Volkswagen Touran MPV (2003 - ) - Variable servicing - getting suspicious | Motoring discussion | Back Room Forum

Mon 15 Sep 2008 14:31

Variable servicing - getting suspicious - Alanovich

My wife runs a 2004 (04) VW Touran 1.9 TDi 105 on a variable servicing programme. We bought the car brand new from our local VW dealer (after waving the drivethedeal price under his nose :-)).

It has just gone over the 50,000 mile mark, and the service indicator spanner thing has flashed up showing a service required in 400 miles. This will be its 3rd service, having had one at 18,000 and one at 38,000.

The shaper eyed amongst you will notice that it's only been 12,000 since the last one, where as the first two were at much greater intervals. We both drive the car the same way as we always have, and no one else uses it, so driving style can't be the reason for the difference.

The reason I'm suspicious is that it's only been a couple of weeks since the car was in the dealer's workshop to have its cambelt changed.

Could the dealer somehow have manipulated the service indicator to come on sooner rather than later? Seems very odd that the service has come due 8,000 miles sooner than the previous service. Hmm.

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Mon 15 Sep 2008 14:43

Variable servicing - getting suspicious - Altea Ego

The variable service intervals on a 1.9d touran work out at about 18k (i had one for 50k miles) so I would expect 18k, 36k and 54k

your has gone 12k since the last service, and it sounds to me you were switched to fixed servicing interval at your last service - 38k - not when the cam belt was done.

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Mon 15 Sep 2008 14:47

Variable servicing - getting suspicious - Collos25

Would you leave the oil in a diesel for 18k maybe in kilometers but not miles.

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Mon 15 Sep 2008 14:56

Variable servicing - getting suspicious - DP

I noticed during my recent visit to a VW dealer that the Longlife service literature is now so riddled with caveats and conditions that it looks immediately suspicious.

I wouldn't let anything with a turbocharger fitted do 18k on the same oil.

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Mon 15 Sep 2008 15:20

Variable servicing - getting suspicious - Alanovich

Thanks - good feedback. I think I'll get it serviced and keep it on a 12,000 mile regime as we want to keep the car. I'm hoping to get 20 years, or 200,000 miles out of it! :-)

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Mon 15 Sep 2008 15:30

Variable servicing - getting suspicious - Altea Ego

My turbo was starting to whistle at 50K miles. The Seat (with the same engine) is on 10k fixed services, and the rate I am doing miles thats twice a year.

Edited by Pugugly on 15/09/2008 at 19:35

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Mon 15 Sep 2008 15:33

Variable servicing - getting suspicious - Alanovich

My turbo was starting to whistle at 50K miles. The seat (with the same engine)

is on 10k fixed services and the rate I am doing miles thats twice a

year.

Right, time to look like a div. I'm not very clued up on turbos, does a whistling turbo signify a very expensive repair around the corner?

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Mon 15 Sep 2008 18:16

Variable servicing - getting suspicious - DP

Right time to look like a div. I'm not very clued up on turbos does

a whistling turbo signify a very expensive repair around the corner?

Background high pitched whistling is normal. It's when it goes lower pitched and louder (a bit like an old fashioned whistling kettle boiling), or whines that you're in trouble.

The turbo is the first thing to suffer if the oil is left too long. At 60,000 RPM and 800°C, they make very particular demands on oil. Worse still, turbo failure on a diesel often takes the engine with it, as turbo's lubricating oil is dumped into the inlet manifold. As diesel engines will burn engine oil, and a diesel's air intake is not throttled, the engine "runs away" round to maximum revs until it blows up, or is stalled. Not nice.

Cheers
DP

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