I am currently waiting for a new petrol Octavia VRS (TSI engine and manual gearbox).

I drive about 20,000 miles per year (15,000 is on motorways).

I want to keep the car for as long as possible (at least 5-6 years).

Should I opt for fixed or variable service intervals?

Any thoughts or comments would be helpful.

I don't think it will make much odds to the life of the car at all to be honest, some old-school types will always prefer fixed servicing though. Variable servicing (I have this) will mean your first service comes in at about 18,000 miles which will be less than a year for your mileage. My oil was still clean at that mileage (I do a lot of long trips with mostly motorway miles). I would think variable would be cheaper unless you constantly cane it of course but if you do then variable would be better for preserving the life of the motor too.

+1 for variable

Mine is showing 14K for first service on variable. Fixed at every 9300 miles is too many visits to the garage if you're doing any miles, as you intent to do.

I have had 3 Skodas now over 10 years and not once has the (otherwise excellent) dealer(s) set the service type correctly, on one I have either had the wrong oil because it was supposed to be fixed interval, service indicator coming on early when I thought I was on variable, and never really been able to work out roughly when the d*****d service was due. So I somewhat reluctantly feel happier with "old school", I can write the due date of a service in my diary and I can see the mileage on the car when I drive it so it is much easier to predict when it needs servicing and budget accordingly. But then I am a bit of an old f**t.

Edited 25 April, 201115 yr by hugothebear

I started out on variable (should have been fixed for the servicing deal) and had it switched to fixed so I could budget better. TBH I don't think it makes much difference.

Currently showing 11k miles with variable servicing, Maxidot indicates service due at 18k.

The car gets plenty of medium runs 35+ miles with quite a few short runs over the month, so pretty happy if the service interval does reach anywhere near 18k.

Variable servicing is made for companies to reduce their costs. This is why the brake fluid change is now 3 years not two, as companies keeping their cars wanted it that way. It doesn't matter to the company if there may be problems later in the cars life related to servicing as they will have got rid of them before that. If you want to keep a car in top condition Honest John recommends changing the oil every 5000 miles. If you're doing a lot of miles as you say then it probably does make sense to stick to variable from a cost point of view, and I'm not saying 5000 is right for everyone, but if you're planning on keeping the car for a while remember that doing something for the least possible cost isn't always the best option.

Variable servicing is made for companies to reduce their costs. This is why the brake fluid change is now 3 years not two, as companies keeping their cars wanted it that way. It doesn't matter to the company if there may be problems later in the cars life related to servicing as they will have got rid of them before that. If you want to keep a car in top condition Honest John recommends changing the oil every 5000 miles. If you're doing a lot of miles as you say then it probably does make sense to stick to variable from a cost point of view, and I'm not saying 5000 is right for everyone, but if you're planning on keeping the car for a while remember that doing something for the least possible cost isn't always the best option.

Works for me....

If you're planning on keeping the car for a while remember that doing something for the least possible cost isn't always the best option.

This is why fixed works for me, my low mileage means that a fixed service is only a once a year occasion so servicing costs on the Octavia are minimal.

I keep my cars for 10+ years so fresh oil more regularly will hopefully contribute to a longer life.

My 25,000 / year mile muncher (1999 Peugeot 306) gets oil, oil filter and air filter every 6,000 miles so it’s a 3 month ritual, but it only costs me £30 in parts from the local motor factors and I do it myself. It's almost 12 years old now with 140,000 miles and is still going strong.

There are plenty of people who manage hefty mileages on variable too, so it’s down to personal preference and how good you believe the latest long life oil and engine technology is.

I have faith in Technology ....Besides which, it is tried and tested. Longlife/variable came out 2002/2003 so has had 9 years in the wild. If there were any horror stories i think we would have heard about them by now on here and uk-mkivs which i used to frequent.

