Service Overdue - What Needs Doing?

[superchoward]

I have recently picked a used 2013 SE 180 Manual Cali with 48000 miles on and the service history is poor on it from what information I do have. I can't do anything about that now but I can give it the care it deserves from now on so I'm wondering what needs doing as the VW information supplied with the van is lacking in detail like @Morganic has eluded to on his recent post.

• The van was registered on 10th July 2013
• First MOT was carried out on 19th July 2016 32,785 miles with advisories on brake pads wearing thin at the front, child seat and nail in the offside rear tyre. This was at a VW Van Centre with recall 9419 being carried out at the same time (I'll have to check what that was)
• First and only service carried out at VW Van Centre on 23rd July 2016 35,413 miles which according to the service book has both oil and inspection service boxes ticked, long life engine oil, fuel, air, dust and pollen filters done
• Second MOT was carried out on 11th July 2017 38,997 miles with advisories on brake pads wearing thin at the front (still!), exhaust outer skin is slightly corroded and both front and near side rear tyres worn on the outer edge. This was at a VW Van Centre and they also completed an Express Visual Check which added a bit more detail about the issues. It says the rear discs are worn and recommends changing them when the pads wear out, front pads 80% worn with approx 2k miles left in them and rear pads 50% worn. Also lists the cam belt being due and a wheel alignment being due
• Third MOT was carried out on 9th July 2018 47,423 miles with no advisories

So that's the history of it. The MFD states oil change due in 700 miles and Insepction due in 12000 miles. According to the Flexible Service schedule section of the service book, the first Inspection service is due after 2 years or 30,000 miles then every 1 year or 10,000 miles so this is definitely due.

From the above I was considering getting some quotes from my local VW Van Centre and a couple of independents for the shopping list below:
Inspection service
Cam belt and water pump
Air con service
Wheel alignment
Brake fluid change
Brake pads (unless already been done as didn't appear on latest MOT but no paperwork to suggest these have been done)

Am I missing anything or does anybody recommend anything else to be done?

Cheers
Chris

 

[WelshGas]

I have recently picked a used 2013 SE 180 Manual Cali with 48000 miles on and the service history is poor on it from what information I do have. I can't do anything about that now but I can give it the care it deserves from now on so I'm wondering what needs doing as the VW information supplied with the van is lacking in detail like @Morganic has eluded to on his recent post.

• The van was registered on 10th July 2013
• First MOT was carried out on 19th July 2016 32,785 miles with advisories on brake pads wearing thin at the front, child seat and nail in the offside rear tyre. This was at a VW Van Centre with recall 9419 being carried out at the same time (I'll have to check what that was)
• First and only service carried out at VW Van Centre on 23rd July 2016 35,413 miles which according to the service book has both oil and inspection service boxes ticked, long life engine oil, fuel, air, dust and pollen filters done
• Second MOT was carried out on 11th July 2017 38,997 miles with advisories on brake pads wearing thin at the front (still!), exhaust outer skin is slightly corroded and both front and near side rear tyres worn on the outer edge. This was at a VW Van Centre and they also completed an Express Visual Check which added a bit more detail about the issues. It says the rear discs are worn and recommends changing them when the pads wear out, front pads 80% worn with approx 2k miles left in them and rear pads 50% worn. Also lists the cam belt being due and a wheel alignment being due
• Third MOT was carried out on 9th July 2018 47,423 miles with no advisories

So that's the history of it. The MFD states oil change due in 700 miles and Insepction due in 12000 miles. According to the Flexible Service schedule section of the service book, the first Inspection service is due after 2 years or 30,000 miles then every 1 year or 10,000 miles so this is definitely due.

From the above I was considering getting some quotes from my local VW Van Centre and a couple of independents for the shopping list below:
Inspection service
Cam belt and water pump
Air con service
Wheel alignment
Brake fluid change
Brake pads (unless already been done as didn't appear on latest MOT but no paperwork to suggest these have been done)

Am I missing anything or does anybody recommend anything else to be done?

Cheers
Chris

Gearbox?
VW Dealerships or good Independants should be able to tell you exactly what is required for that milage and age based on the Reg/Vin number as it is virtually all computerised nowadays.

 

[2into1]

I'm assuming you've asked vw for a study of the service history? It may have had more work than shown in the service book.

 

[Billywizz]

Yes give VW Your Reg No as more service history may be available, If not I would get everything done (Which would be expensive but would give you peace of mind.

 

[superchoward]

Gearbox?
VW Dealerships or good Independants should be able to tell you exactly what is required for that milage and age based on the Reg/Vin number as it is virtually all computerised nowadays.

Gearbox is manual

I'll give the local VW Centre a call tomorrow and ask what service history there is. I did speak to the Van Centre where it had been serviced at 35k as I was purchasing it and they said it had only been serviced that once there but it's worth asking to see. I'll also ask them to advise what they recommend is serviced on it and get a quote. I'm not expecting it to be cheap but I negotiated a fair bit off the asking price expecting a big service bill so I'm prepared to have the work done and start with a clean slate.

Thanks for the help, I'll keep you posted

 

[andyinluton]

Major service with cam belt + water pump cost me £900 on a 140 a couple of weeks ago, Disks with pads I was quoted £650 each end.

