Servicing my previous VW + Audi cars used to be straight forward - you either choose a fixed or variable program (sometimes called longlife or flexible). But these days things seem to have become so unncessarily complicated.  Having just gone thru the process of deciding what to do with my other car and finding out how frustrating it can be to get information, I'm currently looking at the Skoda - and it seems equally confusing.

 

Seems like you can either pay as you go or take out a service plan.

 

An Interim service (every 12 mths or 10,000 miles) costs £159.

A major service (every 24mth or 20,000 miles) costs £279

 

A 2 year service plan on cars less than 1 yr old costs £279 which includes an oil service (yr1) and oil + inspection service (yr2)

 

Naturally then you'd think the service plan is a bargain. right?

 

A service plan for cars over 2yr old costs £379 which includes 1 x major service and 1 x minor service.

 

WTF !!!!   This is what really annoys me about VW Group these days - they rhyme off prices without telling you whats actually being done to your car. I've asked Skoda and I've asked a couple of dealerships what the score is with servicing but no two people seem to be able to give me the same answer.

 

So I'll try you folk.

 

Can anyone tell me the difference between an interm service (carried out every 12mth or 10,000 miles) and a minor service (carried out at the same intervals)?

 

What's the difference between a major service (carried out every 24mth or 20,000 miles) and an oil + inspection service (carried out at the same intervals)?

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s not much help but I do sympathise, the service schedule as presented by the dealers is a joke, as is the online record. If you search this forum there is a thread which shows the actual Skoda service schedule.

I never go with service plans as the saving is minimal and I would prefer not to be tied into any particular dealer.

Personally, as an ex VW/Audi technician, I am thinking of doing my own servicing on my latest car, it’s 3years old and 30k Miles now, I will keep it to about 150k miles by which time a dealer service history won’t mean much.

The next service as, far as I can work out, is at 40k miles which will be a major service (£279) - All the parts including decent oil can be bought for less than £100.

You want Servicing and Maintenance, not just Simply Fixed as in Ripped off.

Oil / Filter, maybe other parts maybe not still charged if replaced or not.

Get a good Independent and have the work actually done.  No need for a FREE Wash and Vacuum at about £30 per 10 minutes.

http://skoda.co.uk/finance-and-offers/service-and-maintenance/simply-fixed 

http://volkswagen.co.uk/owners/servicing/regimes 

Good point Awaoffski, you’ll pay £279 for a major service every 20000 or 24 months, but items such as air filter, or spark plugs will be changed every 40000 or more (!) miles as per the official schedule. 

Therefore you may or may not get these parts fitted but the price is the same....

HMRC should have been on this fraud a long time past.

 

20% VAT on parts, 20% VAT on Labour 

So how can it be £279 including VAT when there is no Air Filter, Spark Plugs supplied so no Parts or VAT to charge for.

 

Increased labour charged for and VAT for doing less work, as in the Spark Plugs were not even inspected let alone replaced.

Air Filter no Inspected or replaced / supplied. 

 

Money for all rope.

Was a road test carried out or not.  Was there a Diagnostics carried out and any Software Enhancement done or not.

?

How many minutes were actually used, Hand over keys, Service Desk checks car for no damage, Technician or other drives car into workshop, 

then Servicing, Road Test, etc etc,.   Free Wash & Vacuum, Body condition Report for the Paint and Corrosion Warranty. 

'Simply Fixed!'.

HMRC !!  I'm wondering why the EU aren't on to this because VW group are operating cartel. The EU brought in laws which effectively banned the manufacturers having a monopoly on servicing - as long as the car is serviced according to manufacturer specifications, you can have your car serviced at registered garage and the warranty will remain intact. But now we see manufacturers withholding service documentation and fixing prices. If I put my political hat on, I thought we subscribed to a free market economy - what's with all this price fixing nonsense?

 

Back to servicing - I've just bought 5L of Quantum Longlife III (as used by VW group) for £25. An offcial VW/SEAT/AUDI/SKODA oil filter and sump plug cost cost £8.50. Going to have a local garage just replace the oil on our other car and sod the 1st annual service. I'll be doing the same with my Octavia - keep it on longlife but change the oil myself after 12mth.

 

It really shouldnt be this difficult. 

