Frank Varone
Email
Q
I'm a qualified motor mechanic, engine reconditioner and aircraft maintenance engineer, and I am bemused that my Volkswagen dealer tells me that if I carry out any maintenance on my 2009 VW Tiguan TDI I risk voiding my warranty. Reading the maintenance schedule, apart from changing oil and filter the rest is a series of visual inspections that I believe am more than qualified to perform. I believe that 15,000 km or one year between services as recommended by VW is too long, especially on a diesel engine driven mainly in the city, and I would like to change oil and filter myself at 7500 km. The dealer is more than happy to change the oil and filter at the reduced interval, but I refuse to pay a ridiculous amount of money to carry this out. Why can't I do it myself?
Graham Smith
Ask Smithy
A
No doubt you could do it yourself, but most owners couldn't and the warranty is a general document written to cover all owners. Trying to come to a different arrangement with an individual owner makes life complicated for the carmaker and I can understand why they won't do it.
