Use the independent specialist, they should be familiar with any quirks with this model. The impact on residuals will be tiny if any by the time you finish with the car.

Hi all,

Last year I purchased a 2017 Polo 1.2 TSI, with 27,000 miles on the clock, in great condition. I didn’t buy from VW, but it did come with 4 VW services under its belt.

It’s now due a major service and also apparently a brake fluid service.

Someone is not telling you the truth.

A 2017 Polo (doing less than 10,000 miles a year) would be due its 5th service this year but the 5th service is not a major. The 2nd, 4th etc are majors on VAG cars, the 1st, 3rd, 5th etc are basically oil changes.

Our Fabia is a 2018 ( a year younger than yours) and had a minor at 1 year and 3 years and a major at 2 years. Its due a major this year at 4 years.

So I suggest you check with both companies who quoted and find out what work they propose. A 5 year service should not be costing £300 let alone £433.

Here is a link to the VW service page. At 5 years your car is due a minor which is £184 (or less if you haggle possibly). Even if its due a brake fluid change its an additional £69.

But one question, at 5 years old its due an MOT, is that included? Say that because the independents quote of £300 would be about spot on for a minor, brake fluid and MOT

Edited by SLO76 on 13/01/2022 at 12:03

Interesting question, I have 65k on the clock on my Toledo, until COVID I used to drive 20k a year, services August & February. Switching to time the next service will be due next month (February) SEAT quote £209 for an intermediate service at any of their franchise dealers. (that's move than stated above for VW!). I purchased a 5 year SEAT warranty with the car from new, this will expire in August so will stick with franchise dealers this time.

5 years' will be August, based on comments here the timing belt will need to be changed, as well as having a MOT, as the car will be coming out of warranty I think it may be time to explore the indies in the area for a quote. The only issue that would be worth considering is if a warranty claim was required soon after, whether there would be any goodwill payment from SEAT with a car that had been fully maintained in franchise garages!

Any thoughts on this topic would be much appreciated.

The no-brainer answer is a resounding...NO! Four oil changes in 27,000 miles is already overkill. If my car, I wouldn't do another one until 37,000 miles. If I wanted to change such young brake fluid (our 21yr old Focus might have had it changed when it got new rear brakes around 120,000 miles ), I would merely siphon off the contents of the reservoir and replace it with fresh fluid. Cost - a fiver and a length of thin pipe. Don't get it on the paintwork! Any tiny percentage of suspended water in the pipework will gradually be diluted and dispersed over the next few hundred miles. The annual MoT test will provide all the safety checks and advice you might (or might not) get from a routine service. In five years time it will be ten years old and the number of service stamps in the book will have little or no bearing on its tiny value. If you want it to last as long as our 160,000 mile Focus, the two most important things are oil changes every 10 - 15k miles and (never done at garage 'services') early attention to brake pipe (keep them greased) and underbody corrosion. It's worth it, because when a car gets beyond ten years old you (or a family member) are enjoying virtually depreciation-free motoring.

We use our great local independent garage for our fleet although I used the main dealer whilst under warranty.

Our son's car is a 2016 1.2tsi Octavia which will be fitted with the same engine as the 2017 1.2tsi Polo. They follow the manufacturers servicing schedule that seems to alternate between major/minor servicing with brake fluid every couple of years, spark plugs every 4 years?(I think) and cambelt every 5 years (or 80k). It's just had it's first cambelt replacement and a minor service which came to about £380 all in - suspect that'd be considerably more at the main dealer.

NB Plugs are quite pricey for the EA211 1.2tsi

Edited by Big John on 15/01/2022 at 11:26

Thanks for all of your comments. A clear consensus on using an independent garage!

I spent time over the last week gathering quotes from as many local garages as possible, and most of the quotes were remarkably similar - £433 (VW), £432, £410, £442!. Two came in at £300/£275, but I now realise they are impossible to get to/back from (not near any public transport and no curtesy car offered).

I’ve gone for an independent garage that came recommend by someone in the area.

£433 is a lot. Brake fluid changes are cheap. Look carefully at what you get for your money. Oil and filter change then check this, check that. I just get my indie to change the oil and filter and look at all the safety aspects before the mot and put them right, usually a tyre or new pads, main dealer servicing is a rip off.