Servicing

[Davstylee]

Hi guys

I need to put my car in for a service soon and I wanted some advice.

On my last service I had everything done, brake discs, brake pads, oil, oil filter, pollen filter, fuel filter, spark plugs the lot. It has been about a year since the last service but I have only done about 7000 miles maybe even less.

My question is what would need to be done this time around? As winter is rolling in I want to make sure the car is well looked after and in peak condition for the cold spell.

I normally buy the actual parts from Euro Car Parts, whack on the forum discount and get my mechanic uncle or Dan Taber (forum recommended guy) to perform the service, so I wouldn’t mind knowing what I need to buy.

As for the oil does anyone know of some good oil deals out there at the moment and how much do I actually need for the service?

Thanks in advance.

[MS1COYS]

Alright boyo!

I would go for oil change, oil filter, fuel filter. Clean air filter if necessary and check coil packs and spark plugs for water ingress, weeping gasket etc and/or knackered plug tips.

For me regular oil changes are essential with Gti's (in fact most cars tbh) I've put nearly 16k on my Gti since I bought it at the start of the year and I've had 4 oil changes in that time, along with constant top ups to keep it at the 'max level'. Every time I've had a change the oil has been black and thicker than when it went in, so in my eyes it's been justified everytime. If my Gti was standard I would probably leave it 6k between changes.....

As far as ECP are concerned, they've got a 31% discount off at the minute. (MIDMONTH31)

The best oil they sell is 'Mobil One' (Fully Synthetic) 0w40 and it's one of the best on the market. It retails at £49.99 but with the discount is £34.49.

A 'Hengst' fuel filter at £14.49 with discount applied.

A 'Mahle' oil filter at £8.49 with discount applied. (This is a canister filter, rather than the standard paper filter)

If you really need spark plugs you can get the oem 'Bosch' ones at £31.48 for a full set (4) or some platinum tipped 'NGK' at the same price. I've used both and to be honest they're much of a muchness, all I would say is stay away from the cheaper 'Denso' plugs, they're sh!t and that's being kind.

 

[leeroy20vt]

would u really want to use euros where abouts in kent are i use a company called tps in canterbury

ive just got cambelt kit,oil filter,oil,fuel filter and water pump all genuine vw parts for less than 200 quid which i didnt think was bad at all
also there plug were 7 each 

[MS1COYS]

would u really want to use euros where abouts in kent are i use a company called tps in canterbury

ive just got cambelt kit,oil filter,oil,fuel filter and water pump all genuine vw parts for less than 200 quid which i didnt think was bad at all
also there plug were 7 each

Why wouldn't you use ECP?

Also are all your parts for a MK5 Gti?

 

[leeroy20vt]

Just had bits of them and have failed not saying all there stuff is the same as I do use them for various bits for my mk2

Yes all bits for a mk5 gti mate at least u know what your getting with genuine parts

Maybe I'm just a little to ott lol but just spent a small fortune buying the I want it to last as long as poss without problems from cheap service parts

[MS1COYS]

Just had bits of them and have failed not saying all there stuff is the same as I do use them for various bits for my mk2

Yes all bits for a mk5 gti mate at least u know what your getting with genuine parts

Maybe I'm just a little to ott lol but just spent a small fortune buying the I want it to last as long as poss without problems from cheap service parts

Fair enough, I've also heard of people that have had failed parts from ECP, but on the whole they've good a pretty good reputation. Unless I can get oem (Bosch etc) parts through them, I usually buy only non-mechanical items. But as far as a service kit goes (Oil, Oil filter, Fuel filter etc) they sell all oem parts and are listed as *recommended* and they are damn cheap with the discount.

If you want to explore other suppliers then try GSF, CP4L (Which is kind of a subsidary to ECP) and as Leeroy says TPS.....

[Davstylee]

Thanks for all the replies guys. There is a ECP place 10 minutes from where I live so they are very convenient, and they didn't do me wrong last time. I brought all of my service parts from them, and the car has been running like a dream since.

