal? I am not too stingy on km/lit but would like to avoid fuel guzzlers.

I understand you are talking about a petrol portfolio version here, which is really not in stock. If you are considering petrol version, go for portfolio you will not regret. SA seems to be little biased towards selling diesel here. I got a quote of 46 OTR in ahmedabad for diesel portfolio and 43 Lac OTR for diesel prestige. I am sure you can get a petrol portfolio around that number. If you liked the driving experience, take another test drive and a long one, alongwith family to check for rear space and comfort. The ex factors compared to A4:
1) Jag exclusivity
2) RWD car
3) Much much better looks and technology
4) Landing cost

[jumanji]

@dmv, I booked A4 Tdi. OTR 43.5L (from their initial list price of 50L.

[jumanji]

Hi all, I would be getting the A4 TDI delivered in the next fortnight. Anything specific that you recommend I should watch out for in PDI? Any critical accessories? Also, can A4 owners comment on typical service costs? (I do understand that this is a new generation, but any baseline data would help). Thanks

[jumanji]

Hi all, I am given below quote for service plan for A4 TDI. Please let me know your suggestions.
2 yr/40k kms - INR 50k
3 yr/50k kms - INR 75k
4 yr/60k kms - INR 1.6L
5 yr/100k kms - INR 2.1L
(all prices excl tax)

My typical usage is likely to be a little less than 10,000 kms per year. Is it worth purchasing these long term plans to shield from future price hikes (but also means shelling out a lot upfront)? or take each service as it comes (with a risk of escalating prices)?

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by jumanji

Hi all, I am given below quote for service plan for A4 TDI. Please let me know your suggestions.
2 yr/40k kms - INR 50k
3 yr/50k kms - INR 75k
4 yr/60k kms - INR 1.6L
5 yr/100k kms - INR 2.1L
(all prices excl tax)

My typical usage is likely to be a little less than 10,000 kms per year. Is it worth purchasing these long term plans to shield from future price hikes (but also means shelling out a lot upfront)? or take each service as it comes (with a risk of escalating prices)?

Interesting. As time increases the service cost increases exponentially. As your usage will less than 10,000 km/Y, it will be better to get the petrol version, which will be both cheaper to buy and cheaper to maintain.

From what I know most of the Germans tote up a bill of 40K+ in their annual service.

By the way what all is included in the service plan? More important what is excluded?

[lamborghini]

Originally Posted by Aroy

Interesting. As time increases the service cost increases exponentially. As your usage will less than 10,000 km/Y, it will be better to get the petrol version, which will be both cheaper to buy and cheaper to maintain.

From what I know most of the Germans tote up a bill of 40K+ in their annual service.

By the way what all is included in the service plan? More important what is excluded?

Not really - I'd expect similar bills for both diesels and petrols - depending on the daily drive of course. In the long run, diesels may need a DPF replacement which could be expensive, but I don't see that right now.

Regarding annual servicing - most Germans have an annual bill of 20-30K in the first two years and then it increases due to wear and tear parts being replaced.
Would they be covered in the service package like BMW BSI or would it be excluded?
Personally - I'd rather spend on extended warranty than a service package if that was the case.

[Porcupine]

Originally Posted by jumanji

Hi all, I am given below quote for service plan for A4 TDI. Please let me know your suggestions.
2 yr/40k kms - INR 50k
3 yr/50k kms - INR 75k
4 yr/60k kms - INR 1.6L
5 yr/100k kms - INR 2.1L
(all prices excl tax)

My typical usage is likely to be a little less than 10,000 kms per year. Is it worth purchasing these long term plans to shield from future price hikes (but also means shelling out a lot upfront)? or take each service as it comes (with a risk of escalating prices)?

For your kind of usage it might depend on how long you wish to own the car. It's a bit strange as the 2 and 3 year plans work out to 25k a year which perhaps might be worth it but the 4 and 5 year plans, not so much as even with the 5 year plan you're still looking at about 42k a year, which I think is still a lot more than what you'd normally see for annual services (even given the usual things that could go wrong) - although I don't have any experience with Audi's or what their usual service costs are like.

But in my experience with Mercedes, BMW etc., I don't think its usually worth it.

[jumanji]

Originally Posted by Aroy

....
By the way what all is included in the service plan? More important what is excluded?

Service Plan:

• Periodic Service as per the Manufacturer’s recommendations.
• Replacement of oil filter, air filter, fuel filter, pollen (Micro) filter and transmission filter as required during periodic service interval.
• Replacement/Topping up lubricants (Engine Oil), Brake fluid, Windshield Washer fluid, Transmission oil and Coolant as required during periodic service interval.
• Replacement of Spark Plugs, Poly V Belt, Water Pump Pulley and Power Steering Pump Pulley as required during periodic service interval.
• Consumables required during the Periodic Service.
• Vehicle Washing and Vacuum Cleaning during the Periodic service.
• Wheel alignment/balancing is NOT included.

Originally Posted by lamborghini

....
Regarding annual servicing - most Germans have an annual bill of 20-30K in the first two years and then it increases due to wear and tear parts being replaced.
Would they be covered in the service package like BMW BSI or would it be excluded?
Personally - I'd rather spend on extended warranty than a service package if that was the case.

