My dealer just emailed me to make booking for it's 2 year service and said I should change brake fluid and have Aircon serviced at the same time, while I understand the brake fluid change, (something years ago we never did at 2 years) im not sure the Aircon needs doing. What's owners views on having these done, car is only on 6k miles and Aircon works great, is it just to get more money out of owners?

Yes, brake fluid should get done, the AC could wait until it lets you know by starting to underperform and/or makes hissing noises when being used.

I'm sure that someone out there will have fuel use figures that can show that slightly under gas'd AC will use slightly more fuel, when used, to achieve your desired temperature - but how many miles you would need to travel to use the slightly increased fuel before that meets or exceeds the cost of a "AC regas" I would not even try to guess!

So, if I were you, I'd stick with "is it good enough right now?" if the answer is yes, then give it another year before asking yourself the same question.

Edit:- by the way, all car HVAC systems do leak slightly over time down to the different parts being connected using "rubber" piping which, to all these AC gases, are porous to a certain extent - not much can be done to stop that until more suitable piping or AC gas is used.

Edited Tuesday at 09:151 day by rum4mo

If, like my Polo, one has 3 years free servicing, is the above, or any other due items included in this, FOC?.

Brake fluid used to be first @ 2 years then each 2. About 2010 changed to first @ 3 years then each 2. Since the VW Emissions Scandal things changed to First @ 2 years then every 2 years. Customers are the Goose that keep laying Golden Eggs.

My 2018 Karoq has never been regassed and still works well. Though I stump up for the brake fluid change I do wonder why it only lasts 2 years when we used to never change it till the brake pipes rusted away. As someone who's very light on the brakes and doesn't drive down Porlock Hill every day I can't believe I'm cooking anything, does todays fluid absorb moisture more easily.

They have no idea if you live by the sea, up a mountain where there is snow each winter, if you cross fords or go through flood waters, and anything about how the vehicle is used. Testing for H2o in the Brake Fluid is just Simply Clever, and some do it, but testing at the Brake Fluid reservoir is not really that reliable.

The dealer I use was so mortified by me refusing the 2yr brake fluid change that they did it anyway FOC. They also replaced the a/c compressor under warranty as it was noisy, so I didn;t get asked about having it regassed. The new one is just as noisy mechanically but doesn't screech (which I think may have just been the gas being low), and the one on the courtesy car (same car as ours) was noisy too. Our Ateca and Kamiq have silent a/c.

Anyway, it's going in next week for its 4yr service and I was contacted today and asked about having them done for the bargain price of £199. Gulp. On it's own they said they'd do the brake fluid for £80 instead of the normal £100. Where on earth do these price come from - £100 to change the brake fluid seems insane!

It also really hacks me off that the car has All In, and yet All In is anything but!

Edited Tuesday at 19:011 day by Rory

2 hours ago, Rory said:

On it's own they said they'd do the brake fluid for £80 instead of the normal £100.

You're being bent over. For some bizarre reason Skoda's pricing changes by vehicle age. At my local dealer, which seems mid-priced, a fluid change on a 2-year-old car costs £65. The same fluid change on a 4-year-old car costs £91. So a 40% premium for exactly the same job on exactly the same car.

Find yourself an indy to do it.

I must buck up with the brake luid, never changed it in any car, all new, in 63 years, at least 3 were in the family for over 20 years, had to renew a front brake cylinder in a 1980 Formel E Golf and NCT mandated two front flexible hoses in a 9N Polo, both at around 15 years old.

11 hours ago, Rbz5416 said:

You're being bent over. For some bizarre reason Skoda's pricing changes by vehicle age. At my local dealer, which seems mid-priced, a fluid change on a 2-year-old car costs £65. The same fluid change on a 4-year-old car costs £91. So a 40% premium for exactly the same job on exactly the same car.

Find yourself an indy to do it.

If you're looking on line the pricing can be random. I put a 22 plate Q3 reg into the Audi online service booking page. That gives a list of the 5 nearest dealers. Nearest (across the road from the Skoda dealer) was £70. Three other were £56. I told the Skoda dealer this - they rang up and were quoted £100.

I tried another 22 plate Q3 reg and it quoted me £120!

Our Skoda dealer shows £108 for our car. I was looking for our Kamiq, coming up to three years old. and the service prices were insane. Service manager has told me to call him directly, but I'm not holding my breath for a decent price.

There are indies around us that I've used in past - one is very much an "under the arches" type place. No problem with them but it's all a bit frantic in there and they just seem to make up prices on the spot. No courtesy cars makes it awkward. There's a more organised one but that's a right faff to get to - well over an hours drive at peak times.

I'm wedded to the All In package - it worked well for us on Tiguan and recently did £1200 of work on our 7yr old / 90K mile Ateca. Getting the car in quickly with an Enterprise hire car provided made the whole issue effortless.

I've just had the same 'service due, change the brake fluid / air con etc' on our July 2024 SEL - like the OP, we've only done 7k and haven't driven it hard let alone stopped hard and cooked anything - air con works as it did 2 years ago so I'm thinking I'll pass on the rinsing of my wallet, especially as I deliver and pick up the car and never take the loan vehicle they make enough out of me without the need to squeeze even more - so I'll let the brakes and air-con wait another year at least......

Curiously, I've just opened a email from the dealer offering me a great deal (their words) to 'upgrade' the Karoq, 2 years is the best time, apparently......!

4 hours ago, Berisford said:

Curiously, I've just opened a email from the dealer offering me a great deal (their words) to 'upgrade' the Karoq, 2 years is the best time, apparently......!

I got a call from our dealer yesterday noting that I'll be in next week and would I like to "touch base" with the salesguy who sold us our car?

I'll remind him they promised to swap our Approved Used Karoq for a new one at a verbally agreed price that went out of the window when the new car arrived.

It's my wife's car really and she hasn't gelled with the Karoq, and the I find the the Skoda dealer service staff a right arsy bunch. We were spoiled by how good the Tiguan, and (unusually) the VW dealer was that we had before.