VW 40,000 mile service

dakota

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 24, 2004
Location
Bloomington, MN
TDI
2003 Jetta TDI
My 2003 Jetta TDI is coming up on 40,000 miles. VW has a recommended service at that mileage, and in talking with them, it seems like mostly scam. They said "oil, filter, air filter, fuel filter, water separator" (I'm ok with these things), but then they said things like "inspect ball joints, brakes" and a bunch of other things that seemed to be in the category of "grease muffler bearings, refill blinker fluid" and so on. I'm ok with inspecting stuff, but the total cost is in the neighborhood of $450 or so. That seems a tad high for oil, filter, air filter, fuel filter, top offs and visual inspections. Anybody out there have any opinions on this? Are they jerking me around or is this all legitimate?
 

dakota

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 24, 2004
Location
Bloomington, MN
TDI
2003 Jetta TDI
That's pretty much what I was thinking. But, I think my concern is that if I don't bring it in to the dealer for this service, will it void the factory warranty?
 

okimavich

Veteran Member
Joined
May 20, 2004
Location
Maryland
TDI
`16 Audi A6
There has been some recent concern about how detailed you need to be with documentation. I suggest you keep a good record of when you buy supplies and when you do the work. But otherwise, the dealer should not give you more than average trouble about honoring warranties.
 

Birdman

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 7, 1999
Location
Near Hagerstown MD.
TDI
Jetta 2001 Died by Truck one snowy day. Jetta 2003
They can not by law void a warrenty because you do it yourself. They can ask for paper work showing that it was done . just keep a log and the receipts.
 

tjl

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 19, 2001
Location
California, USA
TDI
2001 Golf GLS
Other than oil and filter, what maintenance do you folks do?
Every 10k miles: rotate tires, inspect brake pads and tires (maybe a few more things as listed in the checklist), drain water separator
Every 20k miles: change fuel, air, and cabin filters, inspect a few more things as given in the checklist

Basically, follow the checklist given in the owner's manual. Obviously, some stuff like brake pads, timing belt, tires, etc. eventually needs replacement.

If no additional replacements are called for by inspection, a 10k service should take about 3-4 hours and $30 of parts and fluids for a DIY home mechanic with the tools and Bentley manual needed to do the job correctly and safely. 20k/40k service 4-5 hours and $100 in parts and fluids. A professional mechanic in a shop should be able to do the job in half or less time.
 
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