1.2 TSI FR 1st Service

[ALK88]

Hi I'm in need of advice in relation to this topic.

I've got a 63 plate 1.2 TSI FR bought new in Sept 2013, at the time I was told about the option of long life servicing and because I do 300 miles a week commuting so thought it would be ideal as I too did not want to be getting it serviced every 6 months.

Recently my car approached 9000 miles mark and the 'spanner' popped along with '800 miles'. Not expecting to see this until the 19k/20k mark I phoned the dealer I bought it from and queried as to what was going on and it turned out it was never set to long life as I had originally wanted. The dealer said that I could either bring it in and they reset the warning so that it asks for the service at 20k or just leave it as is until I get to 20k and then bring it in for service and get it properly set for long life. They it doesn't do anything to the car just depends on how much the spanner warning bugged me.

Well now the car is saying 'oil change' and I'm just concerned that leaving it until 20k will potentially damage the engine. I'm thinking I may just take the car to the dealer get them to either reset the spanner light/change the oil. As if I just continue and get a problem all I've got is their verbal 'advice' that it'll be fine to 20k, which isn't really a leg to stand on in the event of a warranty claim.

What do you guys reckon?

 

[NetworkMan]

I'm assuming here that you have had the car from new. Is that right?

Assuming so then you need to check that your car was initially set for longlife. There should be a sticker in the front of the service book which should say "QG1" near the bottom. That means longlife. The dealer may have written/ticked boxes too but they shouldn't have ticked anything other than QG1 without your permission.

Assuming it is QG1 then someone has set the service indicator to time distance/servicing from longlife without your permission. Assuming you didn't do it yourself then it was either SEAT or the dealer. In either case it was not your fault and you need redress.

I would push them to do an oil change now at their expense and a reset of the indicator properly for longlife serviing. Then you can carry on for about 18000-19000 miles before you need another oil change and the indicator will show this.

You will need an inspection service at two years which probably won't coincide with the oil change since my understanding is that the indicator is only indicating the need for oil changes. My situation is the opposite; the two years is up before the mileage limit so I had the inspection service and oil change both done at two years.

I read in one of the VAG ssps about how all this works. The car measures mpg since that is an indication of how easy a time it is having. Also it measures oil temperature since hot oil deteriorates faster than cool oil. It uses these two to determine if the car will be allowed to go the full 30,000 km or less than that.

As I read it anything less than what I propose is a mess and as it was not your fault you shouldn't suffer.

 

[NetworkMan]

Sorry, I just realised that you did buy from new so ignore the first part of my post!!

 

[ALK88]

Thanks for a very informative reply

From reading the service book the vehicle is on long life if the PR number contains code QI6

On the inside of the front cover is a table that has been filled out with info such a vehicle model, colour etc. The first page mentions what should be filled out in each box like PR numbers etc but where the PR number should be filled out it's just the vehicle reg and no mention of QI6 :/

There are also tick boxes to denote whether long life servicing or time/distance will be done but neither have been ticked.

I haven't touched the service indicator at all as I don't actually have a clue how you change it

So like you say I think I'll ring the dealer again and book it for them to change the oil and set the service indicator properly but make it clear I'm not paying a penny for this inconvenience.

Thanks again for your input!

 

[NetworkMan]

If you like you could look in the boot under the carpet on the LHS facing front. Mine has a duplicate sticker there which mentions QG1 again as well as many other codes. These relate to build variations and options.

My service book was also not ticked by the dealer but at least the service indicator had not been reset. They told me it would need servicing in 1 year. I said surely it is on longlife servicing and they agreed. When I got the car after the first longlife sevice they had reset it to time/distance and I had to make a return trip to get it put right. Arrrgghhh!!!

One might say that the dealers prefer the shorter intervals because they make more money (wash my mouth out with soap and water!).

 

[NetworkMan]

Looks like PR code QI6 is new:-

http://vag-codes.info/files/options/vag-option-codes.pdf

It means "Service indicator 30,000 km or 2 year ( variable )"

QG1 means "Service interval prolongation."

So I guess either implies longlife servicing.

 

[scooter1556]

Mine is on QG1 and was set to longlife from the dealership when I picked it up new. At around 11k I did an oil change myself for peace of mind. I have done 14.5k now and the service indicator is showing I will need a service in 4.5k time. The car is a year old next month so I am doing high motorway mileage which lends itself well to longlife servicing in my opinion. I will certainly be checking to make sure it is still on longlife before I leave the dealership after a service!

 

[NetworkMan]

I will certainly be checking to make sure it is still on longlife before I leave the dealership after a service!

Yes be sure to do that! When QG1 is now the default I don't see why a manual reset of the service indicator doesn't reset to longlife rather than time/distance.

Some people on here don't like the idea of leaving oil in for more than 12000 miles or one year, but the whole point of the new expensive oil is that it is synthetic and designed for just that job. I have the manual for a pre-war Austin 7 (though sadly not the car) which says the oil should be changed every 2000 miles so perhaps we should do the same