Kodiaq Edition (7 seats) 1.5 TSI 150 PS DSG.

 

I took delivery of my new car in December 2018. 
I own this car outright. 
I didn't take out a service plan.
I do typically 250 miles motorway and 50 miles urban a week.
My dashboard has a message (October 1) telling me that the service is now due.
The mileage at service would be 9400 miles.
This seems to be quite a low mileage for a service particularly as the car is not yet a year old.
i've read that there are two types of service regimes a fixed one and a variable one.
Is that correct?
Grateful if someone could explain the rational for this and what I should do next.
Best wishes
Bob

Your dealer set it to fixed - 1 year or 9500 miles... he should have left it at the variable service..

 

I would ask your dealer to return it to variable and not service it until next year at the 18,000 mark as most of your mileage is motorway and that was what the variable service is for!

 

Thank you SimonAudi for your advice.

 

But how does a variable service work?

 

Could I just ignore the 9500 and leave it till I reach 18000 miles.

Conversely I would leave it on fixed.

 

I'm a big advocate of fresh oil once a year. Oil is the lifeblood of any engine or turbo.

 

Two years and two winters on the same oil? No thanks, not for me.

 

On a PCP and not planning to pay the balloon and own the car? Or on a 2-year PCH (lease)? Then always go 'variable' as it is all about keep running costs to an absolute minimum on a car you'll never own outside of warranty. Potentially not great for the next owner, but that's not your concern.

 

Own the car outright, have a fair degree of mechanical sympathy, planning to own the car well beyond the three year / 60,000 mile warranty? Stick with fixed.

 

Variable servicing is designed for fleet managers who are looking for the cheapest overall running costs on a fleet of company cars. Extending the service intervals to an absolute maximum. Great for gaining bulk car sales, not necessarily  so good for long term reliability.

 

Fixed - 15,000 km's (9,320 miles), or 12 months, whichever is reached first.

 

Variable - up to 30,000 km's (18,600 miles) or 2 years. The car decides for itself when it needs fresh oil based on engine viscosity, number of cold starts, journey length, journey times etc.

 

Don't simply ignore the service warning, you've no way of knowing when the car would have otherwise flagged for a service if it had been set to variable from new.

 

The best thing to do now is to get the car serviced and ask them to change it to variable, if that's what you prefer.

 

What you should do is lambaste the dealer for changing the service interval from variable (as it left the factory) to fixed without telling you. They are supposed to check with you on your usage patterns and annual mileage etc. and then ask which interval you'd prefer. I think a reduction in the price of the fixed service that is due should go someway towards an apology from them.

 

Edited 3 October, 20196 yr by silver1011

NO... dealer will need to swap back the computer... unless he does that the need service message will be on for the next 9 months.

 

Unfortunately its a change the dealer made - to get more money from you (more service visits) - which is OK if your mileage is mainly city... but at mainly motorway.. it should have been left on variable service as it came from the factory.

 

 

 

 

 

And while Silver is correct.. it never hurts to have fresh oil... it can be a waste of money... it wont harm the car to change the oil early....  but i am also not sure it causes issues.. so long as the high mileage oil is used... the oil suppliers and vehicle manufacturers do extensive testing.

 

Not sure of exact number - but I would say more than 50% of new car sales are company and they would all run Variable Service - where the car monitors the oil temps and viscocity (i believe) and then adjusts the service schedule based on the oil....  (could be wrong and its all on driving style)

 

These Company vehicles - typically do high mileages in short periods and also go on to do big overall mileage.

 

In USA - at one time they recommended oil changes every 3000 miles or 6 months and many people still do that... thats not to say its wrong... but not needed.

 

As Silver said... if you plan to own car long term... and are not worried about servicing costs... then leave it as is and get it serviced  every 9 to 10 months at £120 to £200 a service?

 

 

Thank you Silver1011 and Simon Audi for sharing your views. 

Much appreciated.

The explanation contrasting lease and outright ownership is very interesting.

From what you write it's six of one and half a dozen of the other.

The key point is if I plan to move it on in three years time then I should go variable.

If I don't get the change made will that affect my warranty?

