New girl, lots of questions about Polo 1.9tdi

[poppygirl]

Hi all, new on here, recenty bought a nice Polo 1.9tdi, been serviced by main dealers since new, 42k miles, I've had a few quotes for having the cambelt changed, they ranged from £299 - £549 !! from a couple of localish VW dealerships and my local non specialist garage said they would do it for £199 but didn't say what they would do for that, obviously i'm a bit confused :1zhelp:

Can anybody advise me exactly what needs to be replaced when the cambelt is changed so I know what I'm asking the garages about, the VW dealerships said I could have the waterpump changed at the same time but it probably wasn't worth it on "one of those cars" maybe that would explain the huge price variations ?

Any help and advice would be great as I don't want to get ripped off like i have previously

[zollaf]

hi poppy, welcome to the forum. we need a few more details on your car to be accurate in our reply's, so age and engine code please. the engine code can be found on the timing belt cover or on a sticker found on the boot floor near the spare wheel or in the service book. you are looking for 3 letters such as awx, arl etc....

[-M-]

Can anybody advise me exactly what needs to be replaced when the cambelt is changed so I know what I'm asking the garages about, the VW dealerships said I could have the waterpump changed at the same time but it probably wasn't worth it on "one of those cars" maybe that would explain the huge price variations ?

Any help and advice would be great as I don't want to get ripped off like i have previously

When changing the cambelt I would always have the coolant pump replaced as its a false economy not to - if the pump failed 2 yrs after then all that work would need to be repeated at your cost.

Normally cambelts come in kit form from VW if using genuine parts - tensioner and idle pulley if appropriate to that engine.

It may be worthwhile replacing the auxillary belt at the same time as it saves on labour costs.

The engine mount will/may be removed for access so you need to make sure the bolts for this are replaced as per workshop manual instructions - there are lots of people/dealers etc who don't do this and can cause you grief if not done.

Best bet is to get your cheapest quote anywhere and then go to VW with it as the y have to price match any quote.

[poppygirl]

When changing the cambelt I would always have the coolant pump replaced as its a false economy not to - if the pump failed 2 yrs after then all that work would need to be repeated at your cost.

Normally cambelts come in kit form from VW if using genuine parts - tensioner and idle pulley if appropriate to that engine.

It may be worthwhile replacing the auxillary belt at the same time as it saves on labour costs.

The engine mount will/may be removed for access so you need to make sure the bolts for this are replaced as per workshop manual instructions - there are lots of people/dealers etc who don't do this and can cause you grief if not done.

Best bet is to get your cheapest quote anywhere and then go to VW with it as the y have to price match any quote.

Thanks for this, at least I know what to ask for now, makes it a bit more clear, none of the VW dealerships in my area will price match anything other than other VW dealerships quotes though, they just laugh when you show them an independents quote, to be honest I wouldn't go near any main dealers in my area anyway, i've never had a good experience at one and neither have my friends, their quotes for jobs seem to be a bit "flexible" to say the least :mad: I like to know exactly what it's going to cost before going ahead with something and if something changes I'd like to be told first instead of getting a nasty suprise !

[-M-]

Thanks for this, at least I know what to ask for now, makes it a bit more clear, none of the VW dealerships in my area will price match anything other than other VW dealerships quotes though, they just laugh when you show them an independents quote, to be honest I wouldn't go near any main dealers in my area anyway, i've never had a good experience at one and neither have my friends, their quotes for jobs seem to be a bit "flexible" to say the least :mad: I like to know exactly what it's going to cost before going ahead with something and if something changes I'd like to be told first instead of getting a nasty suprise !

They are required to do this as this is what VW UK offers via there website Service promise : Volkswagen UK (http://www.volkswagen.co.uk/owners/service-promise/like-for-like) so as per the agreement they have no right to refuse a price match - see if there are any specialist VAG garages with good rep near you.

Have a look at Audi | VW | Seat | Skoda | Repair & Servicing Birmingham | Central Audi & VW Specialists (http://centralaudivw.co.uk/index.html) - seem to get good rep from what i've read.

[poppygirl]

Do they only have to price match other main dealers or any other garage as well, they don't really seem bothered at my local dealership

[-M-]

Do they only have to price match other main dealers or any other garage as well, they don't really seem bothered at my local dealership

Any garage/dealership offering the same service/repairs they have to price match - I got an MOT done for £25.00 instead of £54 as that was the offer from an autocentre just down the road.

[poppygirl]

I see, i shall give them another try when I get 5 mins spare, I wonder if all dealerships are aware of this price match or if they just can't be bothered to do it, mind you with the other little problems my car seems to be developing i think i need to steer clear of main dealers and go somewhere that won't charge a fortune as friends have got huge bills in the past when mentioning rattles and lights coming on the dash, it seems the dealers think they can charge what they want for fault finding jobs, maybe the other jobs have to be price matched but i guess fault finding is very much there to make the dealers lots of money, i'll see what they say and report back again

[-M-]

With fault finding any decent dealer will start with minimum 1/2 to 1 hour diag to start with then advise you after that as to fault/solution or any more time needed - pay as they go. If you stress the point to go 1hour before authorising any more you should'nt be charged more than you agree to step by step.

Also most decent dealers will drop all/some of the diagnostic time if you have the rectification work done.

[poppygirl]

Thanks for all the info, problems have now been sorted by Iain at ISA Technik, VW, Audi, Seat and Skoda servicing and repair in Acocks Green, Birmingham for a very reasonable price, I'm very pleased with the service I got from him and even got a lift to work for free, i don't think i'll ever go near a dealership again as despite their price match claims they don't very often seem to honour this, at least not in my area and you always get the feeling they are going to rip you off, thanks once again everybody :D