When any Fiat owner can reasonably expect to see 10 years and 100,000 miles without visible rust or an engine rebuild, it seems to me build quality on modern cars counts more than type of oil or intervals between servicing.

just a thought

We are running variable with just a lube serrvice (oil & filter) about 1/2 way through

We are running variable with just a lube serrvice (oil & filter) about 1/2 way through

So you are running, in effect fixed. Totally defeats the object of variable servicing. Ie the car tells you it needs a service/oil change through miles driven, time and oil quality sensor detecting if the oil is still fit for use.

Variable servicing is made for companies to reduce their costs.

Not sure if that's true. The purchase price of the car would be significantly less if it wasn't capable of variable. You are correct though that most owners (including me) have little interest in what happens to the car in ten years time and two or three further owners. It probably won't be getting serviced at all by then.

When any Fiat owner can reasonably expect to see 10 years and 100,000 miles without visible rust or an engine rebuild, it seems to me build quality on modern cars counts more than type of oil or intervals between servicing.

just a thought

I don't think any Fiats in the last 40 years have needed regular engine rebuilds if maintained properly.

Personally I would choose a 1970s Fiat engine over a 1970s Ford any day of the week for longevity and would certainly reasonably expect 100,000 miles without a rebuild.

I take your point though that modern engines probably have a life in excess of most peoples needs regardless of servicing regime. To be honest if I was keeping a car "forever" I'd be more worried about the electronics. I would imagine a good number of cars in the scrappy are there because the ECU or similar needed replacing,

So you are running, in effect fixed. Totally defeats the object of variable servicing. Ie the car tells you it needs a service/oil change through miles driven, time and oil quality sensor detecting if the oil is still fit for use.

Based upon a sensor programmed by the manufacturer to make running costs as low as possible to aid sales of new cars.

I find it hard to believe that turbocharged engines can run oil for that length of time & prefer to change it mid way. We used variable on one of the previous Octys & suffered the usual turbo failure at over 100,000 miles. Im hoping by adopting a different approach on this we may make the turbo last somewhat longer as many who adopt this approach appear to be doing.

I’m convinced that by replacing the oil with fresh oil more regularly is bound to be better for any components that require lubrication in the long term.

The fact that Skoda recommends replacing the oil at all supports this.

All components of a car have a target life. The manufacturer needs to be happy that their product achieves this target whether it is a piston ring or a switch. The target isn't just about mileage but also about longevity.

I have no doubt longer service intervals are OK as they are able to achieve many thousands of miles as proven by members on here.

However I’m a little different than most as I often keep my cars for life i.e. 10+ years. I have no idea of the target life of a modern car but I'm fairly confident it won't be longer than 10 years. This for me is the reason I prefer to pay a little bit more during the cars younger years by replacing the oil more regularly.

It's how long the oil is able to offer adequate protection and how much the engine / turbo is able to work with older and less effective lubricants that counts.

It's all down to cost, however if money wasn't a consideration and servicing was free then I'm sure the majority would be happy with an annual fixed service for that extra piece of mind as opposed to 2+ years with the same oil.

Opinion on fixed vs. variable will always differ and rightly so, which is why Skoda offers both, to suit different customer needs.

The difficult bit is choosing which one better suits your driving style and beliefs.

I’m convinced that by replacing the oil with fresh oil more regularly is bound to be better for any components that require lubrication in the long term.

The fact that Skoda recommends replacing the oil at all supports this.

All components of a car have a target life. The manufacturer needs to be happy that their product achieves this target whether it is a piston ring or a switch. The target isn't just about mileage but also about longevity.

I have no doubt longer service intervals are OK as they are able to achieve many thousands of miles as proven by members on here.

However I’m a little different than most as I often keep my cars for life i.e. 10+ years. I have no idea of the target life of a modern car but I'm fairly confident it won't be longer than 10 years. This for me is the reason I prefer to pay a little bit more during the cars younger years by replacing the oil more regularly.

It's how long the oil is able to offer adequate protection and how much the engine / turbo is able to work with older and less effective lubricants that counts.

