hi

 

complete novice here but keep getting told its simple to do, so thought id ask on here.  would anyone mind explaining exactly what id need for a full service?  its probably 18 months or so since last being done at a garage but id like to have a shot at it myself this time to keep costs down.

 

oil filter, air filter, pollen filter, change oil....... is that it?  is there a decent guide to doing each part on here or youtube?

 

and once done, how do i knock off the service prompt whenever i start it up.

 

i had an advisory for my front brakes on my recent MOT too, so if that could be included somewhere id appreciate any advice.

 

thanks a lot

+1 Would like to have a go myself.

Depends on engine regarding what to do and where it is.

 

I do all my own on my 07 Diesel VRS.

 

Air filter is take screws out cover take cover off replace element refit screws.

Pollen filter is behind glove box, awkward to get to but easy to change.

Oil, plastic cover off six bolts, sump plug out, refit washer on sump plug, done.

Filter, undo cap on top of filter housing replace element fit cap back on.

Fuel filter is undo allen heads change filter done.

 

That's about it. Could also do other fluid changes.

 

To reset mine I think its hold trip rest down turn ignition on then turn trip reset right. Tells you in the manual

Just not worth the bother IMHO.

 

Buy the parts yourself and take them to a mechanic if you want to save a few quid. A decent garage won't mind you doing that. I know I could find bits cheaper than he could just because I could shop around and he just stuck with one supplier.

Air intake and pollen filters are trivial to change (and don't need doing every service). Oil and filter is a bit more involved, and you also have the problem of disposing of the old oil, so I get a mechanic to do that.

 

Not sure what Octavia you have, but this video showing both air filters being changed on a Mk 5 Golf may be helpful:

 

 

Other service jobs are checking coolant and brake fluid levels. The service schedule for my MkII Octavia says that the brake fluid should be replaced every two years but certainly some would argue the need for this. I'm not qualified to comment.

Just not worth the bother IMHO.

Buy the parts yourself and take them to a mechanic if you want to save a few quid. A decent garage won't mind you doing that. I know I could find bits cheaper than he could just because I could shop around and he just stuck with one supplier.

Its hardly any bother to do a basic service! Apart from the cost saving the main advantage of doing it yourself is you know exactly what has been done. I replace parts more often than if I took it to the dealer and still saved a fortune. Use either euro car parts or oe parts.

What tool do I need to fit the sump plug and also the oil filter housing?

Is there somewhere apart from the dealer I can get genuine filters etc?

Its a 2010 VRS CR.

From memory think it is a 19mm socket for the sump plug. Not sure about the filter as mine is petrol and might be different.

The oil change is very easy on the 1.4 TSI, with no undertray in the way and a very accessible filter.  The only tricky bit is that the filler hole is quite restrictive so you have to pour slowly.  As with all FWD vehicles, ensure you aren't undoing the gearbox drain plug by mistake.

 

Brake fluid should definitely be changed every 2 years to avoid corrosion, regardless of the drop in boiling point.  It is not a pleasant job and there is much scope to **** it up.  If you let the master cylinder run below MIN while bleeding, you could get air in the ABS accumulator and that might not be self-bleeding.

 

The older cars, and maybe still the diesels, need the special German socket for the oil filter housing and it's a paper cartridge inside (filthy job).  The newer ones, thankfully, have the usual spin-on filter.  These can theoretically be undone by hand (and if you always DIY, they can be) but garages always overtighten them and the 3-claw remover is the best type to buy.

Edited 18 November, 201312 yr by rogerzilla

buy yourself a Haynes manual for £14 or a cd manual off ebay for £4, either way it will pay for itself the first time use it. You will then probably tackle other jobs that will think you couldn't do.

thanks a lot for the help chaps.  FWIW mines a 57 L&K.  looks like ill do all the filters and oil change, and mebbes get someone else to change the brake oil.  is there any way of feeling if the brake oils on its way out, ie spongy brakes or something?  or would they just fail suddenly?