Neither will effect your WTY... providing you service according to the computer in car and the service is recorded correctly..

 

Ignoring it now and waiting 9 months could effect your WTY.

 

 

Edited 3 October, 20196 yr by SimonAudi

Just another note, dealers often claim that a different oil is used on the fixed and variable servicing, they often call it long life oil.

 

This was true quite a while ago (VW 504.00 / VW 506.00) , but with the introduction of DPF's and GPF's they now use the same grade of oil regardless of service interval (VW 507.00), so don't let your local dealer try and justify a higher servicing cost due to a higher or more expensive grade of oil, it simply isn't true.

 

Edited 3 October, 20196 yr by silver1011

I also follow Silvers view point with my motorcycles - where I typically do an interim oil change between the annual services... which is not necessary.. but gives me piece of mind when the bikes at  8,000 to 10,000 RPM....

 

My bikes - like my dogs have no expense spared... and are pampered and looked after way more than they should be....

 

The car.. while I like cars.. I see as more of a tool..  it gets everything it needs... but no more... they are well looked after - not abused and cleaned and checked

 

Its all a personal choice.. and how we choose to spend the money..

 

I never keep a car longer than 4 years and typically change 2 to 3 years.... sometimes much more frequent if I dont like it.... but that was in my youth where I was more foolish and did not have other drains on my finances... (7 new cars in 2 1/2 years)

If you intend to keep the car for many years then I would stick to fixed services.   Changing the oil will not harm it, and may save you from some component suffering premature wear in a few years time.   If it is going back in 2-3 years time, go variable, someone else will get any problems.

 

But as factory filled it with long life oil, could comfortably do another month (by which time will be 11 months old)

 

There is a trade off of extra servicing cost in earlier years vs increasing risk of potentially expensively breaking down in few years time,  personally I prefer to know the car is looked after.

 

Whichever service you decide on, always a good idea to swap tyres front-back around 14000-15000 miles (car wont remind you so stick it on your calendar for March) as it evens out wear.  Should then get to about 30000 miles on original tyres (and because all 4 will then need changing, allows you choice of changing to all seasons etc, or another brand of tyre).   You will amazed how many people handing back a car at 25-35k miles had have to buy 2 new tyres because they didn't think to swap them front-back (and end up paying extra £250 pointlessly).

 

 

 

Edited 3 October, 20196 yr by SurreyJohn

Thanks Silver1011 for clarifying the warranty position. It makes sense I suppose.

 

Returning to a fixed service schedule. Is 9500miles the Skoda recommendation?

As Silver said

 

I think that some/most VW Group workshops will still use 502 5W-40 if the car is on fixed servicing and that spec still covers that petrol engine, certainly cars sold with a prepaid service package will get refilled with the cheapest correct option.

 

VW Group workshops seemed to flip-flop between using fixed or variable oils and only using the variable oil “to reduce confusion “.

SimonAudi,

Thank you for this clarification. Much appreciated.

Couldn't put it better myself.

 

I think you have your answer.

 

My 3 year PCH car is only getting (has had) 1 variable service during my ownership.

 

My "own" 4 year old bike gets a personal oil change every year, irrespective of miles.

Most if any Main Dealerships will not even use 5w 40 FS so VW502 00 oil for fixed services, if you ask them, some wrongly even say it is Semi Synthetic.

 

You can use it with a TSI, not with a TDI.

 

Now we are in the will they use the VW508 / 509 era. or go VW 504 / 507.

 

The 1.5TSI from last December left the factory with VW508 / 509, so 0w 20 Full Synthetic IV

 

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

 

Edited 3 October, 20196 yr by Roottootemoot

23 hours ago, rum4mo said:

I think that some/most VW Group workshops will still use 502 5W-40 if the car is on fixed servicing and that spec still covers that petrol engine, certainly cars sold with a prepaid service package will get refilled with the cheapest correct option.

 

VW Group workshops seemed to flip-flop between using fixed or variable oils and only using the variable oil “to reduce confusion “.

 

The dealer I last used told me they stock only one grade of oil, Castrol VW 507.00. They use it on all Skoda engines. This includes vehicles that left the factory with VW 508.00 (mine included).