Rod, all VAG gas engines have the same oil change intervals as the TDIs, and have been that way for quite some time, along with many other gas powered cars.
No tune ups? Can't say I have had to "tune up" any gas cars in the last 10 years either. In fact, their engine management systems are super simple in comparison to the new EDC17 system.
I have a 2010 Golf here that needs a $1600 turbocharger and it only has 57,000 miles. The DPF alone took a good chunk of the afternoon to get off. It has a lambda sensor, two delta pressure sensors, three exhaust temp sensors, $167 apiece pressure-sensing glow plugs, two EGR valves, a throttle valve on the intake, another on the exhaust, a twin-path changeover valve for the intake, three fuel pumps, a diesel particle filter, a de-NOx catalyst, a de-sulfur catalyst, and one of the most complex engine management systems ever known to man (Bosch EDC17). It is, by FAR,
the most complex four cylinder engine one can purchase in this country today, even moreso than VAG's own gasoline turbo DI 4 cylinder.
Now I still like these cars, but let's face it, the reality of owning one is not the pie-in-the-sky it was when I bought my first TDI in 1998, that cost a meager $1300 more than an otherwise identical gas version of the same car, smacked down 50+ MPGs right out of the box (compared to ~30 MPG in the gasser... at best), and it did EVERYTHING better. It was better to drive, quieter on the highway, and just plain ran better.
Now, it costs (depending on model/trim) about $5000 more to purchase, gets maybe 7 to 11 MPG better, and has thrice the complexity. Anyone thinking of SELLING a good running PD car should think twice. Anyone selling an ALH car should be slapped.