To preface this, I am a young driver and had my licence for 7 years. I bought a 2016 Rapid spaceback two years ago at 104K Km (~65K miles) and currently it's at 115K km (71K miles). Soon after I had maintenance done (brakes, spark plugs, brake fluid, etc). But I drive only 5K km (~3K miles) a year. So the "oil and inspection" alert happens every 365 days with thousands of miles left on the countdown. And so I had oil change last year, but for this year I don't know what to do. Change interval for different parts depends on either time or distance (e.g. brake fluid every 2 years), but the exact maintenance schedule is not posted anywhere. On my local skoda dealership's website the maintenance service interval is shown in distance (every 15K km or ~10K miles). I wrote them explaining my situation but didn't hear from them. So what should I do now? Just have the oil and filters changed, and do the maintenance when I reach 120K km (75K miles)? What about the brake fluid, can it withstand another year?

Change intervals for different parts as the car is used or not used. 

Use a good independent mechanic / garage that knows what Servicing a Maintenance is important. 

They might check your brake fluid for you. For the H2o content. 

 

The pollen filter can be checked, shaken / vacuumed if clean and dry enough.  Same with the Air Filter maybe.

 

You do not say what engine. TSI or TDI.    Spark plugs so i take it a TSI (petrol)

A TDI has long life oil anyway, a TSI might use the same or can use VW502 00, 5w 40 FS for fixed oil and filter services.

 

Fixed regime.  @ top.     

@ bottom the older usual Interim / minor and major servicing. 

Edited 8 April, 20242 yr by Rooted

Thanks for the detailed information!
The engine is 1.2 TSI, uses 5w30 oil. 

The most confusing part of the intervals is the desync between time and distance. 

Right now the car is 7.5 years old. Should I do the year-8 service and maintenance even if it's not at 80K miles yet?

The time and miles numbers are just given as an average, your car servicing, maintenance items and engine oil (and filter) could need changing before or after any interval given be it time or milage.

 

I don not know what country you are in or about the ambient temperatures or weather or if your car is garaged or always kept outside so the following is just general.

 

For a lot on things on the car lower use and milage is not as good as you may think, it may be much higher use and milage is better.  For the engine oil if you do lots of short journeys so that the engine oil does not warm enough this is worse than if you do longer journeys where the engine oil fully warms up and remains warm.

 

Better to look at the oil temperature than the coolant temperature gauge as that gauge is set to show 90 and remain at 90 even though it could be below or above 90, you want the oil temperature to show 90c to consider the engine and engine oil warmed. 

 

If you do lots of short journeys, less than say 16km (10m) non-stop, particularly in very cold weather then changing the engine oil (and filter) once a year would be very advisable if you intend keeping the car a good while.

 

Mileage makes little odds to other items on the car but can reduce average wear by sheer lack of use but it is that lack of use that can have adverse effects on other items.

 

The car battery may get into lower states of charge so age and wear quicker.  The preventative use of an appropriate battery charger maintainer following the instructions in the car's Owner's Manual and charger instructions will help prevent the earlier demise of the car battery and help prevent other issues a battery in low state of charge can cause.  Preventative charging is done before the battery gets too low in charge which is well before any warning lights or messages appear and certainly before the engine has any difficulty in starting straight away.  Just because the engine starts and the lights seem bright enough does not mean that the battery can not be in a low state of charge.

 

Lack of mileage may mean the tyres age more so whilst the tread depth remains through low mileage the tread can become hard and less flexible, and same for the sidewalls, you may see crazing or cracking on the sidewalls, even if not the tyres may not perform as well due to aging and possibly lack of use.

 

You have not mentioned engine air filter, usually changed at or between spark plugs changes again it depends on the environment where the car is parked but it could get dirty just with the car parked up.

 

Have a read of your Owner's Manual for lots of very useful information about your car and how you should drive it and look after it. - https://manual.skoda-auto.com/004/en-com/Models

 

If you have not had the brake fluid and spark plugs done since 2 years ago you may need the brake fluid changing or checking.

Edited 8 April, 20242 yr by nta16
typos

2 minutes ago, nta16 said:

The time and miles numbers are just given as an average, your car and engine oil (and filter) could need changing before or after any interval given be it time or milage.

 

I don not know what country you are in or about the ambient temperatures or weather or if your car is garaged or always kept outside so the following is just general.

 

For a lot on things on the car lower use and milage is not as good as you may think, it may be much higher use and milage is better.  For the engine oil if you do lots of short journeys so that the engine oil does not warm enough this is worse than if you do longer journeys where the engine oil fully warms up and remains warm.

 

Better to look at the oil temperature than the coolant temperature gauge as that gauge is set to show 90 and remain at 90 even though it could be below or above 90, you want the oil temperature to show 90c to consider the engine and engine oil warmed. 

