Skoda wrongly switching car to fixed from variable servicing?

[Bugginbob]

Not VRS specific (my car is a VRS) but figured i'd ask the question anyway. Mine has always been on variable servicing. It's a PCH car so came on variable from the supplying dealer and anticipated annual mileage was around 15k pr annum (pre covid). At it's second service ( Additional scope - 26k and 31 months old) my local dealer had put it on fixed servicing without telling me and it's now due an unexpected oil service after three months and 9k (now back to travelling a lot more after Covid). I've spoken to the dealer today who denied changing it and stated that it would always have been on fixed servicing (although they couldn't explain why it had managed 15k and 18 months before it needed it's first  oil change). They have told me they can change it back but I'd need to pay for an oild change now and they'd do it. I argued that if it had been left on variable it wouldn't be due one for approx another 6-9k (around 15-18k after last service) and that the car would be returned to the lease company in six weeks without costing me another £180 for a pointless oil change. 

 

The conversation with my dealer didnt go well. Needless to say the car wont be going back to that dealer which is a shame as up until now they've serviced my last few Skoda's. I guess this is a long winded way of asking if anyone else has experienced Skoda changing their Octy's to fixed servicing when they were previously on variable? I cant help thinking it's a way of making sure customers now come back every year rather than possibly every two years.

[Ootohere]

The Dealer Principal needs to arrange for his / her dealership to pay for the service. 

?

Was it the Dealer Principal you spoke with?  No point talking to Service Desk Staff or Service / Workshop manager. Get the Organ Grinder. 

Easy enough for the cars record to be checked.  

 

Chancers & incompetents.

Edited 9 September, 2022 by roottoot

[varooom]

If you can find someone local with VCDS or similar, and good knowledge, they should be able to swap it back to variable and input all the correct values for time and distance left xx Km and yyy days.

Some might call it cheeky, but you could do this.

 

You need to verify what oil was put in on the last change, so time to get paperwork out, odds are it has VW Spec XXX that is same as Long Life.

[SC03OTT]

Certainly one of the big advantages of electric cars will hopefully be the death of this fixed/variable servicing ballocks. Nobody has a f**king clue what’s meant to happen and when from what I read on here. That’s not a dig at the OP btw. 

[Ootohere]

Not true.

My Corsa Electric was not Serviced @ 8,000 miles because Arnold Clark booked it in 4 weeks before on from needed, they said it needed a service.

 

I Checked 4 days before, all was well, early booking, an Electric Car, just a EV HC & no Service but RECALL ACTIONS, and had it 4 hours and & did nothing. 

 

No EV Technician in that day they said.  I was sitting outside 4 hours because of Lockdown.

The 2 updates not done,

they messed up the Service Indicator,  that changed as i drove away and later went AWOL from the App.

That was the Not an EV Technician messing about. Next service due 16,000 miles / 2 Years later. An Actual Service.

That was many many miles ago and last February. 

 

A Corsa Electric is a Corsa-F from 2019 on,

Corsa-E with fossil fuel engines confuse them.

 

So after asking and asking for a Service since Motability want one done i get a Hire Car at the end of a month for 7 days.

Not booked in for a Service or Health Check, booked in for RECALL's, 1 is Safety Critical and called 2 years ago.  Brakes. 

 

Booking keeps talking Engine Oil, Coolant etc etc.   

Total Muppets. 

 

 PS.

Over Air Software Update lost 8,000 miles off the dash and then 12,000 miles.   Phone App & Maintenance and Car have 3 different mileages showing. None are correct. 

 

Looking forward to collecting the Hire Car that the RAC have arranged with EUROPCAR with Motability paying for it as Arnold Clark have no Courtesy cars with an Autobox.

The Technicians might end up shutting the car down and need in an actual person that knows there job hence the Hire Car for 7 days for starters.

Car needs new Discs & Pads and more but then telling that to the BOOKERS is a waste of time, they keep talking about OIL CHANGES due. 

