My new car dealer says I have to return to their facility for all of my car's maintenance to keep from voiding the warranty. Is this true?
Absolutely not. According to the Magnuson Moss Warranty Act, implemented by the Federal Trade Commission, you can have routine service done by any competent independent service station, shop or garage and still maintain your warranty. The owner’s manual spells out the maintenance required to maintain your warranty. As long as you follow the schedule in the owner’s manual for oil change intervals and other required service, the manufacturer cannot deny a warranty claim based on the work being done elsewhere. That is the law.
My owner’s manual states I only need my oil changed every 10.000 miles. What do you think?
All VW’s from late 2005 require a full synthetic oil hence, the extended oil change interval. However, for a number of reasons, we at Same Old Brand recommend changing your synthetic oil at 5000 miles.
Volkswagen changed the requirement from regular oil to synthetic oil in the 1.8 Turbo Passats from 1998 because regular oil was “coking” from the heat of the turbocharger and the deposits clogged the oil pumps leading to an expensive repair or in many cases, a failed motor. The Passat has had fewer problems since but we’re still replacing oil pumps on these cars even when using synthetic oil. Imagine how worse it would be at 10.000 miles.
Plus we do a whole lot more for your car when performing an oil service. Things like checking your other vital fluids, tire inflation, brake wear, steering and suspension. And I personally test drive every vehicle regardless of what it’s here for. This way, we can spot any potential problems with your car before it becomes a possible hazard.
I’m proud to say most of my customer’s take excellent care of their cars because they love their VW and want it to last forever. Of course there’s times when someone may be a thousand or two over due for an oil change; good thing they weren’t waiting for 10,000 miles!
What is the difference between a quickie oil change place and an oil change at Same Old Brand?
First, know if your VW requires synthetic oil or not. For petroleum-based oil, your quickie oil change place is probably using a common 10W30 or 5W30 motor oil. These are the cheapest motor oils on the market and may meet the minimum specification for your car however; our 15W40 oil exceeds those minimums and contain the most advanced additive package available in petroleum based motor oil today. And our synthetic oil meets VW’s highest specification of “VW 505 01”.
Secondly, some of those quickie oil filters are a joke. They contain so little filtration media that our empty filter almost weigh more than their full filter!
Then there’s the question of your other fluids; do they even check them? Do they use DOT 4 brake fluid as required? Do they use original VW antifreeze or the correct mineral based power steering fluid? Do they charge extra to top off your windshield washer fluid?
If you can get a quickie oil change to match the quality of our service, by all means, do so. But I don’t think you can.
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