« on: 17 August 2026, 08:33 »
like the title suggests. Who do you trust more to do proper work and not overcharge? My main concern with going independent, apart from the physical parts of the car which in my 25 year experience preferring an independent shop over dealership (due to costs and also convenience as to the time it takes to service the car), they are well equipped to maintain, do such garages now have access to all state of the art VAG software and can they perform all and every software update there is? my 8.5 is due it's 15k service which is a pretty basic service, i'm torn between sticking with the tried and tested or switching back to the dealer. I get the feeling that compared to previous models, all this digitalization might not allow independent shops to keep up with the dealers in terms of equipment and expertise. Thoughts?

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Current: GTI 8.5, Moonstone Gray, 5dr, Black Estorils 19''. pan, DCC
Wife's: mk8 TSI 1.5 RL, 5dr atlantic blue, DSG, Norfolk 17", pan s/r, leds
Son's: mk7.5 TSI 1.4 RL, 5dr tornado red, DSG, Singapore 17", pan s/r, leds
Before: mk6 GTI 5dr candy white, DSG, Monza Shadow 18", s/r, bi-Xenons, DCC
Even before that: mk5 GT 5dr tornado red, manual, s/r