I wouldn't mind going to the dealer for scheduled service, but years of experience has taught me that they don't do it -- and that's the main reason I do it myself.<p>If you look at your owner's manuals, they will tell you when / what to do.<p>I bet there's fewer than a handful of dealer service technicians who go all over the car and lube the door hinges, check the belts, re-torque the bolts, and do a general "all over" inspection to look for problems/ issues.<p>I'd pay for that ... <I>if they actually did the work!</I> <IMG NAME="icon" SRC="http://www.vwvortex.com/vwbb/rolleyes.gif" BORDER="0"> <p>What do you get for a $300+ service ?? usually just an oil change -- do they change the filter + o ring? how do you know? what kind of oil did they use? no way to know! But they charge you for topping off your windshield washer fluid <IMG NAME="icon" SRC="http://www.vwvortex.com/vwbb/rolleyes.gif" BORDER="0"> <p>I used to let the dealer do the tricky stuff -- like change the brake fluid.... but the last time I let them do it they buggered the threads on a bleed valve and left me with a leak that runined a Peg <IMG NAME="icon" SRC="http://www.vwvortex.com/vwbb/mad.gif" BORDER="0"> before I discovered it.<p>and the tools! I have a box half full of tools and parts the dealer mechanics have left under the hood or somewhere in/on the car over the years. amazing. and you always have to check the wheel bolt torque after every inspection...<p>... you just can't trust dealer mechanics <IMG NAME="icon" SRC="http://www.vwvortex.com/vwbb/eek.gif" BORDER="0"> <p>if you love your car, you have to learn do your own work. <IMG NAME="icon" SRC="http://********************/smile/emthup.gif" BORDER="0"> <p>funny this topic should come up -- i just got back from the dealer to get front brake pads --{ $109 }... going to show my 12-year-old how to work on the car <IMG NAME="icon" SRC="http://www.vwvortex.com/vwbb/wink.gif" BORDER="0">
