My Superb is going into the main dealer tomorrow for a few bits (brake fluid change being one) and while it's there they have recommended it has an 'Eco Service'.   Apparently it's 2 things - a treatment for the air con to get rid of the bacteria behind the vents etc (not a re-gas) and also they add a cleaner into the fuel system.

 

The car is 3 yrs old and has done 56k miles.   I'd welcome some opinion on whether it needs these things - they are charging £30 for it.   I reckon it's simply an anti bacterial treatment for the air con (lots of those available for a lot less), and maybe an unnecessary fuel cleaner/additive.... ??

Edited 7 March, 20197 yr by daveb99

Do not let them up-sale then.

Fuel Cleaner not required.  Buy a tank of Premium Diesel or 2 if you think it is worth it.  It is just Additives / Detergents.

Get an Aircon Bomb in Asda or where ever if you want. As long as there is a nice new pollen / cabin filter.

Thanks, I'll cancel the Eco service thing then I think.   Seems like a bit of con to me....like you say, Air con treatment is easy to buy and cheap.   I think the pollen filter was last changed in January 2018, but 20,000 miles ago.   Is it a part I can buy and change myself, i.e. it's easily accessible?

 

EDIT Just watched a YT video on changing the filter.  Looks straightforward enough to me, once the glovebox lid is down out of the way. 

Edited 7 March, 20197 yr by daveb99

When you drop the car off, ask them why they're offering to use fuel additives, when the owner of their franchise and the official importer of the goods and services they sell make special mention in their owners manuals not to add any fuel or engine oil additives, and risk voiding the manufacturer's warranty.

 

When they fob you off, be sure to let Skoda UK know one of their dealers are offering non-official service regimes.

17 minutes ago, silver1011 said:

When you drop the car off, ask them why they're offering to use fuel additives, when the owner of their franchise and the official importer of the goods and services they sell make special mention in their owners manuals not to add any fuel or engine oil additives, and risk voiding the manufacturer's warranty.

 

When they fob you off, be sure to let Skoda UK know one of their dealers are offering non-official service regimes.

 

You make a very good point, I will do exactly that.  Thank you.   What’s your view on their air con treatment?   I’ve had a quick google and I can do it myself and change the cabin filter too for about £17...

An official air conditioning service is around £75 and includes checking and replenishing the gas if required.

 

What they're offering is the equivalent of a Halfords A/C bomb, essentially a squirt of Fabreeze down the dash vents. Completely pointless.

 

Eurocarparts have a 50% sale on all filters until midnight tonight. I just bought a couple of pollen filters for my Superb for less than a tenner each delivered to my door. They take less than 5 minutes to fit.

 

This 'Eco Service' is a poorly disguised attempt at upselling. 

Topping up air con systems is a con.

 

The system is designed to have a specific amount of refrigerant in it, too much or too little and it won't work.

 

The system should also have nothing in it apart from the lubricants and the refrigerant - i.e. no air.

 

Going back to my training on aircon systems the only way to top up is to remove all the existing refrigerant, pump the system out to a vacuum (or as close as they can get, which is pretty close these days) and then add the required volume of refrigerant (i.e. refill).  Any other method and you don't know how much refrigerant is in there.

 

Had several company cars for four years and wife's Mokka is just coming up to four years old, non have needed any work on the air con and 10 minutes on full cool followed by 10 minutes on full heat sorts out the bugs.

Thanks for the update IJWS15 very useful info

1 hour ago, IJWS15 said:

Topping up air con systems is a con.

 

The system is designed to have a specific amount of refrigerant in it, too much or too little and it won't work.

 

The system should also have nothing in it apart from the lubricants and the refrigerant - i.e. no air.

 

Going back to my training on aircon systems the only way to top up is to remove all the existing refrigerant, pump the system out to a vacuum (or as close as they can get, which is pretty close these days) and then add the required volume of refrigerant (i.e. refill).  Any other method and you don't know how much refrigerant is in there.

 

Had several company cars for four years and wife's Mokka is just coming up to four years old, non have needed any work on the air con and 10 minutes on full cool followed by 10 minutes on full heat sorts out the bugs.

 

Thanks, are you effectively saying that the products to kill bacteria are a waste of time and money?  If the cool/heat method is more effective then I’ll go down that route (no smell at all anyway currently, just want to ensure it is well maintained).

 

So effectively a full air con service to top up or replace refrigerant is either not needed or won’t be effective unless it’s done in the manner you’ve described?  Another upsell, perhaps....

See this video from Skoda UK, very informative, and backs-up what has been posted earlier about fully removing, measuring and replenshing the gas...

 

 

 

 

https://www.skoda.co.uk/owners/servicing-maintenance-fixed-price

 

Sounds like they're offering you the 'AirCon Cleanse'.

 

Until you ask them, I imagine it'll be one of these, essentially an aerosol can discharged into the cars interior with the engine/air conditioning turned on, or a simple squirt into the vents. I've tried both on an old Octavia with smelly air conditioning, all they did was temporarily mask the smell, it soon returned...

 

     

 

Edited 8 March, 20197 yr by silver1011

Don’t worry I’ve declined the air con cleanse / eco service in its entirety.

 

Much prefer to follow solid advice on here, I’ll be doing an annual cold/hot flush as per above, and changing the cabin filter for £8....