Suggestions for 15000km service in WA

[pom829]

When you read the code from the ECU that refers to particular component, it doesn't automatically mean that, that component is faulty. And as Maverick said they have to properly diagnose and test it, otherwise the same fault could happen again and you would have to go to the dealer again.

Very often the equipment (your scanner in the phone) is useless without the knowledge, workshop manuals, troubleshooting guides and special tools.

Lets hope there're not just relying on the fault code or did they diagnose a faulty pump through good old fashion fault finding, who's to say it isn't another part/item within that area?
As I said we'll see on Thursday.

[reaction]

I can recommend Golfwagen, they are very good and very helpful. Had a look for me at that stupid acuator rod rattle and tried to see if they can fix it.

Wangara is useless, I will never have anything good to say about them. From the day I went to take my car for a test drive, to them taking almost 3 weeks to confirm my 7,500km service (which never happened)

Had my car a John Hughes for its 15,000km service they were also very helpfull and did a good job at a very good price.

[Coaster]

Very simple rule for me.........car for daily commute, will never take to the tracks but will sometimes drive it hard for the fun factor == 15000kms before first service and so on.

Exactly. I've never seen the oil temp go above 86ºC, even on the hottest days, and the water never wavers from the ~90ºC mark. Seems like VW has these 'extreme conditions' well within it's control.

Servicing for extreme operating conditions is the exception rather than the rule. If it is an inherent issue due to the prevailing climate, then the service schedule for Australia would be 7,500km intervals. But it isn't.

[Transporter]

Exactly. I've never seen the oil temp go above 86ºC, even on the hottest days, and the water never wavers from the ~90ºC mark. Seems like VW has these 'extreme conditions' well within it's control.

Servicing for extreme operating conditions is the exception rather than the rule. If it is an inherent issue due to the prevailing climate, then the service schedule for Australia would be 7,500km intervals. But it isn't.

That is unusual, if you drive the car during +30deg.C day for 1/2hour or more the temperature should be around 100deg.C. Unless you drive only down the hill.

[Maverick]

Exactly. I've never seen the oil temp go above 86ºC, even on the hottest days, and the water never wavers from the ~90ºC mark. Seems like VW has these 'extreme conditions' well within it's control.

The coolant never wavers from the 90ºC mark because the gauge is designed to sit at 90ºC and not move unless it falls way outside a range to prevent people from constantly jumping on the internet or calling their dealers complaining that their coolant must be faulty as their temperature keeps varying. If you measure the actual temperature it does vary a fair bit depending on the driving, even at idle after driving for a while it will jump when you slow down the car until the fans kick in.

As for the oil temperature, it shouldn't always be under 86ºC unless you're driving or testing under the same conditions all the time. The oil temperatures I've seen are generally around 90ºC to 110ºC depending on the type of driving. Push the car hard and the GTI at least will head up to 120ºC. TDI's should have a higher oil temperature under the same conditions by around 5-10ºC. I'm in QLD so temperatures will generally be a bit higher due to higher ambient temperatures but this doesn't make a huge difference.

Servicing for extreme operating conditions is the exception rather than the rule. If it is an inherent issue due to the prevailing climate, then the service schedule for Australia would be 7,500km intervals. But it isn't.

Is it? Seems to me that unless you don't use the car for commuting, don't go WOT on a regular basis, don't drive in dusty areas or park the car outside overnight when it's cold that you can use the 15,000km intervals otherwise it's recommended to use the 7,500km intervals.

Severe operating conditions as defined by Volkswagen.

• Regular short trips or stop and go operation in urban traffic
• High percentage of cold starts
• Vehicle is used in areas with winter temperatures over a long period
• Regular long periods of idling (e.g. taxis)
• Vehicle is often driven under full load or towing a trailer
• Using diesel with elevated sulphur content
• Regular operation in areas with high levels of dust

[Corey_R]

I guess it depends on what the definition of a "cold start" is and a "short trip".

I mean, these cars come from Europe where "cold" could very well mean -10c, compared to our "cold" of say 12c (in Sydney, more in WA/QLD, less in SA/TAS).

As for short... is 15km short? 30km?

[Maverick]

I guess it depends on what the definition of a "cold start" is and a "short trip".

I mean, these cars come from Europe where "cold" could very well mean -10c, compared to our "cold" of say 12c (in Sydney, more in WA/QLD, less in SA/TAS).

As for short... is 15km short? 30km?

I would guess a short trip would be one where the car isn't able to get up to operating temperature so for a petrol car might be 10km and a diesel 20km?

In cold climates they have products to assist like block heaters and VW fit components designed for that region so it's possible that cold starts here during winter could be just as harmful as cold starts in a cold climate.

Comes down to the owner using some common sense, if they have a few cold starts a year and rarely go WOT and mainly drive long distances servicing at 15,000kms intervals is probably fine but if you do shorter trips and/or go WOT often it would be beneficial to change the oil more frequently.

[pom829]

How did you go at Melville's?

