5 Regularly Scheduled Services Your Volkswagen Needs
Your Volkswagen is built with precision German engineering that's designed to keep it performing at its peak for years to come. But to keep it working well, it will need a bit of regular maintenance. At Archer Volkswagen, we want to help you keep your VW in top shape, which is why we've got a service center staffed with experts and stocked with OEM parts. On this page, we'll take you through some common, regularly scheduled services your VW needs, and let you know why it needs them.
5. Inspection
When you bring your VW to our service center, it will get a multi-point inspection as part of the service. This inspection can make a great deal of difference, since it allows technicians to see potential problems before they grow out of control and end up costing you more. As the old saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
4. Oil Change
Your vehicle's engine is made of a number of moving metal parts. Without lubrication, these parts would create excess friction and damage each other. That's where engine oil comes in. It lubricates these parts to keep them from being damaged. Over time, oil breaks down and becomes less effective. Go too long between oil changes and your engine may suffer damage that's impossible to repair. With quality synthetic oil, we recommend going no longer than 5,000 miles or 5 months between oil changes. If you're using conventional oil, it's best to get it changed every 3,000 miles or 3 months.
3. Cabin Air Filter Replacement
The cabin air filter makes sure that dust, pollen, and other particles don't enter your car's cabin. This keeps the air you breathe fresh and clear. However, all the debris that it catches will eventually clog it up, causing the air conditioning not to work as well. To keep your environment comfortable, it's recommended that you change this filter at least once a year. If you have allergies, it may be beneficial to change it twice a year.
2. Brake Pad Replacement
We mentioned earlier that multi-point inspections can catch things before they become a problem, and brake pads are a perfect example of that. These pads press against the brake rotors, causing the vehicle to stop. They're lined with a material that's designed to slowly wear away so that the components don't warp or otherwise become damaged. If you go too long without changing brake pads, this material will disappear entirely, causing metal to scrape against metal. Our technicians will keep an eye on the brake pad levels; when the lining is low, they'll let you know that the time to change them is close.
1. Tire Rotation
The four tires on your Volkswagen don't all wear down at the same rate. The wheels that are underneath the engine tend to deal with more weight, which means that the tires will wear down faster. Tire rotations are the best way to mitigate these effects. During this service, the technician will switch the position of the tires, allowing both sets to take a turn pulling their weight. This can expand the lifespan of your tires, and so is worth doing. If you use synthetic oil, it can be helpful to get your tires rotated every oil change.
