What type of service do I need - VW Golf

2016housebuyer

I have a 56 plate VW Golf, I usually have a full service every year before it has the MOT. 

This year it’s literally been driven about 5 times since March due to shielding during lockdown and working from home. So essentially it’s only been used for 6 months out of the last year. 

Do I still need to have a ‘full service’ done or would it only need oil/filter change or something in between?

L9XSS

Depends, if you like to have your service booklet fully stamped then yes. As it’s  an older vehicle then i personally would hold off for another 6 months, your oil will still be fresh.
just check the basics around the car, coolant, oil level, brake pad wear, condition of discs etc.

sweetsand

2016housebuyer said:

I have a 56 plate VW Golf, I usually have a full service every year before it has the MOT. 

This year it’s literally been driven about 5 times since March due to shielding during lockdown and working from home. So essentially it’s only been used for 6 months out of the last year. 

Do I still need to have a ‘full service’ done or would it only need oil/filter change or something in between?

We usally let our services slip as most makers allow 30 days or 1k miles whichever comes first but this si for the warranty on the cars and breakdown they provide. We've hardly done any miles on the S clss, 1500 miles since last serive I think but becuse its such a complexed machine and has air suspension and a lot of other stuff we went for the service.

oil degrades but i guess a few months won't make a difference on the low miles and most higher end cars tell you oil, and water levels, washer levels, tyre pressures, brake pads wearing lights so if you've hardly driven the car, the tyres, brkaes should be ok but check tyres for screws/etc  - personally if i had an old car like your, I'd wait if there was service history like you said and hardly driven. However, the choice is yours and I hope I've helped.
Thanks

2016housebuyer

Thanks for the replies, it’s actually booked in the garage tomorrow for service and MOT. It wouldn’t feel right cancelling the service completely with such little notice as it’s a small independent garage but from your replies it seems like a full service isn’t necessary so I might just ask them to do a ‘minor service’, whatever that entails. 

sweetsand

do that as a minor service is sually only engine oil and filter and checks - but then you will be delaying the major for at lease a year - they are most likley to say to you, you need the full service

ATB

LudaMusser

There’s no reason to have a full service every year unless you are doing HUGE miles. Bar the oil filter, the other filters most probably don’t need changing for another three years. I don’t know the servicing schedule for a 2006 Golf but it’s a bit OTT changing everything every year. Some filters don’t need changing until 30-40k miles 

Scrapit

Read your handbook. They usually say, assuming its been stamped previously.

tacpot12

Mickey666 has the right idea. 

fred246

If you DIY it's easy and cheap to follow the schedule. If you can't DIY and money is tight, for low mileage cars I always thought the oil change plus MOT route was quite clever. At one stage the fast fit places were offering oil changes. When they realised people were getting them instead of services they stopped offering it.

Mercdriver

Come on now Fred, do your homework properly.  Halfords do an oil and filter change starting at £68.  If they are doing it, I'm pretty sure all the others are.

The_Rainmaker

sweetsand said:

oil degrades 

Oil won't degrade on any time frame that the OP is talking about.  Just nonsense.