Focus on Audi

When we arrived at midmorning, the small team at VAG Singapore were scrambling to put things in order. Renovations were not yet completed, and contractors were still working on the office and electrical wiring. Aside from the lack of electronic payment facilities and a comfortable lounge, the workshop floor was otherwise ready for customers. 

Painted in classic Audi grey tones, the VAG Service Centre currently has 3 brand new hoists installed - a quick-service scissor hoist, a 4.5 tonne lift for heavier cars like the Q7 and A8, and a low profile hoist for cars like the Audi R8. A couple of suppliers were in the midst of delivering parts and tools, and we caught a glimpse of specialized tools designed for Audis big and small being put away.

The workshop manager, Mr Chan Kian Ann, is a 22-year veteran of Audi and Volkswagen dealerships, has worked in a wide variety of roles before leaving to set up this independent Audi service and tuning garage. More on Mr Chan's experience can be found on the VAG Singapore website, www.vag.sg.

Strong Enthusiast Support

Before long, customers started driving in, starting with a sleek Audi A5 Sportback coming in for a quick service. Within an hour a B8 Audi A4 slid in to install a full exhaust system. VAG Workshop Manager Mr Chan had told us that careful scheduling was in place to minimize customer waiting time, and to space out the workload. Apparently VAG was still in the midst of hiring technicians and were clearly not prepared to run at full capacity on opening day.

We were surprised that VAG used Audi original engine oil for servicing - a practice unheard of in private workshops. Chan told us that Audi-spec engine oil was slightly different from the oils commonly available in the market, and for optimum care VAG was going with the original - even if it meant importing higher-priced oils directly from Germany. So VAG really was serious about it's "made in Germany" and "original Audi" focus.

The A5 owner wasn't due yet for his routine service, but we found out that he had come in specifically for the 50% promotional discount that VAG Singapore was running on its VAG Total Engine Care Package (click to read our review of this package).

Over a span of a few hours, we witnessed an A8, another A4 and two Volkswagen GTIs drive up. A couple of them just wanted to visit the new centre, and we were told that VAG Singapore was the first specialized Audi workshop to open in the entire Central and Western part of Singapore. Many of these owners lived nearby and wanted to size up the new kid on the block!

Before the day ended, Chan and his partners had spoken to owners of the Audi R8, S3, Volkswagen Passat and Jetta, and had scheduled a late appointment with an Audi A6 owner.

Impressive first day results for a brand new workshop!

We were asked to oblige by not publishing photos of the workshop facade until renovations were complete, so we'll just share a couple of quick shots of the cars being worked on.

VAG Singapore is located at 48 Toh Guan Road East, #04-123 Enterprise Hub, Singapore 608586. You can find out more about VAG Singapore at www.vag.sg or by calling them at +65 6515 9515.