Hi there,

 

Following a discussions with my local dealer - I've booked my MK3 Superb, (2.0 tdi with 7 speed dsg), for its first service with Bristol Street Motors, Derby.

 

The Car will be one year old and will have covered 10,500 Miles when I drop it off.  The service interval on the car was suggesting another 9,500 miles or roughly 360 days to next service.....

 

As I have only just done 10,000 miles in the first  year, (and the oil is rather black), I discussed with the Service lady and she suggested an annual service regime would be better suited to my usage - just looking for reassurance - does this seem sensible ?

 

A few issues that I have noticed during my first year of ownership:

 

1). I needed to top-up the oil, (about 1/2 a litre), just last month - is this usual ? (my previous cars never needed any oil between services, although they weren't Superb's).

 

2). On tick-over, there is a bearing / pulley type noise which makes itself heard every second or so in time with the engine revolutions. (Hope that makes sense). Anyone experienced similar issues please ?

 

3). Whilst I absolutely love the car and its comfort, I do find that it is not a "drivers car" - the suspension seems too soft for really spirited driving - would anyone else agree ? (I've not got the adjustable suspension).

 

BTW - MPG's are great, averaging between 49 and 58 depending on driving style / conditions.

 

Many thanks and I look forward to any replies.

 

1). I added a bit of oil after I first had the car. Did you measure the oil from the dip stick, or did you get a warning light? I noticed that when you read the dip stick, the car has to be on a level surface. Even parking on different sides of the street raises or lowers the oil level on the dip stick.

 

2). I'd get that checked at service.

 

3). The Sport setting on the Sportline (which is 15mm lower than your car) firms things up a bit, but the Superb is a long, heavy car. It is a cruiser, not for pushing through corners. Slow down, enjoy the ride. 😎

Sounds like your car is on variable service intervals ,18k or 2 yrs whatever comes first,suit us as lease car and we do 15 k a yr.Dealer can swop to fixed interval service .superb is never gonna be a drivers car anyway. Normal for Diesels to use some oil especially first 15 /20 k miles .

Edited 28 November, 20196 yr by 2wheelsgood
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1)  My car takes about 0.5-1l oil between services 15,000km, petrol, but seems normal from what I hear.

The oil will turn jet back within a few miles of the service. Diesel's always do this.

 

If you're dong 10,000 miles a year then you're perfectly suited to the fixed service interval (12 months or 10,000 miles, whichever is reached first).

 

Variable (up to 24 months or 20,000 miles, the car decides for itself based on usage) is designed for fleet managers, high motorway mileage or those on finance looking to minimise servicing costs over the term of their deal.

 

If the car is owned and a keeper well beyond the warranty period then annual oil changes are the way to go. Fresh oil is the lifeblood of any engine and turbo.

 

I'd imagine you have to be really pushing on to think any modern car is overly softly sprung. All stiffening up the suspension does is make it work harder, increases suspension wear, induces rattles and makes pothole damage more likely. Not really worth it just for more grip when cornering at very high speeds.

 

The noise you mention sounds like the cambelt, pulleys or tensioners, all of which you don't want to be making any noise whatsoever. As advised earlier, getting the noise diagnosed needs to be a higher priority than the oil change. A cambelt failure more often than not results in catastrophic engine failure.

Hi,

 

Thanks very much for your replies and for your reassurance of the, now, correct 10K service intervals.

 

Yes, the car is privately owned so makes sense for a more regular service regime.

 

I'll certainly ask them to listen to the engine noise, diagnose and repair - hopefully under warranty !

 

Just one other thing, I forgot to mention earlier - the standard Pirelli P7 tyres are just rubbish in any sort of slippery condition ! - they appear to lose traction at the slightest provocation....

 

I am thinking IF I go down the route of all season or winter tyres, I will need to replace all four, not just the driving wheels ? (Any recommendations for an improved tyre ?)

 

Cheers

 

 

I just bought a set of 235/40 R19 Vredestein Quatrac 5s from Camskill for £114/ea. They have yet to break traction under acceleration on wet roads. You do have to adjust to a slightly rougher ride, though. I'm still trying different tyre pressures to see what difference that makes. It's a marginal thing, though, and not a deal breaker.

 

I think you have a wider choice of tyres if you have 18" rims. Many people recommend the Michelin all-season tyre, but they don't make a 19" for my car.

Goodyear vector 4S are great Mrs had them on her FRV ,always near or at top of magazine reviews,make good sense in this country. Just an edit .NEVER mix all season and summer tyres, all 4 needed

Edited 29 November, 20196 yr by 2wheelsgood
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3 hours ago, Fazer321 said:

I forgot to mention earlier - the standard Pirelli P7 tyres are just rubbish in any sort of slippery condition ! - they appear to lose traction at the slightest provocation....

 

I am thinking IF I go down the route of all season or winter tyres, I will need to replace all four, not just the driving wheels ? (Any recommendations for an improved tyre ?)

 

Cheers

 

 

 

Should replace all 4 tyres (although plenty of people in UK have a mix of tyres, some even drive around with 4 different brands !).  Whilst not recommended, if your other 2 tyres have at least 5mm of tread can sort of live with mix (but don't mix on same axle) for supermarket runs, but not if you are a spirited driver.

 

My car came with Pirelli P7 and suffer the same problem, that they are poor as soon as temperature is below 10c and its wet, but brilliant in summer

 

I have opted to buy complete winter wheels, but my car has unusual tyre size and only option was Maxxis AP2 or Vredestein Quatrac 5 for all seasons. The Quatrac 5 get good reviews but were going to be over £600 fitted for set of 4, and I could get complete winters with premium tyres for £700 (actually €805 as being delivered from Germany).  As I intend to keep car at least 6 years decided the hassle of swapping was worth the extra safety.

 

If you want all seasons (and available in your tyre size), my recommendation is Goodyear Vector 4season Gen 2, Vredestein Quatrac Pro, Michelin cross climate

For people who use winter tyres how long to they last compared to summer's ? About the same miles, about 80% of summer etc