I'm sure this has been asked before, but a search didn't really give me the answer.

My early 2004 Octy Estate (1.8T elegance) has done about 9000 miles, and I want to know whether people can say which is better in the long run: variable or fixed servicing?

If I go for fixed, then I'll get it done around 10k miles, else I'll wait for the variable thingy to tell me when it thinks the service is needed.

Many thanks,

Ben

Whichever service you have next will be dictated by how the car was set up at new as with variable you have a much higher quality oil used . you can then elect to change it at the service if you wish

I say it depends on how many miles you're doing each year.

Personally I do about 12-16k miles a year so variable servicing suits me well.

If I were doing less than 10,000 I'd go fixed as I could save money on oil and would give the car an annual service.

I would guess that mileage is under 10,000 miles a year, as I do about 28 miles each workday, not much at weekends, and wife plans to pinch the car when baby #2 arrives next year, so it will do shorter journeys during the week.

Sounds like fixed is probably the way I should go, as shorter runs will mean that brakes and oil will need changing more frequently anyway?

Perhaps I should make the most of the current oil (the sticker on the engine says it's variable servicing), and go fixed after that? I think that makes the most sense.

I must say I find it hard to adjust to having a car that hasn't been serviced for nearly 21 months now.Especially as it is meant to be a 'performance' variant.

Does anyone know the maximum mileage a variable engine will go for before it asks for a service?

And how many miles are you doing each year lozgti?

Not many.Probably about 8,000 although stop start traffic which I suspect is far worse than 50,000 motorway miles in a year!

I am expecting the car to tell me at 24 months it is time to go in.Can't imagine it would go for longer.

Just been reading (on an Audi forum) about some of the factors used by the AVS system to determine when a service is due, and if it does use factors like miles done under 3000rpm, time spent in traffic, time passed, miles done, etc, with upper limits (it was suggested that 730 days and 15,000 km were internal limits in the AVS), then I think fixed makes sense for an annual mileage of less than 10k miles.

I wouldn't want to have the car sludging up the oil on short journeys and finding I'd caused additional problems by trusting the AVS. I see that for a low mileage, one of 2 things will happen if using AVS:

1. the oil may still turn crappy and cause problems, and other faults (e.g. brakes, low performance, CV joint leaks, worn bushes) might not be spotted for a long time.

2. the AVS notices that many short journeys have been done, indicates that a service is due, and it might do this at often as every 8000 miles, but still ask for long life oil (50 pounds a refill?), so I am paying for longlife oil more often than I would have paid for normal oil on a 10k fixed schedule.

Maybe I'm being a pessimist here, but I think I will stick with fixed 10k's as it's what I know. If people can sing the praises of AVS, then please do, I'm still open to suggestions!

Cheers,

Ben

LongLife oil is significantly superior to 'normal' oil whether used for variable or fixed servicing. That oil is good for up to 20K for the 1.8T and 30K in the Octavia PD engine on variable servicing. (I think the Superb is good for 24K and New Octavia PDs 20K - but the latter could be wrong). 730 days and 15,000km are 2 unrelated parameters. The former equates to 2 years (some VAG models use 720 days) and is paired with the km equivalents of 20/24/30,000 miles. The latter is paired with 360/365 days (ie 1 year).

Your Skoda dealer has a leaflet which will help you decide which type of service would best suit the way you use your car. My car does circa 5K a year and is on variable servicing - which saves me money. If sludging is of concern, why even consider using 'normal' oil rather than a fully synthetic oil specially developed for your car's engine?

I'm sure if Guy "Oilman" sees this thread he will be able to impart some of his considerable oil knowledge.

Incidentally, the air filter on the 1.8T is up for replacement every 40k miles (according to Mike at Jabba). During my custom remap we found changing for a new OEM filter gained 9bhp over one that had done 20k miles.

Good, I was waiting for Denis to comment, as I saw in other threads that he's the man when it comes to longlife oil.

For you to say you do 5k a year and use AVS has got me all dithery again.

Maybe I should hunt out that leaflet.

