New VRS owner Servicing advice?

[Jon06Vrs]

Hi have been a vrs 2.0lt turbo owner for a month now and have been looking into servicing costs tyres etc,

when is the best time to replace the cambelt as mine has only 37k on an 06 plate

last service carried out was at 31k in march 2010 when is it best to get it done again?

am unsure if it is worth maintaining the skoda service history or to get my local mechanic to do the servicing as the next one will be its 4th service and i understand that is a major one?

totally new to having a performance car so any advice is helpful,

also is it really beneficial to run 98 ron petrol as current prices have made me steer towards standard 95?

cheers for any advice!

[octavia5]

If you search on what you are interested in you should find the info you want but if the car has not yet had a Cambelt change it is overdue. The official Skoda line is change at 4years or nnmiles (seems to vary with engine). It is generally recommended that you get a new metal waterpump fitted at the firat cambelt change, the pump should then last the life of the engine, earlier plastic pumps have been known to leek and the labour change for a change is similar to a cambelt change as the same work needs to be done.

You need to check if the car is set to Fixed or Variable service and also consider how many miles you do a year. Fixed is best for low mileage and variable for high mileage drivers - the ECU will tell you when a variable service is needed based on sensors in the engine.

If you choose not to use a main dealer for service you should find a local VAG, or German car, independent specialist rather than just a local mech as they realy do need specialist knowledge and the right diagnostic systems to do a reliable job.

[Jon06Vrs]

If you search on what you are interested in you should find the info you want but if the car has not yet had a Cambelt change it is overdue. The official Skoda line is change at 4years or nnmiles (seems to vary with engine). It is generally recommended that you get a new metal waterpump fitted at the firat cambelt change, the pump should then last the life of the engine, earlier plastic pumps have been known to leek and the labour change for a change is similar to a cambelt change as the same work needs to be done.

You need to check if the car is set to Fixed or Variable service and also consider how many miles you do a year. Fixed is best for low mileage and variable for high mileage drivers - the ECU will tell you when a variable service is needed based on sensors in the engine.

If you choose not to use a main dealer for service you should find a local VAG, or German car, independent specialist rather than just a local mech as they realy do need specialist knowledge and the right diagnostic systems to do a reliable job.

Ok thanks very much, has worried me about the cambelt though as i thought the low mileage would mean the belt would be good for a long time yet, had a 1.9 tdi elegance that had done 7ok before i changed the belt

[blueR36]

To add to above use 98 Ron petrol, recommended ,you get more performance and mpg . Contains less sulphur which is a killer for TFSI engines( causes wear on the valves )

[Jon06Vrs]

To add to above use 98 Ron petrol, recommended ,you get more performance and mpg . Contains less sulphur which is a killer for TFSI engines( causes wear on the valves )

ok guess i will look for it then as the super i used was only 97, which is 98 silly i know but most garages i visit only have standard or 97 super

[Jon06Vrs]

Hi have been a vrs 2.0lt turbo owner for a month now and have been looking into servicing costs tyres etc,

when is the best time to replace the cambelt as mine has only 37k on an 06 plate

last service carried out was at 31k in march 2010 when is it best to get it done again?

am unsure if it is worth maintaining the skoda service history or to get my local mechanic to do the servicing as the next one will be its 4th service and i understand that is a major one?

totally new to having a performance car so any advice is helpful,

also is it really beneficial to run 98 ron petrol as current prices have made me steer towards standard 95?

cheers for any advice!

The service interval is variable qg1 the service manual says to check the cambelt at 55k then every 18k and for 2.0 fsi engines replace toothed belt at 110k or thereabouts This is confusing? anybody know what I should do, another post said it should be done at 40k

[Si-Audi-Sline]

a notice in the dealers i was in yesterday said cambelt change is now reccommended by skoda at 4 years, regardless of mileage.

Mine was done at 4 years on a vrs but it had done 72000 miles by then.

I think the car feels more responsive running 98ron unleaded but could be my imagination.

I think I'm going to take mine to the main dealers for servicing, they dont seem that expensive for fixed servicing and you'd hope have some level of expertise working with the cars everyday over most independents.

[PSM]

I see no issues running 95 petrol on the VRS. I used it on my old 1.8 VRS for over 3 years with no issues.

As for the cam belt I would get that changed too. It might be fine for many years to come but the cost if it does fail means I would stick to the manufacturers recommendation. Just not worth the risk in my opinion.

[Jon06Vrs]

I see no issues running 95 petrol on the VRS. I used it on my old 1.8 VRS for over 3 years with no issues.

As for the cam belt I would get that changed too. It might be fine for many years to come but the cost if it does fail means I would stick to the manufacturers recommendation. Just not worth the risk in my opinion.

ok thanks, anyone ideas on what i should expect to pay? on my 1.9 tdi i bought the belt and pump online and paid a mechanic to fit them

[Jon06Vrs]

a notice in the dealers i was in yesterday said cambelt change is now reccommended by skoda at 4 years, regardless of mileage.

