First service cost shocker !

[GoneToBeemer]

The pollen filter is included in the minor service "if required", which at 12 months / 10K it isn't but at 24 months / 20K it is.

This is why the £269 variable / major service is even more of a joke on cars less than 3 years old or with 60,000 miles.

There is absolutely no difference in the £149 and £269 services other than the price.

Sure they might say more visual inspections are done but they aren't. The dealer takes the chance to find as much wrong with your car as they can, this is how they make money, either through warranty claims to Skoda UK or non-warranty items paid for by you.

Pay £149 and no more and sleep safely!

At 3 years old or 60,000 miles then by all means pay the £269 but make sure you get an air filter, pollen filter, fuel filter (diesel) and spark plugs (petrol).

Even then it is often still a rip off. I once paid £139 for a minor service (it's gone up a tenner since then) and added the extra bits listed above from their menu pricing and it was still less than £269.

100% agree :thumbup:

[LHVRS]

On 19/01/2017 at 21:25, silver1011 said:

The pollen filter is included in the minor service "if required", which at 12 months / 10K it isn't but at 24 months / 20K it is.

 

This is why the £269 variable / major service is even more of a joke on cars less than 3 years old or with 60,000 miles.

 

There is absolutely no difference in the £149 and £269 services other than the price.

 

Sure they might say more visual inspections are done but they aren't. The dealer takes the chance to find as much wrong with your car as they can, this is how they make money, either through warranty claims to Skoda UK or non-warranty items paid for by you.

 

Pay £149 and no more and sleep safely!

 

At 3 years old or 60,000 miles then by all means pay the £269 but make sure you get an air filter, pollen filter, fuel filter (diesel) and spark plugs (petrol).

 

Even then it is often still a rip off. I once paid £139 for a minor service (it's gone up a tenner since then) and added the extra bits listed above from their menu pricing and it was still less than £269.

I'm at 9000k, 2nd year and due for a service, are you saying I should just book a minor service and save the difference ?

[bigjohn]

9 minutes ago, LHVRS said:

I'm at 9000k, 2nd year and due for a service, are you saying I should just book a minor service and save the difference ?

 

At two years you need a major service  - to check on the brakes etc (stop calipers seizing etc) and replace filters...................

 

2 years is a long time between oil changes for a cam chained engine!

[LHVRS]

8 minutes ago, bigjohn said:

 

At two years you need a major service  - to check on the brakes etc (stop calipers seizing etc) and replace filters...................

 

2 years is a long time between oil changes for a cam chained engine!

but from what I'm reading on here and else where is that the pollen filter, plugs etc don't get changed and your paying more for the same as a minor.

 

I had a minor, filter and oil change at 12 months 5k

Edited 29 May, 2018 by LHVRS

[bigjohn]

5 minutes ago, LHVRS said:

but from what I'm reading on here and else where is that the pollen filter, plugs etc don't get changed and your paying more for the same as a minor

An interim service includes:

• Oil & filter change (fully synthetic oil)
• Vehicle inspection test and report*
• Full vehicle road test**
• Vehicle & software enhancements from ŠKODA’s database
• Replacement pollen filter ^
• Diagnostic check including report
• Re-set service interval display
• Wash and vacuum
• ŠKODA stamp in service book

A major service includes:

• Everything from an interim service
• Replacement air filter ^
• Spark plugs ^ (petrol engine) or fuel filter ^ (diesel engine)
• Remove wheels and check brakes
• Check/adjust tension of all drive belts
• Check/replenish gearbox oil (where applicable)
• Check/replenish final drive oil (where applicable)
• Check suspension system
• Check heating/aircon operation

Edited 29 May, 2018 by bigjohn

[silver1011]

1 hour ago, LHVRS said:

I'm at 9000k, 2nd year and due for a service, are you saying I should just book a minor service and save the difference ?

 

You don't need a major service.

 

It all depends on your attitude towards maintenance.

 

At 9,000 miles / 2 years old all your call will get is oil, oil filter and a pollen filter, regardless of which service you choose.

 

This is why all you need is the £159 (it's gone up £10) minor service. Fresh oil is the important factor here, which you get on both services.

 

Your Skoda retailer might try and charge you £279 for a major service, but as I mentioned earlier you are being ripped off if you pay it. The extra £120 gets you nothing more if the car is less than 3 years old or has covered less than 60,000 miles.

 

However, at 2 years old, although Skoda's service regime doesn't require it, you might want to have the extra parts fitted that are included in the major service (but won't be changed at your age / mileage), such as the air and fuel filter. These can be added to the cost of the £159 minor service and the bill will still be less than the major service.

 

Edited 29 May, 2018 by silver1011

[skidpan]

Simple answer, pay for a service plan before the car is 1 year old and the first 2 services will cost you £279. Did it with the Superb (added it to the 3 year 0% finance) and will do it with the fabia before 1st first birthday. Both cars will be changed just before the 3rd service is due thus no more to pay.