Car went back into VW Melville today to have a new coolant pump fitted as that was the fault diagnosed by the ECU. After todays experience I've got nothing but praise for the service department. Car was dropped of at 08.00 and had a phone call by 10.55 that the car was repaired. Very polite, and extremely quick.

[police state]

I think I will get my car done at Quattro Motors for a few reasons:

1. Wangara Volkswagen, where I bought the car is 40-50km away
2. I live around the corner from Quattros, so I can drop it off and walk home
3. Quattros did my APR stage 1, so I don't have to worry about hiding it

I think I'll get the oil change done at around 7000km as well.

Maybe I'm tempting fate with potential major issues but convenience wins the day.

[Prodigy]

Car went back into VW Melville today to have a new coolant pump fitted as that was the fault diagnosed by the ECU. After todays experience I've got nothing but praise for the service department. Car was dropped of at 08.00 and had a phone call by 10.55 that the car was repaired. Very polite, and extremely quick.

Good to hear all went well mate.

I'm still not going to return though.

[dieterbohlen]

If you need to do a service or have any problems with the car, do you need to go to the dealer you bought your car from or can you go down to the nearest VW dealer to get your car services/fixed under warranty?

[Prodigy]

If you need to do a service or have any problems with the car, do you need to go to the dealer you bought your car from or can you go down to the nearest VW dealer to get your car services/fixed under warranty?

You can go to any VW dealer.

[Converted]

Car went back into VW Melville today to have a new coolant pump fitted as that was the fault diagnosed by the ECU. After todays experience I've got nothing but praise for the service department. Car was dropped of at 08.00 and had a phone call by 10.55 that the car was repaired. Very polite, and extremely quick.

Haven't been following the forum for sometime now and just came across your post. I've recently had my waterpump replaced too (same as coolant pump? pardon the ignorance). The coolant symbol came on after my first service and I thought they'd forgotten to top the coolant up so went back and had it filled. The light came back on after 2 weeks, brought it back into the workshop and they found the pump to be leaking, had to wait a week for the part to arrive from Sydney.
Wonder if this is a common VW fault.

[Diesel_vert]

I would consider anything less than nominal operating temperatures a "cold start".

Granted, starting an engine at 30°C is less stressful than starting up at 0°C, but you're still more than 60°C away from nominal operating temperatures - when the engine is designed to be most efficient.

Similarly, I would also consider any trip, where nominal operating temperatures are not reached before stopping the engine, a short journey.


Regarding service regimes, here is some information from VW's 504/507 oil brochure;

LongLife Regime - variable, up to 30 000 km or 24 months

To obtain the most benefit from the LongLife service regime, the car should to be generally driven
in a style/condition of use listed below:

• Mainly longer distance journeys
• Limited number of cold starts, engine is kept at operating temperature over a longer period of time
• Daily mileage above approx. 25 miles (40 km)
• Constant speed
• Vehicle used regularly


Do I have to use LongLife oil all the time? (i.e. 504/507 oil)

Yes. If you want to take advantage of the LongLife service regime. Please note that if the engine
is topped up with more than 0.5 litre of non-LongLife oil (i.e. 502/505 oil) between services, the
service indicator will come on earlier and the time or distance between services will be reduced.


Time/Distance Regime - fixed, at 15 000 km or 12 months

If your car is driven in a style if listed below, it may be more appropriate to opt for the Time and
Distance regime:

• Extremely uneconomical driving style i.e. continual maximum acceleration i.e. ‘foot to floor’
• Vehicle fully loaded
• Mainly short journeys
• Frequent cold starts
• Frequent hill climbs
• Frequent towing
• City centre driving

(Click here for full document)

I believe all Australian delivered vehicles are setup to use the Time/Distance Regime, so don't worry about LongLife Regimes and 30k service intervals. BTW, unleaded 95 and 98 petrol in Australia is allowed to contain up to 5 times the amount of sulphur than is currently allowed in Europe (50 ppm vs 10 ppm) so no one will be able to achieve 30k here in any case.

Instead, use the above information to help you determine whether it would be beneficial to change the oil more frequently. If you drive your vehicle according to the conditions listed under "LongLife Regime", consider a 15k/12m service interval more than sufficient.

On the other hand, if you more fit the profile according to the conditions listed under "Time/Distance Regime", then you may consider a 7.5k/6m oil change interval, which is again more than sufficient (just ask the dealer/workshop for an oil & filter change - not a service).

As always, I recommend using 504/507 oils whenever possible, even on a 7.5k/6m OCI.


But it is a marvel of engineering that under the right conditions, these engines, when used with correct lubricants, are capable of very long drain intervals indeed.

[Corey_R]

I would consider anything less than nominal operating temperatures a "cold start".

Granted, starting an engine at 30°C is less stressful than starting up at 0°C, but you're still more than 60°C away from nominal operating temperatures - when the engine is designed to be most efficient.

I completely disagree. If only because, from that description everyone would fall into the severe category and therefore there would be no such thing as the 15,000km/1 year service intervals! hehe

(unless there are some countries where the average temp is 60°C that I'm unaware of)