 

and are front brakes easy enough for a novice?

 

thanks :-)

could anyone have a quick look and tell  me if this service set is compatible with mine please?  as i say ive got a mk 2 57 L&K.  2.0 Tdi

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Skoda-Octavia-2-0-TDI-Diesel-Service-Kit-Air-Oil-and-Fuel-Filters-/231069808214?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&fits=Model%3AOctavia&hash=item35ccd57656

 

i keep looking at kits that say theyre for a mk 2 octavia, but then when i click the compatibility check, it says not suitable :-/

 

thanks a lot

Edited 23 November, 201312 yr by sadexpunk

I'd say if you have to ask what to do and which bits you need then perhaps you are not best placed to be doing a service yourself?

I don't mean that to come across as rude, I just mean that if you've never done it before there's scope to do things the wrong way and potentially miss things which a trained mechanic would pick up.

 

Personally when ever I've looked at a used car, no matter how cheap, I always walk away if the owner has serviced it himself.  Maybe it gives you peace of mind that things have been changed but any potential buyer will have more piece of mind with a reciept from a garage.

 

In my opinion, by servicing yourself you are devaluing, or at the very least limiting the market of your car.

Personally when ever I've looked at a used car, no matter how cheap, I always walk away if the owner has serviced it himself.  Maybe it gives you peace of mind that things have been changed but any potential buyer will have more piece of mind with a reciept from a garage.

 

In my opinion, by servicing yourself you are devaluing, or at the very least limiting the market of your car.

 

That's a good point.

I'd say if you have to ask what to do and which bits you need then perhaps you are not best placed to be doing a service yourself?

I don't mean that to come across as rude, I just mean that if you've never done it before there's scope to do things the wrong way and potentially miss things which a trained mechanic would pick up.

 

Personally when ever I've looked at a used car, no matter how cheap, I always walk away if the owner has serviced it himself.  Maybe it gives you peace of mind that things have been changed but any potential buyer will have more piece of mind with a reciept from a garage.

 

In my opinion, by servicing yourself you are devaluing, or at the very least limiting the market of your car.

Agreed

I used to service my own cars as I quite enjoyed it.

 

Things change though, now we have kids my weekends are more valuable.

 

A service kit for the two filters (air and oil) is around £20, a pollen filter is £10. Five litres of good quality VW 507.00 oil is around £40. If you need a new sump plug then that's another few quid and any new tools you might need are all extra. 

 

Add to that the hassle of disposing of the old oil and crawling around under the car at this time of year then I often have second thoughts about self servicing.

 

The maximum you should pay for a fixed / annual service from a franchised Skoda dealer is £129. That's only an extra £50 over self servicing...

 

http://www.skoda.co.uk/owners/service-and-maintenance/national-pricing/servicing

 

This service doesn't include the air filter but this is one of the most easiest DIY's if you wanted it done.

 

But it does include a diagnostic scan (checking for recorded faults), a good look over the car whilst its up on the ramps, a Skoda stamp in the service book and a full wash and vac. Plus you don't have to get your hands dirty and the hassle of ordering / picking-up the service components yourself.

 

Our local dealer even picks up and drops off the car from my driveway for the same price, or drops me home and picks me up when its done.

 

All for an extra £50?  A no brainer for me.

 

If you want the brake fluid changing then this is better done in the dealers anyway.

 

Still, I fully understand why people self-service, I would still do it now if I had the time as the satisfaction of knowing you've done it yourself to your own exacting standards is great!

Edited 23 November, 201312 yr by silver1011

Personally when ever I've looked at a used car, no matter how cheap, I always walk away if the owner has serviced it himself. Maybe it gives you peace of mind that things have been changed but any potential buyer will have more piece of mind with a reciept from a garage.

In my opinion, by servicing yourself you are devaluing, or at the very least limiting the market of your car.

