How much (and where) for a 45,000km service

[Nardi330]

i personally wouldn't let Ultratune touching my car period.

it's either VW specialist or dealer. and i'm more likely to go to dealer during the warranty period.

it isn't scare tactics or marketing spin or whatever, it's just peace of mind.

[mikinoz]

I just quoted $550 for a 30K service at Barloworld Five Dock and am reconsidering if I need to be bent over that hard...

So I called them up and they said that this is more expensive because they change the brake fluid and that incurs 1 hour labour.

They are also replacing the pollen filter.

He said a 45K or 15K service is nominally $380...

[TDIESEL]

What I do know is that by maintaining the relationship that the dealer and VW will be more inclined to help me in the event of a problem, they won't question my service standards either when I have a warranty claim and if something occurs out of warranty they are also going to help something they won't do if you don't service the car with VW.



Except the end product is not the same, my car will be worth more as it has full dealer service history. Yours has been serviced at a chain that doesn't have the equipment or experience to perform the service properly, the VW dealer specialises in VW and has factory trained staff who know what they are doing and have access to support from VW along with TSBs and other information that Ultratune done.

Do you go to a vet when you have a health problem or someone that specialises in humans?

Your car doesn't have the simplicity of a EA falcon, Ultratune and other places like that are not able to service it properly, that's a fact. They don't have the equipment (VAS 5052 dealer tool is over $20,000 - I bet they don't have one - nor even a Vagcom/VCDS) and probably don't know what a CANBUS is (they'll think this is Jimmy arriving on Friday afternoon in a mini bus with the beers).



Ultratune don't specialise in anything, they will service any car, the staff they have are not well trained nor well paid and this is reflected in the price you pay. If they use the wrong oil you will lose warranty on your engine. If they miss a DTC that goes on to cause a failure of a system you will lose warranty.

What you're doing is paying them to do oil change, it's only a matter of time before they miss something or stuff something up and your minor savings you made will end up costing you a lot more. Even just from a resale perspective you're going to lose a lot more then you saved, I'm not the only one that wouldn't touch a car that has an ultratune franchise.



At least it'll show which car to buy and which one to avoid when people are looking later

Oh my...the sky is falling....the sky is falling......quick call the VW dealer , they'll save us

yawn...i'm over it...moving along.

[Transporter]

Incorrect servicing and general car abuse including riduculous modifications are one of the reasons why I wouldn't buy second-hand car.

[GTI_racer]

VW specialist for me.
I did try to use the dealer...I really did. The 15k service was due about a month after the GTI recall for low fuel pressure.
Greeted with friendly person, everything went smoothly right till the point where I got my car back...there were marks by a red pen above the door handle. Not a good impression of caring for your customers cars.

[Greg Roles]

So I called them up and they said that this is more expensive because they change the brake fluid and that incurs 1 hour labour.

They are also replacing the pollen filter.

He said a 45K or 15K service is nominally $380...

All you got on mine mate is the brake fluid. I got a new pollen catcher as well, so you're still about $200 dearer. Must be flash racing brake fluid??

[aDg3]

It doesn't void the warranty as long as they are competent but unless they do a lot of work on VW's you wouldn't want them touching the car, if they miss something it can cost you down the track and also on resale. Some of the VW specialists are good BUT they don't have access to all the equipment that VW service centres have, they don't have access to the support that VW service centres do and they don't get all the ongoing training on new models nor do they get all the TSB's. And they can't do warranty work and often don't do loan cars/buses etc.

Plus if you get the car serviced at a VW service centre then you'll find that warranty claims are easier and both the centre and VW will go further to assist you with out of warranty claims.

For the little extra I'd rather have the peace of mind and have a relationship with my VW dealer that I can call on if I need to when something goes wrong. If you're the type of person that only takes the car back for warranty work then they're not going to value you highly as a customer.

The other problem is that if the place doing your service uses the incorrect oil for example and this causes a problem then VW won't help you and you will have to sort it out with the place you had the car serviced. Ultratune years ago cooked a VW transporter engine by using some cheap rubbish oil, VW wouldn't fix it under warranty and it cost the guy ~$20K to replace the engine. It turned out that ultratune were importing some cheap oil in drums that had no approvals for anything and telling people they were putting in premium castrol (massive castrol signs all over the workshop and outside).

