Just serviced my 2.0tdi superb. 155000 miles. Did oil and oil filter, air filter and pollen filter. Parts cost me 75 quid for Castrol oil and Bosch filters, took an hour and a half. Just looked up how much that would cost at a local garage and it's 280 quid, they do things like check battery health and other bits and bobs. But that's mental. I'm not mechanic but it was very simple really.

Edited 14 September, 202514 Sep by Itsrelfy

Plus there's that feeling of satisfaction that you've tackled it yourself with a tidy saving of over £200

Yes they do some other stuff, inspection servicing, check components, tyres, wipers, steering, suspension, visual on brakes. Spark Plugs or Fuel Filter.

They say oil top ups of transmission, diffs, check belts, Well that is on a Service Sheet.

Locks Lubricated...

Body & Glass Inspection for the Corrosion Warranty is listed.

Preventative Maintenance / Servicing Brake Service, Brake Fluid changes, Haldex / VAQ services, Coolant strength tested, AC Serviced etc .

Edited 14 September, 202514 Sep by Ootohere

Thumbs up from me. 👍 But did you do everything else like checking all the suspension joints and bushes individually with a good light and a bar where necessary? CV boots checked and listen out for any clicking on full lock on the road? Tyres and pressures? A good look round all the coil springs for fractures and check that the top suspension mountings turn smoothly? Did you check both pistons in the rear wheel cylinders were free (drums obv) and check the function of the handbrake? Spin up all wheel bearings? All the lights (including headlamp motors) for correct function plus washers and wipers? Oil all hinges and check locks? Look out for corrosion on body, brake and fuel pipes? Check boot for spare tyre if applicable and corrosion. Seat belts not loose, frayed and working correctly? Diagnostic check? Good road test? No gearbox, suspension or engine noises? Might have missed a few things..

Tongue in cheek post of course 🤪 but there is a lot more than just changing oil and filters. Plus the garages have to pay to dispose of all contaminated commercial waste. They used to have to have 9 separate chargeable bins when I was in the trade. Lots of H&S and insurances too.

Edited 14 September, 202514 Sep by Rheumy

Here is a picture of a pollen filter. 7,000 miles after it was changed by a main dealer. Looks like the original to me - at this point 26K miles and three years. It was absolutely rammed with silver birch seeds - yet the local trees hadn't cast seed in the 7K miles / 8 months since the service. I know what I think.......

Another unfortunate example of things that servicing agents think they can get away with.

They do often start grey like that when brand new because the genuine or quality aftermarket versions are charcoal impregnated. So it's not a smoking gun. :)

The greyness isn't the issue - that's the charcoal adsorbent they come with. It's the shed loads of organic crap in the folds that's the issue.

I was checking because the airflow out of the vents wasn't great. Strange how a new filter fixed that.

I've seen plenty looking similar after a couple of years but if it's blocked it's blocked. If they charged you, vote with your feet and don't go back!

I buy my oil in £68 20 litre Mannol 7715 cannisters from ebay.

And aim to do oil changes every 8,000 miles.

With air, fuel and cabin filters less often.

DIY servicing is a satisfying job to do.

You'll probably find that brake pad and disk replacements are easy jobs. As are rear shock absorbers.

I bought a £300 Launch diagnostic tablet that's had a fair amount of use on all our 4 cars in the family. Including resetting service intervals.

I buy my oil that way too. 👍 The Launch should be good for the rear pads on other more modern Skodas with an electric handbrake. I haven't got Launch but I've used VCDS to retract the pistons on several VAGs. Works a treat.