It's all down to cost, however if money wasn't a consideration and servicing was free then I'm sure the majority would be happy with an annual fixed service for that extra piece of mind as opposed to 2+ years with the same oil.

Opinion on fixed vs. variable will always differ and rightly so, which is why Skoda offers both, to suit different customer needs.

The difficult bit is choosing which one better suits your driving style and beliefs.

I think you are right.

I think the target life of a modern car is around 100K, that when the bigger things seem to start failing. The Gearbox oil on the Mk 1 Octy is described as being in the car for life, on the old Octy the box was starting to get heavy at I think around 120-130K, changing the oil was a complete revelation, super sweet changes again.

If you intend to keep the car for a much over 80K I think more regular changes are a good idea. On our Abarth the service interval is 18000 miles, as soon as you add the ss kit, only another 30 bhp it drops to 9000, that to me points to how critical oil is to a turbo engine, needless to say the Abarth oil gets changed at 9000 miles

I have a couple of questions - I have established that my 06 plate petrol vrs is on a variable interval, but has been cosuming oil at a "normal" alarming rate. I have been feeding it Magnatec 5w/30 or possibly 5w/40 for the last 5 months or so. Given that it cosumes so much oil, and therefore had a regular fresh top up it's unlikely to suffer from degraded oil swilling around inside, therefore is it worth buying the more expensive long life version if one exists (castrol recommends two versions of Edge depending on service interval), and has using boggo standard magnatec meant I should revert to a fixed interval?

To be honest, I have in the past with my own cars (as opposed to company / leased) taken my choice of oil + OE filter to Kwik-fit and for a tenner's labour they have changed the oil and filter for me. Whilst it would be more than a tenner today, I am happy to change the oil (though probably pointless) and the filter (probably a good idea especially if the levels frequently run low) at 10k interval or even less. I wouldn't class this as a "service", and want to stay on a variable interval for all of the other consumable items for obvious reasons.

Edited 13 September, 201114 yr by stever750

I have a couple of questions - I have established that my 06 plate petrol vrs is on a variable interval, but has been cosuming oil at a "normal" alarming rate. I have been feeding it Magnatec 5w/30 or possibly 5w/40 for the last 5 months or so. Given that it cosumes so much oil, and therefore had a regular fresh top up it's unlikely to suffer from degraded oil swilling around inside, therefore is it worth buying the more expensive long life version if one exists (castrol recommends two versions of Edge depending on service interval), and has using boggo standard magnatec meant I should revert to a fixed interval?

To be honest, I have in the past with my own cars (as opposed to company / leased) taken my choice of oil + OE filter to Kwik-fit and for a tenner's labour they have changed the oil and filter for me. Whilst it would be more than a tenner today, I am happy to change the oil (though probably pointless) and the filter (probably a good idea especially if the levels frequently run low) at 10k interval or even less. I wouldn't class this as a "service", and want to stay on a variable interval for all of the other consumable items for obvious reasons.

We run our Scout on Variable with an oil & filter change at mid poiont, quite commen, known as a lube service apparently, I still use the best oil though

The 1.3 cdti engine fitted to vauxhalls & fiats is a good example of fixed or variable,fiat say to service it every year or 10k & vauxhall say every 2 years or 20k! fiat has had no problems with this engine,vauxhall have had lots of problems with the timing chains due to blocked oil ways! my own octy is on fixed servicing(i do about 11k a year) & will service it myself once its out of warranty. I see variable servcing is fine for the high mileage drivers who do big miles but still get the oil changed every year.As a mechanic i will be changing my oil once a year on fixed servicing as i intend to keep my car for 10+ years.

My 'variable' interval between services is working out at ~17,000miles- which happens to be my annual mileage anyway. So best of both worlds for me?

I checked the service indicator, which informs me is due in 600 miles. That means I will have covered about 11,000 miles, and I thought I was on average a gentle driver!

I checked the service indicator, which informs me is due in 600 miles. That means I will have covered about 11,000 miles, and I thought I was on average a gentle driver!

haha it is a good indication of how hard you drive :p