Major service bill shock

[brad]

So I booked in my 2012 Passat TDI for it's 60k service, after getting an estimate from my local dealer service department (VW Waverly) of about $1200. A few hours after checking the car in I get a call stating stating I need new front discs and pads $757, new battery $571 and they suggested an aircon clean $99, all in addition to the major servicing cost of $1200!

Is this situation normal?

You've probably still got plenty of pads left. The dealership has to be conservative by necessity. How many MM did they say was left?

Yes, the rotors are probably stuffed as well. You can buy (better than) OEM quality rotors for $200/pair and pads for $~100. There's about 1.5hrs labour in the job (say $200). It's not a difficult job and any garage can do it.

New battery: is it starting the car OK and are there any warning lights? The battery testers are also very conservative so you probably have some life left. You'll get a Bosch Silver or Varta with higher specs for ~$250.
If it's a stop start battery then a Varta is 570901 (E39) is $405. A battery specialist should have the tools to code it in.

Aircon clean - you can buy a DIY kit at the local repco/autobarn. Autoglym do one for about $30.

It's a fairly normal sales technique to try & "scaare" you into these things without looking at alternatives

[dinot81]

The only thing to consider is that the Passat has Electric Parking Brake and don't think that all shops would have access to Vag-Com. You need it for rear brake pad replacement.

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[drjekl]

You've probably still got plenty of pads left. The dealership has to be conservative by necessity. How many MM did they say was left?

Yes, the rotors are probably stuffed as well. You can buy (better than) OEM quality rotors for $200/pair and pads for $~100. There's about 1.5hrs labour in the job (say $200). It's not a difficult job and any garage can do it.

I'm not due for brakes anytime soon, but may I ask where do you source the rotors from to get them for $200 a pair and pads? What brand are they? Cheers

Totally agree most service depts in the stealerships always try & squeeze $ out of their customers for things that don't really need replacing and charging crazy prices for the parts and then of course labour... That's why they can afford to have fancy looking showrooms and goodlooking receptionists and sales staff!

[brad]

The only thing to consider is that the Passat has Electric Parking Brake and don't think that all shops would have access to Vag-Com. You need it for rear brake pad replacement.

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OP appears to be quoting a price for front pads & rotors only. No mention made of rear pads or rotors. Any independant VW specialist will have the gear to deal with electric park brake retraction.

I'm not due for brakes anytime soon, but may I ask where do you source the rotors from to get them for $200 a pair and pads? What brand are they? Cheers

Totally agree most service depts in the stealerships always try & squeeze $ out of their customers for things that don't really need replacing and charging crazy prices for the parts and then of course labour... That's why they can afford to have fancy looking showrooms and goodlooking receptionists and sales staff!

I just did a quick ebay search.

If it's a tdi then the front rotors are probably 312mm which is a DBA 2806 in a bog stock plain face rotor. You can get a pair of them for $166.25 posted (even cheaper if you click "make an offer").

You can get OEM spec Bendix Euro, Ferodo, Brembo or Textar pads all from local suppliers for way under $100.

If you want a 1 stop shop then try forum sponsor Brakes Direct.

[dinot81]

The one's I got for my dad's Golf were from Pep's Auto Spares in Sydney. Got all parts for $390 on all 4 corners, plus charged $200 for labour by JaxTyres to fit them. The only requirement they had was they cannot work on Electric Park Brakes, Golf MKV luckily still operated by manual labour. I would expect that the Passat would have larger discs, possibly bit more expensive. Pads are Bendix Euro+ and rotors DBA. There are lots of cheaper brands out there but the pedal feel is not the same. With above combo, no difference if not even better and less brake dust.

Just had a look at SuperCheapAuto parts site: Supercheap Auto Parts Guide - Spare Parts Vehicle Selector - Supercheap Auto Australia

Bosch rear 282mm rotor for $33 each. Bendix pads should be around $70 per set (2 wheels), front rotor seems $102 each from Bosch at SCA. Pretty sure you will save half of what VW would charge as long as you shop around. As above, any VW specialist should be able to replace them as long as they have access to VAG-COM.

With Start-Stop, I think it does more damage than any good. Read some reports that you might save 0,1 litres per 100km if lucky. DSG transmissions work like manuals, if at lights, car goes into Neutral and consumption sits at 0,8 litres/hour unlike automatics where consumption goes through the roof. I remember driving a company Aurion V6, switched to instant fuel consumption, at lights, computer displaying 99,9 litres. Must be more, but can't display more than that.