The only item I didn’t get last time was the oil, but I am planning to get every single thing this time around. I see MS1COYS says that Mobile One 0w40 oil is the best type; I thought GTI's had to use 5w30 oil??? Plus is the Mobile One long life oil? Also how much do I need to do a full oil change

[MS1COYS]

Thanks for all the replies guys. There is a ECP place 10 minutes from where I live so they are very convenient, and they didn't do me wrong last time. I brought all of my service parts from them, and the car has been running like a dream since.

The only item I didn’t get last time was the oil, but I am planning to get every single thing this time around. I see MS1COYS says that Mobile One 0w40 oil is the best type; I thought GTI's had to use 5w30 oil??? Plus is the Mobile One long life oil? Also how much do I need to do a full oil change

VW recommends 502/505 oil and I as I understand it its down to the acea rating of the oil, A3/B4 is the highest rating. If you're after long life oil and don't bother changing it more than every 12-15,000 miles, then Mobil One 0w40 is not for you. Mobil One is a fully synthetic oil (zero mineral content) designed to offer maximum protection and high performance, as well as much better viscosity at extreme low temperatures and extreme high temperatures.

I know you have the option of a long life service plan with these VW's but it's never good to have dirty oil running around the engine for thousands upon thousands of miles, especially not a relatively highly tuned turbo car, that runs at very high temperatures. Couple that with the filthy EGR valves our Gti's have, that mean the inlet valves and inlet manifold gets fouled/coked up really badly (resulting in rough idle, poor mpg etc), it's always good to keep fresh oil in the engine!

For the minimal cost of an oil change and filter and 20 minutes work (£40) I believe it is always worth to have an oil change at least every 6,000 miles. I'm not saying for one minute you need to replace plugs, air filter and fuel filter at such short intervals, but an oil change is well worth it.

 

[topher]

On my last service I had everything done, brake discs, brake pads, oil, oil filter, pollen filter, fuel filter, spark plugs the lot. It has been about a year since the last service but I have only done about 7000 miles maybe even less.

oil, filter, general inspection and at this time of year antifreeze check is all you need if you had that lot 7000 miles ago. Assuming you used O.E parts the other filters are good for 20,000 miles

[Davstylee]

Thanks for all the replies guys. There is a ECP place 10 minutes from where I live so they are very convenient, and they didn't do me wrong last time. I brought all of my service parts from them, and the car has been running like a dream since.

The only item I didn’t get last time was the oil, but I am planning to get every single thing this time around. I see MS1COYS says that Mobile One 0w40 oil is the best type; I thought GTI's had to use 5w30 oil??? Plus is the Mobile One long life oil? Also how much do I need to do a full oil change

VW recommends 504/505 oil and I as I understand it its down to the acea rating of the oil, A3/B4 is the highest rating. If you're after long life oil and don't bother changing it more than every 12-15,000 miles, then Mobil One 0w40 is not for you. Mobil One is a fully synthetic oil (zero mineral content) designed to offer maximum protection and high performance, as well as much better viscosity at extreme low temperatures and extreme high temperatures.

I know you have the option of a long life service plan with these VW's but it's never good to have dirty oil running around the engine for thousands upon thousands of miles, especially not a relatively highly tuned turbo car, that runs at very high temperatures. Couple that with the filthy EGR valves our Gti's have, that mean the inlet valves and inlet manifold gets fouled/coked up really badly (resulting in rough idle, poor mpg etc), it's always good to keep fresh oil in the engine!

For the minimal cost of an oil change and filter and 20 minutes work (£40) I believe it is always worth to have an oil change at least every 6,000 miles. I'm not saying for one minute you need to replace plugs, air filter and fuel filter at such short intervals, but an oil change is well worth it.

 

I try to service my car once a year and as I only do about 7000 miles every year then the oil is never in there for that long. I read on this forum and was told by my mechanic that even when you are not on the long life service plan it is always best to use the long life oil as it is just generally better than the normal stuff.

This being said should I go for this Mobile One oil or something like the Castrol Edge Fully Synthetic 5W30 Engine Oil? Also will 4ltrs be enough for an oil change or do I need more?