Mine was done at 4 years on a vrs but it had done 72000 miles by then.

I think the car feels more responsive running 98ron unleaded but could be my imagination.

I think I'm going to take mine to the main dealers for servicing, they dont seem that expensive for fixed servicing and you'd hope have some level of expertise working with the cars everyday over most independents.

Will take that under advisement, what is the difference between variable and fixed rate servicing anyway? is it just the length of time between services or does one cost more/involve more work?

[PSM]

Variable servicing uses a more expensive longer life oil than would be used on a fixed service. This will mean a variable service will be a little more expensive but when considering labour costs etc the increase is going to be relaively small.

[zimmerman]

I would find yourself a good VAG specialist who will be able to give you good advice. Tell us where you are, someone may be able to reccomend a good specialist near you

[Jon06Vrs]

I would find yourself a good VAG specialist who will be able to give you good advice. Tell us where you are, someone may be able to reccomend a good specialist near you

Hi Yeah I'm nr oxford, theres a jewsons skoda in oxford but unsure of other ones as i had my local mechanic do the last octavia, being as this is a vrs i think it deserves to be treated a bit nicer tho

[zimmerman]

Hi Yeah I'm nr oxford, theres a jewsons skoda in oxford but unsure of other ones as i had my local mechanic do the last octavia, being as this is a vrs i think it deserves to be treated a bit nicer tho

I would say that it's best to find a specialist to look after your car- your local mechanic may not pick up on specific servicing items. I'm in Birmingham and can recommend an excellent specialist in South Birmingham (Wizardworks/Volkswizard). Someone may be able to help you out.

[Aspman]

As said 4yr or 60k for the cam belt.

IMHO the car is sluggish on supermarket 95RON and fine on Tesco 99RON super.

The car is also fine on Shell 95RON.

I'd run the car on Shell standard unleaded but it's so far to the nearest station that it's cheaper just to use Tesco super.

[blueR36]

I see no issues running 95 petrol on the VRS. I used it on my old 1.8 VRS for over 3 years with no issues.

As for the cam belt I would get that changed too. It might be fine for many years to come but the cost if it does fail means I would stick to the manufacturers recommendation. Just not worth the risk in my opinion.

But the 1.8 is not a TFSI , as I stated earlier valves can wear with higher sulphur content of 98 Ron

Edited 24 January, 2011 by bluvrs2

[Jon06Vrs]

But the 1.8 is not a TFSI , as I stated earlier valves can wear with higher sulphur content of 98 Ron

just to throw a spanner in the works what about lpg anyone done a conversion on a FSI engine?

[Jon06Vrs]

As said 4yr or 60k for the cam belt.

IMHO the car is sluggish on supermarket 95RON and fine on Tesco 99RON super.

The car is also fine on Shell 95RON.

I'd run the car on Shell standard unleaded but it's so far to the nearest station that it's cheaper just to use Tesco super.

interesting thanks for the info, am still not convinced that age affects the belt if its 4 yrs then fine but its only 37k so I would think that the more important wear and tear is the mileage?

[solwood]

Jon

Rememberthe belt is rubber so it will deterioate - look a rubber band in the sun after a week! Its the same with most things on cars x000 miles or x years whichever comes first. Does seem quick - but then some cars need new belts every 3 years!

Remember VAG reduced the Belt change timescale for a reason

1) Some broke causing expensive failure that whilst out of warranty would have lead to claims

2) A ploy to get more money from the motorist

Look at the sticky at the top - 1) was the main reason and beneficial advantageous position of 2) for VAG

We changed our cambelt at 4 years with less than 30,000 on the clock. Why - well the same reason we change tyres at 3mm, why we have switched to annual servicing, why we will use the better spec oil inspite of switching to annual servicing, why we use V-power and not 95 Ron.

Put simply its a 200bhp car, one that will be driven hard, do you want to risk a top end rebuild, taking an extra 10ft to stop, have cruddy oil when reving at 6000rpm round the A4212, have the engine retarding as low spec fuel.

It is car that will be more expensive to run - in the end it is your choice - but I know I would feel gutted if I left the cambelt and it snapped on a motorway at 70 ! Thats if I was alive to tell the tale!

I know it could still happen - but all you can do is follow the advice of the people that make the car - VAG and this has changed since your (and our) service book was printed.

Change the Cambelt and water pump - you know it makes sense change the oil and filters too - you will be surprised by the difference it makes !

[blueR36]

Our meat slicer at work( proper large industrial one) does not slip at all slicing 10 kg joints of beef , today I stripped id down to clean it and was amazed to see a four inch part of the belt had come away, yet still goes ok, if it snaps it will just stop working, if the belt on your car goes the piston will go up as normal but the valves wont open or close so the piston will just smash you valves to pieces