I bought my new Karoq in September 2019 and stipulated that I wanted the variable service regime.  On checking the service indicator after 6,300 miles (a bit late, I know), I find it’s on fixed service, and says Oil Change Service due in 3,000 miles and Inspection Service due in 12,000 miles.  Can I contact the dealer and ask for the service regime to be changed now, so that it will need servicing in 12,000 miles?

Edited 17 March, 20206 yr by RCC49

Yes.  You can change between fixed and variable anytime.

 

My SEAT dealership did that with me on my Ateca, they changed the default variable to fixed despite me requesting it remain of variable. When I queried it, the garage said, and I quote "variable is only for lease cars".

 

That doesn't even make sense, it's certainly not a policy, and SEAT UK said they'd never heard of this. And the same franchise's other branches hadn't heard of it either. It was a feable excuse for a garage that screwed up the delivery.

 

 

2 hours ago, RCC49 said:

an I contact the dealer and ask for the service regime to be changed now, so that it will need servicing in 12,000 miles?

No. The only reason for putting a vehicle on a fixed service regime is using a non long life oil, so you need an oil change to go on to variable.

 

What you can do is instruct the dealership to change the service regime when changing the oil. (if this is a good idea, which depends on your mileage and use case; If you do, say, 20_000 miles on mostly motorways every year, that's a case for variable, but  rarely getting the engine hot certainly isn't.

@KenONeill The car left the factory with Long Life Oil and set for Long Life Servicing.

People can have that left to Variable or changed to fixed, or as has happened the Dealership Employees pleased themselves.

 

The Owner can ask the Dealership nicely to do the Oil Change they chose to set it on which is at 1 year , 9,400 miles and do it for free. 

That is how Dealership Principal Dealers learn to stop being chancers.

If a buyer told them they wanted the car left on variable they had no right to change it.

(Often enough staff at dealerships have told customers that the Service Interval can not be changed without the work being carried out.

so when they mess up they can do an Interim Service and reset to Variable and the Service Record is correct, not changed to save them the expense.)

 

If Non Long Life oil was used then a vehicle does require to go on Fixed Servicing, but that is not going to happen with a new car that it does not arrive with VW504 / 507 

or since 2018 VW 508 / 509  0w 20 FS IV.

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

 

Edited 17 March, 20206 yr by Roottootemblowinootsoot

10 hours ago, RCC49 said:

I bought my new Karoq in September 2019 and stipulated that I wanted the variable service regime.  On checking the service indicator after 6,300 miles (a bit late, I know), I find it’s on fixed service, and says Oil Change Service due in 3,000 miles and Inspection Service due in 12,000 miles.  Can I contact the dealer and ask for the service regime to be changed now, so that it will need servicing in 12,000 miles?

 

I always thought that if the car shows "Oil Change service" and seperate "Inspection service" then you are on variable servicing. When you move to fixed servicing - it just shows "service and counts down from 9500 miles/ 1 year. Or is it different on the Karoq?

 

My Superb II started on variable servicing and I asked for it to be changed to fixed.

I collected my new Karoq yesterday and was told it was on variable servicing, I checked today and found it's counting down to 360 days. I rang the service dept. at Simpsons Preston who confirmed I am on variable and to pop in when I'm passing and they will change the setting on the car for me.

3 minutes ago, P6bJOHN said:

I collected my new Karoq yesterday and was told it was on variable servicing, I checked today and found it's counting down to 360 days. I rang the service dept. at Simpsons Preston who confirmed I am on variable and to pop in when I'm passing and they will change the setting on the car for me.

Someone at the dealership has changed it from the factory setting to get the customer back early. To generate more money for them of course.

Why would it generate money? It's on a 2year PCH with variable servicing, it would cost them money as I wouldn't be paying for a 9,000 mile service, they would. 

1 minute ago, P6bJOHN said:

Why would it generate money? It's on a 2year PCH with variable servicing, it would cost them money as I wouldn't be paying for a 9,000 mile service, they would. 

Sorry thought you were paying for servicing.

On 18/03/2020 at 16:58, P6bJOHN said:

Why would it generate money? It's on a 2year PCH with variable servicing, it would cost them money as I wouldn't be paying for a 9,000 mile service, they would. 

 

They changed it from the factory default (variable) to fixed, presumably without asking you?

 

Unscrupulous dealers sometimes do this, knowing they'll therefore see you back into their service department more often than if you were set to variable.

41 minutes ago, silver1011 said:

 

They changed it from the factory default (variable) to fixed, presumably without asking you?

 

Unscrupulous dealers sometimes do this, knowing they'll therefore see you back into their service department more often than if you were set to variable.

 

I wouldn't know, that's what it is currently on, but the PCH is for variable so they would have had to either change the setting, or change the oil at 9,000, (at their expense). 

 

It seems a genuine error as I originally thought I was on annual servicing but on hand over I asked about a servicing plan, and I was immediately told I was on variable, it was only when I got home and started setting the car to my liking, mirrors, locking, radio etc, that I found it and rang them.

Edited 19 March, 20206 yr by P6bJOHN

It could have been a genuine error, but then dealers are supposed to check with their customers about their finance, journey types and personal preference before advising them on which service interval would suit them best.

 

Not having that discussion with you, and then going to the effort of changing the service interval anyway seems a little suspicious to me.

 

Hopefully they aren't too far away, or at least offering to recompense you for the time out of your day / fuel costs.

My wife has put me on lockdown after my cancer treatment all last summer, I'm currently chained under the kitchen sink😁. I won't be visiting the garage, 15 miles away, anytime soon, but the car won't be doing any miles either! If I do get a pass out it will be used by taking my Mk1 Escort to the hills!

Edited 19 March, 20206 yr by P6bJOHN

I called the dealership today, and was told I can take the car in at the point the “oil service” becomes due and they’ll reset the service indicator so that it can then be left until the inspection service is due.  Obviously trying it on in the hope I’d fall for it and pay for the oil service.