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General => The garage => Topic started by: candywhite12 on 17 August 2026, 08:33
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like the title suggests. Who do you trust more to do proper work and not overcharge? My main concern with going independent, apart from the physical parts of the car which in my 25 year experience preferring an independent shop over dealership (due to costs and also convenience as to the time it takes to service the car), they are well equipped to maintain, do such garages now have access to all state of the art VAG software and can they perform all and every software update there is? my 8.5 is due it's 15k service which is a pretty basic service, i'm torn between sticking with the tried and tested or switching back to the dealer. I get the feeling that compared to previous models, all this digitalization might not allow independent shops to keep up with the dealers in terms of equipment and expertise. Thoughts?
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With a tech-laden car like the 8.5 I'd be having it dealer serviced for at least the first couple of years of its life as no doubt it will need software updates.
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My independent has access to odis for software diagnostic, updates and repair but there is a charge they have to pay which they pass on. Dealer software updates are supposed to be included with a service while under warranty.
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Update: my independent also has access to ODIS so i swiftly cancelled my visit to the dealers and scheduled my minor service with my guy, this will definitely keep costs substantially lower for the time being.