[marko]

16 minutes ago, skidpan said:

Simple answer, pay for a service plan before the car is 1 year old and the first 2 services will cost you £279. Did it with the Superb (added it to the 3 year 0% finance) and will do it with the fabia before 1st first birthday. Both cars will be changed just before the 3rd service is due thus no more to pay.

 

this is what I did when the car was new, I have one major service left, after this I'll probably go to my local specialist for a proper service..

[Guest]

25 minutes ago, skidpan said:

Simple answer, pay for a service plan before the car is 1 year old and the first 2 services will cost you £279.

 

There's nothing wrong with that suggestion, indeed it makes financial sense - in the short term.  But people should be aware of the VW service regime.

 

Variable servicing means car requires major service up to 2yrs or 20,000 miles - whichever comes first.  (note: remember it's a variable service which means the car may request a service before this time).  When you're on a variable service, you have the option to change back to fixed service intervals at any time.

 

Fixed servicing means the car requires attention every year or 10,000 miles - whichever comes first. However the big difference is that you cannot then at a later date decide to switch to variable servicing.

 

So back to that service plan. Yes it makes financial sense, but it's also a nice wee trick Skoda are playing because you've just committed yourself to having the car serviced every year - which will suit some but may not suit others.

Edited 29 May, 2018 by Guest

[LHVRS]

5 hours ago, silver1011 said:

 

You don't need a major service.

 

It all depends on your attitude towards maintenance.

 

At 9,000 miles / 2 years old all your call will get is oil, oil filter and a pollen filter, regardless of which service you choose.

 

This is why all you need is the £159 (it's gone up £10) minor service. Fresh oil is the important factor here, which you get on both services.

 

Your Skoda retailer might try and charge you £279 for a major service, but as I mentioned earlier you are being ripped off if you pay it. The extra £120 gets you nothing more if the car is less than 3 years old or has covered less than 60,000 miles.

 

However, at 2 years old, although Skoda's service regime doesn't require it, you might want to have the extra parts fitted that are included in the major service (but won't be changed at your age / mileage), such as the air and fuel filter. These can be added to the cost of the £159 minor service and the bill will still be less than the major service.

 

Minor it is then, I'll fit an air filter myself.

[silver1011]

It would still be worth getting a quote.

 

I recently serviced my leased Octavia Scout.

 

Pulman Skoda in Durham charged me £170 for its 1st variable service (17,000 miles 24 months) so they didn't try and charge me for a major service, which was a refreshing change.

 

By doing so they've earned my repeat business.

[TheWanderer]

My car flagged the need for a service so booked it through the online booking system, the price I was quoted for a 2nd service + Aircon refresh/service was £279 at Garlands.

 

I took it there as that's where the car was bought and had it done, I got a pleasant surprise when I was actually billed £222.22, instead of the £279 quoted.

 

I was pestered by Lookers at Peasmarsh which is my nearest dealer by 10 miles or so, but they tried ripping me off last time, so I told them that due to family illness (which has unfortunately turned into a bereavement) I wasn't having the car serviced at the current time.

[creamvRS]

10 litres of oil = £35   filter = £15   mechanic service = £50

No more than £100.

 

 

[Pittsy]

Just had mine done at the local service center and was a bit shocked to say the least...

 

£159 for the service I was happy with to maintain the service record.

 

£99 for a brake fluid change and air con service, yet again I was happy with this.

 

The guy then said I need to have my pollen and fuel filter replaced, the fuel filter was £74 and the pollen filter was nearly £50, both of which I declined and brought both filters for less than £30 from ECP then took all of 5mins installing them myself 

[skidpan]

On 29/05/2018 at 16:31, Scot5 said:

But people should be aware of the VW service regime.

 

And they are not.

 

Variable servicing is only really for people doing longer trips and a decent annual mileage. Its really useful for drivers when it avoid another lost day having what is little more than an oil change. When my wife was doing 40 miles a day commuting it would have been brilliant, the car needed a visit to the garage every 10,000 miles which including her other mileage meant about every 8 months.

 

The point of variable servicing is not to allow owners to miss out on a service because they only do a limited mileage.

 

Read the on line info, its clear enough.

 

Both our cars are on fixed because they only do about 7 or 8 K a year each. If they were on variable it would save bugger all anyway since the 2 year fixed service deal is not much more than one variable service.

[Guest]

44 minutes ago, skidpan said:

 

Variable servicing is only really for people doing longer trips and a decent annual mileage.

 

Sorry for picking on your post, but this is typical of the problems VW have created or themselves. Even dealers and service agents will repeat the same thing.

 

People need to stop using meaningless terms like 'longer trips' and 'decent annual mileage' because those terms are relative - everyone wil have their own interpretation of what that means.

 

Something I've always failed to understand - people trust their ABS sensor, they trust their airflow sensor, they trust their temperature sensor etc.   but when it comes to the oil degregation sensor, sod what that says - we need to have the car serviced at a fixed intervals. It's really crazy isn't it - no matter how carefully or idiotically we drive our cars, no matter what the environmental conditions are, no matter how many cold engine starts the car experiences,  someone is telling us that if the car travels under 10,000 (or whatever figure they've plucked out of thin air) then the car should be treated exactly the same.

