Keep full service history or service myself ??

stevec

stevec

Member
Wales
Hi all.
Right doug is 17 years young and has full audi and vw/audi specialist service history currently on 134k miles.
Service due in 300miles only a lube/inspection service this time. Next year is a biggie(belts, water pump, fuel filter etc).
Do i:-
A) Service car myself using bosch parts /high quality oil etc
B) keep up fsh by putting car into vw/audi specialist for service?
All thoughts much appreciated.
Thanks Steve
 
stevec said:
Hi all.
Right doug is 17 years young and has full audi and vw/audi specialist service history currently on 134k miles.
Service due in 300miles only a lube/inspection service this time. Next year is a biggie(belts, water pump, fuel filter etc).
Do i:-
A) Service car myself using bosch parts /high quality oil etc
B) keep up fsh by putting car into vw/audi specialist for service?
All thoughts much appreciated.
Thanks Steve
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DIY IMHO. ?
 
Darpod14 said:
Defo diy if you can, then next year get the biggie done by specialist ?
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Agreed one thing doing an oil change but many perspective future buyers would like to see cam belts and water pump done by a pro ..That’s not saying your not competent ...
 
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....and fill in the device record yourself, you could even get a little rubber stamp made up for a few pounds!

Andy
 
I'd get the service, as specified in the owners manual, done by a recognised VAG Independent. Anything outside of that, which you can do yourself, then do so, (using OEM or OEM equivalent, ie not "no name cheapies) and keeping receipts. Any work you do yourself is best done before MoT and service. I'd tell my indie what I'd done too.
A 17 year FSH is worth a few quid in my opinion.
Mac.
 
stevec said:
Hi all.
Right doug is 17 years young and has full audi and vw/audi specialist service history currently on 134k miles.
Service due in 300miles only a lube/inspection service this time. Next year is a biggie(belts, water pump, fuel filter etc).
Do i:-
A) Service car myself using bosch parts /high quality oil etc
B) keep up fsh by putting car into vw/audi specialist for service?
All thoughts much appreciated.
Thanks Steve
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Hi Steve, I agree with the comments from above, do your own servicing, keep the receipts, sign the history and outsource any big mechanicals to a recommended independent ... can't see that an Audi stamp will make any difference to the value or resale price at this stage ... I went this route as soon as the car was out of warranty and would say that it's given me a lot of satisfaction over the years doing it myself ... and saved several hundred pounds.
Good luck ... Tom
 
If you do it yourself how do you the display that says service in 300 miles which is what ours says although it had a major service in March!
 
robrace said:
If you do it yourself how do you the display that says service in 300 miles which is what ours says although it had a major service in March!
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Hi Rob ... it tells you in the hand book but here's a YouTube link from 'Mr Broons':
This will reset it to 9300 miles ... just a slight edit ... I have always followed the 'long service' schedule and even when I got the car back from the Audi dealership, on no occasion was it reset to 20,000 miles long service ... there will be a way to do this but beyond my knowledge!

 
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I think after 15-20 years a garage FSH is nice to have but not essential. If you've clearly done the work and have the invoices I'm possibly more inclined to trust the care and attention of the owner's servicing than a unknown garage.
 
Personally, a main dealer FSH is always top of my priority list and ensures the highest resale values, but a similar detailed history from a specialist is almost as good. However if you have the tools, time and know how, then why not....
 
I would much rather have a specialist independent taking over the history of a car I’m looking at once the warranty period had run out - These are typically the best mechanics from the parent brand who set up on their own as they had the confidence in their skills and abilities.

One of my best mates was an apprentice Volkswagen technician around the same time as when the A2 was current - most of his colleagues were either very young or of questionable intelligence! Also he had a lot of stories that the management team at that dealership would no doubt be keen to keep secret.

My local Indy in Exeter was awarded top Seat technician of the year for 3 or 4 years running before he set up shop 15 years ago. I was happy that my Touran was in very good hands - they seemed to get that I am more enthusiastic than most owners of 5 year old cars and their approach reflected this (although as an aside I’m as yet undecided as to whether to trust them with Merlin as they have limited A2 experience).
 
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Do what you can yourself, its not like you need the garage to keep your warranty valid on your car anymore!

If i was buying a car, and could see the previous owner had done the work themselfs, this would increase my chance of buying the car personally.
 
Crgwal said:
Do what you can yourself, its not like you need the garage to keep your warranty valid on your car anymore!

If i was buying a car, and could see the previous owner had done the work themselfs, this would increase my chance of buying the car personally.
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Good point there Crgwal ... even when you buy a new car there is no requirement to have it serviced by a franchised dealer to uphold a warranty claim, providing you can show that your car has been serviced with genuine parts and consumables ... I speak from experience when a Honda dealership tried to tell me otherwise!!
 
Tomscar said:
Good point there Crgwal ... even when you buy a new car there is no requirement to have it serviced by a franchised dealer to uphold a warranty claim, providing you can show that your car has been serviced with genuine parts and consumables ... I speak from experience when a Honda dealership tried to tell me otherwise!!
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The only caveat is that any work on a new car that is not done by a franchised garage must be carried out by a business registered for VAT in order for the warranty to be maintained.
 
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