DIY - Major service

[wolfie]

Up to present I've always had my little Polo serviced, either by Vdud while in warranty, or independent VW since. Now finances are running a bit tight this year and a was considering doing it myself. Car is 8 years old this year so I doubt folk are going to be interested in whether it has a full service history anymore. It's just gone through another MOT with flying colours so hopefully I won't run into anything major once I start crawling under the car.

It's due a major service so where would I be able to find the full schedule of work required, so I know I've checked everything correctly. Haynes manuals don't cover my model (1.2Tsi) so not sure were to look after that. I've serviced cars myself in the past, albeit a few years back, so consider myself reasonably competent. I have basic tools I've collected along the way, axle-stands, trolley jack and a reasonable collection of tools.

So questions are:
1. where would I be able to source a schedule of work for a full service? (pretty sure a major is plugs, filters (oil, air, pollen, fuel) Anything else obvious?
2. Are there any special tools I may need?
3. Can you tell me what day it will be warm and sunny to do it on?..

[Lktuning]

Long-life oli + filter change 30000km or Normal oli + filter change 15000km
Spark plugs change 60000km
Motor airfilter change 30 000km

[SRGTD]

I’ve read that you should also replace the sump plug & washer with a new one.

[RUM4MO]

I’d say for a diyer, whose car covers under 10k miles a year, at the 4 year major service:- replace oil + oil filter + sump plug which has its sealing washer attached, air filter, spark plugs and pollen filter.

[wolfie]

Don't really have any issues with going through the major stuff. List so far

1. Oil - £50
2. Oil filter - £10.99
3. Sump-plug - £2.49 (I've actually got a tiny weep on mine)
4. Fuel filter - £22.49
5. Cabin filter - £19.49 (Though I checked mine a little while back and it's still like new)
6. Plugs - £17.99 x 4 - £71.96 (Yikes! them are expensive)
£178 ish, all in.

It's the check/inspect stuff that I don't want to miss. Pre-MOT I gave the discs and pads a quick eyeball. Also cleaned and greased the handbrake linkages. Lubricated the anti-roll bar bushes. Other than checking fluids/levels is there anything else that needs going over. It had a brake fluid change 2017, so think that can go a little while yet. I drive like a grandad and I only do tiny miles now (under 5K a year)

I have a cheap Mickey Mouse fault code reader so can have a look at any codes that have been stored. I really need something better but just cant justify lashing out on VCDS when it might only get used once in a blue moon.

Once upon a time Vdud gave you a nice printed sheet when you had a service with a little box on it for every service item. (If I could find an old one I'd just follow that.) What with progress, all you get now is "Service event completed" whoop de do..

[RUM4MO]

Bother, some of these prices look a bit grim, for oil filter I buy same brand as VW branded ones but with the manufacturer's own name on it, same for air filter which is probably a Mann item and the one fitted could have the VW part number and the Mann part number on it, pollen filter again VW use Mann and you can buy a proper even better Mann version called Frecious - all filters from ECP when special special discount is being applied to service parts, ie bought in advance. Spark plugs, one brand that VW tend to use is NGK after you have discovered why model of plug from NGK website you only need to find them on specialist genuine spark plug sellers on ebay, taking care to avoid hooky copies! Fuel filter, on a modern petrol engine if you only ever buy fuel from proper fuel stations that will be correctly maintained, you should not need to replace a petrol fuel filter at 8 years, but if you have bought one why not (why wife's previous 2002 Polo 1.4 16V was owned from new to 105K miles and still had its original fuel filter. With these direct injection petrol engines, it is probably a good idea to replace at maybe 60K miles, one thing though, one way to find out if VW have finally made them a service item is to try to buy one from your local VW dealer, in the case of my old 2000 Passat and my wife's 2002 Polo, my dealer's parts department had to order them in specially for me, ie not held in stock! Oil, I tend to use an oil that is probably too good for my cars and the annual mileage they run - I use MobilOne 5W-30 and only buy it from Opie Oils and as I have 2 or 3 cars to service a year, I tend to buy enough each year to qualify for free carriage. The drain plugs or in my case for 2 of the cars only an O-ring seal, I still buy from VW dealer.

