Hi All,

 

I have recently bought an Octavia III, 15 REG. It is due to the first variable service at 18500 miles so i phoned the dealer who I bought the car from.

I have got a £220 pound offer and been told that the price is set by Skoda and they could not give me any discount, Is it true? Is it reasonable to pay 220 for a variable service or better shop around?

I mean an independent garage probably would do for much cheaper, but I would prefer a Skoda service for at least until the warranty period ends.

 

So how much did/would you pay for the first service on a variable schedule?

 

Thanks,

Alex

Do NOT pay £220 for a 1st service.

 

The first service is an oil and oil filter, nothing less, nothing more.

 

Skoda offer fixed servicing pricing and an oil change is £149. The small print says for cars three years or older only so your dealer will spin this out as an excuse, however, you just need to find a better dealer. My local dealer is happy to apply the fixed service pricing to my 1 year old car...

 

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

 

Your car is currently set to long life or variable servicing (2 years or 20,000 miles, the car decides when it needs fresh oil).

 

What is your annual mileage? Is the car yours? How long do you intend to keep it?

 

If it is less than 12,000 miles per year then you (or should I say the car and therefore ultimately you) would be be better off switching to fixed service intervals (10,000 miles or 12 months, whichever is reached first). This guarantees fresh oil at least once a year (oil is the lifeblood of any engine/turbo).

 

Where you dealer has got £220 from is anyone's guess. Ask them what they are doing for that price.

 

All they can do is:

 

Oil

Oil Filter

Air Filter

Fuel Filter (Diesel)

Spark Plugs (Petrol)

Pollen Filter

Brake Fluid

 

The minor (or fixed service) for £149 is just the oil and oil filter. The major (or variable) service at £269 is oil, oil filter, air filter, fuel filter and pollen filter BUT the extra items over and above the minor service are only changed 'if required' which on most Skoda models is not until at least 3 years or 60,000 miles.

 

I dread to think how many people are paying £269 for an oil change.

Edited 21 September, 20169 yr by silver1011

Be warned as well, that on the variable regime the oil is up to 18.7k miles or 2 years, but after the first "inspection" service (which can wait 2 years) that the inspection is then every year or 18.7k miles. So after service 1 your car will demand an annual service whether the oil is due or not. My local VAG service centre told me that if I brought it in for an inspection they would change the oil, to which I replied that the 2 year oil interval was fraudulent. He was adamant that it was not the case as the oil could last 2 years. He agreed that the inspection interval was every year, then reconfirmed that at an inspection service they would change the oil. Start your own circular argument if you wish, but I have determined that there are no additional parts (plugs, air filter etc.) due and am therefore ignoring the service demand for now. I plan to make the service coincide with the cars birthday (and MOT) then get it all done together annually after that.

 

My advice would be:

 

<9,300 miles/yr then fixed interval servicing

>9.3k but <18.7k then use variable interval servicing, but service the car annually on its birthday.

>18.7k/yr then variable interval and service on mileage.

 

For my first service I paid a VAG franchise £180. My local independent would have done it for £160, but I wanted to see what the VAG place was like. It's back with the independent now.

 

EDIT: Service 2 the price disparity was much greater. I think it was mostly in the price of the plugs, although my independent uses the proper OEM ones.

Edited 21 September, 20169 yr by Geek42

Interesting point on the inspection service.

 

Is your dealers insistence on changing the oil during an inspection service their own personal desire, or one advised by Skoda UK?

 

I was on the understanding that the inspection service was just that, an inspection, no oil change.

 

The onboard computer now differentiates between an 'oil service' and an 'inspection'.

 

I wonder if this is VAG's way of...

 

1) Admitting long life servicing is not good for engine / turbo longevity.

2) Getting you back into the dealers more frequently.

3) Both.

I've just had my car serviced by a Skoda Dealer - on variable service at just over 19k miles and it was £149.

They did reset the service indicator incorrectly and it says I need to return in 10k miles or 12 months, but they are putting that right as I type this.

Can't fault the customer service.

First service on mine at 18.5k was £149, included oil change, oil filter & pollen filter.  That's south-east prices would have thought it might be cheaper up north.

2) Getting you back into the dealers more frequently.