Edited 22 March, 20188 yr by Guest

The Manufacturers will not withhold the Servicing and Warranty and Service Campaign Recall work, 

Just ask and you shall receive what is on their system on your vehicle.

 

Dealership Employees and Customer Services UK Skoda seem to think Data Protection is something they can run off at the mouth about.

Your choice if you use Main Delerships.

There are Independent Specialists with Licensed Equipment, all the gear, all the software, all the TPI's, etc and that can do Software Updates 

and have access to VW's Systems.

 

It is a Free Market, just some who's full time job is in the Car Trade at Main Dealerships and Importers seem to forget that, 

and get away with it.

Edited 22 March, 20188 yr by AwaoffSki

mine's about to go in for its first service at 29500km. It will be an oilchange and a check, as far as I'm concerned, and I'm expecting it to be €200-250. 4l of oil, filter, plug, maybe the pollen filter. I will be instructing them not to fill screenwash, nor vacuum or wash it. 

 

Not sure how the reaction is here to taking your own oil, I know it's quite common in Germany. @Jaco2k @Petunet is this common? Laakkonen Lahti, if it helps.

 

I do my own on the A2 - or have done until now - and that's a €40 service with 4l of 50.200, a filter and a plug. Plus two hours on a ramp (I'm slow) and I get to around €100. That's OK for a 15-year-old car. Just need to find a rentable ramp in Lahti now, as I think they've all disappeared :/

 

 - Bret

 

Service=oil and filter

Major service=take the wheels of and look at the pads mabey,oil and filter

Fuel filter(petrol or diesel)/spark plugs/pollen filters mabey every third or 4th service

Here a minor service is 149 euro

Major I think is 249

"Service plan" is I think 399 ? Possibly 499

So you'll think that's servicing sorted for the three years of the warranty,but no UK and Ireland seem to have a 15k interval in spite of the fact the car left the factory expecting 30 k services (KILOMETERS)

SO YES ITS A RIP OFF

Unfortunately it's a symptom of new car ownership to reduce the chances of their trying no to honour their warranty.

They better not send me  video of the "technician" under my car !!!!!!!!!

 

 

1 hour ago, brettikivi said:

mine's about to go in for its first service at 29500km. It will be an oilchange and a check, as far as I'm concerned, and I'm expecting it to be €200-250. 4l of oil, filter, plug, maybe the pollen filter. I will be instructing them not to fill screenwash, nor vacuum or wash it. 

 

Not sure how the reaction is here to taking your own oil, I know it's quite common in Germany. @Jaco2k @Petunet is this common? Laakkonen Lahti, if it helps.

 

I do my own on the A2 - or have done until now - and that's a €40 service with 4l of 50.200, a filter and a plug. Plus two hours on a ramp (I'm slow) and I get to around €100. That's OK for a 15-year-old car. Just need to find a rentable ramp in Lahti now, as I think they've all disappeared :/

 

 - Bret

 

 

I never attempted that, but I think it is frowned upon - Most likely they will make it more expensive for you if you do that. Just guessing, but they will say that price is "for the package" and if you bring your own oil, they will argue "it is not approved and can affect warranty" and then they will charge all the works by the hour, which will end up more expensive.

...again, this is just a guess, but it cannot be far from truth

When I had my BMW's, I used to buy my oil from Costco. Here in the UK, every BMW dealer I asked gave me a price to service our cars without question using supplied oil. And they always returned the oil they didn't use.

 

main dealers use exactly the same oil bought in large quantities so how on earth we manage to buy it cheaper ourselves in small 4l or 5L cartons is a mystery to me. It'd appear main dealers just want to screw you.

 

Again best example of this is VW group. We can argue the various material quality between cars but underneath,  Audi / VW / Skoda / SEAT engines are all the same. They use the same parts, same time to service the car - they're identical. The cost to service them tho varies.

 

And with this fixed priced servicing lark, it costs the same to service a tiny Skoda 1.0tsi as it does to service a Skoda 2.0tdi. They're just screwing us. 

Edited 22 March, 20188 yr by Guest

7 minutes ago, Scot5 said:

costs the same to service a tiny 1.0tsi as it does to service a 2.0tdi. They're just screwing us. 

It's the exact same thing 4lts of the same oil and a filter f@#k all else,let's be honest on ramp drain oil change filter top up look around while you're under three .....so 20 mins and less than 50 euro parts.

