Maintain a full VW service history?

[fredgroves]

The other thing to mention is that the vehicle is designed to work like this.... and servicing is literally an oil change and general visual inspection.

Modern fully synthetic oils aren't like some 1980's product, they are stable and good for a very much longer time - hence VW saying you don't need to replace that often.

The rest of the "service" you used to do in the 20th century was also as a result of poorly designed parts and what we now see as inferior chemical technology.

Time has moved on, save your hand wringing for some classic car built by communists in Birmingham (assuming they weren't on strike that week) that sits in a puddle of oil in your garage and refuses to start without you spraying into the carb with WD40.

Its not mechanical insensitivity, its just modern cars vs old ones.

[Guzzle]

20k servicing is for high mileage.... its the long life service interval and its the standard one set on all Mk7 golfs. Its 20k or every 12 months, whichever comes soonest (mine actually is currently b!tching about a service in 20 days despite me having done about 2k since last service!)

And the oil used for long life is the same one as is used for the low mileage annual interval.

If you are someone using a car for 20k miles a year (which I am), you aren't keeping it forever (unless you are nuts) and during its limited life with you its not going to cause any issues and even if it does, VW warranty will cover it.

On average, UK cars have a 10 year life...and will be built with this in mind.

You just have to think about it like that.

Fairly sure the flexible servicing is up to 18k miles or 2 years. Whichever comes first. Although the service light can come on sooner depending on how it's been driven.

[fredgroves]

Fairly sure the flexible servicing is up to 18k miles or 2 years. Whichever comes first. Although the service light can come on sooner depending on how it's been driven.

It could be, I don't really know. I just go by the computer telling me when it thinks it needs a service!

Thinking about it, I've had the car almost 4 years and it definitely has had 3 services (2 were on the service pack and I had to pay for the last one) and is due the 4th one in 20 days.

All except the last 12 months, its had 20k on the clock each year.

[willni]

The other thing to mention is that the vehicle is designed to work like this.... and servicing is literally an oil change and general visual inspection.

Modern fully synthetic oils aren't like some 1980's product, they are stable and good for a very much longer time - hence VW saying you don't need to replace that often.

The rest of the "service" you used to do in the 20th century was also as a result of poorly designed parts and what we now see as inferior chemical technology.

Time has moved on, save your hand wringing for some classic car built by communists in Birmingham (assuming they weren't on strike that week) that sits in a puddle of oil in your garage and refuses to start without you spraying into the carb with WD40.

Its not mechanical insensitivity, its just modern cars vs old ones.

I understand where you're coming from but I always buy a car in the view that it will last me a long time so I see shorter service intervals as good maintenance for the long term.

But while we can say the people that designed the engine know best, time and time again manufacturers have built cars in ways that aren't durable (haldex filter springs to mind).

Cars are designed to last 10 years with the exception of land cruisers etc which are built for 25 years which also have a service interval of every 5k miles/6 months 

[SRGTD]

Are cars really only designed to last 10 years? I know many owners change their cars for a brand new replacement every three years or more frequently and that’s what car manufacturers want us to do, but I see quite a few pre-2011 registered cars on the roads around where I live.

[fredgroves]

Are cars really only designed to last 10 years? I know many owners change their cars for a brand new replacement every three years or more frequently and that’s what car manufacturers want us to do, but I see quite a few pre-2011 registered cars on the roads around where I live.

https://www.smmt.co.uk/industry-topics/sustainability/average-vehicle-age/

That's a bit more than 10 years, i slightly exagerated but not a lot really.

Makes you think though doesn't it. Expensive purchase, turned into razor blades in a blink of an eye.

[willni]

Are cars really only designed to last 10 years? I know many owners change their cars for a brand new replacement every three years or more frequently and that’s what car manufacturers want us to do, but I see quite a few pre-2011 registered cars on the roads around where I live.

https://www.smmt.co.uk/industry-topics/sustainability/average-vehicle-age/

That's a bit more than 10 years, i slightly exagerated but not a lot really.

Makes you think though doesn't it. Expensive purchase, turned into razor blades in a blink of an eye.

"Built to last 10 years" is probably a deceiving term, really it's 10 years or so when they start requiring more maintenance, eg shocks starting to wear out. Plenty of good cars that will last much longer Honda Accord springs to mind.

It's probably worse for us in the UK as we have a real fear of high mileage cars eg 70-90k, but in Germany they're hitting 200k.

[fredgroves]

If Germans don't mind being stranded somewhere with a broken car its probably a reflection of their usage of cars or something.

In the UK we lack credible alternative transportation mechanisms other than your car.

Other than poor students, nobody runs a banger here. Actually that's not true, there was a guy from my work who used to buy five hundred quid cars and run them until they broke. He was convinced that it was cheaper than even buying 3/4 year old cars. Maybe he was right, but all I can tell you was that very often he failed to get to work on time if at all.

[Snoopy]

Ive ran a leon mk1 for 16 years. Never let me down.

[willni]

If Germans don't mind being stranded somewhere with a broken car its probably a reflection of their usage of cars or something.

In the UK we lack credible alternative transportation mechanisms other than your car.

Other than poor students, nobody runs a banger here. Actually that's not true, there was a guy from my work who used to buy five hundred quid cars and run them until they broke. He was convinced that it was cheaper than even buying 3/4 year old cars. Maybe he was right, but all I can tell you was that very often he failed to get to work on time if at all.

I would view it as they are a lot more competent in regular car maintenance and don't see the requirement for changing a car every 3/4 years.

There's plenty of bangers about , it's just they don't look like bangers, I regularly drive sub-£2k cars with 100k+ on them and they don't look or drive like one at all.