OK to get VW serviced in a non VW dealership?

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berlininvest

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I normally go to my local VW dealership to get my VW serviced. Last time it cost 317 euro for a 2 year service for my 05 passat.

Rang another garage today (toyota dealership) and they say they will do the same for 180 or so.

Should I go to them?

I assume they have the gear to do the diagnostics / hookup to the car's computer? I assume so.

Does it matter for my service history when it comes to resale ? Will it affect resale value? I imagine not but not sure.

Any thoughts please?
 
if its a newish car, I'd stick to a main dealer so as to get the best resale value. If its older, I'd say an independent. In your case, I'd probably stick to the main dealer for another few years. You can always haggle, or try other vw dealers
 
I wouldn't be concerned - take it to any garage. An independent will probably be cheaper again. Just be sure that you know exactly what you are getting for the money before you go ahead. For the likes of a Passat, I doubt any potential buyer will be put off by non VW service history - Golf GTi maybe.

BTW - 2 year service? No such thing IMO unless your mileage is very low.

Car should have oil/filter change every 6000 miles and complete service the next 6000 IMO.
 
Thanks for that, makes sense.

BTW on the 2 year service, the engine on the VW passat diesel now allows for long life servicing as long as you use the long life oil.

In theory at least you can go 20k or 2 years, whichever comes sooner, between full services. Computer prompts you to get service sooner if it deems it necessary, but I don't know the algorithm it uses to decide that.

I do have low mileage so i would be looking to get 2 years out of the full service.

Having said that, I must think about what I should do regarding synching that with my NCT schedule.
 
I have a 1.4TSI petrol passat and it also has 2 years / 30K service intervals. Not only diesels have long life oil and long service intervals.
 
:eek: Arrghh OK, OK - TSI - more sophisticated/advanced engine, better than most. Other examples obviously too.

But a 'normal' petrol engine I would never leave for 2 years.

Maybe I'll just get me coat...
 
Caveat said:
But a 'normal' petrol engine I would never leave for 2 years.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't leave any engine 2 years without an oil change. 6k miles for every oil change and check your oil every week!
The amount of people who don't open the bonnet between services :eek:
 
All VAG engines, petrol or diesel, have the option of being set for "fixed" or "variable" service intervals. The ECU will display either "INSP Service" or "Oil service" as appropriate on the dashboard as the schedule rolls around (note: to be pedantic, "long-life" refers to the oil used, not the service interval).

For variable service intervals, the ECU monitors a number of variables (operating temperatures, engine load, oil quality, fuel quality, air and emissions information, etc) and calculates when the next maintenance (oil or INSP) should be. In adverse conditions (e.g. very high or very low ambient temperatures, long runs at high engine loads, etc) a car set up for variable service intervals may well call a major service before one that is set for fixed service intervals.

Once the manufacturers rules about engine oil and other consumables are followed, using the variable service interval option does not effect the car's warranty. The vast majority of fleet cars in the UK use variable servicing as it saves money and time by not having cars off the road unnecessarily.

The fixed service or variable service option may be reset in the car's ECU via the diagnostic computer software.
 
I think VAG were recently backtracking on the "2 year/30000km" longlife variable servicing (the 2 years bit in particular), only recommending it for certain types of usage (i.e. long fast runs, minimal starts from cold). The original reason for the longer intervals was to have a typical UK 60k fleet disposal car only needing two services in its life, reducing the lease cost.

Remember the longlife oil is very expensive and the car will likely burn off a few litres at least, so you may be better off on 10k services and using bulk synthetic. NB: Valvoline do a longlife oil for €15/litre from motor factors. The price of the longlife oil from VW/Audi garages is truly shocking.

Op - to answer your original question you should be able to get a VAG car serviced at any VAG group dealer without impacting your warranty. Just find your local Skoda or SEAT dealer and check with them....

SSE
 
Thanks all for the inputs.

SSE - good idea about checking with the alternative VAG dealerships, but I have to say, my warranty is gone now as its an 05 model.
 
sse said:
Op - to answer your original question you should be able to get a VAG car serviced at any VAG group dealer without impacting your warranty. Just find your local Skoda or SEAT dealer and check with them....

SSE
Click to expand...

You can get your car service at any dealer, does not have to be a main dealer, any independent dealer can do it once it's service as per VW's schedule using genuine parts or parts of an equal quality.
Block exemption regulation states this.
 
Neil_Ireland said:
You can get your car service at any dealer, does not have to be a main dealer, any independent dealer can do it once it's service as per VW's schedule using genuine parts or parts of an equal quality.
Block exemption regulation states this.
Click to expand...

Yes there was a long thread about block exemption a while back. You're right in theory, in practice the servicing agent has to comply exactly with manufacturer's schedules and parts specifications and be able to prove this - some do and some specifically say they don't - think the original thread was about a Volvo. Even then, you may find a warranty claim harder work and you can forget about any goodwill for out-of-warranty problems so you may be better off gritting your teeth and going with a dealer for the first three years.

SSE
 
Again I am going to recommend MKW motors the Irish Bosch agents.

My brother has used them on his 08 Passat since first service.

they saved a mate 1000 euros by not replacing a perfectly fine turbo on a bmw. Bmw said turbo shot. MKW keith diagnosed know sticking valve (not turbo shot)

They have all the latest diagnostic gear.
Keith gives training courses on diagnostics to mechanics enough said.

[broken link removed]
 
berlininvest said:
I normally go to my local VW dealership to get my VW serviced. Last time it cost 317 euro for a 2 year service for my 05 passat.

Rang another garage today (toyota dealership) and they say they will do the same for 180 or so.

Should I go to them?

I assume they have the gear to do the diagnostics / hookup to the car's computer? I assume so.

Does it matter for my service history when it comes to resale ? Will it affect resale value? I imagine not but not sure.

Any thoughts please?
Click to expand...

Was this just for a standard service or was there anything extra? You need to compare like with like.

It seems like a lot for an 05 car, how long do you intend keeping the car? IMO once a car reaches 7 or 8 years old it is not going to comand a premium price just because it has a main dealer service history.

You could buy genuine part filters and get a good independent to fit them, and keep the receipts for both in car. Any decent independent will have the diagnostic equipment.

Probably worth ringing the original garage you used and asking them for a quote now - things have changed alot.

Also tie down the toyota garage on the €180 "or so", what does "or so" mean, fixed price for the service,( haven't dealt with toyota garage in a while but my local one used to have a habit of quoting ordinary consumers a price and then later going - oh ya plus the vat) then if they spot anything else needs doing doing they can come back to you and quote you for that.

Again IMHO once a car passes the 3 or 4 year mark the benefits of having a dealer stamp in the service book become questionable unless the price is right, but you will find loads of opinions on both sides.

I always think the important thing is that the vehicle is serviced and serviced properly, not who actually does it.
 
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