Comments on: 40k Service: Is the Dealership Cost Worth It?

By: Dan Volkens

Dan Volkens — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 15:55:43 +0000

Bryce, thanks for passing along that link!

By: Bryce

Bryce — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 04:54:14 +0000

The new web address for the tuning kit is:
http://www.ecstuning.com/ES10237/

By: Felicia

Felicia — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 17:21:34 +0000

Just called the dealership in Henderson, NV for a quote on a 40k service on a 2003 Passat V6. $786.00 for a 4hr job. Oh let’s not forget the 15% coupon $670.00. Seems steep???

My car has 37,200 miles if you’re doing the math I don’t drive it much because I travel a lot.

As a single female I have always taken my car to the dealer just to make sure everything is done properly. It may be time to go elsewhere. Thanks for the info.

By: Dan Volkens

Dan Volkens — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 14:50:40 +0000

Hey Holly, $525 isn’t too bad as the price fluctuates from location to location, state-wise. As far as your brakes, the Rabbit should have disc brakes on all four wheels, so you would need to change out the pads.

It’s common for the previous generation VWs to wear down their rears before the fronts because of a specific brake bias that Volkswagen puts on them. This is not typical to other cars, so people think it’s odd when it happens. :D But I guess this is still par for the course on the newer models as well.

Regardless, the pads typically last around 40-50k miles, give or take. so you could be just about ready for the change, depending on how the car has been driven.

By: Holly Harris

Holly Harris — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 14:42:53 +0000

I also have an ‘07 Rabbit and was quoted $525 for the 40K. I’m trying to figure out whether to just do it at the dealership for peace of mind or take it to another shop for the basic stuff.

Not to mention I need new drum brakes too, but I bought my car at 28K miles… should I need new drums this soon? Or did the previous owner wreck them? Any thoughts?

By: Dan Volkens

Dan Volkens — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 23:15:46 +0000

Hey Stacie, as far as I know, that’s not included in the 40k service, so I would pass on it. Good luck!

By: stacie

stacie — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 20:53:42 +0000

My 2005 Beetle is getting a 40k tuneup. They recommend an injection flush. Is this necessary?

By: dumbgirl

dumbgirl — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 18:43:51 +0000

Ok, my 2004 golf is in for it’s 40K service – get this… $979.95!! in Oakland, CA.
I think i’m keeping this dealer in business. I’m wondering if they charge a different price to differnent clients or if that’s a flat cost.

They also said I need a new catalytic converter, but luckily that is covered under warrantee. I’m hoping that catch makes it worth it!.

By: Tieron

Tieron — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 18:26:03 +0000

Just dropped my 2006 Jetta 2.5 off in Murrieta, Ca. Good buddies with the service guy and he quoted $505 for the 40k then said hed throw in a 15% coupon. Now they do offer the pricing match for other dealers so if anyone knows where i can get a better deal send me a link or let me know asap otherwise im gonna suck it up cuz i got a lot of driving to do this weekend.

By: Dan Volkens

Dan Volkens — Sat, 16 May 2009 15:19:04 +0000

Hey guys, sorry for the VERY late replies.

Neal, I have never heard of that myself, so I’m not sure if the local shop was just searching for an answer for you or something. Very odd man.

Gary, phew! Pretty pricey, but that may be the average in your area.

Good luck Amanda! It’s great that you can get it done by an acquaintence. :D

By: Amanda Record

Amanda Record — Wed, 13 May 2009 17:57:05 +0000

Thanks for this post. I’ve been calling around for a week trying to get quotes and figure out what the big difference was between my regular maintenance and this one. Volkswagen of Oakland charges $530 for the 40k maintenance. It still seems crazy to me that I am expected to do this every 40k miles but that’s probably not that often. I bought my Jetta TDI at 60k. Thankfully my mom has a VW owner that does all his own work so I’ll just buy the ECS kit. Saved me $250!

By: Gary B

Gary B — Sat, 02 May 2009 21:56:35 +0000

Just picked up my 2007 Jetta 2.5 from getting the 40K service at the one and only VW dealership in Boise…$706.73. 451.00 of that cost was labor…Yikes.

By: Neal Schlachter

Neal Schlachter — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 20:14:41 +0000

2007 Passat. When the front window defrost position is selected, we also have to manually select the A/C on, pushing the air conditioning button, so that the defrost is actually clearing the window. I questioned our local VW maintenance shop and they said ” Yeah, thats the way the system works on that model”. Every other vehicle I’ve had , the A/C kicks in automatically when you select defrost. Any suggestions?

By: Istvan

Istvan — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 02:39:19 +0000

My dealer told me my 40.000 miles maintenance will cost around 300 dollars i got 07 jetta with 5 speed

By: James T

James T — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 02:59:46 +0000

Thanks for the info…JT

By: Dan Volkens

Dan Volkens — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 16:31:50 +0000

Hey James, sucks about the coolant problem, but this dealership is definitely trying to scam something. If a repair is warrantied, than everything is covered, including labor. Also, there should not be green coolant in the system. It has to be the Volkswagen-specified pink coolant, so your system will need to be flushed and replaced with the correct coolant. But you should definitely take it elsewhere.

By: James T

James T — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 00:24:35 +0000

Any comments on NYS law pertaining to this matter would be appreciated.

By: James T

James T — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 00:21:41 +0000

I have a 2007 VW rabbit (purchased new).I have enjoyed the car up to this point.Car has around 42K miles and just developed a small coolant leak.Hoses look ok.Coolant appears to be coming from the radiator, behind the electric fans.Fans are blowing coolant onto the engine.Pew!Took car to Dealership, Prestige VW in Westchester NY.Recieved a call later that day, they say car has a leaky hose.Hose is covered under warranty,heres the catch,they say it will cost 160.00 plus, to flush out coolant system.Coolant is stock (red) with about a quart of new green coolant.The coolant bottle states this coolant is compatible with the extended life red antifreeze all makes and models.Dealer claims that VW will not honor the warranty unless they flush the system.I refuse to believe this and said to them, dont do the work to the car and they replied you will have to pay 94.00 plus tax because we are going to charge you for diagnosing the problem.I dont buy that either the problem is covered under warranty so shouldn’t the labor be covered as well.If they are going to drain the system to change the hose,how much more effort is it to run some water through the radiator and engine block ETC…Seems like a complete rip off.Any way, they are supposed to call me so the technician can speak to me.

By: Dan Volkens

Dan Volkens — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 13:27:42 +0000

Sparks flying around anywhere in your car is never good! lol I wouldn’t drive it anymore until you get that problem patched up. And personally I’d suggest a new mechanic if he told you it was ok to drive, but that’s just me. :)

As far as the cables, are we talking about the ignition cables, if you happen to know? If so, they’re not terribly expensive but labor costs vary a lot from place to place. I wouldn’t expect it to take more than one hour to do the repair though.

I wish I knew of a how-to so you could DIY it if you wanted, but I can’t find one currently. Good luck with the repair, and be careful if you do have to drive it!

By: jetta97

jetta97 — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 14:17:46 +0000

I have a problem and i was wondering if you could give me some iformation. I own a 97 jetta and I notice my engine shaking when my car is idle. I can hear and feel it at each stop sign. I was told by the mechanic that there was a short circuit going from the cable to the engine. I saw some sparks and that was what was producing the shaking. He told me it was fine and not dangerous. Is it okay to drive around and won’t it be dangerous for the engine since sparks keep flying around?

HOw much would getting the cables replace cost with manual labour?

thank you for shedding light on this matter.