VW servicing expensive - what are the alternatives please

marytee

Hi

I have a 1.9 tdi scirocco which is due for its first MOT in June. Although I would like to have the service and MOT done at the VW dealership, the cost is off putting

What are your thoughts on alternatives? Which ones? Halfords etc?
Grateful for any advice

w211

Try getting quotes from a Seat or Skoda garage, and see what they charge.

anotherbaldrick

Look for a good independent , we have one near us I use and recommend but you need to say what area you live in so that you can be advised locally.

Stoke

A good independent will do the jobs at a much better price. A handy friend or neighbour, may be able to drop the oil and change the air filter for you.

If you do go independent, make sure he stamps your service book.

pete428

be very carefull that the correct oil is used on your vw. you must use longlife oil, its more expensive but using other/heavier oil can lead to further issues down the line. can the backstreet garage switch off your service light, check for system updates or recalls, also vw will guarantee there work. also consider once you get work done outside a vw dealership you throw away any loyalty if you were to have problems with the car, customer services would not offer any help on parts or labour.

G_M

Find an independant VW specialist. A lot of them are run by guys who were trained by/worked for VW dealerships and he set up on their own. Many do a far better job than the dealerships, and include stuff in services that the dealers don't (eg lubricating moving parts).

Don't go to a general independant who boasts they'll do any make - you want a specialist.

force_ten

for a three year old car i would stay within the dealer network for service

not really very money-saving but just my take on it, in years to come if you had a major problem and had to rely on the dealer for good will then if you are outside the dealer network then you will not get any good will

if the car is serviced by the dealer to their requirements and you have a major issue then you have better leverage for a good will payment

I had new front coil springs fitted by ford outside the warranty period as a good will offer, the car had covered low miles and the dealer said they should never have failed so soon so they were done free of charge

gilbert_and_sullivan

Yes i too would get it serviced by the main dealer this time, if anything goes wrong in the 4th year then goodwill should feature, well in theory, worth phoning around dealers in other areas on your travels, prices vary, get car serviced whilst you are visiting maybe.

Many long term owners of German cars find themselves a good make specific indy once warranty is gone though, worth finding, they tend to diagnose and fix rather than throw ever more new parts at a problem.

kadison

When I changed from my trusty Peugeot to VW, the peugeot garage told me that they would be able to do servicing for the new car even if it was under warranty, as long as the right parts/oils are used I don't think it causes problems with the warranty, might be best to double-check your documents.

Dieselman

You bought a new car and you want Halfords to service it.:mad:

The main dealers have the latest updates and those service stamps mean more than a fast fit place will if you have any warranty issues.

Vw specialist if your really hard up but main dealer is the place to go till it's gone past 3 years.

sazpot

We have our VW serviced at the main dealer and they will price match other garages (has worked at 2 different VW dealers), saved £70 by asking for a price match last time!