I have a 2006 jetta tdi I am almost to 40K miles. I was told by my dealer that it is time for the first large maintence. He said it will have a $500 hundred dollar price tag. That sounded really high to me. I know it it time for an oil change which is what I called for. Is it ok to take it to a fast oil change place? What other things are checked at the dealership at 40K?

Thanks for your help

 

Yo, the dealer wants your money. remember that. If its free, why not. If its gonna cost you a dime, forget it. Stay away from the dealer. They rip you off. Go to a michanic. there are ways to get around that price tag. Yo V dubs are tough. what large maintnance. All you need is to take it to a michanic and do a tune up. And oil change every 3000 miles. Dealers are evil. forget it!

 

I have a 2002 VW GTI. I do oilchange every 3000 miles. I take it to a local michanic. They change my oil and change my filter. They also check my brakes and tire pressure. All that for $25. Forget the dealer. Your car is new and low miles. Pretty early to be spending $500 on it. dont you think?

 

read your owners manual it tells you exactly what they do, dealers are no "evil" they know basically everything there is to know about your car because they only work on VW's instead of joe blows shop that works on every car out there. but yeah, just check your owners manual it shows all the checkups and shows what all they do

 

Hey mherzber,

Your situation is a bit unique 'cause you have a TDI. So do I - great car! These require a pretty special, synthetic oil because they run so hot. I wouldn't trust that the quick oil-change places are going to put in this high-quality an oil. You can buy it and bring it with you - you'll spend about $5-$6 a quart, depending where you live. Check on-line to find the recommended oils.

I agree with the others that $500 is a little high for 40K miles (what exactly are they saying they need to do?). If I recall correctly, there's no major maintenance required at 40K. You'll need to do belts and hoses at 80K.

Dealers are the most knowledgeable about what your VW needs, but they are basically in the business of selling you new stuff - they don't fix things, usually. If you find a mechanic in your area that specializes in VW's / European cars, I'd go there first. But mine has even sent me to the dealer at times when he can't fix the problem. Sometimes, only the dealer will have the diagnostic stuff you'll need.

By the way, did you buy it new? If so, some stuff should still be under warranty. Good luck. Enjoy your TDI!