 

This.

 

I do ~14k miles per year at the moment, so on the variable service regime I don't want to be taking it in more than annually, yet with the divergence of dates for MOT, oil change and inspection service it's a right PITA. I know it's not massively difficult to arrange, but if my day is going to be disturbed anyway I'd rather it was all dealt with in one go.

My dealer also charges £149, but they come and collect the car, take it away and bring it back, all within office hours.

 

Couldn't be easier.

Be warned as well, that on the variable regime the oil is up to 18.7k miles or 2 years, but after the first "inspection" service (which can wait 2 years) that the inspection is then every year or 18.7k miles. So after service 1 your car will demand an annual service whether the oil is due or not. My local VAG service centre told me that if I brought it in for an inspection they would change the oil, to which I replied that the 2 year oil interval was fraudulent. He was adamant that it was not the case as the oil could last 2 years. He agreed that the inspection interval was every year, then reconfirmed that at an inspection service they would change the oil. Start your own circular argument if you wish, but I have determined that there are no additional parts (plugs, air filter etc.) due and am therefore ignoring the service demand for now. I plan to make the service coincide with the cars birthday (and MOT) then get it all done together annually after that.

 

My advice would be:

 

<9,300 miles/yr then fixed interval servicing

>9.3k but <18.7k then use variable interval servicing, but service the car annually on its birthday.

>18.7k/yr then variable interval and service on mileage.

 

For my first service I paid a VAG franchise £180. My local independent would have done it for £160, but I wanted to see what the VAG place was like. It's back with the independent now.

 

EDIT: Service 2 the price disparity was much greater. I think it was mostly in the price of the plugs, although my independent uses the proper OEM ones.

I don't think that this information is correct. Both of my VAG cars are on long life service intervals. When the MQB platforms first arrived on the scene there was a software glitch in the dealer software when resetting service intervals on long life. This has since been rectified on Skoda (Seat still having trouble!) and post service info will show 730 days / 18700 miles for both oil and inspection. If you are hitting the calendar back stop between services rather than mileage on long life, you should be aware that the brake fluid needs to be changed after 3 years initially, and then every 2 years after, which is where the dealer confusion with oil / inspection services falling out of sync may have arisen.

Cambelt service is currently every 6 years / 140000 miles too on EA288 Diesel engines.

Really? When was this communicated.

 

Skoda only recently extended the cambelt time interval from 4 to 5 years.

Sorry and in reply to the OP - c. £180 for first service. Most VAG dealers will price match quotes within 10 mile radius, using genuine parts / service in accordance with their schedules. From my experience the local VAG specialists are not much cheaper than franchised dealers, and large inner city dealers are usually cheaper as there is more competition.

@Silver.

In Germany it was 10 years or mileage - just another con in U.K. This was quoted by the dealer for my Seat as the miles are racking up quickly towards 72K (previous gen 2.0 tdi cambelt interval).

Edited 21 September, 20169 yr by Black_Sheep

Aim to keep it long term then you can take it anywhere after 3 yrs up (or even before)

 

Plus then if you do things like plugs at least you know it will be done. As I know recently only too well myself (read my posts)

 

Bit disappointed in Norwich Skoda for this, got a fair purchase used I felt but something as simple as not changed plugs when they have claimed to have had it in their dealer from new, if so, confirms dealers can't be arsed to service cars properly even if you do use them.

So good luck whateve you choose to do.

I think we need to be careful quoting higher mileage intervals for the cambelt without stating that they aren't applicable here in the UK.

 

The UK specific intervals are discussed frequently on here and whilst clearly open for debate are still applicable to all UK registered vehicles.

 

Cars registered before September 2010 - blanket 4 year interval*.

Cars registered after September 2010 - blanket 5 year interval*.

 

*Mileage varies by engine. Check with Skoda UK by contacting them here quoting your VIN...

 

http://www.skoda.co.uk/about-us/contact-us

Edited 21 September, 20169 yr by silver1011

This is in the U.K. - dealer based in NE England, on a RHD UK spec car, first registered in U.K. I was quoted 6years / 140K miles for 150 ps EA288 engine cambelt replacement. This was the reason I posted the info, as like you I was expecting 5 years / 72K miles.

