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Why can't service centers just change the oil properly?

cb1111

Newbie
Location
Virginia, USA
I am impressed there are 5 pages worth of people who don’t expect good service from a dealership doing an oil change which is not free for most VW’s. In fact the average price for the first service is probably around $85. There is nothing wrong with extractors but most VW dealerships with lifts in every bay don’t use them because the first service requires tire rotation so the car is already up. I don’t care if it’s free or $100, once a year or once in a lifetime, simple jobs should be done right.
2020's include the 10 and 20k services "free". In 2019 they were an "option" at $215 - so that is the value of the two free services.

There is no excuse for crappy service - you paid for something and you should get it - and it should be done according to manufacturer specs.
 

Keehs360

Autocross Champion
Location
Denver
Car(s)
Mk7.5
2020's include the 10 and 20k services "free". In 2019 they were an "option" at $215 - so that is the value of the two free services.

There is no excuse for crappy service - you paid for something and you should get it - and it should be done according to manufacturer specs.
That’s interesting. I bought two 2020’s two weeks ago. This wasn’t mentioned at all. In fact there was a 300$ option (maybe it was $250?) that covered 10k and 20k’s services.
 

Corprin

Autocross Champion
Location
Magrathea
Car(s)
A car
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PureWhiteMk7

Go Kart Newbie
Location
Sherman Oaks, CA
2020's include the 10 and 20k services "free". In 2019 they were an "option" at $215 - so that is the value of the two free services.

There is no excuse for crappy service - you paid for something and you should get it - and it should be done according to manufacturer specs.
Agreed and mine is a 2019.
 

jimlloyd40

Autocross Champion
Location
Phoenix
Car(s)
2018 SE DSG
For 2020 VW basically traded 2 years of warranty for 2 oil changes. That's the main reason I bought a left-over 2019 and not a 2020. I'd rather have a 6-year warranty and change my own oil.

Makes sense unless you're going to tune it.
 

jimlloyd40

Autocross Champion
Location
Phoenix
Car(s)
2018 SE DSG
Not really, because a "tune" doesn't "void" your warranty - it may affect parts of the warranty but all.

I see no advantage for the consumer for the shorter warranty.

A tune voids the powertrain warranty and that seems to be the most important part to those on the fence about tuning.
 

tigeo

Autocross Champion
A tune voids the powertrain warranty and that seems to be the most important part to those on the fence about tuning.
No, it doesn't void anything. You get the TD1 flag on your VIN automatically if they are scanning your vehicle as part of the backup necessary for a warranty claim by VW. This simply tells VW you have a modified ECU and that powertrain warranty claims MAY be denied if they think the tune is responsible or even could remotely be responsible. That's really all. Yes, large/major powertrain "oh my god" failure claims while tuned will most likely be denied.
 

cb1111

Newbie
Location
Virginia, USA
A tune voids the powertrain warranty and that seems to be the most important part to those on the fence about tuning.
No, a tune does not "void" any part of a warranty. What it does is cause VW (BMW etc.) to look at a failure closely to determine if the tune caused or contributed to the failure.

Hey, I'm the guy that people accuse of being "anti tune", but this needs to set straight.
 

jimlloyd40

Autocross Champion
Location
Phoenix
Car(s)
2018 SE DSG
No, a tune does not "void" any part of a warranty. What it does is cause VW (BMW etc.) to look at a failure closely to determine if the tune caused or contributed to the failure.

Hey, I'm the guy that people accuse of being "anti tune", but this needs to set straight.

Right. I should have said it like Tigeo did. But a powertrain warranty most likely will be denied because of the tune.
 

launchd

Drag Racing Champion
Location
New York
Car(s)
2023 M3LR, 2021 A7
Right. I should have said it like Tigeo did. But a powertrain warranty most likely will be denied because of the tune.

You're actually closer to correct than the other two responses based on the information I obtained prior to tuning my car.

Guidance for TD1 (as it relates to powertrain repairs) from VW to dealerships is to submit codes first (GFF log) and receive pre-authorization from VW before proceeding or risk (more likely than not) eating the total cost of the repair. VW will auto-deny powertrain warranty claims (systematic) if TD1 is present and the faults aren't related to known issues (TSB/recalls). If the faults are related to known issues (TSB/recalls), the submissions fall in a queue and get reviewed. So, auto-denial will occur as a systematic process and reviews only happen if faults are related to known issues (or the customer follows up with VWoA and opens a case). You will be directed to contact VWoA after the denial occurs (dealerships are told to do this with customers who question this denial/want to argue).

I confirmed first with a dealership shop foreman (mod friendly dealer where I bought my car) and then with a VWoA customer advocate, in case anyone is wondering.

I believe both of the people I spoke with because they both said the same thing (without me leading either of them to an answer) and this was exactly how Ford handled this as well. I sued Ford (and won) because of a denial of service/warranty claim related to my Getrag MT-82 transmission in my heavily modified Mustang (it went boom). Ford immediately denied the dealership's submission (same day, they told me this would happen) and a long process started. I made it all the way to arbitration with a good lawyer (related to me) and solid proof that the transmission had major issues (widespread, not specific to mine). Arbitrators (panel of three) collectively felt that I had more than enough proof to proceed in court (satisfied burden of proof) and ruled in my favor, that was enough to have Ford's lawyers approach us right after arbitration was over and offer me a deal I couldn't walk away from.

Tune your car, understand that you're going to fight to cover powertrain failures unless they're known issues... and even then, you may have to fight.
 

tigeo

Autocross Champion
Here's my TD1/warranty/tune write up that I post from time to time:

The warranty discussion is simple. If you flash the ECU and there are any powertrain-related warranty claims, those claims will be scrutinized under the lens that you modified/added more power - this will be referred to here in the VW online universe as "TD1". TD1 is a flag in the VAG system associated with your VIN that tells the dealer/warranty claim folks that your car has had it's ECU modified. It's automatically assigned when they scan the car a certain way and the dealer doesn't do it manually b/c "you are a scumbag tuner kid" or because "all dealers are out to get you" and I don’t care that your buddy’s friend’s sister’s brother works at a dealership and told her that he manually flags cars all day long – it’s BS. If VW think that this increase in power/modification caused or could have had anything to do with the failure, they will deny the claim. Simple and if I was the manufacturer, I'd do the same. VW can tell if you are/have been tuned if they have to do a scan to back the claim. If that is going to be a major financial issue for you, then don't tune it or go with a piggyback like the JB4 and be ready to remove it each and every time you go in to a dealer for service or warranty work - you also have to be ok with that in terms of the ethical considerations involved. I am tuned and have other hardware - I've had several warranty claims for some HVAC issues, recalls, and service campaigns - this is actually the crap that will be likely to fail vs. catastrophic engine/tranny failure everyone is so worried about. They were covered because they simply have zero do with the tune if they even looked for it for that type of claim (it's all about what VW requires the dealer to document to get paid for the warranty work/claim). If you did a poll here, most of the folks with off-the-shelf stage 1/2 tunes from the big players will have had no drama with their cars under the warranty period in terms of major failures that were denied because of the tune. Fact is, most cars never have major issues anyway. I've had 3 new cars in my life at 47, never once have I had more than nickle/dime crap fixed under warranty.
 
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