No problem with first oil change at dealer...

[dave729]

After reading countless postings of dealer problems with oil changes (wrong oil, too much, etc) I was expecting the worst with my first oil change for my JSW. I had no need to be concerned.
Needing a spare bottle of oil to have, I used a previously suggested method of asking for a fifth quart to keep in the car with me. When the service was done, I had a bottle of gold Castrol 507 in the passenger seat. Four liters were on the invoice for VW reimbursement, and one for me to pay for. So, I can say, based on my initial experience, that the service dept at Southpoint VW in Baton Rouge, Louisiana knows what to put in TDI's.
A side note for any TDIers in Acadiana, the Southpoint service writer said construction is done on their new dealership in Lafayette on Johnston St., and it should open within the next couple of weeks, under the name Southwest VW. They already have mechanics who have been in training at Southpoint in BR, plus a service manager there also. Good news -- it'll save the hour+ drive...

 

[tdiatlast]

I'm curious. Did you happen to see the invoice that the service advisor generates, to give to the tech doing the service? At my dealer (and I was told it is thruout the VWoA system), that invoice says 5 liters, which the tech would take to the parts man, get handed 5 liters, etc. etc.

Is it possible they've finally managed to change this?

 

[dweisel]

My wife just had the warranty oil change done on her 09 ?Etta Sedan at the end of Sept and the invoice still shows a quantity of 5.

Dweisel

 

[Exmasonite]

I too will chime in with a + story on my recent first oil change experience.

'09 JSW, purchased 07/09. No problems noted aside from the backing of the rear seat peeling back from poor adhesive.

Took to dealership, Williams Autoworld in Lansing, MI.

Asked the questions:

1) What sort of oil will you be using in my Jetta.
answer: the proper 507 spec oil, of course. good to ask though.

2) How much will you be putting in, i've heard some horror stories about damage from overfill.
Answer: Refill amt is 4.2 Liters. You WILL see 5 L on your invoice... not all 5 will be put in. (he'd been asked that before. He also encouraged me to check oil level myself to make sure)

Oil change took a little while... about 90 minutes. Tires rotated, they confirmed the upholstery problem and said they'd have to set up an appt with another company to handle repair, probably take 1/2-full day. I pointedly asked about brake wear, rear in particular- all pads are 95% or better.

Purchased an extra liter of the LL whatever 507 spec oil to have in the car. To be safe, i drove around for 10 min, warmed up the car, drove back to dealer. Checked the oil dipstick and it was definitely FULL but not overly so- had the service manage confirm that also as I was 90% sure i was reading it right but wanted to be certain.

Sticker on the window says next oil change at 19,500 although the service manager did say, "well, i still say you do oil changes every 5K if you plan on having the car a long time."
I then asked him if VW would cover my "15K mile oil change" and he said no. I said i'd see him at 19,500.

Overall, a good experience and very happy. That was 1400 miles/8 days ago and no problems noted.

 

[Rather Be Biking]

Mine was a good experience as well @ Schmitt's Garage (Dealer) near Buffalo. As a polite precaution and subtle reminder I asked if I could have the 5th almost full bottle of 507 spec oil -- since, as I explained, I knew 507 wasn't available in bulk and that they would be opening a 5th bottle and not using most of it. They showed me the oil, and left the 5th bottle in the rear about 2 ounces down. Also filled my almost empty Windshield Washer tank, roated tires etc. Coffee was decent as well. They also took the door apart and fixed a rattle (passenger door rattle which can be aleiviated by lowering the window a hair). The rattle came back a week later. I let them know when they sent me a follow-up email. They've apologized a few times and have been trying to get me back in there so they could fix it. It's just not really a pressing issue for me. Seems more pressing for them to want to do the job right. Overall, and odly pleasant experience. Maybe the supposed Guru down the block (Black Forest Motorsports) keeps them on their toes.

 

[Plus 3 Golfer]

X5^

I also had good experiences with my 10k (Berge in AZ) and 20k service (Sendell in PA). Both SAs when asked told me they will use 507 oil. The invoices showed the correct part number and 5 liters of oil. I checked the oil levels and the fill level was spot on.

 

[tdiatlast]

Hey Rather Be Biking, Exmasonite, and Plus 3 Golfer,
Double check your oil level. Should have been filled with 4 liters, not 4.2. There shouldn't even be a 5th bottle involved!

Exmasonite, I hope they told you how to read your dipstick properly. I find it isn't easy. Best way is to wipe it clean, put it back in, wait a few seconds, withdraw it and place it on a clean paper towel. Then rotate the dipstick...the oil stain will give you the best indicator of your oil level. Looking at the stick can be just too misleading.

Curiously, I spoke with the service director at the dealership that overfilled my JSW a few months back. He remembered me by name, and apologized again for the screw-up. I asked if VWoA had done anything about correcting the invoices that state "5 liters" for the amount the 09 TDI requires, when it should read 4. He says that it STILL ISN'T FIXED, but that they're (?) working on it.
I told him that the VW dealership reputation, already quite poor, is only getting worse because of these idioitic issues with the simplest of tasks, and that there are fewer and fewer loyal VW folk (idiots to some here!) that feel that a strong dealer service network is critical to the health of ANY automobile manufacturer. He appeared to be listening...at least he didn't nod off...
...sigh...