Purely stating that whilst living in Germany, the VW dealer laughed me out of the dealership when I took my old Golf to him stating that it needed a new cambelt after 4 years and only 30K miles.

Edited 21 September, 20169 yr by Black_Sheep

I have paid for an hours access to the Skoda online maintenance database (I forget it's name - something close to Ernie) and also spoken with SUK in the past (when I first bought the vehicle). For the new petrol engines the timing belt is supposed to be a lifetime belt, there is an inspection interval, but no change interval.

 

I take Black Sheep's point about the brake fluid, but as well as on the OBC it is also stated quite clearly in my documentation somewhere that the inspection interval is 2yrs/18.7k miles for the first one and then 1yr/18.7k miles after that. My car (a '13 plate 1.4TSi) does NOT have a 2 yr service interval even on long life servicing. To be honest, I don't mind this as I prefer an annual service, but I just wish I'd started out that way and not had to try to make them re-coincide.

 

I just double checked the top of the thread, it's not clear which engine the OP has.

Thanks everyone.

 

I do about 2000 miles per month, between 25000-30000 yearly with holydays.

Since the middle of June about 6000 miles, so even the variable will be more frequent than once a year.

I intend to keep the car for about 4 years until the cambelt change at 130000-140000 miles then I will decide depending on the condition and costs involved.

 

I will go in today personally and see what they say, it is only a couple of miles. 

 

It is a 1.6 CR TDI 105HP. First registered in June 2015.

Thanks everyone.

I do about 2000 miles per month, between 25000-30000 yearly with holydays.

.

You drive to Mecca and back for Hajj?

You drive to Mecca and back for Hajj?

Kind of... hehehe.

If you consider commuting from 20 miles 22 times a months add 100-200 job related miles during each work week, the private use at weekends and evenings. One 3000 miles trip to Europe a year. It is really not that much.

I have paid for an hours access to the Skoda online maintenance database (I forget it's name - something close to Ernie) and also spoken with SUK in the past (when I first bought the vehicle). For the new petrol engines the timing belt is supposed to be a lifetime belt, there is an inspection interval, but no change interval.

I take Black Sheep's point about the brake fluid, but as well as on the OBC it is also stated quite clearly in my documentation somewhere that the inspection interval is 2yrs/18.7k miles for the first one and then 1yr/18.7k miles after that. My car (a '13 plate 1.4TSi) does NOT have a 2 yr service interval even on long life servicing. To be honest, I don't mind this as I prefer an annual service, but I just wish I'd started out that way and not had to try to make them re-coincide.

I just double checked the top of the thread, it's not clear which engine the OP has.

That's strange - my car is set to variable and every service is 2 years / 18700 miles.

That's strange - my car is set to variable and every service is 2 years / 18700 miles.

When on variable servicing the maximum between services is 2 years or 20,000 miles whichever comes first - BUT to get that you have to have a very gentle driving style (like a saint many would say).

 

The engine has various sensors including oil quality, maximum rpm, etc. which are taken into account so the more you "enjoy" driving the lower the period between services becomes.

I'm wondering if I could change my vrs tsi to variable and save some money while keeping the 'full service history' with Skoda, from the end of the warranty period.  It's currently on fixed and has had 1st =minor/oil change, 2nd=major/ oil and inspection.  I have the 3 year service package so it's next one, which will probably be at 3 years and around 22k miles, will be another minor/oil, and it should also get new brake fluid.  Wondering if I could get it swapped to variable at that point, and go 2 years between services at the dealer?  I'm actually a fan of frequent oil changes so would actually in effect keep it on fixed by doing the intervening oil and filter change myself.

I presume though, that if need to either pay the extra for service 3 to be a major, or a wait until fixed service number 4, the second major, to swap to variable.  Otherwise service 4 would be needed as an inspection anyway?   But if I swap at fixed service 4     ,  Skoda still drag the car back a year later for its second brake fluid change, and every other year after, so it's still in for either a variable service, or a brake fluid change every year!  Then there's the coolant changes, when are they due? I'd assume every 3,  4 or 5 years.   Basically they seem to have planned it so that they have the car every year!