Edited 9 September, 2022 by roottoot

[varooom]

11 minutes ago, SC03OTT said:

Certainly one of the big advantages of electric cars will hopefully be the death of this fixed/variable servicing ballocks. Nobody has a f**king clue what’s meant to happen and when from what I read on here. That’s not a dig at the OP btw. 

Fixed services, set from factory.

 

ID.4 for example

Edited 9 September, 2022 by varooom

[KenONeill]

4 hours ago, Bugginbob said:

I've spoken to the dealer today who denied changing it and stated that it would always have been on fixed servicing

Bare-faced lie. I agree your decision to never use that Stealer again, and think about a name and shame in the dealers' section.

[Bugginbob]

Cheers all. If I am feeling like and argument I might go in next week and ask to speak to the boss. Paperwork details a VAG part no. for the oil used but no spec so they could have used cooking oil for all I know.  The dates and mileages of the previous services are clearly linked to "variable" oil and "inspection" services so don't think they have a leg to stand on but the very polite service lady basically told me I was wrong and to bugger off unless I wanted to pay for another oil change.

 

At least the new car i'm waiting on has 10k/12 months services so I know  exactly when it needs to be done.

[varooom]

If you have the part number for the oil... it can be decoded

[Ootohere]

@Bugginbob

You never said if a petrol or diesel vRS?    Same oil though.  VW508 00 / 509 00. 

 

If a TSI. 

If they had VW502 00 to use, 5w 40 FS then they are the kind of place i like for a TSI,

but that is for when you ask for not Long Life oil.  

 

So the car should have got VW508 00 / 509 00 which is 0w 20 FS IV.  Fixed or Variable Servicing.

 

I would have been happy with VW504 00 / 507 00,  So 0w 30 FS III or 5w 30 FS III.   But we will know with the part number. 

Edited 9 September, 2022 by roottoot

[VRS_White_Hatch]

I'm pretty sure you can swap the service between fixed and variable yourself using the in car screen, I did it myself when trying to reset the service. 

[kodiaqsportline]

20 hours ago, Bugginbob said:

 I guess this is a long winded way of asking if anyone else has experienced Skoda changing their Octy's to fixed servicing when they were previously on variable? I cant help thinking it's a way of making sure customers now come back every year rather than possibly every two years.

 

Something similar happened to me with another VW brand - it came up asking for a service at 1yr rather than the variable I'd asked for. The dribble I was given at the time was long-life only applies to company cars. Bottom line is I told them I don't care what your advice is, it's my car, you never asked what service regime I wanted when I collected it, you changed it from factory default without my permission, I want it returned to variable - which they did.

 

What would I do in your situation?  First of all I'd check your lease to make sure there's no clause that says the car requires annual servicing. Then I'd check what oil was used at the previous service. Chances are they used long-life ( main dealers tend to use the one oil for both types of service ). If they've used long life, then simply ask them to set the system back to variable servicing regime and forget about the service until it's 4yr or approx 38k-40k, whichever comes first.  The downside of them changing it to fixed is when it's returned to long-life, the oil degregation sensor info will have gone until it's reset at it's next service so the car can't tell you if it requires a service sooner than the maximum variable settings.

 

They want to charge to reset the service regime?   Tell them every Skoda they receive from the factory comes set for long-life servicing as default therefore to change that, they'd physically have to reset the system.  ( that's not quite true - in theory it could have been changed at the PDI when it comes off the boat i.e. b4 it's delivered to the dealer - but then how do they know how the car is going to be used? ) All of my VW cars thoughout the years have arrived at the dealership on variable. The proof is your car went well over the fixed servicing time for it's first service ttherefore the regime remained factory default at that time.

 

If it was me and the garage said they want money to change the service, I'd ask what do you want me to do - raise a warranty claim that the car has changed service regime by itself  or complain to Skoda that one of their main dealers doesn't know what they're talking about. If they wanted me to part with money, they'd have to explain why the service regime had changed, shrugging their shoulders and saying they don't know isn't an option.

