Suggestions for 15000km service in WA

[jrgti]

What speed is your daily commute and over what distance and how does that relate to the guide in the manual regarding servicing?



Long life servicing is not offered in Australia due partially to our climate and I doubt it will ever be offered. There is plenty of information in the manual about performing additional services when the car is operated under certain conditions which are common in Australia.

I average about 70km to 100km a day. I am usually doing 60% freeway/highway driving and the rest are urban or stop/start.
I always drive within the speed limit and keep a good distance from the car in front of me to reduce brake usage. Cruise Control is used as often as possible for all freeway/highway driving.
Yes... I drive like a granny .

[pom829]

How did you go at Melville's?

Prodigy, as I expected, car was in there for about 2 hours then I got a call saying it required a part auxiliary coolant pump. Car is booked in again for this Thursday as they didn't have the pump in stock. But I noticed they'd reset the ECU to try and clear the fault as my fuel consumption had been reset.
Whats more annoying is when I went in last Tuesday to book the car in for the Friday I asked them to check the ECU there and then for the fault code bear in mind I'd already done this with my Android phone using the Torque software and they said they were to busy even though the service centre was pretty much empty of cars. So Friday was a wasted journey having to book the car in and arrange lifts with work. We'll see how it goes this Thursday!

[Prodigy]

Prodigy, as I expected, car was in there for about 2 hours then I got a call saying it required a part auxiliary coolant pump. Car is booked in again for this Thursday as they didn't have the pump in stock. But I noticed they'd reset the ECU to try and clear the fault as my fuel consumption had been reset.
Whats more annoying is when I went in last Tuesday to book the car in for the Friday I asked them to check the ECU there and then for the fault code bear in mind I'd already done this with my Android phone using the Torque software and they said they were to busy even though the service centre was pretty much empty of cars. So Friday was a wasted journey having to book the car in and arrange lifts with work. We'll see how it goes this Thursday!

Bummer, I hope you have better luck on Thursday then mate. Keep us informed.

[Maverick]

Prodigy, as I expected, car was in there for about 2 hours then I got a call saying it required a part auxiliary coolant pump. Car is booked in again for this Thursday as they didn't have the pump in stock. But I noticed they'd reset the ECU to try and clear the fault as my fuel consumption had been reset.
Whats more annoying is when I went in last Tuesday to book the car in for the Friday I asked them to check the ECU there and then for the fault code bear in mind I'd already done this with my Android phone using the Torque software and they said they were to busy even though the service centre was pretty much empty of cars. So Friday was a wasted journey having to book the car in and arrange lifts with work. We'll see how it goes this Thursday!

The dealer can't replace the part just because there was a fault code, they need to follow the correct procedure to diagnose the fault and only after that they can order the part.

If you want slap dash diagnosis and components replaced at random best to buy a Ford.

[Transporter]

Prodigy, as I expected, car was in there for about 2 hours then I got a call saying it required a part auxiliary coolant pump. Car is booked in again for this Thursday as they didn't have the pump in stock. But I noticed they'd reset the ECU to try and clear the fault as my fuel consumption had been reset.
Whats more annoying is when I went in last Tuesday to book the car in for the Friday I asked them to check the ECU there and then for the fault code bear in mind I'd already done this with my Android phone using the Torque software and they said they were to busy even though the service centre was pretty much empty of cars. So Friday was a wasted journey having to book the car in and arrange lifts with work. We'll see how it goes this Thursday!

When you read the code from the ECU that refers to particular component, it doesn't automatically mean that, that component is faulty. And as Maverick said they have to properly diagnose and test it, otherwise the same fault could happen again and you would have to go to the dealer again.

Very often the equipment (your scanner in the phone) is useless without the knowledge, workshop manuals, troubleshooting guides and special tools.

[pom829]

When you read the code from the ECU that refers to particular component, it doesn't automatically mean that, that component is faulty. And as Maverick said they have to properly diagnose and test it, otherwise the same fault could happen again and you would have to go to the dealer again.

Very often the equipment (your scanner in the phone) is useless without the knowledge, workshop manuals, troubleshooting guides and special tools.

Lets hope there're not just relying on the fault code or did they diagnose a faulty pump through good old fashion fault finding, who's to say it isn't another part/item within that area?
As I said we'll see on Thursday.

[reaction]

I can recommend Golfwagen, they are very good and very helpful. Had a look for me at that stupid acuator rod rattle and tried to see if they can fix it.

Wangara is useless, I will never have anything good to say about them. From the day I went to take my car for a test drive, to them taking almost 3 weeks to confirm my 7,500km service (which never happened)

Had my car a John Hughes for its 15,000km service they were also very helpfull and did a good job at a very good price.

[Coaster]

Very simple rule for me.........car for daily commute, will never take to the tracks but will sometimes drive it hard for the fun factor == 15000kms before first service and so on.

Exactly. I've never seen the oil temp go above 86ºC, even on the hottest days, and the water never wavers from the ~90ºC mark. Seems like VW has these 'extreme conditions' well within it's control.

Servicing for extreme operating conditions is the exception rather than the rule. If it is an inherent issue due to the prevailing climate, then the service schedule for Australia would be 7,500km intervals. But it isn't.

[Transporter]

Exactly. I've never seen the oil temp go above 86ºC, even on the hottest days, and the water never wavers from the ~90ºC mark. Seems like VW has these 'extreme conditions' well within it's control.

Servicing for extreme operating conditions is the exception rather than the rule. If it is an inherent issue due to the prevailing climate, then the service schedule for Australia would be 7,500km intervals. But it isn't.

That is unusual, if you drive the car during +30deg.C day for 1/2hour or more the temperature should be around 100deg.C. Unless you drive only down the hill.

[Maverick]

Exactly. I've never seen the oil temp go above 86ºC, even on the hottest days, and the water never wavers from the ~90ºC mark. Seems like VW has these 'extreme conditions' well within it's control.

The coolant never wavers from the 90ºC mark because the gauge is designed to sit at 90ºC and not move unless it falls way outside a range to prevent people from constantly jumping on the internet or calling their dealers complaining that their coolant must be faulty as their temperature keeps varying. If you measure the actual temperature it does vary a fair bit depending on the driving, even at idle after driving for a while it will jump when you slow down the car until the fans kick in.

As for the oil temperature, it shouldn't always be under 86ºC unless you're driving or testing under the same conditions all the time. The oil temperatures I've seen are generally around 90ºC to 110ºC depending on the type of driving. Push the car hard and the GTI at least will head up to 120ºC. TDI's should have a higher oil temperature under the same conditions by around 5-10ºC. I'm in QLD so temperatures will generally be a bit higher due to higher ambient temperatures but this doesn't make a huge difference.

Servicing for extreme operating conditions is the exception rather than the rule. If it is an inherent issue due to the prevailing climate, then the service schedule for Australia would be 7,500km intervals. But it isn't.

Is it? Seems to me that unless you don't use the car for commuting, don't go WOT on a regular basis, don't drive in dusty areas or park the car outside overnight when it's cold that you can use the 15,000km intervals otherwise it's recommended to use the 7,500km intervals.

Severe operating conditions as defined by Volkswagen.

• Regular short trips or stop and go operation in urban traffic
• High percentage of cold starts
• Vehicle is used in areas with winter temperatures over a long period
• Regular long periods of idling (e.g. taxis)
• Vehicle is often driven under full load or towing a trailer
• Using diesel with elevated sulphur content
• Regular operation in areas with high levels of dust