inspection service £150 :(

[sharkrider]

does this sound right? I'm at 40k and have got away with "oil change" services so far ... my car is variable code, but I do it every 10k...

 

I informed them of what I already did (plugs brake fluid ect ) and said I didnt want another pollen filter change as it was only done in NOV.

 

I currently have cheap pads in (interim fix for getting the wrong performance pads!) and want them to fit my yellowstuff pads, which will cost an extra £42....

 

I think this is all ok, as the inspection service checks almost everything, lubricates ect , PLUS I have an ocasional slight judder from the steering when coming out of my driveway cold, as if there is intermittent assistance, so want it done at the skoda garage for them to check this, and fix any problem

 

everyone think these prices are reasonable?

[andy3270]

Seems expensive to me cost of oil/ filters would be no more than 40 trade so that's a lot for checking everything else and a bit of grease on the hinges and a wash and vac .

[Ootohere]

No not really a good price if the Service Desk are going to be serious.

Minor Service.

Even though some might say a Major Service is due, it is not required.

 

So you want a Road Test,

the Oil & Filter, i take it you are going 5 w 40 Fully Synthetic and not 5w 30 Long Life. Sump Plug.

No Washer Fluid, Vacuum or Wash Valet.

 

So on the Diagnostic and any Updates done.

Full Body Inspection, marked in Service Book as OK.   Reset Service Indicator.

check Fluids which you require none topped up.

Tyre Pressures Checked and inspection, & a look see.  Report.

 

No Pollen or Air or Fuel Filter.

 

Inspection should see any issues as did the road test,

& if there is a issue with the Steering or any Warranty parts that are covered, no charge on that.

[Ally_bassman]

£150 for an inspection service?

 

For comparison, BMW dealers charge £50 for an inspection service...I checked last night. Granted, if you want a full service (Like I need next month) That'll be £400 please sir. *Gulp*

 

I paid less than £150 at Skoda when I got a service and plug change last year.

[MidlifecrisisT]

car is booked in for service tomorrow at a independent garage. I bought the parts myself and they're charging for labour. I bought the parts from skoda dealers for 57 quid. That included oil filter, air filter, sump plug and 4 litres of titanium oil.

The garage are charging me 70 quid plus vat for labour but that includes the break fluid change so not bad at all :-) so going to cost me around 140 in total that's with the part's I've already bought.

Would have liked skoda to do it because obviously the ability to hook it up to computer etc plus the other checks they do but skoda wanted £ 215 with the brake fluid and I'd have to pay 20.50 on top for the air filter because it's not due to be changed they said...

[Ootohere]

Obviously this is at 'Participating Dealers' and has terms and conditions.

Non Participating Dealers can charge less.

 

Or if you have a VW, Seat or Audi Dealership ask them about a 1.4 TSI CTHE DSG getting a Lube / Inspection Service.

They do the sister cars and do a vRS cheaper than Skoda do IME.

 

http://skoda.co.uk/owners/service-and-maintenance/simply-fixed/default

*Simply Fixed*

They like to Fix it to screw as much readies as they can

 

EDIT.

Some VW Dealerships Quote a 1.4 TSI 180ps Major Service as £299,

that is with Brake Fluid & Spark Plug Change.

Edited 30 March, 2015 by goneoffSKi

[gadgetman]

So you've done all the services yourself?

[Ootohere]

Do you mean has he done some maintenance & parts replacement between Service Schedules & Guidelines.?

 

That is not an issue is it?

 

http://skoda.co.uk/sitecollectiondocuments/brochures/warranty-booklet-single.pdf

Page 5.  Servicing.

Edited 30 March, 2015 by goneoffSKi

[sharkrider]

hhhmmm, thanks for the input peeps, I will check out the VW garage over the road from the skoda garage see, what they say ... its only £10 off the minor service charge in your ink George....  I'll see if I can wangle a better deal....

[sharkrider]

note: the previous "oil services" I was paying £70-80 in general..... just want to keep the schedule right for the warrenty...

[vigyaz]

i came out of stealers after a 'major' service a few weeks ago feeling robbed for what seemed to be a simple oil change from what i could see...

[gadgetman]

Do you mean has he done some maintenance & parts replacement between Service Schedules & Guidelines.?

 

That is not an issue is it?

 

http://skoda.co.uk/sitecollectiondocuments/brochures/warranty-booklet-single.pdf

Page 5.  Servicing.

Read it as all services been done DIY.

But technically even interim work (ie oil change), unless by a vat registered *could* give the manufacturer a get out if discovered

[Ootohere]

Correct Fluids used to top up.

 So Technically some Twincharger Oil users are on a constant oil change.

