I was searching for stock peelers here, and I saw that Induktion actually post a straight up price here, which I always appreciate. So, I thought I'd share some cost that I was incurred recently, so everyone has an idea.
S2 Dynamics is located in Rockville MD.
The story goes like this:
I hear a humming noise. Hmmm. What's that familiar noise. Ah, the good ole' wheel bearing noise. Or is it the tires? Initially I go on Yelp and see a review. I live in Crystal City, so I need something Metro accessible, and won't cost me $100 in Uber to go back and forth.
I find a shop called German Auto Group of Alexandria. Shop is large, clean, and people are polite. Little did I know...
German Auto Group of Alexandria:
Drop my car off on Monday morning. I ask them if they can find out what's going on with the humming noise. I suspect it's the wheel bearing noise. They immediately look at the car, and say "oh your coolant pipe is leaking, that needs exchanged." I knew I had slow coolant leak. So, I was like good, I can get the coolant pipe replaced, and while they're there I can get my ECS Pulley and belt installed, then also get my bearing changed and oil change.
Day 1: No communication. I called three times to find out what's going on. No answer.
Day 2: I call, they said it's not the wheel bearing, the rims bent and that's what's making the noise. I have no vibration or shake on my steering wheel... So they said they'll get to it, and it'll be ready on Day 3. They said they'll call me back. No call back, no answer when I call.
Day 3: I call at noon, they said they can't do the pulley, because they don't have the tool to do it. At this moment, I knew exactly that they had no idea how to work on this car. I ask, is the Supercharger off? They say no. Mind you, they told me they had it off on Day 2. Is the oil change done? They say yes. I ask them how many quarts did they put in and what oil they used. They said, "oh, we're about to do the oil change."
I tell them to pack it up, don't touch the car, I'll pick it up today. Sneak out of work early, take the metro to go pick up my car. Car is not washed, no oil change, and they still don't know which wheel is making the noise. The kicker is the mechanic comes out to give me excuses and says to me, "what are you complaining about? You're going home without us charging you anything!" I'm leaving and you're not charging me anything, because you didn't do anything for the last three days.
Quote:
Coolant Hose replacement/Thermostat/Pulley install: $980
Wheel bearing: $900
Oil change: $120
Total: $2,000
I frantically search Audizine and Yelp to see a shop that's near metro accessible.
S2 Dynamics:
I get there around 5:30 pm. I'm exhausted at this point. It's a long drive from Franconia VA to Rockville MD during traffic time. On the way I talk to Kevin and sounds like they know what they're doing. I talk to Pat (owner) about the pulley install and my Chipwerks and he's very nice to talk to. He tells me he doesn't up-sell, but they're Revo and Continental authorized dealership.
I get there, walk in, it's nice cozy and clean area, well lit shop, and have a nice R8 inside the shop.
I talk to Pat and he said, coolant pipe replacement is $600, $450 for pulley install, and bearing is about $650, oil change is $100. He assures me that this is a one day job.
I was so relieved to finally go to a shop where I don't have to do the talking, explaining what had to happen.
Day 1 night (Wednesday): Drop my car off. Feeling pretty good. They even gave me a ride back to the Metro without me even asking, which was very nice and right thing to do.
Day 2: I called to find out what's going on with the wheel bearing. They said the chasis ear can't pick up the sound due to the heavy rain that day. But I get a quote. 8 page quote. They sent me a text with inspections. The quote did take a long time to get. I authorize the services I want, but communication wasn't that great again. I call, email, and not getting a response.
I had Audi service my car up until about 65k miles - I have 75k miles now.
Service I got:
Oil change (they used my oil filter): $100
Coolant Hose replacement/Thermostat/Pulley install: $1,580
Brake Flush (not sure why but bad brake fluid):$170
Total: $1,797
I ask them not to replace the rusted coolant reserve tank hose ($130) but they do anyways. They also recommend that I get Meyle HD control arm kit, saying that control arm was damaged - which they said it's really the bushing that's worn later. And I understand that this is something I need replaced eventually. They also said my front brake pads are low.
At this point, still no answer on the wheel bearing, but they said I have to replace both rear tires. They're fairly new Continentals. They were nice enough to say they'll put some new wheels and tires to find out if it's the tires or the wheel bearing - which I'm not sure to this day if they did. They did identify that rear right bearing was noisy, but it can be the tires still...
Service I didn't get:
Wheel Bearing: $750
Alignment: $140
DSG Transmission Flush (which is due on 75k miles): $550
Meyle HD kit replacement: $1,820
Brake rotors and pads (Akebono): $1,010
Total: $4,270
Day 3 (Friday): They did get the coolant hose fixed, intake manifold gasket (supercharger) replaced, installed the pulley/belt, and did the brake flush in a day. And actually washed my car really nicely and vacuum the inside. And I got the car back in a day. They also have an after hour pickup, so that's what I did. Went and changed my Chipwerks to 6-1, and drove home. Didn't notice that much difference to be honest with you, but I was taking it easy.
Don't go to Audi of Tyson. They really don't know what they're doing. Audi of Arlington is where it's at (Chris). But don't go to an Audi dealership.
Audi Dealership quote:
Front upper Control Arm bushings change: $1,000
Lower Control arm change: $3,000
Bearing change: $1,500
Coolant hose change: $2,000
Oil change: $160
Transmission fluid change: $700
Brake flush: $700
Does not do aftermarket pulley change but if they did: $2,500
Total: $11,560
Don't go to German Auto Group of Alexandria. They have fake reviews on Yelp and incompetent.
I'd recommend S2 Dynamics if you want a headache free service that's cheaper than Audi dealership and don't want to drive an hour out of the DC metro.
At the end, I still don't have my wheel bearing fixed, and the car is humming which is why I went to these shops in the first place! haha. I guess life is like that...
If you want to help people here, please post your service price in detail like I did, so we can compare notes.
Thanks for reading this long post.
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