Just wondering if you guys can clear something up for me..

My owners manual says my cars on the vaiable servicing (cant remember the code QG1 or something similar) but today my service 1000 miles text popped on and then proceeded to count down to 900 miles when Id got home. The strange thing is this happened at 8500 miles.

Could my dealer have changed the service interval to fixed (ie 10,000 miles) intervals or could it be the engines decided it needs to be done now? The car isnt driven hard when cold or redlined often and most people seem to be saying that theyre getting 15k or so before it pops up..

Any ideas? If its been reset to 10k, Im assuming its still got the longlife oil in it so could I get them to reset it to variable? Does it usually come on at 8500 miles or so?

Thanks

Paul..

Check the sticker inside the front cover of your Service Schedule booklet and see if it lists QG1. Assuming it does, have a look in the Service Record section of that booklet to see what the Dealer has written in the Next Service details directly underneath the Delivery Inspection details, and on the sticker which should have been affixed on the righthand edge of the dashboard. If your vehicle is on variable service, then the the Dealer should have noted it in those details. The Service Schedule and next service sticker for my 1.8T 4x4 both say:

Next Service at 20,000 miles*

Date 26-03-04

*Variable

It definately lists QG1 in the Vehicle Data. The dealer has stamped the delivery inspection and dated it but not filled in the next inspection service part.. I dont have a sticker on the dash either...

Will have to give them a ring to arrange the next service anyway so will query it with them..

Paul..

Just rang them..

They said to pop in whenever Im passing and theyd plug it in and take a looksee so will do that. I wonder if theyve reset it to 10k fixed from variable during the delivery inspection.

He said that if its on variable its come up very early and I must have been driving the car very hard ... lol.. me? a rallyist drive it hard...?

Will also mention the coil packs to them when Im there and see what variants are fitted to my car.. and to see if theyll keep one in stock just in case.

Paul..

Paul

When you visit the Dealer, can you ask whether QG1 cars come from the factory set for fixed or variable service? I know that they are factory-filled with the right oil for variable service, but I also know that a dealer local to me does not believe in variable service intervals and delivers his cars set for fixed service intervals.

I have read recently on a UK-populated VW forum that from 2003 (I think) VW will be delivering QG1 cars set for variable service intervals to avoid any confusion over what service interval they are on.

In your case, it looks like the dealer didn't complete the PDI since the next service details weren't recorded. Not clever, and confusing too.

My RS also hasnt got a sticker on the dash , or anything written in the service book to inform me of when my next service is. I had to go in and ask the workshop foreman and he told me all of the Octavia's they have had in since the 01 facelift that have variable servicing are left as such , ie they do NOT change them onto fixed servicing during the PDI. Skoda should tell all its dealers to do the same thing and not leave it down to the workshop guys at a particular dealer to choose IMHO , as this would save a lot of bandwidth on various forums worldwide!!! :lol:

FWIW, I have a copy of page 3 of 4 of a VW group Service Bulletin sent to a Skoda dealer in Dec 2000 which gives advice on WIV (variable service) vehicles which have QG1 instrument panels installed during series production, and also lists approved oils for WIV.

Part of that Bulletin reads:

Important notice!!!

- Each change of code on the instrument panel related to the service interval must be entered in the service journal of the vehicle stating the setting of the service interval and (sic) sticker showing the date of the next inspection stating the service interval set.

Just found my sticker on the floor of the boot ( thanks Denis ) , and it is QG1 , but in my service book the dealer has put that my first service is at 10,000 miles , and also the salesman told me the same , so I am also confused :?

Hi everyone, I have the "honour" of being the 100th member but this is my first post.

This service thing drives me nuts! and everyone else by the sound of it. I have a vRS and have covered 12.5k miles since Jan. 2002. No sticker on the side of the dash, but written in the service book by the salesman, next service due 10,000 miles. The dash indicator has not shown that a service is due yet. If the handbook/service book is to be trusted the car is on variable service. This is based on the code in the service book "QG1". When I rang up I was told "all octavias from 2002 are on variable service".

