The 40,000 mile service is expensive. I’m not entirely sure why it’s so expensive, other than that VW pads labor charges. The best way to reduce the charge is to do the simple work yourself, then leave the rest to a local mechanic OR even the VW dealership — but give them the reduced itemized list.

Things you can do yourself:
1. Refill windshield wiper fluid (~$1 for a gallon of the stuff)
2. Check battery electrolyte level (color coded)
3. Tires and spare (visual inspection with a penny for a guide)

Things you can change yourself with only a Torx and Philips screwdriver:
1. Engine filter (part is ~$10)
2. Pollen filter (part is ~$10)

Things you can change yourself if you can get under the car and have a few tools:
1. Oil (~10-30, dino vs. synthetic)
2. Oil filter (~$10)

And if you can jack up one side of the car:
1. Rotate tires

The rest of the inspection may require more expertise (checking timing belts, CV, tranny, sparkplugs) or more time than you want to spend, but just for an example, I did pretty much what I described above except for the tire rotation (I got lazy), and the rest cost $40 at a local mechanic. With cost to filters and oil and a few tools I didn’t have, the total ended up at around $100, a far smaller cost than the straight $400.

Once again, my car is at the dealer getting the oil changed…I pray there are no additional repairs needed.

The dealership was a zoo this morning, I guess everyone and their brother decided to get their car checked out before the holiday weekend (owning a VW they should!). Well, hopefully techs won’t have time to go fishing for repairs!

wish me luck