 

Now let's pretend you are a mechanic(I am btw) see how much it hurts.

 

P.S. please ignore the look around comment ,that would be a major service.

Edited 22 March, 20188 yr by 181ce

4 hours ago, brettikivi said:

Not sure how the reaction is here to taking your own oil, I know it's quite common in Germany. @Jaco2k @Petunet is this common? Laakkonen Lahti, if it helps.

 

 

No problem at all, at my 30 000 km service I brought my own oil and it was quite ok.

The manager even gave me all the spare part numbers and oil requirements beforehand if I've wanted to bring something else with me.

They just need to be Skoda (VW) spec.

 

Just got a quote from Renault for my wife's Twingo. £180 every year for the basic oil\oil filter service (without air\pollen\cabin filters, sparks etc which are extra). Brake fluid change £120!!! I now feel like the vrs is a bargain!

 

I understand totally what everyone is saying but for me it is good to know the price quoted is that - there are no hidden extras at particular mileages or age.

There is £52 for Brake Fluid, £179 for the DSG if a 40,000 mile interval one, there is the Haldex at 3 years at what cost, if they remember to tell you, 

there is the A/C Service they say is recommended every 2 years.

 

So not hidden, but if you ever see Full Main Dealer Service History on a Skoda Approved Used Car, ex lease or even private owned do not just expect it was 

serviced to the Manufacturers Service Schedule, other than Oil & Filter changes, if the filters were changed.

14 hours ago, MeteorOcty said:

Just got a quote from Renault for my wife's Twingo. £180 every year for the basic oil\oil filter service (without air\pollen\cabin filters, sparks etc which are extra).

 

That made me laugh. I don't know about the Twingo but I suspect it's the same as the remaining Renaults. What you've said maybe even worse value than you think.

 

This applies to cars that are under 3yr old.

 

I went thru the same process with a 2016 Renault I traded in for the Octavia - tried to find out what the various services include. At least VW group are relatively clear about longlife and annual service regimes. Renaults get serviced every 12mth which makes you believe that includes an oil + filter change - right? Wrong. They are serviced on an A & B type services.

 

A service happens on year 1, 3, 5 etc

 

B service happens on year 2, 4, 6 etc

 

(various things are added depending on how old the car is.)

 

But those A services? They DO NOT include an oil & filter change. Oil is only changed every 2years on a Renault. In my experience, even staff on the Renault reception desks weren't aware of this.

 

HonestJohn motoring advice will take every opportunity to belittle anyone with a VW group product who subscribes to longlife servicng and points at this as the cause for any problem with the engine. What's funny is few people realise that Renault may often operate an even more lengthy oil change interval (it's 24mth or 18,000 miles - I'm not sure if they have a degragation sensor like VW) yet I haven't read one single response blaming extended oil intervals as causing problems with Renaults. It's just one example of the obvious bias HJ has towards VW products.

 

£180 a year tho - that sounds way too much. Are you sure that doesn't just apply to cars on a 2yr service regime?  Renault cars over 3yr old

 

 

 

 

 

Edited 23 March, 20188 yr by Guest

My local dealer appears to have been charging me just for the work done, which has come out quite a bit cheaper than Skoda's service plan. :-)

Edited 24 March, 20188 yr by Rodge

I have my car booked in with DM Keith in Leeds for what is it's second service at 18 months old and it is on fixed/annual servicing. Told it requires an interim service at a cost of £249.

 

Looking at the Skoda UK website an Interim Service is £159 and a Major Service is £279. An interim service is basically an oil and filter change plus pollen filter change (if they deem it required) plus vehicle inspection.

 

The price I have been quoted for an interim service is £249, seems a bloody expensive oil and filter change!

 

I'm aware that the small print on the Skoda UK website states the prices are for cars over 3 years old, so dealers are basically ripping off anyone who has a warranty  as they know that they will go to them in order to retain it.

 

Having read this thread I phone DM Keith in Leeds to query the price I had been quoted and without any of my details, and therefore knowing the age of my car, informed me that the price I could see on Skoda's website was not an Interim service rather a minor service and an interim service includes other items such as a pollen filter. This was incorrect as the Skoda UK prices are for an Interim and Major Service. When corrected she then proceeded to inform me that they do not follow Skoda UK pricing and have their own pricing system.