Thanks

I do 10K a year in my TDI, and am on variable. It means that it's been in once (after 2 years - 20K miles) rather than 3 times (it's done just over 30K now), so it's saved me money and the inconvenience of going to the dealer.

Hopefully they've designed it well, and if lots of short journeys are causing sludging or whatever, it should allow for that and call itself in early.

If you're doing so many short journeys that it calls itself in so early that you're not saving money, I reckon that doing 10K miles of those same short journeys on cheaper oil wouldn't be doing the car any good at all...

True. Ok, I'll let it run to it's 1st service anyway, and go from there.

I had heard some reports of AVS being blamed for problems with Audi's. Things like this:

I too went by my cars computer when it came to servicing my 2001 1.8T 150bhp B6 A4, I bought the car second hand from a main dealer, it was 15 months old so they gave me 1 yrs waranthy. They told me to service the car when the computer told me. This I did but I brought it to my local mechanic who uses the genuine parts but charges half what the dealer charges for a service. This service turned out to be its first sinse the car was new, it was at 20000 miles as I do alot of long distance driving. The mechanic said if I left it any longer it could have been serious, he showed me the back of the oil cap; it was like it was dipped in road Tar, there was a thick black sludge built up, you could even she the same sludge built up on the over head cams. When he drained out the oil it was as black as coal and had lost all its viscosity, it was like water. He said there was alot of sludge build up so he said I would be safer going for 2 x 5000 oil changes using semi synthetic oil, this would help flush out the system. This I did and never looked back, every oil change after that the oil was clear and tacky and the oil cap never built up with sludge. I recently traded that model for a new 1.8T 190 B6 and I can assure you I will be ignoring the computer screen and servicing every 10000 miles which will work out every 8-10 months and to keep the waranthy sweet I will let the main dealer do the first service and everyone after that will be my normal mechanic.

I'm also a member on AudiWorld.com, this is an American forumn, they are currently receiving leters from Audi of America saying they will extend their waranthy on any 1.8T engine that are showing excesive build up of sludge. I'll see if I can get a copy of the letter, maybe you could use when your talking to Audi England....Good Luck.

I think this kind of problem was when AVS first came in and dealers were using normal oil but with AVS intervals, hence the terrible oil state when service time came.

It also sounds like the 1.8T engine showed this problem more than other models, which is why I'm keen to make the right decision on servicing.

If you're worried about it, go for an annual service, using long life oil.

You'll get the best of both worlds though it may cost you a little more. Work out the increased cost per mile though and I'm sure it's not going to be that much more.

and other faults (e.g. brakes' date=' low performance, CV joint leaks, worn bushes) might not be spotted for a long time.

[/quote']

Think this is the most important point of all.Especially problems with brakes if no one has looked at my car for two years!

However once the car is 3 yrs old the MOT tester should find little faults with it.

The MOT tester who did my car last time was very helpful.

i do roughly just over 10,000 per annum.i say be kind to your car it is its blood after all !! so go for 10,000 mile service but spoil it give it fully synth and have fun

driving it hard when req knowing its well protected.markie

i do roughly just over 10' date='000 per annum.i say be kind to your car it is its blood after all !! so go for 10,000 mile service but spoil it give it fully synth and have fun

driving it hard when req knowing its well protected.markie[/quote']

Same mileage for me but I have stayed on variable servicing preferring to let the computer do the working out for me. As I do quite a bit of city driving, the computer says my service is due at about 12k and i'm happy with that. My lease Co. wouldn't let me go for fixed servicing anyway unless the computer recommended servicing at less than 10k which would cost them more money but that would be very unlikely.

Longlife oil is a substantially uprated version of the fully synthetic stuff they put in if you are on fixed intervals. I'd rather have longlife oil in my engine changed at 12k than the ordinary fully synthetic stuff changed at 10k. At oil change time the ordinary fully synthetic oil will have degraded a lot more than the longlife oil on the basis that the ordinary stuff is designed for 10-12k changes and longlife for up to 20k changes.