Morning everyone,

Please can someone point me in the right direction of what is changed or looked at during each service for the first 5 years please.

I'm just trying to work out if our Fabia has had the correct servicing at a main dealer. Concern lies that all it ever seems to be is an oil change, so no other filters etc as l would expect from other brands.

If l get this right you basically pay for a major service which at other makes would be all filters etc, yet at Skoda they only change if required.....so you pay for them but don't get them?

Please could someone tell me if lm right or way off here!

Cheers

Hughsie

Welcome to the forum, you got the nail on the head.

 

Minor or major service and maybe the extra £120 get a £15 Pollen Filter Fitted, 

but not your rear brake drums off, certainly not the Brake Fluid changed, and likely not spark plugs on a petrol.

 

Ask the place servicing what you are getting for the charges they make.

If parts are not being fitted then they are taking money for old rope charging for them.

 

Inspection Services should be the same Minor or Major, Oil & Oil Filter, 

National Pricing, Fixed Pricing, Service and Maintenance Plans can be a con.

I think it's an absolute disgrace!

What's the difference between inspection service and the normal service? Service plans and maintenance plans?

Sounds like a con to me, confuse the customer with endless name changes and actually do very little....has anyone brought this up with Skoda themselves?

Would like to know there previous responses.

Cheers.

Just a little search in every model version section of Briskoda and you will be able to do all the research you need.

Lots of threads on Skoda Main Dealer servicing.

Quite good Briskoda on such things after all you are speaking on something covered thousands of times.

Hughsie, yes as others are saying, there are minor and major service intervals. Minor for me costs £95 and major £249. at my Skoda dealer. Very little variance on those prices except for brake fluid and air con servicing or when other items might need replacing. Incidentally, if you don't need something replacing it won't be charged for. At least, they shouldn't and my dealer always tells me if anything didn't need replacing and deducts the cost. The minor service is little more than an oil change with a visual inspection of the underside of the car and visual of brakes and the engine bay. Check for faults and road test if you are lucky. Major on mine is all the above, plus spark plugs, all filters to include air filter, pollen filter etc, new auto gearbox map loaded, check ecu for fault log, grease door hinges, torque test of vital underside nuts and bolts, wheels off for swapping over and calliper cleaning, pad check, exhaust system check and the brake fluid change which costs £49 if it's required on that year. Also air con if you have asked for it. It's pretty comprehensive and mine has just gone through the full major service with all those things achieved. Youi also get the usual advisory if stuff needs doing sometime soon. I've never had an advisory and my car is near 7 years old now. I watched most of my service being carried out by a Skoda tech. 

New national pricing applies on servicing from 1st May.

http://www.skoda.co.uk/owners/service-and-maintenance/simply-fixed

£149 for minor, £269 for major.

That's £149 for 3 litres of cheap oil (my dealer only uses 504/507 for a variable interval service, which is more expensive), an oil filter that they'll overtightened for you, and, if you're lucky, a new sump plug. Last time my dealer found an old rusty one out of some old banger, it wasn't the right length and had a precrushed and distorted aluminium washer.

£269 gets you in addition "plus all the filters" except that's not true. Petrol engines they never change the fuel filter ( its a lifetime filter) and engine air filters only get changed every 4yrs/40000 miles or longer depending on engine.

They cover themselves if challenged, by stating "servicing schedule is automatically printed by the Skoda computer which tells them what's due, and they follow that", not any marketing blurb they put out and likely not what you were told.

I think you will find spark plugs are usually an extra charge on top.

Of course you can negotiate on price, and they'll not tell you about the rusty sump nut or the semi synthetic oil they slip in.

I shan't mention consequential damage if you have other work done, everyone tells me its my imagination.

Edited 1 June, 201610 yr by xman

^^^ 
obviously that is not the same with All Skoda Main Dealerships in the UK.

Some are putting cars on the diagnostics, checking for Software Updates & enhancements, changing Fuel Filters, Spark Plugs, taking off brake drums etc.

 

The issue is you are not sure what they are doing.

 

Some 'Service Desk staff' / Service Managers put in your Registration Number and still do not know if your car has a Diesel or Petrol engine and a if it has a manual, automatic or Automated Manual gearbox.

http://parks.uk.com/skoda/servicing-parts/service-booking

Edited 1 June, 201610 yr by GoneOffSKi

I've never ever seen a dealer remove a brake drum or even remove a wheel during regular minor or major servicing. Its not on the workshop worksheet. They just look from the inside and judge pad thickness and disc condition. They like to report "90% worn" if possible. Drums are checked by if the handbrake works OK.