Main point, if the car is filled at the factory with the correct oil, why/how would the dealer make the decision as to variable or 10k. Seems like a way to make a quick buck! Am I being too cynical.

My vRS has used around 200ml of oil in the 12.5k miles and I have topped up with Castrol SLX 2, which has the spec 503/00 as specified in my handbook. most of my mieage is done travelling to and from Germany. These journeys are not hard on the car so I feel as though I should wait for the service indicator to show when the next service is due. Am I living in a dream world :roll:

Hope we can all reach a conclusion that satifies the genuine fear that no action is good in this case.

Look forward to more views.

Just found my sticker on the floor of the boot ( thanks Denis ) , and it is QG1 , but in my service book the dealer has put that my first service is at 10,000 miles , and also the salesman told me the same , so I am also confused :?[/quote:58cbe7ace0]

Snap! :?

Stefan

If the service indicator hasn't come on then it is reasonable to assume that the car has been 'adjusted' for variable service intervals. However, because there are possible warranty implications if it hasn't been adjusted (although the service indicator would have to be faulty in your case), I would advise visiting the dealer and getting the car checked on their VAG1551/2. They are almost certainly the ones who have got it wrong by making an incorrect entry in your Service Schedule, and it is up to them to correct it FOC. It shouldn't take them more than a few minutes to do the check.

Denis

Thanks very much,

Your suggested action sounds really good to me.

I will post with the outcome of my visit. Perhaps this may just start to clear the smoke away for all of us.

Cheers

Stefan

Well, just got back from the dealers who put the car on the VAG console and checked it over. I even went through and he showed me the settings and what they should be set to.

Basically, I dont think they know why it came on early as it shouldnt have and I didnt get a definitive answer from them on it. However its now been reset to variable intervals. We came to a solution of the car having an oil change service at 10k with them discounting the parts a little and doing it free of labour charges. It'll then be reset again and will have its variable interval servicing from that point..

Oh, and my dealers got an RS awaiting a coilpack sitting in the service area as he has 6 on backorder. Anyone know of any sources with them instock? He said he thinks that Skoda should change all 4 whenever the first one fails. Hes had a number of the Bosch ones go - including on a <1k Superb with the 1.8T engine.

Im happy with the outcome of it. The car will have its oilchange at 10k then variable after that which is Ok with me.. Oh and I had a tussle with another RS on the way home too :-)

Paul..

The Superb's must have been the latest J version which isn't the sort of news I want to hear. And are the Bosch ones the J?

I delivered mum-in-law back to Yorkshire on New Year's Day - in the Felicia just in case. I think she is beginning to wonder why I have an Octavia, and what she has done to upset me!

Can anyone advise me how to clear my service interval dashboard message (which reads 'service now'), as I have just serviced my Superb 1.9 pd tdi 130. I appreciate that the service interval is contolled by the sensor in the engine sump.

There are some instructions in this thread and I think the manual also details how to reset the indicator.

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/fabia/how-reset-oil-warning/28749/#post345263

Hi, this is my first post. I have read this thread with interest, as my skoda superb 1.9 TDI (06) is 3 years old in June. Since new it has been serviced in 07 at 17k adn 08 at 32k the 08 service was done at Nationwide Autos in November. However, my service indicator is on again barely 6 months after the last service and I have done a further 9k. I am a lady owner and drive the car very sensibly doing a mixture of town and motorway driving daily. Do you think there is likely to be a fault, as from what I have read on other forums you shoud get roughly 22k between services. Your thoughts would be appreciated.

Sounds liuke Nationwide Auto's simply did the rest as shown in the manual. To be on variable, you need a garage that has the correct VAG software to reset the variable indicator.

Not sure where you are, but if you ask in the vagcom section, I'm sure a member local to you might be able to take a look at the error logs and see what service regime you're on.

Yeah, Nationwide will have just reset it via the dash, putting it back onto fixed servicing.

Thanks for the quick replies. I guessed that is what might have happened. Do you think it will invalidate my warranty? As I was assured that having my service done at another garage other than a main dealer would not affect my warranty.

So long as they were VAT registered and used OEM parts, then you should be fine.