 

 

[PetrolDave]

@BugginbobWhich part of Devon are you in? I ask because I had problems having sensible conversations with Marshalls Barnstaple when I let them service my previous 1.4TSI.

[rogerdyer]

4 hours ago, PetrolDave said:

@BugginbobWhich part of Devon are you in? I ask because I had problems having sensible conversations with Marshalls Barnstaple when I let them service my previous 1.4TSI.

I took mine to Carrs Exeter, never again, never been treated so badly by a garage in my life. In the end, they admitted they were wrong, but never even apologised for costing me a whole wasted day, to put right what they f@@ked up. Was told lies left right and centre!! 

[Bugginbob]

On 10/09/2022 at 14:27, rogerdyer said:

I took mine to Carrs Exeter, never again, never been treated so badly by a garage in my life. In the end, they admitted they were wrong, but never even apologised for costing me a whole wasted day, to put right what they f@@ked up. Was told lies left right and centre!! 

Funnily enough Exeter is who I have the issue with. Thinks it's Helton garages now though.

[Bugginbob]

On 10/09/2022 at 09:24, kodiaqsportline said:

 

Something similar happened to me with another VW brand - it came up asking for a service at 1yr rather than the variable I'd asked for. The dribble I was given at the time was long-life only applies to company cars. Bottom line is I told them I don't care what your advice is, it's my car, you never asked what service regime I wanted when I collected it, you changed it from factory default without my permission, I want it returned to variable - which they did.

 

What would I do in your situation?  First of all I'd check your lease to make sure there's no clause that says the car requires annual servicing. Then I'd check what oil was used at the previous service. Chances are they used long-life ( main dealers tend to use the one oil for both types of service ). If they've used long life, then simply ask them to set the system back to variable servicing regime and forget about the service until it's 4yr or approx 38k-40k, whichever comes first.  The downside of them changing it to fixed is when it's returned to long-life, the oil degregation sensor info will have gone until it's reset at it's next service so the car can't tell you if it requires a service sooner than the maximum variable settings.

 

They want to charge to reset the service regime?   Tell them every Skoda they receive from the factory comes set for long-life servicing as default therefore to change that, they'd physically have to reset the system.  ( that's not quite true - in theory it could have been changed at the PDI when it comes off the boat i.e. b4 it's delivered to the dealer - but then how do they know how the car is going to be used? ) All of my VW cars thoughout the years have arrived at the dealership on variable. The proof is your car went well over the fixed servicing time for it's first service ttherefore the regime remained factory default at that time.

 

If it was me and the garage said they want money to change the service, I'd ask what do you want me to do - raise a warranty claim that the car has changed service regime by itself  or complain to Skoda that one of their main dealers doesn't know what they're talking about. If they wanted me to part with money, they'd have to explain why the service regime had changed, shrugging their shoulders and saying they don't know isn't an option.

 

 

Leaseco specifies variable servicing. Unfortunately there is only an internal part number for the oil they used which hasn't returned any info on google so I have no way of knowing what they used. Tried speaking to them again but just got nowhere. They maintain it's always been on fixed servicing (despite the times and mileage of previous services not backing this up) and will not swap it back to variable unless at a service (i.e. I pay for one). I explained that it (and any subsequent) Skoda I may own will never come there again and they literally couldn't have given a monkeys. 

[Ootohere]

It would be handy if you said if your vRS was a TSI or TDI.   With a TDI it has to be Long Life oil.

 

Odd if a Main Dealer had not Long Life oil for TSI's though & used that. 

That would be VW502 00 so 5w 40 FS. For fixed service intervals only.   

 

   2019 and for a TDI or TSI the Oil Spec is VW508 00 / 509 00, so 0w 20 FS IV  and there is no Fixed Service Regime oil spec shown for TSI's.

TDI's require the VW509 00, fixed or variable. 

 

EDIT / PS

Sorry, i see it is a Challenger so a TSI. 

Edited 14 September, 2022 by roottoot