Oh yeah I forgot about the diagnostics, they plug it in and Skoda HQ determines whether they can screw you for extra cash. Updates are very very rare. (I've never seen one) but it sounds impressive doesn't it?

Edited 1 June, 201610 yr by xman

There you go then, you must frequent the dealerships or garages that people are avoiding.

Plenty do,  try a VW Main Dealer maybe that charges the same or even less than Skoda DEalerships and might do a proper service and maintenance regime.

 

Maybe look at some Check Sheets that do include wheel removal, brake drum removal, 

and also ask customers if they want tyres / wheels rotated.

 

Oddly there are such establishments and trained and qualified technicians.

Edited 1 June, 201610 yr by GoneOffSKi

Like the vw main dealer next door. Owned by the same person.

Or go 35 miles to the nearest alternative, all of whom have been mentioned as "avoid" on this forum.

No thankyou, now warranty is over, I'll stick to my diy, £16 for oil(dexos 2) and filter(Mann) change. Takes me half an hour, and decent weather.

Just as well you are competent and do not need the service of Main Dealers or even mechanics then.

DIY is nice and cheap.

And you know exactly what is done, what oil is used etc etc.

Oh... and I can even change a pollen filter without breaking/ripping/misfitting the surrounding trim (done on all our 3 fabias by the dealer) and fit them the right way round even!!

Good stuff.

Sadly all have not got your skills, or actually their hourly rate working might be greater than the cost of having a trained person doing their cars servicing.

They are not spending time saving money if it costs time and money they could be working.

Or they are prepared to pay but want an actual service and maintenance job because cars are lethal weapons and brakes, steering, 

tyres etc are rather important.

 

Maybe prepared to pay half a weeks income for 1-2 hours work by 'professionals'.

 

They just want an honest job done for a proper price, and done correctly.

Edited 1 June, 201610 yr by GoneOffSKi

Good stuff.

Or they are prepared to pay but want an actual service and maintenance job because cars are lethal weapons and brakes, steering, tyres etc are rather important.

 

Maybe prepared to pay half a weeks income for 1-2 hours work by 'professionals'.

 

They just want an honest job done for a proper price, and done correctly.

That last statement is exactly the issue. Sadly, many dealers fall far short of that expectation.

Point of the OP is it not?

So let me get this right you pay for these items but never actually get them? And if you are petrol you never actually get most of them? Well done Skoda!

Some places.

 

But since you have a brain and a tongue you can ask what you are getting for what you are paying, 

or say what you want and ask how much that costs.

Get it in writing even.

Such a shame then that people don't hold Skoda's servicing in high regard.....sounds like everyone has same opinion of them!

It's a joke it really is. Being on "variable" servicing I got charged £195 for my first (minor) service which basically amounted to an oil and filter change, they couldn't even wash it properly. Next service a major due about six months before my cars 3rd birthday and they will be looking for £305, for an oil and filter change and pollen filter. Should be reported to trading standards. I will be taking it to an independent garage who will probably not even charge a third of that.

Edited 1 June, 201610 yr by Miller73

Who is quoting you £305?

 

And what are they going to do for that, anything more than at the last Service

& are they including the brake fluid change and the MOT?

Pollen filter no more than £18 if that is the difference from the last service and this.

Edited 1 June, 201610 yr by GoneOffSKi

Second service is always classed as a major so £269 on "fixed" and £305 on "variable". North east Skoda dealer. They won't be getting any more business off me. Laughable that whether or not a part needs replacing you are expected to pay the same price. Spark plugs only one week old you say? I don't give a f***, you're charging me to replace them regardless so do it!

Woah there everybody! We've all forgotten that they also top up the washer fluid!

Woah there everybody! We've all forgotten that they also top up the washer fluid!

 

Haha yes they charged me £5 for this despite the fact it was already full. Pathetic it really is.

Any reason you let them off with that.

You just ask where the unused bottle is, and if not in the car tell them to take it off the invoice.

 

As to the other comments on what a Fixed and Variable service costs, you know in advance if you ask and you question 

how they get to the price and get them to do a not 'Fixed Price Service'.

Just a to the Manufacturers Schedule / Guidelines.

 

Charging for stuff like Washer Fluid and not using it is a criminal offence actually, they need reminding of that often.

Fraudulent practices.

 

Dealer Principals need to remember that taking VAT from customers for goods not even supplied and pocketing that, 

and then still having the goods and doing it as a matter of practice makes them 'Stealers'.

Defrauding HMRC as well, so that is also the public.

Edited 1 June, 201610 yr by GoneOffSKi

Very few people who give a carp left in the dealer network now. We all got peeved off and left for a brighter future.