Wear and tear will not be covered as part of this service plan. There is another plan that takes care of extended warranty and wear/tear (except for tyres, battery) but that is too exhorbitant to say the least: 3 yrs - 2.5L, 4 yrs - 4.5L, 5 Yrs - 5.8L ! The simple 3 yr extended warranty (without any links to any service plan) costs 72K and I am going ahead with it.

Originally Posted by Porcupine

For your kind of usage it might depend on how long you wish to own the car. It's a bit strange as the 2 and 3 year plans work out to 25k a year which perhaps might be worth it but the 4 and 5 year plans, not so much as even with the 5 year plan you're still looking at about 42k a year, which I think is still a lot more than what you'd normally see for annual services

I am planning to keep this for approx 6-8 yrs - so please comment if we can trust Audi's to run that long without major issues? . The service guy mentioned that generally (i.e if we dont take any service plans) the odd years (1st, 3rd and 5th etc) services cost around 25-30K, every 4th service the most expensive one costing approx 75-100K depending on wear/tear as that is usually the time most additional things get replaced (brake pads etc.) The even years that are not multiples of 4 (i.e 2nd yr, 6th yr etc.) would cost around 35K-40K or so.

They mentioned that I can choose the plan anytime before it crosses 1 yr of delivery date, but the rates could obviously change as time goes by.

[lamborghini]

Originally Posted by jumanji

Service Plan:

• Periodic Service as per the Manufacturer’s recommendations.
• Replacement of oil filter, air filter, fuel filter, pollen (Micro) filter and transmission filter as required during periodic service interval.
• Replacement/Topping up lubricants (Engine Oil), Brake fluid, Windshield Washer fluid, Transmission oil and Coolant as required during periodic service interval.
• Replacement of Spark Plugs, Poly V Belt, Water Pump Pulley and Power Steering Pump Pulley as required during periodic service interval.
• Consumables required during the Periodic Service.
• Vehicle Washing and Vacuum Cleaning during the Periodic service.
• Wheel alignment/balancing is NOT included.

I am planning to keep this for approx 6-8 yrs - so please comment if we can trust Audi's to run that long without major issues? . The service guy mentioned that generally (i.e if we dont take any service plans) the odd years (1st, 3rd and 5th etc) services cost around 25-30K, every 4th service the most expensive one costing approx 75-100K depending on wear/tear as that is usually the time most additional things get replaced (brake pads etc.) The even years that are not multiples of 4 (i.e 2nd yr, 6th yr etc.) would cost around 35K-40K or so.

Honestly, most problems on Audis are due to electronic niggles - like the AC, Sensors, etc. which will be covered under warranty.
The 2.0TDi engine is otherwise fairly reliable and I'd expect they have fixed the AC Issue too as our conditions haven't changed since the start.

I'd also look at the service manual and understand when what parts are due for replacement, and the cost thereof. If it makes sense, I'd take the service package, otherwise be happy with extended warranty.

On our A6, we took the extended warranty and didn't really have very high service bills unless it was a wear and tear item or a part that failed - in either case, the service package isn't going to come to your rescue.

[jumanji]

@lamborghini, Thanks for the swift response.

[dmv]

Congrats jumanji !

After trying out the C-class, 3 series, X1 and the A4, looks like they all have their own characteristic strong points and minor negatives. Its been a close race, but the A4 won out in the end for me.
So, I've booked an A4 premium plus now. Will be doing PDI soon, so if anyone can help with pointers on what to look out for (anything Audi/German specific ?) it'll be great !
I'm taking the extended warranty, but probably not the service plan.

Insurance is another hot topic. Looks like Audi has some co-branded insurance plan (according to its website), but the "Audi Bengaluru" dealership offers its own plan as well. Would love to find out how people's experiences with either of these have been. It is approximately 65k for basic plan with nil depreciation & consumables covered plus 15k for tyre cover and engine protector.

[jumanji]

@dmv, I got a quote for 1.1L with Return to invoice also added. This is thru dealer who has tie up with Axa Bharti. When i checked with icici and hdfc i got quotes a lot higher than this so went ahead with Axa.

This 1.1L is inclusive of service tax of about 16,000. Are the numbers mentioned by you inclusive or exclusive of ST?

[dmv]

@jumanji, quote with "Return to invoice" is 91K (for IDV of 31.5L), inclusive of 18% GST. Dealer's tie-up is with FutureGenerali.

BTW, did you figure out how to decode the VIN for manufacturing month/year ? Year seems to be the 10th alphabet, but couldnt figure out the month.
Any other method of getting this info (apart from going by what sales person says) ?

[jumanji]

I randomly searched on the net and i too couldn't get month part. By the way my IDV is 38L, maybe that's another reason for slightly higher premium. I felt that the sun was too sharp (thru windscreen) on the dashboard in the afternoon. The SA had said in the past that there is no need for sunfilm as the glasses are tinted. Need to check on windscreen. Also, has anyone tried 3M PPF (paint protection film) for cars in this segment? Any experience would be helpful. I am mainly thinking about the nicks by the neighboring cars in car park etc.

[jumanji]

Today the service advisor told that there wont be much cooling or uv protection when compared to 3M films. For my everyday use it wont be a problem, just want to ensure it wont be an issue during long drives . Can other owners comment on their experience? By the way i forgot to mention that my A4 was delivered last fri.