 

And don't get me started on pollen filters !  Those things get changed every service. No matter if you're living in Rannoch Moor or Piccadilly Circus, apparently the pollen filter which is part of that service regime,  needs changing at the same time. Yet a business user who does 20,000 miles a year, most of it in summer, thru areas of high pollen...  "only needs changing every two years mate".

 

Why is it people believe 'one size fits all' when it comes to motorcars?

[skidpan]

8 hours ago, Scot5 said:

People need to stop using meaningless terms like 'longer trips' and 'decent annual mileage' because those terms are relative - everyone wil have their own interpretation of what that means.

 

Skoda define the usage for a car needing fixed servicing quite clearly in the specs sheet:

 

Fixed regime: service every 10,000 miles or one year (whichever
comes first).
This is recommended if the vehicle is likely to be used in the
following way:
> Driven fewer than 10,000 miles per annum.
> Mainly short journeys, driven mostly in towns or cities.
> High vehicle loading/towing and frequent hill climbs.
> Heavy accelerating and braking, using high revs.

 

So no ambiguity there.

 

Don't think you need to interpret it in any way.

 

 

 

[LHVRS]

Book the car in for a service today at stockport lookers for Monday, which is local to my work place, called and I think its just a call centre, told him I only want a minor service to which he said that it may void my warranty  and then made a note on something saying he has told me. I'm half tempted to cancel and take it elsewhere. Cost is £159 

[TheWanderer]

15 minutes ago, LHVRS said:

Book the car in for a service today at stockport lookers for Monday, which is local to my work place, called and I think its just a call centre, told him I only want a minor service to which he said that it may void my warranty  and then made a note on something saying he has told me. I'm half tempted to cancel and take it elsewhere. Cost is £159 

 

Try booking it online http://www.skoda.co.uk/finance-and-offers/service-and-maintenance/online-service-booking

 

You may save some money, it maybe as little as a tenner, but every little helps.

[ahenners]

4 hours ago, TheWanderer said:

 

Try booking it online http://www.skoda.co.uk/finance-and-offers/service-and-maintenance/online-service-booking

 

You may save some money, it maybe as little as a tenner, but every little helps.

 

How would he save money? The published price for a minor service is £159 which he has already been offered, and is what the online Skoda booking system will charge. Some dealers may offer a lower price on the phone, but I've yet to see one that will via the online booking system.

Edited 31 May, 2018 by ahenners

[Jules2477]

My car was new in May 2016. Quoted £280 for an oil change service by Hughes in Aylesbury after just 8000 miles and little more than an oil service costing well over £300 in 2017 so fell off my chair.  The car has now only done 25000 so nothing major due yet. Rightly  thought  that they were having a giraffe as i am very aware of what an oil change involves. Booked a fixed price service with Citygate Slough to ensure no warranty issues as the car  is less than 3 years old and accepted £169.00 as acceptable.  Whilst I could have changed the oil and filter etc myself for around £50.00   i neither touch modern engines  nor attempt to play with the computers  so  i thought  the car report and overall customer service including a vehicle clean was pretty good. The fixed  quote for the next service  36000 is £278.00 which is certainly competetive against my previous indendent service agent who looked after my diesel skoda for over 13 years,  the biannual routine services were usually at least £300 + but diesel timing belt changes are a hell of a  lot more than the petrol cars so reckon all will work ok

[ahenners]

42 minutes ago, Jules2477 said:

My car was new in May 2016. Quoted £280 for an oil change service by Hughes in Aylesbury after just 8000 miles and little more than an oil service costing well over £300 in 2017 so fell off my chair.  The car has now only done 25000 so nothing major due yet. Rightly  thought  that they were having a giraffe as i am very aware of what an oil change involves. Booked a fixed price service with Citygate Slough to ensure no warranty issues as the car  is less than 3 years old and accepted £169.00 as acceptable.  Whilst I could have changed the oil and filter etc myself for around £50.00   i neither touch modern engines  nor attempt to play with the computers  so  i thought  the car report and overall customer service including a vehicle clean was pretty good. The fixed  quote for the next service  36000 is £278.00 which is certainly competetive against my previous indendent service agent who looked after my diesel skoda for over 13 years,  the biannual routine services were usually at least £300 + but diesel timing belt changes are a hell of a  lot more than the petrol cars so reckon all will work ok

 

Skoda now offer a £99 basic oil + filter change service, but officially only for cars over 3 years old.

[Jules2477]

Certainly of interest but does this include a full vehicle check,  wash and vac etc I am well aware that main dealer servicing is generally very  over priced. 

[gRoberts]

Mines in for it's first variable service at 12k, 2 years this week for £205.

[ahenners]

6 hours ago, Jules2477 said:

Certainly of interest but does this include a full vehicle check,  wash and vac etc I am well aware that main dealer servicing is generally very  over priced. 

 

The dealer I booked in with said all vehicles that come in get a wash and vac. I asked because wash and vac is not listed online, and I always request the dealer does not do a wash and vac on my car.