Picking up my 08 vrs tdi on friday and when the dealer called me today to confirm the time,i asked if he could check to see if the cambelt was done on the 4 year schedule which would mean that it would have been done in April.He said he would check but its a "grey area" and the service dept had told him that its only an inspection at 4 years and if it looks ok it will not need changing until 80000 miles!! At my annual mileage that will be at least another 2 years meaning that the belt will have been on for 6-7 years.

Do you think they could be trying to pull a fast one??

We are talking about a skoda main dealer here and surely for the skoda used warranty to be valid the service shedule must be up to date prior to me collecting the car.

I would make sure the cambelt is changed as part of the deal. Also make sure they do the water pump as well. When I bought mine the cambelt and pump had just been done at 80000 miles.

Quite funny isn't it.

If you were paying, the dealer would most certainly tell you it is 4 years no matter what............when they are paying for it as part of a sale, it's a "grey area" and only needs inspected. What a load of cobblers.......they have to change it....if they don't, tell them you are rejecting the car and demand your deposit back.

This topic stirs up a lot of passion on Briskoda.

Skoda UK's official stance on a cambelt change on the PD170 is 80,000 miles or 4 years, whichever is reached first.

The four year interval is relatively new and is not mentioned in the owners manual - hence the confusion.

Not other EU country insists on the four year interval, they only go only mileage - unlike the UK.

Now, is this a marketing ploy to generate more business or is it Skoda UK playing it safe?

You'll have to decide this for yourself.

Ask them what the Service Advisor Cambelt Replacement Guide states.

If the dealer doesn't follow the advice in this guide, they may end up being liable for a replacement engine if the worst happens.

If you go to a dealer to have your car serviced and the dealer doesn't give advise based on this guide, the dealer may end up being liable for a replacement engine if the worst happens. This is why dealers have started writing the advise on invoices.

Just rung them and told them that if the belt has not been done i want it done before i pick the car up.Awaiting the salesmans call lol

If I was you I would just call up thier service dept and ask for a price for a service and ask them when the belt needs to be changed but dont tell them you ar buying the car from them.

Picking up my 08 vrs tdi on friday and when the dealer called me today to confirm the time,

.........I think the cat may already be out of the bag!

They did'nt call me back i had to call them again grrrrrrrr they are telling me that it hasnt been done because it is not req yet,i told them that i had rung skoda uk who had confirmed it IS 4 years regardless of mileage'they said "we go by the service book" which says different.

Dont know what to do now,i do want the car and i have gone to a lot of trouble removing all the tuning parts from my px subaru.

It's really up to you.

You could try rejecting the car and walk away, or if you really have your heart set on it, pay for a cambelt change yourself.

What mileage does the car have at the moment?

Skoda UK insist on 4 years no matter the mileage. It's true that in other countries this does not apply, and the chances are it would make it to 80,000 miles, but it's a matter of principle.

They did'nt call me back i had to call them again grrrrrrrr they are telling me that it hasnt been done because it is not req yet,i told them that i had rung skoda uk who had confirmed it IS 4 years regardless of mileage'they said "we go by the service book" which says different.

Dont know what to do now,i do want the car and i have gone to a lot of trouble removing all the tuning parts from my px subaru.

The dealer is an absolute idiot.

Call Skoda UK and have their customer services call the dealer and tell them it is required at 80,000, they will do this for you happily.

Better still, call them from the dealer and make him look the idiot he is.

They are breaking ther franchise agreement by trying to save a few quid.

Is this from a Skoda main dealer?

If so then they don't have a leg to stand on.

Ring Skoda UK back and tell them what the dealer has told you. They will then contact the dealer and 'remind' them that it is four years irrespective of mileage.

Explain you aren't happy that they are trying to wriggle out of their obligation of providing you with an approved used Skoda that doesn't have the proper full service history.

This is from a skoda main dealer and current mileage is 58000.when i rang skoda uk they said that they could not force the dealer to change the belt and that maybe the dealer did not have the latest information,this sounds like complete tosh to me.

I will get the dealer to ring skoda uk when i'm with them.

I see that the skoda fixed price for a cambelt change inc water pump is £369 but when i rang the dealer to find out the cost of replacing the belt they quoted me £550.They appear to be a bunch of morons

Edited 25 October, 201213 yr by marky t

Ask Skoda why their “host of checks” didn't reveal the fact the car is overdue a service item and is being sold with an incomplete service history.

Fine if the dealer won’t change the cambelt, you simply want a further £369 off the screen price, or according to their prices £550.

I would be fuming. This dealer is a representative of the Skoda brand, for Skoda UK to suggest they can’t force the dealer to change the belt is ridiculous.

ŠKODA APPROVED Used Cars - The advantages of buying from us

?Understandably, a lot of people are a little nervy when buying a used car. To take the uncertainty out of buying a used ŠKODA, go to one of our APPROVED retailers. We offer a whole host of checks, warranties and the like, so you don’t have to worry about anything but choosing the right car for you.

...when i rang skoda uk they said that they could not force the dealer to change the belt...

This is correct. A dealer (franchisee) is a separate legal company. There is nothing to stop a dealer selling a car without a FSH - as would be the case if the belt was not changed. If this dealer is claiming that the car has a FSH, you could complain to SUK on the basis they were misrepresenting the car as having a FSH.

At this stage, I would go and find another dealer.

Skoda provide a one year warranty with their approved used cars. I'd be suprised if they warrantied cars without proven service history.

Skoda provide a one year warranty with their approved used cars. I'd be suprised if they warrantied cars without proven service history.

Yes, I can hear it now. 6 months from now the belt breaks, you take it back to the dealer under warranty and...

you say "the belt has broken under warranty, can you fix it?"

they say "well the interval is 4 years sir, regardless of mileage, it should have been done last year...we won't fix it"

you say "but you told me when I bought the car the interval is 80,000 miles"

they say "I give you my solemn word that no one in this dealership would have told you that. It's your responsibility to maintain the car properly while under warranty....that'll be £2000 please"

They are a disgrace.

Also ask SUK dealership is part of the fixed price scheme and tell SUK what price they gave you, Skoda UK will dig them up if they are part of the fixed price scheme

Happy ending got there and they said sorry they were wrong,and are going to do the belt and pump foc on the 9th nov.

Good. Glad you stood your ground. Looked like they weren't going to budge there for a while.

I wonder how many customers they have actually got away with pulling this trick.

Edited 26 October, 201213 yr by booke23

Result!

I wonder if Skoda UK had a quick word in their ear!?

Yep, it does sound like SUK ay have gotten involved as I have had in the past. If I'd told a customer that I looked at the cam belt and it looked OK, so I didnt change it, I'd have been strung up......how does a main dealer get away with that ****e?!

My skoda dealer has a bloody sign on the desk saying its now 4 years or 80000 miles.. apparently its skoda UK playing safe as they have had a few failures early and rather than dealing with the whole suing culture we now have adopted from amercia they decided to go this route... fair enough, but at least my dealer didnt hide it... however I got mine used from a non skoda dealer, checked it though and had the cam belt and water pump done by a seat dealer just before 40000, Bonus!!