 

[Plus 3 Golfer]

As I said tdiatlast, the oil level after both services were spot on - checked before leaving the dealers and again after the oil blackens a bit. The new "unblacked" oil on the dipstick is very difficult to see but after pulling the dipstick, wiping it, reinserting it, and then checking it again, on close examination the oil can be seen on the dipstick. I'll also try the paper towel trick next time.

Also, I am well aware of the 4/5 liter invoice and overfilling issues and the reason I question the SA prior to the work and check the oil levels after the service. Until I change my own oil, I cannot validate the exact quantity of oil it will take to reach the proper fill level on my TDI for an oil change - whether that is 3.8l, 4.0l, 4.2l or something else. It's very likely that a dry fill may be 4.2 liters. I don't have a Bentleys yet for the CBEA but IIRC, they usually list both dry fill and oil change capacities for various engines.

 

[tdiatlast]

I hear you, Plus 3. I would think, though, that with a used engine, there's no such thing as a "dry" fill, as there is always residual left in the cylinders, in the oil pan, cooler,etc. In fact, at the dealer, they don't take the time for a complete drain, and they get nowhere near 4 liters out of the engine, and probably require less than the 4 liters (according to the owner's manual)to re-fill it.
Sounds like you're on top of it. Hope I didn't sound too preachy. I was just a little hot from my talk with my local dealer, and the fact that the invoices STILL say 5 liters. It's no wonder the lowly oil-change jocks are confused...

 

[dave729]

I'm curious. Did you happen to see the invoice that the service advisor generates, to give to the tech doing the service? At my dealer (and I was told it is thruout the VWoA system), that invoice says 5 liters, which the tech would take to the parts man, get handed 5 liters, etc. etc.
Is it possible they've finally managed to change this?

I saw the two invoices I had to sign: the customer invoice and the invoice to VWoA for the reimbursement for the service plus the parts. Both had 4 liters on them for the oil change, the customer invoice had the charge for the extra liter I requested to keep in the back of the JSW. I can't imagine if they used a 5th quart they wouldn't have listed it for reimbursement...

 

[El Dobro]

If I didn't do my own first oil change I wouldn't have found that my oil filter was collapsed in on itself.

 

[dave729]

El Dobro, what did you do once you discovered it?

 

[El Dobro]

I first contacted VW Customer Care and was given the usual BS from them. "Welcome to the VW family, go see the dealer". I contacted VW in Germany and was told to see VWoA. When I sent Germany a photo of the filter, my phone starting ringing off the hook. I got a call from an exec and they asked me to ship the filter to an engineer in Mich. From there, the filter was shipped to Germany. For my trouble, they sent me a $50 voucher.

 

[Exmasonite]

tdiatlast-

funny you should say that... i do the papertowel trick myself. And no... it was not overfilled. On the top end of full but not beyond.

Not sure where they got the 4.2L but i can't disagree with their means having seen the ends.

Interesting point about the 0.8L remaining in the 5th liter. I should ask about that next time to see if they'll give that as a freebie.

 

[pecosrunner]

i performed the first 10k oil change myself...so i know i did it correct.i was in El Paso for the weekend so i decided to schedule the 20k service interval with the dealership since the fuel filter was goin to be replaced, tire rotation and other things that comes with the 20k service interval.My 09 jetta sportwagen was next to the door so i was able to see the tech do the work.Right off the bat i noticed a couple of things that caught my attention: 1)4qts liters of oil 2) he only checked the tire pressure.

About 30minutes later the "adviser" told me all finished.I pointed out to him that the tires werent rotated and that the fuel filter was not replaced and the other service stuff were not performed as what he had printed out.He asked the tech y he did not perform the other items and the tech told him he wasnt aware of that and he just thought it was an oil change.And to make things worse the dealership didnt have the fuel filter.

So i can only imagine how ppl are being screwed at the dealership everyday....specially the ones that "trust" the dealership to do the correct things or think they done what they were supposed have done.

 

[Windjammer]

So i can only imagine how ppl are being screwed at the dealership everyday....specially the ones that "trust" the dealership to do the correct things or think they done what they were supposed have done.

I agree & it's pretty pathetic that we think we have a good dealer experience if the oil change was done right.

 

[ddurandd]

I just had my 10K service done at Jim Ellis VW Marietta (Atlanta). I confirmed the proper oil on the receipt (4 x G-052-195-1L). I also checked the dipstick level before I left the lot and it was spot on. Oil filter was changed, tires were rotated and fluids were topped off.

Overall a very good experience.

 

[740GLE]

including the coolant? very nice! looks like i won't be looking for my first service until January or February, but i'll def take advantage of the 6K or 3 mo check up.