Many owners avoid buying German brands assuming they are expensive to maintain. It is a preconceived notion that maintenance cost is very high. However, here at GoMechanic, we want to break that myth and show you that servicing a German car can cost similar to a homegrown brand. It’s impossible to move to a Japanese car after owning these timeless German beauties. People are being spoiled by their built and driving dynamics.
In this video, we will be doing the GoMechanic comprehensive service on a 2013 Volkswagen Vento 1.6 Petrol, which had covered almost 25,000 kilometres. The top-of-the-line servicing package covers all the necessary checks and part replacements at a minimal cost. If you visit Honda/Toyota/Hyundai service centre twice, you visit the VW/BMW/Mercedes service centre only once. This negates the perceived “expensive maintenance” tag and means that German car service costs are reasonable and manageable. Watch the video till the end to know more.
Below are some crucial maintenance steps that are covered in the video:
Engine Oil Replacement
Every car is different, but most should have their oil changed every 5,000 kilometres or six months. The longer an oil change is put off, the engine, in general, will start to show problems.
Most commonly, your engine will become too hot, which can cause it to run less efficiently. We have used a 0W-40 fully-synthetic oil for this Volkswagen Vento, which is more expensive than 5W-40. Both of them are recommended for the vehicle. Check your owner’s manual for specific guidelines during car servicing.
Oil Filter Replacement
Oil Filter grabs your motor oil’s harmful residue, dirt, and metal fragments to keep your car’s engine running smoothly.
Harmful particles can get into your motor oil and damage the engine without the oil filter. You should usually substitute the oil filter whenever your vehicle’s oil changes.
Air Filter Replacement
Just as humans need oxygen to breathe, a car needs oxygen for the combustion process. The air filter prevents insects, dust, particles, sand or debris from reaching the engine and ensures a good mixture of air and fuel to support performance.
Typically, it should be inspected once a year or every 10,000 kilometres. But this can vary based on the car and driving environment.
Fuel Filter Replacement
A bad fuel filter will seldom keep your engine from starting unless clogged. On a car where a fuel filter has never been changed, the soiled filter can cause uneven fuel flow, resulting in longer than usual cranking before the engine starts. Check your owner’s manual on filter replacement intervals.
Cabin Filter Replacement
This filter is often located behind the glovebox and cleans the air as it moves through the vehicle’s HVAC system. If you notice that your car has an unpleasant odour or the airflow has decreased, consider replacing the cabin filter to give the system, and yourself, a breath of fresh air.
Believe it or not, your cabin filter can affect your AC system, and the AC can strongly impact the power of the entire vehicle. If your filter is clogged, you might have to turn up the AC. The harder your AC works, the more the engine does, too.
Throttle Body Cleaning
Consider having your throttle body cleaned to help improve fuel mileage. When the throttle body gets mucky, it directly impacts how smoothly the engine operates. Signs revealing a problem include rough idling, jumpy or sluggish acceleration, poor fuel economy, and stalling.
The dirt and debris buildup is easily removed with a throttle body cleaning product. Ensuring your spark plugs are changed or cleaned during car servicing can also help increase your fuel mileage.
Essentials Fluid Top-Up
Coolant helps pull heat away from the engine. So, without enough coolant, the engine could overheat or seize up. Continued use of an overheated engine could lead to permanent damage, such as pistons welding to the cylinders. If your coolant level is too low (below or near the lower mark), top it up using a 50/50 mixture of water and antifreeze (for normal driving conditions), or pour pre-mixed antifreeze straight into the reservoir.
When you have low brake fluid, it can affect your brake pads. Brake pads are essential to your car’s braking system, so having low brake fluid can cause brake pads not to work. If the fluid level is low, top it up to within half an inch or so from the cap.
Complete Wheel Care
Wheel alignment is essential to avoid unnecessary wear on your tyres, steering, suspension and brakes. Accurate wheel alignment optimizes driving stability, maximizes tyre life and improves your vehicle’s overall handling performance.
By routinely rotating your tyres, wear is spread evenly across all four tyres, thus extending the life of your tyres. Also, having tread wear could optimize traction and handling performance which, in turn, will give you a smoother ride and substantially increase your safety.
Engine Scanning
Diagnostic tests can reveal problems within a car’s engine, transmission, exhaust system, brakes, and other significant components. It can also take out performance issues with the fuel injector, airflow and coolant, ignition coils, and throttle.