People having Brake Fluid and Spark Plugs changed might well be using a VAT Registered Business with Qualified 

Employees.

Maybe better Qualified & more knowledgable and competent than Dealership Employees.

The Service Schedule on Spark Plugs as given by VW is 40,000 miles.

and Factory Trained Technicians are not even checking them when there are no Misfire Fault codes showing

but actual Misfires have occurred and damage is already happening, or may be about to.

VW are not changing the Service Schedule after near 4 Years of many failures some even at half of 40,000 miles.

 

Maybe Volkswagen should consider the Engines and what their 4 Brands try to say might be acceptable as Oil usage.

like a 3.6 litre oil capacity engine.

So you pay a Dealership £13.00 a litre for the oil change and you want to drive 10,000 miles a year.

£47 for your new Oil.

 

0.5 litres per 621 miles usage can be considered as acceptable according to Volkswagen / Skoda / Seat / Audi.

1 litre every 1,242 miles.  

So you are putting in over twice the Engines Oil capacity between Fixed Services.

 

What are you supposed to do, go to a Dealership for Oil Top ups at £13.00 a Litre.

ie £104 per 10,000 miles,   then go in and have it Drained and disposed of and pay another £47 for oil at the dealers.

 

If Volkswagen or Skoda want to say that people are over Servicing their vehicles which are a lottery to run,

Volkswagen need to compensate more owners than they have been, and supply more oil than they have been,

because some owners are on free oil.

http://revotechnik.com/support/technical/14tsi-twincharger-engine-issues

Edited 30 March, 2015 by goneoffSKi

[gadgetman]

It was more about warranty work needing to be done, and as it reads this would be the first service by vag/skoda.

I know vag request to see evidence of vat registered garages for services before honouring warranty work where there's no sign of the car on the national computer system they use for all dealers.

There's then the credit agreement which belts and braces this. Check your VWFS agreement on vehicle upkeep - especially if a pcp agreement.

Unless I've missed it, the op hasn't confirmed that my assumption is wrong.

[Ootohere]

EU non Restrictive Practices.  Important that, maybe check it out.

 

If you can show where a VAG Service has to be done for the Warranty to be valid to be done that would be very good.

Inspections of the Body are important for the Paint & Body Corrosion Warranty, and should be done,

and written up on inputed on the Palm Held.

Sadly often missed at the First Minor Service when on Fixed Servicing, and only done at the Major Inspection Service.

The old Service book has a page at the same place as each Service page.

 

There is no restriction on people doing work on their vehicle between Services as long as correctly done,

and obviously that can be inspected.

If there was, maybe like the Audi A2 there would be no access to the engine.

 

...............

Time that the Skoda Data Base System clearly Flagged any Technical Advice or Service Campaign work required.

Well actually it does, if all Service Desks or Technicians go onto it, Print out the Service & Maintenance List 

for the vehicle they are about to service.

Then do the work from the list. and maybe a few extra visual checks as well.

&

VW  Revise the Service Schedule / Guidelines as issues have been arising would help.

 

But that is not happening, and partly because to often something is said to be, 'Normal', They all do that Sir Madam.

We will keep an eye on it.  etc

 

'No Codes Showed',  we will reset it.

** Maybe consider why there is a fault and no Codes are showing, like not enough Mis-Fires in a Cycle', 

Or Error on the DSG MCU and no codes being thrown but still a fault there.

Edited 31 March, 2015 by goneoffSKi

[sharkrider]

It was more about warranty work needing to be done, and as it reads this would be the first service by vag/skoda.

I know vag request to see evidence of vat registered garages for services before honouring warranty work where there's no sign of the car on the national computer system they use for all dealers.

There's then the credit agreement which belts and braces this. Check your VWFS agreement on vehicle upkeep - especially if a pcp agreement.

Unless I've missed it, the op hasn't confirmed that my assumption is wrong.

sorry I thought people had been refering to others when they said serviced them selves.....

 

my car has ALWAYS been serviced by Skoda dealer, to minimum (well better , as 10k rather than up to 20k!) requirement..... its just that 40k is apparently a big service according to them... and I have a minor issue that may require warrenty work, so I kinda need to be at a skoda garage rather than a VW garage ....

[sharkrider]

"My car is variable, but I do it every 10k" simply means I could leave it up to 2 years or 20k depending on when the variable system says it needs servicing, BUT I have had it done every 10k by skoda, as I prefere this... keeping fresh oil in.

