4 Year Service Costs

[PeterHBne]

This thread should be closed lest Jimmy read it and get ideas..........

[NickZ]

Thanks for the suggestion Transporter
What would you say the benefits would be? I called Camden GTI up and they couldn't give me an exact quote but said it wouldn't be more than $600 parts and labor. A part of this price included $120 just for 4 Bosch spark plugs.

Repco for $420 with all due respect seems too cheap for a major service - did you ask what oil will they use? A proper VW 502 approved or some cheap stuff? Are they going to use the right oil filter and not a Ryco?

$600 for all parts provided is very reasonable IMO and for the extra $180 you would have peace of mind that your car is being serviced with the right parts by the right people.

[brad]

Thanks for the suggestion Transporter
What would you say the benefits would be? I called Camden GTI up and they couldn't give me an exact quote but said it wouldn't be more than $600 parts and labor. A part of this price included $120 just for 4 Bosch spark plugs.

Drew, i have a Skoda Octavia. I used to get it serviced at the VW dealer in Campbelltown & they quoted the 60,000km for $900+ and after some discussion on what they were actually offering for the money, came down to ~$700-ish.

I eventually had the 60,000km done at Camden GTI & it was significantly less than $700 but I didn't get spark plugs done. Indeed, the correct Bosch spark plugs are $20-$30 each. I was quite satisfied that CamdenGTI used the correct oil & an OEM spec filter. They also scanned my ECU and found a small issue that needs to be looked at by the dealer (N75 fault).

Before committing to Repco, I'd ask them:

• What oil are you using & what VW specification does it comply with? (502.00 at a minimum, 504.00 better still)
• What brand of oil filter will you use? (It should sound German )
• What scan will you do on the ECU? A simple ODBC or a VCDS/VagCom (you want the latter).

Think of your service manual too. A dealer or specialist stamp means a lot more than a firm that services any car that rolls into the workshop.

[Drew]

Hi All,

Thanks for the replies, I've had a couple of busy weeks and totally missed your responses before going ahead with the service.
I ended up doing some more research and was happy to continue with Repco.
I ended up getting Synpower 5w-40 (505.01 from what I can find on the net), and not sure what filter (I plan on doing a change mid service anyway).
Before I saw your feedback about the spark plugs I ended up pulling out the socket set and checking my spark plug type, I called Repco and they were able to fit the exact NGK type that came with the car. The Repco mechanic seemed like a switched on guy, He's an ex-Jaguar mechanic.

From what I can see, the things I may have missed were an ECU check, and a brake fluid bleed (Camden GTI said they do this, while the Repco mechanic said they do it on a per-need basis).

I think next service I'll give Camden GTI a call, it'd be interesting to meet some other enthusiasts and potentially get my ECU scanned.

Having said that - I had a random coincidence where my Tyre pressure warning light came on within an hour after the service. I took it back to Repco and they plugged their diagnostic computer in, they couldn't find any errors and all I needed to do was press the reset button in the middle of the dash!! It's funny as the mechanic said my POG didn't even have tyre pressure sensors. I guess the warning lamp is on some sort of timer that just happened to go off within such a short time after the service!

[brad]

Press what button in the middle of the dash? (a photo would be good)

[noone]

Tyre flat sensor is same sensor as ABS. It measures the difference in rotation, so if the Tyres were low and pumped up, or let down it senses a change. Supposedly you should press and hold the button until it beeps after changing tyre pressure.

[brad]

That's what I'm alluding to. Mech wasted 30 minutes of billable time doing scans for a system he claims isn't fitted to the car when all he had to do was reset the TPMS button on the dash.

Also, I'm assuming it's a petrol engine & drew quotes the diesel spec - I'd assume the oil is also 502.00 but meh...

[seangti]

That's the difference between someone that knows VW's, or works on everything that comes through the door. Some of the chains have great mechanics so I wouldn't write them off on that alone, but it's also nice to know the bloke who's working on the car is as enthusiastic about your ride as you are. The chains typically keep these guys out the back.

A little off track here, but my brother was a mechanic at Alfa Romeo in brissy, that workshop ensured that the owner knew who the mechanic was who worked on their car. The owners would ask for X mechanic, etc. Now at toyota, they're locked out the back, not to be heard or seen... I like to know who's working on the car, certianly keeps the mechanics more engaged to.

[Drew]

Press what button in the middle of the dash? (a photo would be good)

Here you go

http://i1112.photobucket.com/albums/k494/Loudmute2/Pog_Dash.jpg

[brad]

Here you go

http://i1112.photobucket.com/albums/...2/Pog_Dash.jpg

is that not the TPMS reset button? You press it after adjusting the tyre pressure.

[Drew]

That's what I'm alluding to. Mech wasted 30 minutes of billable time doing scans for a system he claims isn't fitted to the car when all he had to do was reset the TPMS button on the dash.

Also, I'm assuming it's a petrol engine & drew quotes the diesel spec - I'd assume the oil is also 502.00 but meh...

Hi brad,

You're right, I was looking at the MST value instead of HST, nuder HST the Valvoline SynPower 5W-40 is rated as VW 502.00/505.00

http://www.valvoline.com/pdf/SynPower.pdf

Regarding the Repco Mechanic - he didn't charge me for scanning the system.

[Drew]

is that not the TPMS reset button? You press it after adjusting the tyre pressure.

Yeah I know that now - I've only had the car for a couple months, I had no idea what the button did. Newbie fail I guess.

[brad]

Regarding the Repco Mechanic - he didn't charge me for scanning the system.

nor should he.

I meant that he wasted hs own billable time through his own ignorance. I guess he's on a wage rather than being self-employed.

[Blitzen]

Yeah I know that now - I've only had the car for a couple months, I had no idea what the button did. Newbie fail I guess.

Hahaha... It's all there in the owners manual.