Has anyone had a definitive answer to the question whether servicing has to be done by a Skoda dealer during warranty?

My wife's Fabia will do a very low mileage per annum and I'm perfectly capable of changing oil and filters and checking the car over. I'm also considering investing in a VAG com setup. I know that there have been lots of comments about this in the past such as 'a dealer won't repair a car under warranty if it hasn't got a service record'. Is this, in fact, true?

The other thing about resale values being affected if there isn't a dealer service history won't matter as the Fabia will be kept for ever!

I've been trying to find a definitive answer all morning for a project I'm working on.

I previously thought that if an indipendent garage was VAT approved and used genuine parts, then all was good... But all I've found is a paragraph from a document that states that owners can go indipendent, but at the risk of the manufacturer not honouring the warranty.

I'm going to keep looking, unless someone can point me to an official document that states what's what!

No , as long as the car has been serviced in accordance with the manufacturers schedule using approved parts then your warranty will not be invalidated.

Of course proving that you have done the work correctly will be very difficult and dealers will try and wriggle out of their obligations

I think it's bits of all the above. Genuine parts have to be used by a VAT registered garage and your manufacturers warranty will be honoured. However, most new car warranties come with eg two years manufacturer and one year dealer to make up the three years. I would imagine it's the extra year which you lose if you go independant.

It goes without saying though that your independant cannot actually carry out warranty work unless they meet certain criteria set out by the manufacturer.

Bearing in mind i`m a qualified mechanic/MOT tester i serviced my car myself using genuine parts......my local (Aylesbury) Skoda dealer wanted