 

"told them of things I have already done" I have changed things early .... plugs have been done twice on warrenty, but skoda REFUSE to accept there is a problem, and fit the SAME plugs, so I have complained, given up, and had a local VAT approved gaarge fit NGK7's instead..... I also did high performance brake fluid last year to help with high speed braking (just before last years ring trip!) ..... this is relevant because these things may have been required on 40k service,and I wanted to rule them out to save costs!

 

note: my dealers service manager said the plugs are not changed for 60,000 miles!!!!!!! and brake fluid would be three years (its only 2 years old) so they were not included anyway.

[Ootohere]

There are things that Skoda CZ , Skoda UK & the Volkswagen Group should address.

like.

 

Someone buys a car, they own it, they Order it with Options from the Factory or Dealer fit Options,

 

Well before the car is given a PDI or hand over there should be some choices given to the new Owner.

The car has built in items than can be enabled, the car they bought and are paying for.

So one press open of the locks, Anti Highjack, Sweep Needle, Disability Steering Assist etc.

 

Now sometimes a new owner needs to take delivery, get the Owners Manual, come on a Forum and then find that a Dealer Enables these 

things.

Some go back and ask to have them done, No Charge.

Some ask and are told, There Will Be a Charge.

Some are told by the Service Desk or Technician / Fitter,  That can not be done.

 

Then there are Service Campaigns where in the UK the Manufacturer & VOSA decide no Recall is Required.

So maybe you have Dealership Contact and you are told,

maybe your car is in for a Service or Warranty Work and you are told, or the work is done at that time,

or maybe you are not told and the work is not done.

 

Maybe you do not buy your car at a Franchised Dealer & do not have it serviced at a Franchised Dealer,

yet Service Campaign Items like Heated Seat Elements or DSG updates are not Advertised or even a Skoda UK VIN checker provided.

 

So many variables with VWG / Skoda.

One being on a Variable Service your car might not be seen after Hand Over for another 2 years, 

and then not again before a MOT.

Skoda will not tell you of 'Updates' Enhancements between Services, and not even then.

 

All stuff Skoda UK need to address with Franchised Dealerships.

[vxh26]

I have for years used an excellent local independent garage that is a member of the "Good Garage Scheme". They seem to be connected in some way with "Forte" engine additives because they always flush the engine when changing the oil and use an "injector cleaner" - to be honest I'm not convinced that this is worthwhile but they do it as standard. They also always replace the plugs as a matter of course (NKG). They collect and return the car to my home which is handy.

 

In my experience the garage I use is significantly cheaper than the various main dealers I used to use, simply in order to satisfy the warranty conditions. They are invariably friendly and helpful. I always get to speak to the mechanic who serviced the car rather than some suited receptionist.

 

My point here is that ALL main dealers could learn a lot from studying the practices of such smaller independents. As it happens, I did speak to the owner a year ago about the vRS and they said that in view of the Twincharger engine, if I were to get one they would advise me to take it to a Skoda dealer.

[MidlifecrisisT]

Sorry to hijack your post Dave! Had my service done today. All good. Couple of little things need attention.

First problem is one of my valve caps is stuck solid. They couldn't get it off. It's metal and looks like it's completely siezed. I think I may have to get a new valve. Any idea how much I would be looking at?

Also they said my anti freeze is - 31 c. don't know what this means though haha. It was listed on the paperwork but didn't read until got home and they garage had closed by the time I got back.

[Ootohere]

Metal Valve caps are commonly seizing on now if no grease on them.

if it is not coming off with pliers then the Tyre Fitting Centre might want what ever for a new valve, 

and hopefully not a Wheel Balance.

So maybe £7.50 or £3-£5 for the tea money tin.

 

As to the Anti-Freeze, you are good in strength /  Ratio to -31*oC.  

So if -10*oC is the lowest you are likely to see, all is good.

Edited 31 March, 2015 by goneoffSKi

[MidlifecrisisT]

Thanks George. Will pop to Mr tyre tomorrow and hopefully get it sorted!

pads are oK. 30% worn they said. Front tyres are on 4mm so need to get them changed fairly soon other than that, seems oK. Going to book in to skoda to get my plugs changed next week. 33 quid labour to fit the plugs. Ouch

[Ootohere]

£33 labour is OK if they only charge £40 for the Spark Plugs, or are you supplying your own.

'Much Cheapness' at £33 IMO.

 

Price your tyres at a Tyre Fitting Centre and mention the Valve Cap,

you never know, they might just go take it off, or do the Valve change until you are getting the tyres done.

[MidlifecrisisT]

Hi George. Skoda want £15.10 per plug plus the labour. Is that too much for the plugs?

Todd

[MidlifecrisisT]

And that's a very good idea RE the tyres/ valve caps. I shall have a go today!