The good, the bad, but no ugly!

My silver SE... Four months and just shy of 10k miles. Not a single problem! So time for the 10k service and a decision. To the dealer for a "free" service at the waste of a day or do it myself?

We own a heated shop equipped with a lift and the necessary tools so there isn't a worry about laying under a wet dripping car on a cold concrete floor. A huge advantage I'll admit. Then the comments here and elsewhere about oil jockeys at dealerships... The spills, the overfills, and often a question as to whether the correct oil is being used. You may assume that the dealer idea got canned.

So... Up on the lift with belly pan removed. Imagine! An insulated oil pan. A very nice touch. The belly pan? Also very nice, but I can understand why this isn't a car to take to Jiffy Lube. The rest of the underside of this car is well executed too. Just not a vehicle built to accommodate a high volume low cost shop.

Then the filter. I've heard that it's next to impossible to survive a filter change without oiling that nice piece of white insulation. I'm here to tell you that it's not impossible, just next to impossible. For want of a slightly longer piece of steel tubing and because VW saw fit to route a cable harness so tightly in the filter area, the process of filter removal is difficult to say the least. Time-consuming and very tight. I can at least understand why a tech might be tempted to take some shortcuts.

For the added few minutes I removed the plastic cable clamp for the wire harness, along with the small hose clamp toward the front. The insulated steel piping was covered with a simple plastic bag, then the cap and filter were cleanly removed. There is just enough room to get the job done without making a mess if one takes some time and is careful. VW could have made this process easier!

All in all I'm impressed. I remain of the opinion, though, that VW owners must either have a bit of talent and the proper tools or plan on shelling out large chunks of change for what would seem minor repairs and maintenance. The oil and filter change alone is a case in point if one wants to have the job done correctly.

Even if we lay aside the $50.00 cost of oil and filter, a proper change of this type is not a ten minute job. It's more of an hour to do things properly, though I'll admit to being slightly anal. Done the way I want my car serviced I'd guess nearly $100 of labor plus oil and filter. Ouch!

So up on the lift to remove the pan and drain the oil. Once drained and the plug replaced, then down for the filter removal. Once the filter has been removed and replaced and a new charge of oil, then startup and inspection. Assuming all is will, then back up in the air for lower end inspection and pan replacement.

Yup! There's the down and dirty method too. It's quicker and cheaper if all goes fairly well. And much more expensive if things don't go well. I'll pay my $50.00, take whatever time a proper job requires and remain a very pleased Passat owner.

Doing my 10k this weekend... thanks for the tip on the cable clamp on that wiring harness. Going to rotate my tires and wire in the rear fog at the same time. Wanted to do the H&R springs, but I guess I should wait until I do the timing belt on the '04, just in case.

You may have done this but before you pull the drain plug it might be a good idea to remove the oil filter. I notice that I get more oil out of the system doing this first.

Good idea on not taking it to the dealer. I speak from experience.

detroitmike said:

You may have done this but before you pull the drain plug it might be a good idea to remove the oil filter. I notice that I get more oil out of the system doing this first.

Good idea on not taking it to the dealer. I speak from experience.

Click to expand...

On all my other TDIs, I've always pulled the drain plug first, but left it out while completing the filter change. On the ALH/BEW, I do two things to get as much old oil out as possible. First, I push down on the spring loaded check valve thingie with a long screwdriver, then I use a hand vacuum pump to suck up anything else I can reach. That also gives extra time for everything to drain out of the pan. I'll see how this one compares.

gforce1108 said:

On all my other TDIs, I've always pulled the drain plug first, but left it out while completing the filter change. On the ALH/BEW, I do two things to get as much old oil out as possible. First, I push down on the spring loaded check valve thingie with a long screwdriver, then I use a hand vacuum pump to suck up anything else I can reach. That also gives extra time for everything to drain out of the pan. I'll see how this one compares.

Click to expand...

Kind of reminds me of doing an oil change on some Bell helicopter turbines (not me, I've got heli engineer friends). Part of the procedure involves using a syringe to suction out a little bit of oil here and there before you can refill & return to service. Apparently it's quite the pain in the ass to do.

Yours
Vern

Glad to hear things went ok for you doing it yourself. Mine is going into my Ann Arbor dealer when it's time for the 10k service. It's not that I cannot do an oil change myself, but I don't have the technical knowledge to know what other things to look at, what they are supposed to look like, etc. I've had really good experiences with this dealer in the past and I have no reason to believe my experience will change.

