oil change on a 2001 vw beetle

[digitaldrifter91]

my friend just called me and she said that the dealer will charge 100 bucks to change the oil in her 2001 vw bettle. she said that they said that the oil change is differnt than standard cars

what is so differnt about this? would i be able to change it myself?

thanks!

 

[Neil Womack]

Guess that why they call them stealerships.

Changing the oil can't be much different than changing the oil in my Golf. You will have one extra step. The underside of the engine compartment has a plastic shield.

My oil change takes about 30 minutes. That includes removal and instillation of the shield, long drain times and a close inspection of the cars oily side.

 

[digitaldrifter91]

thats what i was thinking, how differnt can it be?? ill over look some manuals for her car just to see but i doubt ill see anything purely differnt.

 

[Milton C. Hubbard]

The high price is mostly due to VW's special oil requirement (check your owner's manual for details). The local VW dealer uses Castrol Syntec 5W-40, for which they charge $11/quart.

Mobil 1 0W-40 also satisfies the requirement, and is available at WalMart for $4.77/quart.

 

[digitaldrifter91]

gosh!....do we have to use synthetic?

 

[ChrisW]

My local VW dealer charges $49.95 for 4 cylinder oil changes on the VWs, and $69.95 for V6 models. They have it posted on the wall for service prices. That dealer is ripping her off.

What kind of beetle does she have? The turbo? base model? I'd go with the mobil 0W40 or the german castrol and an oem filter.

 

[Schmoe]

Wasn't there a post about how VW had specifically mentioned a certain oil by name that had to used in their vehicles or they would void the warranty? Maybe that engine falls into that category and you are at the hands of the almighty dealer which totally sucks.

 

[Quattro Pete]

digitaldrifter91,

Is it the TDI engine? If so, some of the previous posters may be right - dealer is using the expensive synthetic oil.

If not, it's probably just your general dealer charges in your area. When I lived in VA, Audi dealer wanted around $85 for just a basic oil and filter change - and that's just dino oil. The same oil change cost around $30 at an Audi/VW dealership in Wisconsin, where my g/f services her 2001 Jetta 2.0, and that's what she paid last time a few months back. And for $30 I think it's a pretty good deal since the likes of Jiffy Lube don't charge much less, and at least one would hope the techs at the VW dealership know the car better and won't forget to put a drainplug back in

or tighten the oil filter. She also gets the good OEM VW oil filter as opposed to whatever bulk stuff JL uses.

As for your friend, if she feels like doing some homework, tell her to go over to www.vwvortex.com forums and find a reputable independent shop in her area that'll do it for half the price the dealer quoted.

 

[digitaldrifter91]

thanks guys. i forgot exactly what model her bettle is, but ill find out for sure. ill update you on the situation.