Working on cars sucks if you don't have the right tools, and newer cars are getting increasingly difficult to repair on ones own.
Add things like getting dirty, dinging up knuckles, squeezing parts in and out of the engine compartment, and the frustration with stuff not fitting quite right when you put it back together and honestly it's hard to blame some mechanics for charging so much. Some easy things are worth doing yourself, an alternator for example is a pretty basic replacement. Replacing brake pads or spark plugs, generally not too difficult, but sometimes even I'm okay with paying to have them replace things because I don't have the time and don't want to deal with the headache.
Also, from personal experience, Auto Parts stores give the wrong parts/non-working parts all the time. You get home to put the part on, then its back to the Auto Part store you go. I went through 2 master cylinders one time due to defects and leaks. You wait a day or two for a part, it doesn't work, then you gotta wait a day or two to get another one. So it can be pretty frustrating, but after all is said and done for me I have peace of mind that I know I did it right and I'm glad I could finish the job myself. But not everybody is so lucky.
Haha yup. This is where they make their money, just like with Taylor. Almost $300 to replace maybe $50 in plastic parts.
But Audi's unlike Fords are tough to work on, and they're not cheap. I don't doubt the spark plugs are in an inconvenient spot, the oil and "look at some things" is all "peace of mind" bologna they'll overview for pretty much pure profit. I have a coworker who has dropped $2000 on parts and labor every couple months for his Audi and is finally getting rid of it because it's literally a money pit for him. He knows nothing about cars and has no tools and is pretty much at their mercy.
Tried to warn him but he wanted that Audi!