 

If you do lots of short journeys, less than say 16km (10m) non-stop, particularly in very cold weather then changing the engine oil (and filter) once a year would be very advisable if you intend keeping the car a good while.

 

Mileage makes little odds to other items on the car but can reduce average wear by sheer lack of use but it is that lack of use that can have adverse effects on other items.

 

The car battery may getting into lower states of charge so age and wear quicker.  The preventative use of an appropriate battery charger maintainer following the instructions in the car's Owner's Manual and charger instructions will help prevent the earlier demise of the car battery and help prevent other issues a battery in low state of charge can cause.  Preventative charging is done before the battery gets too low in charge which is well before any warning lights or messages appear and certainly before the engine has difficulty in starting.  Just because the engine starts and the lights seem bright enough does not mean that the battery can not be in a low state of charge.

 

Lack of mileage may mean the tyres age so whilst the tread depth remains through low mileage the tread can become hard and same for the sidewalls, you may see crazing or cracking, even if not the tyres may not perform as well due to aging and possibly lack of use.

 

You have not mentioned engine air filter, usually changed at or between spark plugs changes again it depends on the environment where the car is parked but it could get dirty just with the car parked up.

 

Have a read of your Owner's Manual for lots of very useful information about your car and how you should drive it and look after it. - https://manual.skoda-auto.com/004/en-com/Models

 

If you have not had the brake fluid and spark plugs done since 7 years ago I would certainly get the brake fluid changed and spark plugs at least checked.

 

The car is in cold climate, with decembers going as cold as -25C. 

The car is kept in underground but not heated garage and is taken on a long journey (100+ miles) at least once a month.

Brake fluid, spark plugs were changed in April of 2022. 

15 minutes ago, musa800 said:

The car is in cold climate, with decembers going as cold as -25C.

You definitely want to view the oil temperature and take more notice of that for engine warming than the coolant temperature gauge and see when the oil gets to 90c which may be more than 10m (16km) depending on what precautions you have with the car for driving in such temperatures.  Personally, if I was keeping the car particularly, I would be using very good quality fully (proper) synthetic engine oil and good quality engine oil filter for those temperatures especially when only doing short journeys as the better oils work better and protect better at very low temperatures (and very high temperatures).  What VW recommends is fine but I would want better as I have no commercial tie-in with any oil company and I have an interest in the engines and transmissions (and car) lasting well beyond VW's maximum warranty period.

 

 

15 minutes ago, musa800 said:

The car is kept in underground but not heated garage and is taken on a long journey (100+ miles) at least once a month.

Depends on the conditions, at least out of the sun perhaps, the dark might be good for the tyres, you would know better than I from experience.  It might, or might not, mean you need your brake fluid checking/changing more.  Brakes are the most important system, components, parts on the car, then steering and suspension (all three include tyres) safety electrical items (lights, horn, blower, etc.),  windows and mirrors (see and be seen) the engine and other stuff is actually of less priority.  If the car doesn't or can't move it is generally safer than if it can not stop, steer or reasonable handle with it being driven.  

 

 

Just now, musa800 said:

taken on a long journey (100+ miles) at least once a month

That's good but may not count much against the rest of the lack of use.  Say 1,500 miles a year that leaves only say 1,500 miles spread over say 350 days of the year.

 

 

6 minutes ago, musa800 said:

Brake fluid, spark plugs were changed in April of 2022. 

Yes sorry I am slow at typing and then editing my post, I did correct that edit when I remember the 7 years was your driving experience.

 

Anything else you want to know just ask, living in such condition you must have lots of experience after 7 years of driving but we can all, regardless of age and experience, learn more (or be reminded of some of the stuff we might have forgot at my age).

 

34 minutes ago, musa800 said:

Right now the car is 7.5 years old. Should I do the year-8 service and maintenance even if it's not at 80K miles yet?

Yes, see previous answers.

 

Total generality but a 0w-30 oil may be better than a 5w-30 or perhaps a 0w-40 if you get warmer/hotter weather too - but the numbers only mean so much, a good oil is a good oil but obviously a better oil is better if it is required.  I would use 0w-30 here in UK and where I am and we have never experienced -25c (lowest recorded -18.3C on 8 February 1895) but unusual to get minus about 6 or 7 I would guess (cannot check at the moment).

 

1 hour ago, musa800 said:

The car is kept in underground but not heated garage and is taken on a long journey (100+ miles) at least once a month.

 

1 hour ago, nta16 said:

Depends on the conditions, at least out of the sun perhaps, the dark might be good for the tyres, you would know better than I from experience.  It might, or might not, mean you need your brake fluid checking/changing more. 

 

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