Service coming up!

[CheshireGTI]

Ok, my service is due in July, where's best to get it done?

Am I gonna get taken to the cleaners by a main dealer? Do prices vary that much?

Cheers.

[adyh]

unless you have FVWSH i wouldnt bother mate . On my experiance they dont tend to do alot at all .

cost me ?129 and all they did was change the oil , i saw no evidence of anything else being touched.

And also to compound the issue during the service my brake lights mysteriously stopped working [funny i would have thought driving through central london in rush hour someone would have let me know . Not only that but they let me drive off with the car in that condition !!

Took the car to the local place to get the brake lights fixed and they said they were embarrased to charge me the ?50 to fix because it had only taken ten minutes to fix and they had to charge a minimum of an hours labour .

So I got

1) an oil change
2) no air filter change
3) gear box oil not checked
4) brake lights malfunctioning
5) car not cleaned as promised
6) service reminder not reset

for ?129 hoorah !!!!
 

[jte]

I had my Mk3 16v serviced at VW a few months back, it had an 80k mile service i.e the biggest one.  I was quite pleased.  They did all this

Oil + Filter
Air Filter
Pollen Filter
Spark Plugs
Pas Fluid
Washer fluid
All Wiper Blades
Checked gear box oil
Checked Brake fluid
Replaced brake vacuum hose
Topped up anti freeze
Full inspection of brakes, exhaust, suspension, etc, etc (got a big list of checked items)
Full and very good Valet inside and out
Report on all faults - not many found but they were thorough enough to mention a cracked front reflector.

They even got me a Golf courtesy car because they said i might find a polo uncomfortable (i'm quite tall).

Total cost was ?220.  A bit pricey but worth it in my opinion.

So i guess it's down to luck wether you find a good or bad dealer.

VW service history is sought after by buyers, so if you don't intend keeping the car long then i say pay a bit extra and get the vw stamp.

If not just use a trusted garage and save the money.

[wolfrace]

Likewise - M3 16v Gti serviced at VW. Mainly because if I ever have to sell her I have that VW stamp in my book.

I know how you feel though - handing over large sums of money for work you trust has been done.

I've been lucky enough to know one of the technicians at my local VW Dealership and so get a lot of servicing or work done for a fraction of what I would normally pay. But importantly I know the work has been done and I trust him. So if I were in your position I would go to a place that has been recommended by someone you know and trust. Thats my advice. Maybe someone here can recommend somewhere fairly local for you? Thats the best course of action to take I think? Whether its a VW Dealership or not is up to you.

For me its not about finding the cheapest place for a service but finding somewhere I can trust will do the job. Whether thats ?100 or ?200 - I just want to feel confident that what I am paying for is what will be done.

Good Luck matey!!!

[CheshireGTI]

Thanks for the replies they were very helpful!

The service history is 90% VW so I think I'm gonna take it to the local main dealer. I'm not too bothered about paying extra for the VW stamp.

The local dealer is LC Charles in Crewe, anyone had any experience of these?

Cheers.

[perd999]

hi im also getting mine serviced soon and was wondering if anybody has coem in contact with the vw/audi specialist in huddersfield called Peter Ellam i think, i think it will be worth while goin to him rather than main dealers, wot do u think?