 

Skoda UK - http://www.skoda.co.uk/owners/service-and-maintenance/simply-fixed/pages/default.aspx?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI0-W2yruP2gIVqLXtCh2N2wrsEAAYASAAEgKbB_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CPfJ8cu7j9oCFVIg0wodmjQLVg

 

DM Keith - https://www.dmkeith.com/skoda/servicing/fixed-price-maintenance/

 

Having now checked DM Keith's website they do have the same prices as Skoda UK for interim and major services on vehicles over 3 years old being £149 and £279.

 

Sensing I was getting nowhere, as she had not even asked the age of my car to see if the prices quoted on their own website should apply, I then asked if corroded wheel centre caps were covered under warranty to be told that they were not.

 

To be honest I feel like cancelling my service and going elsewhere as what is the point in retaining the warranty anyway if they won't even cover corroded wheel centre caps. I am also aware that I am not obliged to have servicing carried out by Skoda providing genuine parts are used and the service schedule followed however I imagine in the event that I need to make a claim against warranty this would make it exponentially more difficult.

13 minutes ago, Kahunajb said:

 

The price I have been quoted for an interim service is £249, seems a bloody expensive oil and filter change!

 

d-y, I then asked if corroded wheel centre caps were covered under warranty to be told that they were not.

 

To be honest I feel like cancelling my service and going elsewhere as what is the point in retaining the warranty anyway if they won't even cover corroded wheel centre caps. 

 

That's how Skoda ...and probably most dealerships gets some money back by charging a lot for what is simply oil an oil filter.  cheapish to buy. Then again they do have to employ lots of people so I understand why the costs are high. As for wheel cap corrosion, they are infamous for it. My MkII and MkIII have had the same minor irritation. Some dealerships will replace them FOC, some won't. Buy some from ebay and get ready to replace them each year, because that's what you're going to do with OEM replacement ones. 

I getting my 2 year old VRS serviced tomorrow at an independent Skoda dealer.  My car has done the grand total of 7300 miles so I have been on the variable service.  They have a good reputation, and have quoted me £201 for the service that Skoda wanted £279 for. ( my car is a DSG version).  I will let you know how I get on.  

Edited 28 March, 20188 yr by stubev156

3 hours ago, Kahunajb said:

I have my car booked in with DM Keith in Leeds for what is it's second service at 18 months old and it is on fixed/annual servicing. Told it requires an interim service at a cost of £249.

Sounds like they are quoting for the major service....albeit a little cheaper. Why the service at 18 months if it's on annual? Higher mileage?

23 minutes ago, MeteorOcty said:

Sounds like they are quoting for the major service....albeit a little cheaper. Why the service at 18 months if it's on annual? Higher mileage?

 

I bought it at 6 months old on nearly 9,000 miles so would have been due first service shortly which they threw in and did before I collected. Now 12 months later it is due the second service but only on approx 13,000 miles.

 

They are definitely quoting for the interim service just taking the P with the price.

2 hours ago, Kahunajb said:

 

I bought it at 6 months old on nearly 9,000 miles so would have been due first service shortly which they threw in and did before I collected. Now 12 months later it is due the second service but only on approx 13,000 miles.

 

They are definitely quoting for the interim service just taking the P with the price.

 

I have a 15 plater TDI VRS and had 1st service at DMK Leeds, was at 12,000 end of year one, I switched to variable and have left it about 18 months and have done a further 12k, I did top the oil up at around 10k extra miles.  I phoned mid jan and asked for a quote and was told the variable service would be £249 - have to admit conversation was very confusing...  Im currently deciding whether I'm going to book it in now weathers cleared up and Im available to do so or find an indy (now my warranty has expired).

On 28/03/2018 at 21:24, stubev156 said:

I getting my 2 year old VRS serviced tomorrow at an independent Skoda dealer.  My car has done the grand total of 7300 miles so I have been on the variable service.  They have a good reputation, and have quoted me £201 for the service that Skoda wanted £279 for. ( my car is a DSG version).  I will let you know how I get on.  

Got the car serviced for £201.  Had air filter changed but nothing else apart from oil and filter.  All the other checks done.  I am on a Variable service as I am very low mileage.  I notice that my service interval appears to have been set to fixed...anyone know if I can chambe it myself, or does a garage have to do it?  Thanks.