Confusion over servicing requirements

[silver1011]

4 hours ago, classic said:

In fact there should be a clutch fluid change - the official Skoda service schedule describes bleeding a set quantity of fluid from the clutch slave cylinder, as part of the brake fluid change procedure...

 

I wonder how many dealers do that ?

 

Last time my Superb was in for an MOT and brake fluid change (nothing else), I sat myself in the MOT viewing area to try and catch a discreet glimpse. Unfortunately they turned the car away from the window and hid behind the open bonnet.

 

It would be interesting the see the official process they follow, or are supposed to follow, on a brake fluid change.

[shyVRS245]

My Octavia Vrs245 had it's first variable service at 18,500 miles then they set it to fixed without my permission or knowledge so the onboard computer says that a service is due in 100 miles (current mileage is 27,747 miles) but I have already contacted them to get them to adjust this for variable as the same onboard computer is saying the Inspection service is due in 9,200 miles which is the one due next. One of the reasons I bought the car was for it's long service intervals as I check the oil level once a month anyway and it hasn't used any oil since January this year. Wife's Karoq had it's first variable service at 18,700 miles and is now 17,000 miles until it's 2nd service the Inspection one.

[Ootohere]

Many dealership employees have said over the years, 'we can not adjust back to variable without carrying out an oil service or a service'.

(They should not be plugging in and changing just because they were caught out at it.)

 

So the answer is, 

on you go then service it at your expense to keep the Full Main Dealer Service History honest. 

They tried to be smart and gain business, so it needs to be their loss in the end not the customer they wasted their valuable time.

Maybe the Customers Hourly rate is higher than the Technicians and the Dealerships overheads.

Edited 5 November, 2019 by Roottootemoot

[Guest]

30 minutes ago, silver1011 said:

 

Last time my Superb was in for an MOT and brake fluid change (nothing else), I sat myself in the MOT viewing area to try and catch a discreet glimpse. Unfortunately they turned the car away from the window and hid behind the open bonnet.

 

It would be interesting the see the official process they follow, or are supposed to follow, on a brake fluid change.

 

I completely agree. The first 'viewing' area I experienced was at my local BMW dealer back in 2002. At least you could see folk working on the car which back then mattered.

 

But it's now 2019 and these days most of the work is now 'fixed price', therefore it doesn't matter if it takes 20mins or 60mins labour. ( i.e.  the owner can't challenge the time taken / hourly rate.)  So why not have a webcam on each service bay so you can see the actual service / maintenance being carried out?  Some garages fall over themselves to show you an engineer's video report, but to the best of my knowledge none show the actual work being carried out.

[silver1011]

They also disconnect my dash cam before the technician drives the car into the workshop.

 

No real issue with that, I think I read somewhere about their employees being protected by a data protection law.

 

The annoying thing is that they didn't tell me and it took me a good few weeks to realise my dash cam wasn't plugged in. It'd have been very annoying if I'd needed any of the missed footage.

[silver1011]

55 minutes ago, shyVRS245 said:

My Octavia Vrs245 had it's first variable service at 18,500 miles then they set it to fixed without my permission or knowledge so the onboard computer says that a service is due in 100 miles (current mileage is 27,747 miles) but I have already contacted them to get them to adjust this for variable as the same onboard computer is saying the Inspection service is due in 9,200 miles which is the one due next. One of the reasons I bought the car was for it's long service intervals as I check the oil level once a month anyway and it hasn't used any oil since January this year. Wife's Karoq had it's first variable service at 18,700 miles and is now 17,000 miles until it's 2nd service the Inspection one.

 

What has the dealer said they'll do?

 

I assume you're going to ignore the service reminder and wait until the countdown to the 'inspection service'?

 

Can you be sure that the time and distance to the indicated inspection service would be the same as if the car had been correctly set to variable instead of fixed at the last service?

 

If the dealer simply resets the service indicator now, you'll be way over the maximum distance allowable between services.

 

Like @Roottootemoot, I'd heard that the dealers weren't able to adjust the intervals to allow for mileage already covered, all they can do is reset them.

[shyVRS245]

When they fix my wife's Karoq today or tomorrow then I will find out what they actually do. I will take a photo before they touch the car and after so that you can see what they did. It should have the 2nd Inspection at 37,000 miles or next August 2020 regardless. Don't always believe what you have been told or read on a forum. I expressed my annoyance and they promised to sort it out to my satisfaction when we pick up the wife's Karoq.

[Ootohere]

Amazing what they say they can not do,

that is untill you call their bluff and say you took the pith so service it then, and dont just reset the indicator for another fixed service interval.

[ChoonDoode]

14 minutes ago, silver1011 said:

They also disconnect my dash cam before the technician drives the car into the workshop.

 

I told the garage the other week woe betide if you touch my dashcam. Funny how promptly my car was serviced, cleaned and returned. 

[banksie]

Been into the dealers this morning. Service manager quite obviously embarrassed as Skoda have been onto them.

 

Here is the excuse, my car wasn’t bought from them, so when it came to them for its first service they uploaded the cars details from yet “another system” and this input has been incorrect and therefore that piece of paper with the servicing requirements, that I posted earlier, is not the correct one for my car. When I inquired as to what Skoda it was for, as no Skoda’s have those service intervals, they did not know! Supposedly my car has now been “changed” on the system to the “correct schedule”. I was going to ask for a print out but decided not to, as I’ll wait until the next service to get them to print it BEFORE they service it and then we’ll agree as to what will be done.

 

As yet no reply from Skoda, but irrespective of all of the above I would encourage you all to agree what is to done before handing over the keys and to go armed with what you think should be getting done! They've brought it all on themselves by this “fixed price” service scam, whereby we’ll charge you the full amount but might not do stuff. Still it’s always been this way with main dealers, a main dealer FSH isn’t worth the paper it’s written on! They are all up to it, once had a Merc that went in for a brake fluid change, that didn’t happen as I’d marked the reservoir cap and it hadn’t been moved!