Edit:- special tools, it depends on what the end of your oil filter looks like, I bought a specific wrench for the oil filter on my wife's 2015 Polo - just to make life easier. I've also got a long tubular spark plug socket that has a 3/8 square drive end on it which suits my lower ranged torque wrench.

At this age, servicing the brakes would be a really good idea.

Another Edit:- my list of parts that I have already bought for the year 4 service on my wife's 2015 Polo 1.2TSI 16V 110PS comes to £78.71 - that does not include a pollen filter or a fuel filter.

You have missed out the air filter element as well!

I'm not too sure about lubricating the ARB mounting bushes as that will just attract dirt/grit to that area, I will admit to cleaning up and lubricating the handbrake cable ball ends (car has rear discs) - though that too might not be the best idea unless cleaning and relubing annually.

[wolfie]

Bother, some of these prices look a bit grim, for oil filter I buy same brand as VW branded ones but with the manufacturer's own name on it, same for air filter which is probably a Mann item and the one fitted could have the VW part number and the Mann part number on it, pollen filter again VW use Mann and you can buy a proper even better Mann version called Frecious - all filters from ECP when special special discount is being applied to service parts, ie bought in advance. Spark plugs, one brand that VW tend to use is NGK after you have discovered why model of plug from NGK website you only need to find them on specialist genuine spark plug sellers on ebay, taking care to avoid hooky copies! Fuel filter, on a modern petrol engine if you only ever buy fuel from proper fuel stations that will be correctly maintained, you should not need to replace a petrol fuel filter at 8 years, but if you have bought one why not (why wife's previous 2002 Polo 1.4 16V was owned from new to 105K miles and still had its original fuel filter. With these direct injection petrol engines, it is probably a good idea to replace at maybe 60K miles, one thing though, one way to find out if VW have finally made them a service item is to try to buy one from your local VW dealer, in the case of my old 2000 Passat and my wife's 2002 Polo, my dealer's parts department had to order them in specially for me, ie not held in stock! Oil, I tend to use an oil that is probably too good for my cars and the annual mileage they run - I use MobilOne 5W-30 and only buy it from Opie Oils and as I have 2 or 3 cars to service a year, I tend to buy enough each year to qualify for free carriage. The drain plugs or in my case for 2 of the cars only an O-ring seal, I still buy from VW dealer.

Edit:- special tools, it depends on what the end of your oil filter looks like, I bought a specific wrench for the oil filter on my wife's 2015 Polo - just to make life easier. I've also got a long tubular spark plug socket that has a 3/8 square drive end on it which suits my lower ranged torque wrench.

At this age, servicing the brakes would be a really good idea.

Another Edit:- my list of parts that I have already bought for the year 4 service on my wife's 2015 Polo 1.2TSI 16V 110PS comes to £78.71 - that does not include a pollen filter or a fuel filter.

You have missed out the air filter element as well!

I'm not too sure about lubricating the ARB mounting bushes as that will just attract dirt/grit to that area, I will admit to cleaning up and lubricating the handbrake cable ball ends (car has rear discs) - though that too might not be the best idea unless cleaning and relubing annually.

Yeah, you're not wrong on those prices. They are all straight off the EuroCar website. Most weekends there is normally 40-50% off most of those.

As you say I'm 99% sure the oil filter is a Mann item. There was a part number change early on for the 1.2Tsi engines, something to do with an updated non return gasket iirc. So I'll just have to check part numbers. Fuel filter wise it had a new one fitted the year before last (It's still shiny as yet) so that will probably be OK. (Fill ups are a bit of a mix. Probably 4 tanks of Sainbury's unleaded, then a full tank of shell V-Power)

Oil wise Shell Helix, but so long as it's decent, I'm not too fussy. It has a service annually but I do so few miles it means it gets changed every 5K or less anyway.

Tools wise it's just come to me that I don't have one or the little sparkplug-shroud removal tools, so I will need to invest in one of those. Oil filter wise I think mine is 67mm octagon, but a plain oil filter strap will do. They are easy to get at on the 1.2Tsi as it sits at the front-top of the block.