+1

I'd walk if there were missing services or diy services or want a considerable discount as I have no way of knowing that the work was done properly, safely or at all. Receipts for parts are meaningless, as there is no proof the work was actually done or the parts were used at all.

At least with a garage stamp you can make a more informed decision as to whether they have a reputation for good or bad work and have a degree of comeback if there are any issues relating to their work or lack of.

interesting, thanks.  i had considered the devaluation of 'self service', but comparing the price of a few years service against what it would add to the selling price of the car (which i would have considered to be negligible)  i thought it would make sense.  i know personally id be happy with seeing a load of receipts, i acknowledge a lot of people prefer to do it this way, as i would if i had more knowledge.

ill get a quote first from my mate who works at a garage, and then compare to doing it myself.  

 

thanks for your help

A service kit for the two filters (air and oil) is around £20, a pollen filter is £10. Five litres of good quality VW 507.00 oil is around £40. 

 

For anyone interested in the DIY route, this website sells all of the required items significantly cheaper than that:

 

http://www.vwspares.co.uk/Skoda_Parts.htm

I also wouldn't underestimate the value of having someone who knows what they're doing look over the car when it's in for a service...

Ive just paid £33 for 6 litres of engine oil (1 litre for top up) 1 oil filter & a sump plug for my octy vrs petrol which i will be servicing myself. (price is cheap as my pal works for eurocar parts) 

In my opinion, by servicing yourself you are devaluing, or at the very least limiting the market of your car.

 

I suppose it depends on the circumstances. In my experience this is not really true. However this experience comes from selling quite a few of my past cars that are 7+ years old and that have had the first 5 services or so done at a dealer/garage and the last few done by me. The vast majority of my buyers didn't seem to care about this.

 

However, perhaps this is down to the fact that when buying cars that are over 7 years old in a private sale, it is more important to judge the car 'on condition' rather than any history, which can easily be falsified.

 

If your car is out of warranty but still relatively young, then doing your own services is probably bad for resale.    

 

 

I also wouldn't underestimate the value of having someone who knows what they're doing look over the car when it's in for a service...

 

Alas if only this were true. Mostly when your car gets serviced in a garage, it is the 17 year old apprentice that does the work......I've had cars come back from services in a worse state than they went in. 

 

 

 

For anyone interested in the DIY route, this website sells all of the required items significantly cheaper than that:

 

http://www.vwspares.co.uk/Skoda_Parts.htm

 

 

This is were I get my self service parts from. An excellent firm to deal with. 

Edited 23 November, 201312 yr by booke23

What tool do I need to fit the sump plug and also the oil filter housing?

Is there somewhere apart from the dealer I can get genuine filters etc?

Its a 2010 VRS CR.

I've bought genuine parts at good prices off ebay for years. Mainy main dealers sell via ebay. My last filters came from an Audi dealer as they were the cheapest!

Personally when ever I've looked at a used car, no matter how cheap, I always walk away if the owner has serviced it himself. Maybe it gives you peace of mind that things have been changed but any potential buyer will have more piece of mind with a reciept from a garage.

In my opinion, by servicing yourself you are devaluing, or at the very least limiting the market of your car.

If the car is only a couple years old yes but disagree once it becomes older. I usually keep my cars until 4-5 years old. First few services are done by dealer for warranty purposes and then done by myself thereafter. Never had an issue selling my cars on privately and have got the same price (if not more) as vehicle's advertised with full dealer service history. Also from my own experience of buying second hand cars I would far rather be presented with a folder of reciepts for servicing etc than a service book that just has dealer stamps. How is dealer stamps any more proof of work being done than a pile of reciepts?. For the price of an annual dealer service (£129) which is basically just an oil change, I could change the oil, air, pollen and fuel filter , oil and the spark plugs. Yet the dealer serviced car is better?? They don't even change all these parts at every major service at £249!

just been quoted £210 for front brakes and service, mates rates.  so i may have to have a bash myself :-/