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My brother just phoned to tell me he took his vehicle (a 2006 VW Golf GLS) to the dealership for the 80K maintenance and was told it was going to cost $1550.
They claim at 80K he should have his timing belt, water pump, filters, oil and some other silly stuff replaced all at that amount.
Please does that sound right? I told him to hold off til I seek the opinion of experienced mechanics.
1. He doesn't need to listen to what they "claim" he just needs to read his manual for recommended maintenance. Now if there's an actual problem...that's not maintenance, that's a repair.
2. Timing belt sounds very reasonable. If it is a zero-clearance engine, NOT replacing a timing belt is a bad choice.
3. Don't know what "silly stuff" is. I don't remember having any on my car. Fuzzy dice??
4. Why get a 2006 serviced at the dealer??
Last edited by rational1; 06-18-2012 at 11:15 AM..
Reason: spelling
I'm no car expert, but after doing considerable research, that sounds a little high, but about right. Most 80k maintenance I've seen comes out to be around $1,000. VW's require SIGNIFICANT amounts of maintenance, what your brother needs to do is look in the manual and see what should be replaced. Follow the manual to the letter.
VW's are like an expensive high maintenance woman, you have to go the extra mile to make sure she stays with you.
What engine does he have? If it is the 2.5 that is NOT a timing belt engine, it uses a chain and is supposed to last the life of the engine. If that is getting replaced thats where most of the $$$ is going as it requires the engine to be separated from transmission. That being said there are many reported issues of the chains prematurely failing due to guide issues, but if it aint broke, it doesn't need to be replaced.
Just the parts run $400~500 for a comprehensive service on a VW of that age (I own a 2001). It takes me about 8 hours to d0 the work myself, a pro who does a TB more often than once every 4 years might get that down to 5 hours. Seems that $100/hour shop rates are getting pretty common, so that'd be right at $1000.
Having worked for a dealer as a mechanic (motorcycle though), I will NEVER allow a dealer to work on any vehicle I own ever again. Independents do better work, cost less and are more interested in keeping you happy (repeat and referral business). Sure there are some bad ones, but there are more good (ex-dealership grunts).
After owning several VWs (not currently, however - last one was a 2008 GTI), the 80k service is typically a major service and can be $1k+. The owner's manual normally lists recommended service at that interval, so you can double check what they would be doing.
Also, once the car is out of warranty, find good indy shop, and have them do the work.
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