Yeah, I forgot to list the air filter element, even though it should be on the renew list. I have one of the Mann Ferrous + cabin filters at the mo.

I hear what you say about the ARB bushes. I was in two minds as to lubricate it or not. As you say anything "sticky" is going to attract grime. In the end I cleaned they off as best I could and gave them a squirt of silicone lubricant. It's very thin so gets in and it's more slippy than sticky. ( Tend to do it a couple of times a year, when cleaning the grime from beneath the arches)

Servicing the brakes is a good call. Even though I don't think VW ever go near them unless it's to replace pads or discs. Wear wise mine are absolutely fine, but I think they'd benefit from a good clean off with some brake cleaner and a stiff brush.

There's plenty there to keep me busy. I've got a dodgy ticker, I get there, but it just takes me a while..

[RUM4MO]

Yes that is the issue with the brakes on at least all VW Group dealer serviced cars, they do not take the wheels off at car service time, they just look and report, typically this ends up with them giving out a cautious "pads worn 80%" or "brakes binding slightly" both given with the advice to re-book it back in soon to get that work sorted out!

Oil filters, yes I forgot about the 1.2TSI 8V engines having issues with their oil filters, I take it that you are very aware that many many people have found that their, mainly independent garages have ended up leaving the previous filter seal in and so the car now has 2 seals and lowish oil pressure! So make sure that you examine the old filter and compare with the new one wrt the seals. I think that the original filters might have been Mahle (black) elements and the later ones were Mann (silver) elements.

As always, when dealing with ECP, you do need to order online either for FOC delivery or "click and collect" - once or twice I've had a brain fart and shuffled in and bought something there as they were cheapest - only to find that I've ended up paying the counter price, my mistake and avoidable!

Quantum oils are good enough and as long as you can buy it online delivered at a good price, maybe that is the one to go for, for quite a few years I used only Quantum Gold buying from my VW dealer, then changed to Fuchs Super Syn when "Gold" was dropped by VW Group, eventually finding it difficult to source that Fuchs oil locally or online cheaply, I ended up changing to Mobil1 ESP 5W-30 when I bought a used S4, and so far I've stuck with that for convenience.

Edit:- I'm guessing that you have bought a Haynes manual, even if it does not cover your engine it is handy to have, I bought one and my wife's car is a 6C Polo 1.2TSI 16V 110PS SEL - just for other areas and for any work I do on my daughter's late 2009 Ibiza 1.4 16V 86PS SC.

[wolfie]

Oil filters, yes I forgot about the 1.2TSI 8V engines having issues with their oil filters, I take it that you are very aware that many many people have found that their, mainly independent garages have ended up leaving the previous filter seal in and so the car now has 2 seals and lowish oil pressure! So make sure that you examine the old filter and compare with the new one wrt the seals. I think that the original filters might have been Mahle (black) elements and the later ones were Mann (silver) elements.

Edit:- I'm guessing that you have bought a Haynes manual, even if it does not cover your engine it is handy to have, I bought one and my wife's car is a 6C Polo 1.2TSI 16V 110PS SEL - just for other areas and for any work I do on my daughter's late 2009 Ibiza 1.4 16V 86PS SC.

Yeah, going back a few years when Vdud serviced the car, I noticed it came back with a grey filter (went in with black) so queried it. I guess it must have been around the time they updated it, so it stayed with me. Likewise the issue of leaving the old seal in place.

Haynes manual wise, I picked one up and had a little look and when I twigged it didn't cover the 1.2Tsi put it back down again. However I think you're bob-on as much of the running gear will be similar it's worth having one for what they cost. I've also created an account on Erwin and had a little look at that, but it takes a little while to suss out how it all works. That was a little while back when I was searching for information on cam chains.

[RUM4MO]

Erwin, yes I created an account and bought a single session but just blundered in and started printing off “current flow” diagrams as it was for my daughter’s late 2009 Ibiza and the SEAT area was a bit basic and I could not find any way to download sections, so first printer ran out of ink then paper then I ran out of time, a complete cock up on my part! So you are correct, you would need to spend money learning how to use it - then use it in earnest!