Main Dealer Servicing

[RUDDY]

Having sold my Ranger I have put my MK5 GTi back into use, the service light has just come on as it is 12 months since it was last done by VW (6k miles ago) but only 2k miles since it last had an interim oil/filter service as we have been doing one in between the main dealer service with gen parts.

Also just before Xmas we got a card through the door from VW stating the car would need a cambelt as its 4 years or 60k miles, car just turned 4 years old in October but only 32k miles.

So today I nipped into the local main agent who has serviced the car from day one

Service would be £249 which they were over the moon to tell me included an air filter

Cambelt change would be £319

Nearly passed out, they even kept a straight face when they told me the prices.

So the dilemma, at what point does the main dealer stamp in the service book become unnecessary , I know its a nice to have when buying or selling but does it justify the expense ?

My thoughts are to buy all the parts from VW or GSF keeping the receipts and have my local reputable garage do the work and stamp the book.

The car is out of warranty.

Just to add the last time it was in for a service a family friend saw the car getting its head kicked in on a test run by the main dealer mechanic, when I confronted the service manager and stated that we dont even drive the car fast his reply was " we couldnt drive a GTi fast enough to harm it" not the reply I was after and he got what for

The mechanic has since smashed up someone elses car and been sacked.

How do these prices compare to other makes ?

Cheers, Paul

[Chesney]

prices are comparable paul imo. I would get genuine parts and get it serviced by a specialist, you will save a good bit of money.

[lee bishop]

Haha, no kidding Paul I have just booked my scooby in for a service this morning. It was 4 years old in November and I thought it would be the 48 month/40,000 mile service due, but they have reccomended I have the 60 month/50,000 mile service as it is over 4 years old. The next stamp required in the book is the 40,000 miler so I will question how necessary the bigger service is at this time. The mileage on my car? 23,000 nearly, and the cost ( including belt change ) £747, I'm not even sure that included VAT!! I've just put road tax on the **** - £425 and November last year the wheel bearing went tits and cattle the hub, repair bill £660. Poxy thing cost me too much, but I'd get **** all to sell it so may as well keep going with it, I do enjoy driving it.
And another thing whilst I'm rant about how much the damn thing cost to run, I got 16 mpg out of the last tank of fuel pmsl.

[Chesney]

Haha, no kidding Paul I have just booked my scooby in for a service this morning. It was 4 years old in November and I thought it would be the 48 month/40,000 mile service due, but they have reccomended I have the 60 month/50,000 mile service as it is over 4 years old. The next stamp required in the book is the 40,000 miler so I will question how necessary the bigger service is at this time. The mileage on my car? 23,000 nearly, and the cost ( including belt change ) £747, I'm not even sure that included VAT!! I've just put road tax on the **** - £425 and November last year the wheel bearing went tits and cattle the hub, repair bill £660. Poxy thing cost me too much, but I'd get **** all to sell it so may as well keep going with it, I do enjoy driving it.
And another thing whilst I'm rant about how much the damn thing cost to run, I got 16 mpg out of the last tank of fuel pmsl.

DO THE 40K SERVICE SON, no need to have the 50k done yet

[Martin]

Same issue I had with my 5 yr old BMW X5 3.0D 2 weeks ago. Car was due it's service so it was a choice between BMW Official Service stamp or my local specialist who is ex main dealer mechanic and does some of the 'difficult' jobs for lots of the mains dealers.

Car needed Oil, Air, Pollen and Fuel filters plus 8ltrs of Long Life Oil. Parts from BMW were £424 + Vat

I got the same Genuine parts fitted including labour for £230.75 + Vat

The mark up on the parts was nearly 80% at full retail

[RUDDY]

The wife wants to trade it on a VOLVO

Bish, your mpg cheers me up son, Golf is about 23 kicking about town

[Mr Hoarder]

Why not do the service yourself & just have the cambelt and tensioners done by an independent specialist.

GSF, Euro car parts or similar will do an OE spec belt kit, for well under main dealer prices, if you want genuine parts then find your nearest TPS centre is in Carlisle - ring them up, a bit of waffle will get you trade prices on genuine VW parts

[Martin]

Why not do the service yourself & just have the cambelt and tensioners done by an independent specialist.

GSF, Euro car parts or similar will do an OE spec belt kit, for well under main dealer prices, if you want genuine parts then find your nearest TPS centre is in Carlisle - ring them up, a bit of waffle will get you trade prices on genuine VW parts

That's where he gets my BMW parts from

[Martin]

The wife wants to trade it on a VOLVO

Bish, your mpg cheers me up son, Golf is about 23 kicking about town

The X5 gives me 32+ average

[lee bishop]

Bish, your mpg cheers me up son, Golf is about 23 kicking about town

Volvo estate or Audi A4 estate for me next I think LOL

Ref my mileage, that was a whole tank of town driving but shocking all the same. I did virtually a full tank yesterday doing the run upto race retro, 300 miles on a tank full worked out at 28mpg on a run, still not great

[Mogsmex]

Lee,

I aways get over 300 out of mine, 330 last tank, less right foot son

Paul,

I have always done my own cars, even the one occasion I bought a brand new one, I kept all receipts, dated them with mileage signed the book myself and sold the car as FSH, as at the end of the day it has a history of all it's services the guy that bought it (and many more since) have always been pleased to see every reciept and expenditure catalouged in order, it's never put anyone off yet, so my advice

buy good quality bits and DIY

[hally]

aye what they give you with the warranty they take back off you in servicing!! should of got a ford!!!!!!

[grum]

local dealer did first service on the Ranger in early January - BIG tick list done (cheers Tim), and was pleased at £199.99 with the book stamped

cos of new, i wanna keep up the stamped book thing

[RatHead]

Having sold my Ranger I have put my MK5 GTi back into use, the service light has just come on as it is 12 months since it was last done by VW (6k miles ago) but only 2k miles since it last had an interim oil/filter service as we have been doing one in between the main dealer service with gen parts.

Also just before Xmas we got a card through the door from VW stating the car would need a cambelt as its 4 years or 60k miles, car just turned 4 years old in October but only 32k miles.

So today I nipped into the local main agent who has serviced the car from day one

[SIZE=3]Service would be £249 which they were over the moon to tell me included an air filter

If you think thats bad wait until the ESP light comes on and they will quote you £1500 to fix that, and thats with a discount..a massive fault with VAG cars of this era which share this Golf Chassis (A3, TT, Golf Leon etc) its not if it goes wrong but when!

[RUDDY]

If you think thats bad wait until the ESP light comes on and they will quote you £1500 to fix that, and thats with a discount..a massive fault with VAG cars of this era which share this Golf Chassis (A3, TT, Golf Leon etc) its not if it goes wrong but when!

Already been done a few months ago, car was out of warranty but VW paid the lot including labour, they also gave me four brand new 18" Monza alloys when the laquer started to spider on only one of them, cant fault their warranty and customer back up.

Think I am gonna main dealer the cam belt and do the service myself with genuine parts.