After reading the posts by Chavyboy and VRS_SI. I'm a bit confusied about the servicing. Whats the difference between Variable and fixed servicing. I should be getting my little baby (vRS) in 4 weeks so would like to know if theirs anything I should have done by a Skoda dealer.

Fixed servicing is when you car has to have a service at 10k miles.

Variable is when the car determines when it needs servicing or after 12 months, whichever is sooner.

I believe in general Furby can't have variable servicing unless you have a sensor changed (in the sump?) so it can check the oil. One of the Furby guys can fill you in on this.

I think Im correct when I say the car comes from the factory set for variable servicing. Basically the car senses how you drive, state of the Oil etc & a light comes on when a service is required. (gives you about 1000 mile warning)

Fixed servicing is as per the service book, ie fixed intervals.

Some dealers switch off the variable so that you need fixed services which might mean more frequent servicing.

Variable servicing requires a higher quality oil so if you are on variable make sure yopu top up with the correct Oil. My 4x4 is on variable but as it gets a hard life I do the oil & filter every 10000 regardless. Probably not neccesart but its just for peace of mind.

This applies to the Petrol 1.8T's not sure about the Furby, our Diesel Octy is on variable, first service was 28500 (10 months)

The furby vRS comes from factory a bit of both half's, it has the correct oil for Variable services, but not the sensor. So my dealer changed the sensor over and hey presto, variable services.

I took it in yesterday to get the unleaded drained (dont ask) to my local dealer in Cov and he topped the oil up for me at the same time (got a nice little oil can holder thingy as well) as it was running low, but he mentioned that did I know I was on Variable services, I said yup.

Basically if you are going to do high milage get the variable plan, if not dont bother

what is variable servicing ? ... from the many accounts on this site over the past few years ...very variable !

:thumbdwn:

Variable Servicing are basically the car monitor's the internals of the engine (oil, water etc etc) and flashes a warning up on the dash to get it serviced when it reckons it's ready for one, the 10k/12months allways ers on the larger side of caution. The variable basically they reckon gives you 15k/12month services as long as you driver the car regular/motorway milage

Variable sounds like a very nice touch.

Thanks people.

There's an interesting document from VW here which describes longlife (or variable) servicing, the pros and cons, and the criteria for measuring if you should stick with variable or go fixed.

Hope it helps!

I was told by the dealer the variable servicing was on the occy vRS and not the Furby vRS. The_ape what was it the dealer replaced as I will mention this to my dealer when I pick the car up in March ?

I thought variable service was every 2 years not just one, we had a TD Octy in at 37k for its first service!!! What you probably don't know is that more than just the oil is checked, if you look at the bonnet release catches on your octavias, the sensor there also counts how many times you open and shut the bonnet!!

Big Brother is upon us :sofahide:

Matt

Skoda UK FAQs:

Question:

How frequently should I get my car serviced?

Answer:

The service requirements will vary depending upon the model and engine. Fabia Models require a lubrication service at 10,000 miles and an inspection at 20,000 miles or 12 months whichever is sooner. All Octavia and Superb Models can operate on either a fixed or a variable servicing regime. On Variable servicing, intervalls are determined by driving styles and conditions of use. The on-board computer will indicate when a service is required which could be up to approx. 20,000 miles for petrol engines, 30,000 miles for 4 cylinder diesel and 24,000 miles for V6 Diesel. Further information may be found in the Service Schedule contained within the vehicle document wallet or by contacting your local retailer. To find your local retailer please select the retailer locator tab from the home page of this site.

NB: The FAQ should have mentioned that variable servicing has a time limitation as well as a mileage one. To quote the Octavia Service Schedule:

The variable Service Interval Display provides you with an automatic reminder of the correct moment for the next service. You must take your vehicle to a regular inspection no later than after 2 years or after not more than 30,000 km in the case of petrol engines and not more than 50,000 km in the case of diesel engines.

The manual states that you have to check the bottom left number in the id sticker attached to the front inside cover of the log book. The number indicates whether the car is set for variable or fixed servicing. Mine is fixed, which suits me fine.

It appears that some dealers automatically switch the cars to fixed as part of the PDI as, from what I understand, all Octys get shipped from the factory set to variable servicing and "thin oil".

Not 100% sure what was changed, as far as I know the PD130's are happily capable of variable servicing. All the dealer did (I think) is change some sensor or other, change the log book, and plonk a sticker under the bonnet. But hell I dont know...... All I know is that I do large milage so wanted variable service. The part's involved should be exactly the same ones as the octy PDi get I would think?

The 'computer' also needs to be capable of being set for variable servicing.