Major service bill shock

[Umai Naa!!]

The B7 Passats were fitted with a TRW front caliper and pad, and slightly larger disc.

These have an unusally short life-span, bad for dust, and are hideously expensive to replace. Like, dearer than say an R36 with ATE Ceramic pads and discs.

7P0915105 is the genuine part number on the battery.

[ope126]

Here is some further info on the B7 125TDI Battery Change if it is applicable; http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/foru...ge-106701.html

And as Umai Naa!! said, the OEM Battery is 7P0915105 but there are alternatives!

[3C4M Guy]

My view is as follows:
The 60,000 km service is a big one and includes the expensive DSG oil. A petrol engine will also need spark plugs then and a 4Motion will need Haldex oil - not that you need to worry about those two. Is $1,200 too much? Well, it's a lot ... but then dealers charge at least $150 per hour + GST = $165 for labour. I assume if you wanted to save the labour charges, you'd already be doing the minor services yourself? My small independent garage charges $500 for a minor service but I buy the oil and filter for under $100 and save $400 each time doing it myself.

I think new brake pads and rotors at 60,000 is quite reasonable in terms of wear. These days rotors are designed to be a consumable item usually requiring change with the pads. Others have said the parts are expensive so I guess $757 is justified.

And $571 for a new battery - well if it's a huge double-length one in the boot like mine then it's cheap. Maybe you should consider yourself fortunate if your car will allow you to fit alternatives. I'm told some Audis will only accept an OEM one after the technician has entered the new battery's serial number and the car's computer decides that number is within an acceptable range of OEM numbers!

[dinot81]

I think my Tiguan TDI has the same, 760 CCA shouldn't be a problem for the engine (check again if unsure). My previous car was a Mazda 3, battery died after 8,5 years, factory battery had 480CCA, I replaced it with 600CCA, engine was starting lot easier due to more crank starting power. If I remember correctly, Silverline are top range batteries from Varta. I got this info from the Varta site, hope it helps. Below the pic there is a link for the eBay page, price went up a bit but still lot less than what you were quoted.




LINK:

Varta E39 AGM Silver CAR Truck VAN Motorhome Battery Universal Melbourne Sales | eBay

You will notice that AGM number and technical specs are identical.

Regards

Dino

[booba]

Wow brakes at 60,000kms is bad. I've done nearly 160,000 kms and still original.
I would be getting a second opinion. Try volkshome in thomastown. They are very reasonable.
I have not been to a dealer for a while now as the basic service was getting to 600-900$$ so I now get them done for just over $300.

depends on your driving i guess. my service at 45k, mechanic said about 5k left. not volkwagen stealers.

[drjekl]

I have an early 2011 passat, I'm guessing a new battery soon is cheap insurance as the car is practically 5 years old...

Thanks for the link Dino that's very handy!

Who are you guys using to register/code the new battery?

I found this co in rydalmere sydney nsw selling the battery for $368

VARTA Stop Start Series Advanced AGM E39 570901 12 Volt, 70AH - Battery Factory Online

(they have locations in brisbane and melbourne also apparently)

[dinot81]

$368 is a great deal. Those are top batteries rather than going other cheaper brands. Not sure about whether you need to register a new battery. The battery on my dad's 2008 Golf gave out after 7 years. My mechanic had to come out to replace roadside. What he did was to leave the car connected to a power source (like a car battery charger or similar) to keep everything alive just as a precaution so the computer or electronics wouldn't mess up. But no coding needed. Not sure whether as the Passat is more advanced you would need coding. You might have to set all your radio stations and presets. I've heard of newer BMW's that the battery can only be changed at dealerships. If you do it yourself, the car won't start at all.

Do you use Start / Stop system?? I keep mine turned off. Living in Sydney and the traffic, probably would destroy the battery and starter motor quickly.

In regards to the brakes, all European cars have softer brake material due to colder conditions overseas and if you live in metropolitan areas, 60 to 70k seems the norm. My dad's Golf managed to get to around 68 or 69k and had to replace rotors and pads. Had only pads replaced at 38k previously. This time went with DBA rotors and Bendix Euro+ pads, same pedal feel as original OEM but less brake dust. Also cost half of what VW would have charged. Was around $400 for parts and $200 labour at JaxTyres to replace everything.

Shop around is always my advice to everyone

[3C4M Guy]

By the way, my 2007 Passat was built in Aug 2006 and I'm still using the original battery! ... and I only do short trips.

About 5 years ago, my friendly VW dealer told me the battery was on it's last legs, nearly dead, wouldn't last through winter etc. etc. and strongly recommended I replace it for about $700 or $800. Well, it's still going.

[dinot81]

Batteries can last for years, we have no cold or subzero temperatures which do most damage to a car battery. You'll know when your battery is done when you hear nothing from the engine. Not even an attempt to start. I think that VW cars are built like that. My dad's Golf was fine, went shopping, started fine, came back to car, tried starting, no sound from engine. Whereas, the Mazda I had, struggled to start when cold, so I knew the battery is on the way out. VW cars just surprise you LOL.

[drjekl]

$368 is a great deal. Those are top batteries rather than going other cheaper brands. Not sure about whether you need to register a new battery. The battery on my dad's 2008 Golf gave out after 7 years. My mechanic had to come out to replace roadside. What he did was to leave the car connected to a power source (like a car battery charger or similar) to keep everything alive just as a precaution so the computer or electronics wouldn't mess up. But no coding needed. Not sure whether as the Passat is more advanced you would need coding. You might have to set all your radio stations and presets. I've heard of newer BMW's that the battery can only be changed at dealerships. If you do it yourself, the car won't start at all.

Do you use Start / Stop system?? I keep mine turned off. Living in Sydney and the traffic, probably would destroy the battery and starter motor quickly.

My BMW needed a new battery, but you dont need to go to the dealer. The BMW require coding, which is as simple as registering the new battery with an autologic tool. I went for a bosch S5 which had higher specs (CCA and AH) so this part required 'coding' with the autologic tool.

Apparently as the battery wears over time the charge cycle differs, this is done as apparently it improves the battery life and you get an adequate charge. (my oem varta battery was 6 years old in the BMW) and if you install a new battery without doing the register it can essentially overcharge the battery thus degrading it somewhat resulting in a shorter lifespan.

I've only just collected my passat a few weeks ago, and it has done mainly hwy driving but unsur eif the previous owner used the stop/start feature, but I know I wont be using it... So annoying especially when you have the A/C on and it cuts out then realises ahh **** nah i gotta start again to keep the A/C running so 5-10 seconds later it starts up anyway....