Hi. Newbie here.

Wanted to ask advice about a service I've just had with RRG Skoda. My car is just 2 years old and only done 5k miles.

They've suggested I need a Haldex oil change because it's 2 years old but I'm not sure the mileage warrants it.

The car is a lease and I don't want to end up paying unnecessarily for various services as it goes back in 12 months. Any advice as to.whether this could be left or should I have it done. Happy to if advice is to just pay it.

Hi @PeteJManchester and welcome to Briskoda.
I know nothing about your problem but I'll report your post and request that it's moved to the Mk4 Octavia section where it'll get more views and hopefully an answer for you

Brilliant, thanks for that 🙂

I had the same dilemma. I don't lease, but that aside, thought it was worth doing to ensure there was no issue if any warranty situation with those components occurred

I'm quite in difficulty here; normally I would say change it absolutely, but it's a rental, in 12 months it will not be yours anymore, and you have done only 5k miles in two years. The matter here is only for warranty purposes in case something fails in the AWD system and Skoda can deny the warranty (if there is one) because you neglected the maintenance schedule. Mostly depending on how much they quoted you for a fluid change, a new rear diff could be really expensive.

Thanks, really helpful. It's only £150 but just felt st the time like an upsell and Ive had negative experiences with dealerships before so I'm wary.

From personal experience on a 2016 Octavia Scout 5E 2.0 tdi 184bhp (120k km) (the only 2 things the Škoda dealer see the car in question because i don't like people working on my cars it's just my problem because i like things done with a lot of accuracy) is for DSG and Haldex fluid. The Haldex fluid just because this time i wasn't able to do it by myself because I didn't have free time. But yeah, different countries, different dealerships, I can say for the DSG when they replace the fluid, it is really noticeable the difference (to know if the garage did a good job), but rear diff oil is for life longevity if you don't trust much the garage atleast in case of complain from the dealership when you will return the car you can prove you have done all the scheduleted services and is not your problem if for example they didn't replace the diff fluid, or if they have done a poor quality job. But that's just a personal way to think.

The question would be, does the lease company expect it to have been done?

I have a personal lease, but with a maintenance plan with them, so everything that the lease company wants to be done is done.

Edited 29 July, 202529 Jul by vfr

@PeteJManchester can I confirm, are we talking about the Haldex AWD or the Haldex VAQ (front diff)?

As @Ootohere can confirm, the Haldex needs the oil changed and filter cleaned every 20,000 miles or 2 years - it's not just about the mileage or use.

If you're expected to do all the maintenance, then the diff is something that needs to be done. IIRC it's about £160ish to get fresh oil and the pump screen cleaned.

Hi. I think it's the AWD. They've told me £150 so it sounds pretty reasonable. Ill prob just get it done to save any hassle further in down the line. Thanks.

Officially according to Skoda /VW UK 3 year / 30,000 miles. Haldex AWD. VAQ front, Front wheel drive was the same but changed to 2 years / 20,000. But only according to sons service desk staff. Some do not know what the VAQ is. @PeteJManchester do you have a awd vRS estate?

Edited 29 July, 202529 Jul by Ootohere
@pete

2 hours ago, vfr said:

The question would be, does the lease company expect it to have been done?

I have a personal lease, but with a maintenance plan with them, so everything that the lease company wants to be done is done.

I've never ever had a leased car, but I would have thought that all maintenance would be either included in the cost, OR, an absolute demand clause included that made proper evidence of all necessary maintenance having been completed, especially during any warranty period - including any changes to periodicity of preventative maintenance which would be caught during the usual servicing.

Doing that would be a lot easier than chasing current or past leasers for "out of pocket" expenses after a warranty rejection.

7 hours ago, Ootohere said:

Officially according to Skoda /VW UK 3 year / 30,000 miles. Haldex AWD. VAQ front, Front wheel drive was the same but changed to 2 years / 20,000. But only according to sons service desk staff. Some do not know what the VAQ is. @PeteJManchester do you have a awd vRS estate?

Hi. I believe so. I spoke.to.the dealership who said my model is AWD.

14 hours ago, OccyVRS said:

@PeteJManchesterkann ich bestätigen, dass wir über den Haldex AWD oder den Haldex VAQ (Vorderachsdifferential) sprechen?

Als@Ootoherekann bestätigen, dass bei Haldex alle 20.000 Meilen oder 2 Jahre ein Ölwechsel und eine Filterreinigung erforderlich sind – es geht nicht nur um die Kilometerleistung oder den Einsatz.

Wenn Sie alle Wartungsarbeiten selbst durchführen müssen, muss auch das Differential dran . Wenn ich mich recht erinnere , kostet es etwa 160 £, frisches Öl zu besorgen und das Pumpensieb zu reinigen.

Octavia 4 have Haldex 6 it IS a different To Generation 5. The Unit Controller is now in the Pump.

13 hours ago, Ootohere said:

Offiziell laut Skoda/VW UK 3 Jahre / 30.000 Meilen. Haldex Allradantrieb. VAQ vorne. Frontantrieb war gleich, wurde aber auf 2 Jahre / 20.000 geändert. Aber nur laut Service-Mitarbeitern. Manche wissen nicht, was VAQ ist. @PeteJManchester haben Sie einen vRS Kombi mit Allradantrieb?

Borg Warner, the manufacturer of the Haldex clutch, specifies shorter intervals than VW. For information only.

8 hours ago, Cairus said:

Octavia 4 have Haldex 6 it IS a different To Generation 5. The Unit Controller is now in the Pump.

Same process though, removing the pump and cleaning the gauze/screen, or am I missing something?

8 hours ago, Cairus said:

Borg Warner, the manufacturer of the Haldex clutch, specifies shorter intervals than VW. For information only.

BorgWarner own what used to be Haldex AG over in Sweden. I understood that the people at Haldex specified shorter intervals than the corporate parents in the US.

Ultimately, it's like this guy I overheard recently in a tyre shop - asking what the minimum was on his tyres, pads, etc. Just because there is a minimum or maximum thing, be it wear, service intervals or whatever, doesn't mean it's advisable to push it. If you can afford to have the car, I'd argue you should be able to afford to service it well within the correct intervals.

I'd follow the newer recommendation of 2 years/20k miles, however if (like recently) the car is going for a DSG service or whatever, I wouldn't shy away from getting the Haldex done too. Preventative maintenance will only help!

26 minutes ago, OccyVRS said:

Derselbe Vorgang, Pumpe entfernen und Gaze/Sieb reinigen, oder übersehe ich etwas?

BorgWarner besitzt die ehemalige Haldex AG in Schweden. Soweit ich weiß, legen die Leute bei Haldex kürzere Intervalle fest als die Mutterkonzerne in den USA.

Letztendlich ist es wie bei diesem Typen, den ich neulich in einem Reifengeschäft belauscht habe – er fragte, was das Minimum für seine Reifen, Bremsbeläge usw. sei. Nur weil es ein Minimum oder Maximum gibt, sei es Verschleiß, Wartungsintervalle oder was auch immer, heißt das nicht, dass man es übertreiben sollte. Wer sich das Auto leisten kann, sollte sich meiner Meinung nach auch die Wartung innerhalb der richtigen Intervalle leisten können.

Ich würde mich an die neuere Empfehlung von 2 Jahren/32.000 Kilometern halten. Wenn das Auto jedoch (wie kürzlich) zum DSG-Service oder Ähnlichem muss, würde ich auch nicht davor zurückschrecken, den Haldex-Motor warten zu lassen. Vorbeugende Wartung kann nur helfen!

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