70k Edition 30 specialist or main dealer Service?

[MC71]

Specialist for me.

Depends whereabouts on the South coast you are but I'd recommend JKM performance, great peeps and a fair price and very knowledgable on the 2.0T FSI platform.

[Saintsteve]

I now do all my own servicing, except oil changes which means my service book gets stamped still 

[Frodo-anni]

I think it varies, i use my local VW dealership and have done for the last 7 years since i have owned VW's, initially because i wanted the stamp, but now they are very well priced, will match any local specialist and cater for my picky needs.

I have just booked it in for service/MOT & cambelt/pump etc..I have found that i have built up loyalty with them, so if i have had issues they have sorted alot out of warranty period and put up with my nagging. Even little things like just been in today for some centre caps for my Winter Monza's, been given them really cheap, similar price to the copies on ebay 

[Rob.]

I was in the same position a couple of months back...newly purchased 60k Jetta TFSI, full FVWSH etc etc.

I went with VW again, but TBH I wasn't all that over the moon with the whole thing. I'll be going to a specialist next time.

[Dave J]

Specialist for me too - don't feel it is in any way worth the extra to have VW look after the car. I have used APS for many years - always have been completely honest about what needs doing, and what doesn't.
Being able to walk around your car in the workshop, and speak directly with the techs is one of the best points I have experienced.

I didn't feel like a valued customer when I went to VW. Having to wait for them to finish work at 6pm at night when I dropped the car off at 8 in the morning was irritating, but on other visit, having to wait to pay them hundreds of pounds was also very annoying.
I used VW when my old mk4 was in warranty - they did solve a number of issues FOC under warranty, which is why I kept going to them, but wished I'd swapped to a specialist earlier than I did. 

[broomhead50]

Specialist for me too.

It would not put me off in the slightest buying a car without full dealer history. In my opinion a well researched and respected specialist knows our cars far better than most VW employees.

[richtung]

As soon as my ED30 came out of the warranty period, it was a specialist for me. A the dealers, my car was just another target for the technicians to get in and out of the workshop as fast as possible.
I dislike that dealers use a pump to extract the oil when doing an oil change for instance - all in the name of saving time for the technician. I've always known the only way to drain the oil (and contaminants) properly was to drain the oil from the sump.

At my specialist, i know he removes all the wheels, does a proper check of the brakes, greases the hub so the wheel doesn't bind to the hub, greases each wheel bolt and then tightening the bolts to the correct torque settings. At the dealership, you get a quick peer between the spokes of the wheels to check the brake pad life (in the hope of selling you pads and disks!) and that's it.

In my opinion, the service departments at dealerships have become so target/bonus driven that your car does not receive the level of care and attention it deserves. Does the young lad who is trying to get your car done under the target of 1hr (or whatever the set time limit is) really bothered about whether you come back year after year or more bothered about finishing your car quickly so that he can he can move onto the next one so he is on target to get his bonus?

In short - specialist for me!

Hope this helps

Rich

[Tinytim]

As soon as my ED30 came out of the warranty period, it was a specialist for me. A the dealers, my car was just another target for the technicians to get in and out of the workshop as fast as possible.
I dislike that dealers use a pump to extract the oil when doing an oil change for instance - all in the name of saving time for the technician. I've always known the only way to drain the oil (and contaminants) properly was to drain the oil from the sump.

At my specialist, i know he removes all the wheels, does a proper check of the brakes, greases the hub so the wheel doesn't bind to the hub, greases each wheel bolt and then tightening the bolts to the correct torque settings. At the dealership, you get a quick peer between the spokes of the wheels to check the brake pad life (in the hope of selling you pads and disks!) and that's it.

In my opinion, the service departments at dealerships have become so target/bonus driven that your car does not receive the level of care and attention it deserves. Does the young lad who is trying to get your car done under the target of 1hr (or whatever the set time limit is) really bothered about whether you come back year after year or more bothered about finishing your car quickly so that he can he can move onto the next one so he is on target to get his bonus?

In short - specialist for me!

Hope this helps

Rich

Exactly this.
The VW stamp in the book means nothing, for anyone that thinks it does you are deluded.
It does not prove the quality of the workman ship on your car.

Like above your car is just a number. No love or care goes in to it, they want it in our out as fast as possible.
Specialist all the way and I also do some stuff myself.

I've dealt with 3 seperate VW garages and they all annoy me, shoddy service and no morals.

If there were 2 identical cars, 1 with VW service history and the other with specialsy service history I would buy the one with specialist service history every time.

[Gman30]

Looks like Im going specialist then!

Anyone ever used KARTECHNIC in Poole, Dorset?


Thanks for all the massive feedback back guys!

Great responces from all!!

 

[homesqueeze]

I can recommend Hines VW in Ferndown   http://hines-auto-services.co.uk/

They are V.A.G specialists and do all my work for me these days. Small outfit, but good honest guys at a competitive price 

[Tortaruga]

Dealers are a mixed bag. I have a very good local one and they are very professional and any work I've had done was perfect and reasonably priced. The service and parts department is part of a dealership, but is in an entirely different building from the showroom - in fact it's about a mile away from the showroom. So it doesn't really feel like the normal corporate VW experience, more like going to an indy. Anyway they're very good and the lads in reception are clued up (possibly ex-technicians) so they do know what a cam follower is, for example.

You could possibly try your local dealer for a minor job like a brake fluid change and see how it goes, just to see if they start acting the maggot or are clueless or are actually quite competent.

[xjay1337]

As soon as my ED30 came out of the warranty period, it was a specialist for me. A the dealers, my car was just another target for the technicians to get in and out of the workshop as fast as possible.
I dislike that dealers use a pump to extract the oil when doing an oil change for instance - all in the name of saving time for the technician. I've always known the only way to drain the oil (and contaminants) properly was to drain the oil from the sump.

At my specialist, i know he removes all the wheels, does a proper check of the brakes, greases the hub so the wheel doesn't bind to the hub, greases each wheel bolt and then tightening the bolts to the correct torque settings. At the dealership, you get a quick peer between the spokes of the wheels to check the brake pad life (in the hope of selling you pads and disks!) and that's it.

In my opinion, the service departments at dealerships have become so target/bonus driven that your car does not receive the level of care and attention it deserves. Does the young lad who is trying to get your car done under the target of 1hr (or whatever the set time limit is) really bothered about whether you come back year after year or more bothered about finishing your car quickly so that he can he can move onto the next one so he is on target to get his bonus?

In short - specialist for me!

Hope this helps

Rich

Exactly this.
The VW stamp in the book means nothing, for anyone that thinks it does you are deluded.
It does not prove the quality of the workman ship on your car.

Like above your car is just a number. No love or care goes in to it, they want it in our out as fast as possible.
Specialist all the way and I also do some stuff myself.

I've dealt with 3 seperate VW garages and they all annoy me, shoddy service and no morals.

If there were 2 identical cars, 1 with VW service history and the other with specialsy service history I would buy the one with specialist service history every time.

Yup I agree

I service all my own cars outside of things like cambelts. Airfilters, oil changes etc I do myself.
Most mechanical work as well I do and it's documented on my build threads. I keep reciepts for parts and have loads of pictures of the work done.
My TDI I sold for £6750 at 150k , it was ultimately a 2004 Golf diesel. The book had more documentation than you could possibly imagine it was genuinley about 4 inches thick of paper work and receipts, invoices. Had no VW dealer services in my life time..