So is it worth taking it elsewhere especially when under warranty? IMO no. For some of the older models that are way out of warranty and less complex then probably yes as it will work out cheaper as they can use different parts (reco etc).

EDIT: It's not helped by a few dealers like Austral who only damage the VW brand through their questionable sales methods and ripoff servicing pricing.

Thanks Mav. Good to hear that, I'll be taking mine back to the dealership for sure..

[aDg3]

I just quoted $550 for a 30K service at Barloworld Five Dock and am reconsidering if I need to be bent over that hard...

Yer Barloworld are a rip for EVERYTHING!
I was about to buy my gti off them, went to another dealer and saved $1k w/o even haggling

[acdcfan]

Considering that not all VW dealers are charging the same price, does anyone in Perth know how much for 45k service?

[TDIESEL]

Had my 45k service done today - $220

For all those who were horrified at my decision to use a ULTRATUNE franchise....Oil delivered from VW dealer to the workshop was a 5L bottle of Castrol SLX Professional Powerflow (longlife 3 5W-30). The back of the container states: Castrol SLX Professional Powerflow is co-engineered in partnership with the Volkswagen Group for latest generation engines. VW 504 00/507 00.

Just goes to show that all franchises shouldn't be tarred with the same brush. They even gave me the remaining oil in the container to keep for top ups if necessary.

Maybe i'll keep the $200 i saved for my next check up at the vet

[Maverick]

Had my 45k service done today - $220

For all those who were horrified at my decision to use a ULTRATUNE franchise....Oil delivered from VW dealer to the workshop was a 5L bottle of Castrol SLX Professional Powerflow (longlife 3 5W-30). The back of the container states: Castrol SLX Professional Powerflow is co-engineered in partnership with the Volkswagen Group for latest generation engines. VW 504 00/507 00.

Just goes to show that all franchises shouldn't be tarred with the same brush. They even gave me the remaining oil in the container to keep for top ups if necessary.

Maybe i'll keep the $200 i saved for my next check up at the vet

I wouldn't be so smug yet, let's wait and see how you go with warranty claims when you've had knuckle dragging Neanderthals working on the car and they miss critical areas or break something. You get what you pay for and the same is true with car servicing. The golf is complex, the guys working at ultratune are simple... not a good combination

[acdcfan]

$349 at John Hughes Victoria Park Perth

[Russ59]

I wouldn't be so smug yet, let's wait and see how you go with warranty claims when you've had knuckle dragging Neanderthals working on the car and they miss critical areas or break something. You get what you pay for and the same is true with car servicing. The golf is complex, the guys working at ultratune are simple... not a good combination

I would have to agree with Mav on this one, first and last time I took a car to Ultratune and $140 later the problem it went in to have sorted was still present (even though it was supposedly fixed) when I picked up the car it wouldn't even idle, so I called mechanic out of the workshop, he waltzes out with his screwdriver in hand, adjusts the idle up and says you'll be right now mate. Two days later car breaks down, found out elsewhere (Laser forum) that it was a crook throttle body sensor ('92 Ford Laser) $30 for a part from the wreckers, half an hour of my own time fitting it and problem solved.

I wouldn't trust Ultratune to do my washing, let alone work on another one of my vehicles, especially a complex one like the Golf TDI. I'm not saying there all as bad as the one I had, but ask yourself the question is it worth it in the long run ?? VW services may cost a little more but at least you know that if you are loyal to them they will be loyal to you when it comes to warranty issues if required.

[Transporter]

Had my 45k service done today - $220

For all those who were horrified at my decision to use a ULTRATUNE franchise....Oil delivered from VW dealer to the workshop was a 5L bottle of Castrol SLX Professional Powerflow (longlife 3 5W-30). The back of the container states: Castrol SLX Professional Powerflow is co-engineered in partnership with the Volkswagen Group for latest generation engines. VW 504 00/507 00.

Just goes to show that all franchises shouldn't be tarred with the same brush. They even gave me the remaining oil in the container to keep for top ups if necessary.

Maybe i'll keep the $200 i saved for my next check up at the vet

Put these $200.00 aside for repairs on your car. Just in case that they missed something.

[benough]

Got my 30K service done on my GT TDI for $240 including about $120 for parts, oil etc by Derek at European Autotech, Mona Vale

Ain't no "knuckle dragging neanderthals" there.