I found a difference of nearly £400 in quotes for the service so worth shopping around - surprisingly the cheapest was Alan Day in the city - a short stroll from tower bridge - they are a combined car & van dealer & treat you like an expensive car owner.
They service the california fleet for ********** & know their way around a cali.
I did the brakes myself for £150 total.

 

[Andy]

Complete vehicle history may not be on vw computer system. Mine is not for some unknown reason. Service price should be on a standard vw menu the same at all dealers ?


Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

 

[superchoward]

So I spoke to Swansway VW which represents a few VW Van Centres across the North West and they advised that there was only 1 service on the system which the van has had and advised that the following were due. I also spoke to a local independent VW specialist and got the 2nd set of prices from them, all inc. VAT.

1. Inspection Service - £354, £165
2. Brake fluid change - £64, £44.50
3. Air con service - £84, £60
4. Cam belt and water pump - £700, £425

I also got a price for front pads and discs unsure whether these needed doing which was £414 from the VW Centre and £240 from the independent. I have since checked these and looking at the condition, I think the front pads and discs have been replaced however the rear pads and discs do look very worn and I think I'll replace these in the near future. A handy friend has offered to help do this so I'll probably do them myself and have the rest done at the independent due to the price difference. They are long established and have a decent reputation so I can't see that it is worth paying almost double to use an official VW Van Centre.

EDIT: On the rear pads and discs note, does anybody have any recommendations for where to buy genuine parts online?

 

[2into1]

I agree that you should use the independent as those excellent prices. I think there is a strong argument for generally sticking with vw dealers in the hope of future goodwill (particularly with the oil issues on some 180s) but your large gap in history probably means they wouldn’t help out with good will, so best to go to a friendly cheaper indie at this point.

 

[superchoward]

Quick update...I have ordered new rear pads and discs this morning from Euro Car Parts for £110.99, going to fit them a week on Saturday as it's the first chance I'll get. After that I'm going to book it in with the independent for the rest of the work which should come to around £700.

They did suggest that if the air con is getting cold and no smells they probably wouldn't bother with an air con service but for the sake of £60 when I've just spent £35k on buying the thing it seems a bit futile to not get it done.

I'll let you know how I get on changing the pads and discs, thanks for your help again.

 

[WelshGas]

Quick update...I have ordered new rear pads and discs this morning from Euro Car Parts for £110.99, going to fit them a week on Saturday as it's the first chance I'll get. After that I'm going to book it in with the independent for the rest of the work which should come to around £700.

They did suggest that if the air con is getting cold and no smells they probably wouldn't bother with an air con service but for the sake of £60 when I've just spent £35k on buying the thing it seems a bit futile to not get it done.

I'll let you know how I get on changing the pads and discs, thanks for your help again.

The whole point of the AirCon service is not just renewing the Refrigerant Gas but also the Lubrication Agent that is in it to keep all the seals etc: in tip-top condition.
Not dissimilar to replacing the brake/clutch fluid on a regular basis. It is Hydroscopic and absorbs water over time, which affects the performance gradually, but also affects the seals.

 

[superchoward]

Changed the rear pads and discs on Saturday morning. Started at 11am, finished at 1pm. I had a friend who helped who is handy with cars and had experience of changing them on several other vehicles but nonetheless I'd say it was quite an easy job which would be easily carried out with the right tools and tutorials on YouTube or similar.

The parts cost £111 from Euro Car Parts and VW had quoted over £400 for the job so definitely a worthwhile saving to be had. For anybody reading and wondering my 2013 California SE had a single brake pad wear sensor which was on the offside rear wheel.

I would say that there was a few specialist tools which were needed to do the job, the retaining bolt for the brake discs was an unusual fitting similar to a Torx bolt and a tool to wind in the piston on the brake caliper. It would still be more economical to buy these tools though rather than pay main dealer price. We also used a circa 2ft bar to undo some of the larger bolts on the brake hanger which were quite tricky to get off. Not much clearance in the wheel arch for this so it was a fairly slow process.

Hope this helps somebody

 

[Bellcrew]

Changed the rear pads and discs on Saturday morning. Started at 11am, finished at 1pm. I had a friend who helped who is handy with cars and had experience of changing them on several other vehicles but nonetheless I'd say it was quite an easy job which would be easily carried out with the right tools and tutorials on YouTube or similar.

The parts cost £111 from Euro Car Parts and VW had quoted over £400 for the job so definitely a worthwhile saving to be had. For anybody reading and wondering my 2013 California SE had a single brake pad wear sensor which was on the offside rear wheel.

I would say that there was a few specialist tools which were needed to do the job, the retaining bolt for the brake discs was an unusual fitting similar to a Torx bolt and a tool to wind in the piston on the brake caliper. It would still be more economical to buy these tools though rather than pay main dealer price. We also used a circa 2ft bar to undo some of the larger bolts on the brake hanger which were quite tricky to get off. Not much clearance in the wheel arch for this so it was a fairly slow process.

Hope this helps somebody

Presumably a trained mechanic with a ramp and all the correct tools could do the job in under an hour.
Parts at trade prices would mean the labour is effectively costing something like £300 an hour. Of course the government needs its 20% but for crying out loud.