Hey guys,
I'm new here, my name in Justin and I live in Minnesota. Anyway the other day I was driving(2005 A8 4.2) and I noticed the date in my car was 3/25/2004. I googled and discovered it was probably a battery problem. I went to O'Reilly and they said that my battery was at 17%. Only one guy was there and they were busy so I couldn't really ask any more details and I had somewhere to be as well.

First question is do Audi dealerships charge you for having the battery or alternator checked, and if so how much? And if it is the battery or the alternator, how much should I be expecting to spend in accordance to either problem respectively?

 

The battery for that thing is HUGE, weighs a grillion-pounds, and is expensive. It's been a while since I owned an 8, but, when I had to replace the battery it ran me close to $200.00, and that was WITH teh core-charge. I remember it like it was 2008... Because, that's when it was. Anyway, mine was a '99. Took me forever to find WHERE the damn thing was located, in the first place. Then, $179.00 in 2008 dollars ($226.00 without the core), and I was back in business.

The easy, ghetto, shadetree-way to figure out if your alternator is charging is simply to disconnect the battery while the car is running. If teh engine dies, your alternator is toast. If not, you're generally good-2-go.

Anything you go to the dealership for is going to co$t you. ANNNNYYYYthing!!! Your local auto-parts store is a better bet. It's worth your time to stick around and wait for them, unless you like spending numerical-amounts that end in "-hundred", at the dealership.

 

Thank you, I went to batteries plus and got a battery for 199.99. I appreciate the advice! I so an everstart battery at wal-Mart for 119.99. Just wish I knew how to install myself. Much appreciated!!!