I bought my 2017 Superb L&K 280 with 30k miles in March 2021 and got it serviced at the Chester main dealer in 2022, 12 months after. I've tried to book it in for this year and they have nothing until mid-April (it's due end of March!). It's coming up to 42k miles now so I need a 6 year service (+pollen +air filter) and a gearbox oil change (40k miles) plus MOT at a cost of almost £500 (plus any parts which might include new front pads since they were mentioned last year as being low). I'm considering selling the car in the not too distant future (potential company car) but given the age, is it worth continuing with main dealer servicing this year or going independent? If the latter, any recommendations around Wilmslow/Stockport/Macclesfield would be appreciated.

 

Thanks!

2 hours ago, AyB said:

I bought my 2017 Superb L&K 280 with 30k miles in March 2021 and got it serviced at the Chester main dealer in 2022, 12 months after. I've tried to book it in for this year and they have nothing until mid-April (it's due end of March!). It's coming up to 42k miles now so I need a 6 year service (+pollen +air filter) and a gearbox oil change (40k miles) plus MOT at a cost of almost £500 (plus any parts which might include new front pads since they were mentioned last year as being low). I'm considering selling the car in the not too distant future (potential company car) but given the age, is it worth continuing with main dealer servicing this year or going independent? If the latter, any recommendations around Wilmslow/Stockport/Macclesfield would be appreciated.

 

Thanks!

Service can be done within 1000miles/month from last service anniversary, if memory serves me right :).

I think I was adding MOT and service together, I guess I could get the MOT done locally and then service at the main dealer as an alternative - hadn't thought about that.

2 hours ago, AyB said:

I've tried to book it in for this year and they have nothing until mid-April (it's due end of March!). It's coming up to 42k miles now so I need a 6 year service (+pollen +air filter) and a gearbox oil change (40k miles) plus MOT at a cost of almost £500 (plus any parts

Well there's your answer; the Main Stealer clearly doesn't feel they need your business.

7 minutes ago, KenONeill said:

Well there's your answer; the Main Stealer clearly doesn't feel they need your business.

That's true, but am I likely to devalue the car (given potential impending sale) if I break the current full main stealer history for the sake of a couple of hundred £?

1 hour ago, KenONeill said:

Well there's your answer; the Main Stealer clearly doesn't feel they need your business.

I mean, £500 with a oil service, pollen, air filter and gearbox service isn’t an unreadable price at all.

in fact I’d go as far as to say it’s a very good price using all genuine parts.

Anyone wanting main dealer servicing including the DSG in Inverness are going to be pleased if it is £500 or less.

 

This might be the sort of prices more common around the UK as the year goes on.

Most of the time I would say go for independent service but on this occasion a dealer might be a better choice if all the previous work has been main dealer.  If there is a break at all in the servicing venue then a car that is 6 years old would be unlikely to lose much as long as you have all the right parts.

 

Another way to look at it (the way I would view it): if someone started using a trusted indy then they are more likely to be actually looking after the car and doing the right stuff at the right time. Someone blindly taking the car to a main dealer would likely have missed stuff or refused work due to increased cost.

 

Just my view of course.

I’ve owned four Skoda over the passed 22 years; a MKI Octavia and then a MKI, a MKII and the current MKIII Superb. Until 18 months ago, I’d always used main dealers to service and repair the cars, but after the dash lit-up like a Christmas tree during a holiday to Ireland and every conceivable safety feature stopped working, on return home, I called Lookers in Guildford. They gave me a 3 1/2 week wait or that’d be 5 weeks if I wanted a courtesy - whoops, nah not anymore of course - a £30 per day rental car, and that was just for me to spend £120 for them to diagnose “the problems, as it sounds like there has been multiple failures” - and their complete lack of help or empathy, I’ll never use any main dealer again.
 

I then called a highly respected local independent VAG specialist, who said I could bring the car into them in three days, I’d have a free loan car and oh, not to worry as it almost certainly would just be a wheel sensor which had failed. And that proved to be exactly the case!

 

I should add that for obvious reasons, I’d always use the main dealer whilst the car is in warranty. 

Edited 9 March, 20233 yr by numskull

28 minutes ago, numskull said:

 

 

I should add that for obvious reasons, I’d always use the main dealer whilst the car is in warranty. 

 

I imagine Mr@toot might comment on this but I'm pretty sure this is not a requirement.

Sadly paying silly amounts & using main dealers might help with a Manufacturers Warranty claim and some say with 'Goodwill' repairs, that is actually Goodwill given because something failed that should not of and the Warranty should cover

.

Again sadly that servicing @ main dealers does not mean that things are done correctly when you have a car you own and are keeping after the Warranty expires.

Things like them nor servicing the Haldex correctly, just to the Manufacturers Specification, so oil changed only. 

Stuff not even looked at annually or b-annually or now at Extended Scope inspections at 3 years, things like the Air Filter box not even opened to look at the state of the filter.

As for wheels removed at 3 years, that can sometimes be the case and just as likely not.

Edited 9 March, 20233 yr by toot

Yep, agree with all of that, and in retrospect I wouldn’t use them, but we all know VAG put up more of a fight for warranty claims if it’s been touched outside the network. 

I think I'm going to go for the MOT elsewhere and then the service at the main dealer. If I was going to keep the car, I'd just go independent, but given I might not, I think there might be value in full main dealer service history (although quite why people value this, I'll never know), I'd always take a good indie service history over a main dealer if buying, I think it shows that the owner has given some thought to the service history.

I’m in warranty and using Numskull’s recommended Indy to do the Haldex. They will drop the pump and clean the gauze too, use OE parts and update the database. Warranty not compromised and proper job done. Servicing will be done at dealer as normal as prepaid for that. As soon as warranty is up it’ll all be done at a place that I trust, as official Skoda branding doesn’t do anything for me, or the dealers in SW London seemingly

28 minutes ago, travs said:

I’m in warranty and using Numskull’s recommended Indy to do the Haldex. They will drop the pump and clean the gauze too, use OE parts and update the database. Warranty not compromised and proper job done. Servicing will be done at dealer as normal as prepaid for that. As soon as warranty is up it’ll all be done at a place that I trust, as official Skoda branding doesn’t do anything for me, or the dealers in SW London seemingly

If it’s not too far out your way I’m in north London.

Hi Andy, for MOT’s I’ve used Macclesfield MOT centre, but not been too fussed who I used in the past as unless they are going to check the car first, the MOT test is regulated in what they do.  For Indy servicing, I use Links on Fence Ave, in Macclesfield. These guys are all VAG main dealer mechanics and have been great for Haldex service and shock replacement. Do check the price with them as they are only marginally cheaper than Mitchell Skoda, but much more convenient for me.