I have a question:

I am not yet anywhere near 10,000 miles and am contemplating doing all the scheduled servicing myself (with the help of a proper manual from Erwin, of course). My concern is that Volkswagen will not be OK with DIY regular maintenance should a need for any warranty work arise. I haven't been able to find any concrete answer to this on the web; however, the Warranty and Maintenance booklet does state something to the effect of that the vehicle SHOULD be serviced by either an authorized dealer or a VW certified repair facility. Of course I would use only OEM parts and OEM-spec fluids, and can, of course, keep all the receipts for them, but will that be enough to retain the warranty?

Thanks!

I've wondered about the warranty issue myself. I hope we get an answer soon as I just clicked 7k.

it's a complimentary service, not a requirement. As long as you are doing the services on time (keep a log sheet and all receipts, just in case), you shouldn't have a problem. I've never once let a dealer service any car I have ever owned (occasional warranty and recalls - if I let them)

Dealers like warranty work - it's easy money. They get paid by VW. So as long as it isn't blatant neglect, they should happily honor the warranty.

"Complimentary" may not quite be the correct term as we paid for these services when we purchased the vehicle. And probably for the majority of owners it's a reasonably good deal.

But there are those of us who seem to march to the beat of a different drummer. Be it lack of faith or trust when placing our vehicles into the hands of another or any number of other possibilities, we elect to pass on the "free" offers and do our own service work.

So here's what I absolutely know at just shy of 10k miles... The car is issue free from stem to stern. Everything is in place, alignment is perfect, no leaks, and nothing broken. Brakes are as-new just as I'd expect. The car is beautifully put together.

Further, I know for certain that the engine received the proper amount of the specified oil and a new filter. I know for certain that no oil was spilled and I know that the AdBlue tank is full with no white crystals growing anywhere in the trunk. As an added benefit I got a good look at the quality of the vehicle while doing the inspection and I learned about the car.

It's not that I have anything against my dealer. It's more about knowing for absolute certain that my car has been properly serviced and inspected. There isn't that nagging question about something having been missed or done improperly.

And after having performed the required service and inspection I've come away even more convinced that should one have the ability, then it would probably be of some profit to do the service oneself. Properly done the task takes time and effort. Given that a tech is usually paid for the amount of work he can push through, how can we really expect the level of quality we deserve when some poor guy is trying to make a living and we're just another nameless owner?

To the average tech our car is one of an unending line of cars A little oil spill or a cut corner here or there really is unimportant. To those of us who do our own service it's a different situation. ( I'm including those here who do service as a business and rely on the quality they offer as their calling card.) These are our cars or the car of a close friend or highly valued client. We hold ourselves accountable because we have skin in the game on many levels. All in all we do a better job because we care.

I have access to a heated shop and lift, but still take my car for the free service. My dealer seems to have a clue, and I have not seen the overfilling issues you all talk about.

I'm due for my 30k service next week. After that I will be doing all my own service. I will not be dropping the belly pan, I'll use an oil extractor. Pretty straightforward and have done it on boats for years.

We all do what seems best in our particular situation. You're happy with the service at your dealer? Then why not use him as long as it's convenient?

I have only two reasonable choices for dealer service... Maguire in Ithaca or Gault (where we purchased our Passats). Gaults have become friends and I take nothing away from them as far as quality of service. But 120 miles round trip and the time it takes to do the service just doesn't make sense when I can do the whole thing and know absolutely that nothing was overlooked.

So it seems three camps here. First group might be said to be tied to their dealer for lots of good reasons. Second group is happy with their dealer which is a wonderful thing. Last are those of us who choose to do our own work or take our cars to expert (but non-dealer) techs.

Nothing wrong with any of these choices in my opinion. Let's just hope that those who have no choice in the matter have a great dealer with quality service people who actually give a care.

Did my 10k today - doesn't take any longer than my Jetta. The drain plug was just barely snug. Really surprised me when it moved so easily. Also found that the front brake rotor attachment screw fell out (wonder what else is loose?!?!?). Thought it was missing, but later found it sitting on the floor of the garage. Slight tire wear on the front, the backs like new (expected) but perfectly even across the tread. Still very quiet too (17" Hankooks).

That pretty much sums up the 'ugly' on mine. I do have some wind noise from the passenger rear 1/4 window, but I can only hear it with the radio off (so basically, never). There was a clip missing on the passenger sunvisor when I got the car too. That's it... 10k miles, 5 months today I believe.