What’s in Your Volkswagen Maintenance Plan?

The global automotive repair & maintenance services market reached a size of $685.25 billion in 2021.

As with any car, a Volkswagen vehicle needs to be maintained to stay in good working order. There are many aspects of Volkswagen maintenance, and it's important to know the things that need to be covered to keep your car in good condition.

So why is regular maintenance important, and what's involved in a proper maintenance plan? Read below.

The Importance of Routine Volkswagen Maintenance

When buying a car, whether it's used or new, you want to get as much out of it as possible. Car parts naturally degrade with time and use, and the best way to maximize the lifespan of your vehicle is through proper maintenance.

Volkswagen maintenance costs can often put people off. When looking at the price of a standard service, you may want to skip it to try and save some money. Realistically, however, this can cost you more in the long run, as your car will be more likely to fail much sooner.

As parts wear down, much larger problems can occur if things aren't dealt with quickly. By following a proper maintenance schedule, you can find issues early on and prevent them from developing.

What Should Be Covered in Your Maintenance Plan

You should have a solid maintenance schedule in place. This will ensure that you know what needs to be checked, and when. Many elements of a maintenance schedule should be in place for any Volkswagen vehicle but bear in mind that your owner's manual will provide information on anything specific to your car.

Oil Change

Oil changes are crucial to keeping the moving parts of your engine in good condition. VW typically recommends changing your oil every 10,000 miles, but you may benefit more from changing it every 5,000-7,000 miles.

As a vehicle reaches higher mileages, more frequent changes become essential. 10,000 miles may be fine for a brand-new car, but if yours has done upwards of 70,000 miles, putting in new oil every 5,000 miles is best.

Air and Cabin Filters

Volkswagen suggests changing your air and cabin filters every 20,000 miles. In some cases, this may be fine. In others, however, you might want to do this more frequently. Factors like geography, climate, season, and driving habits can affect this.

If you often drive on dirt roads, for example, you should be changing your filters more often. As this varies a lot, it's best to inspect your filters during every service to determine their state. You can then decide whether or not they need changing at that point.

Fuel Filters

Like air and cabin filters, the need to change these can vary, but for different reasons. The main factor is the type of fuel your car uses and the particular engine it has.

Volkswagen suggests replacing the fuel filter of a diesel engine every 40,000 miles. Gas models don't need to be changed quite as often.

Brake Fluid

Brake fluid should be changed based either on time or mileage. You should flush and replace it every 3 years, or every 30,000 miles (whichever comes first). This is because pressure, heat, and time all cause brake fluid to degrade.

If you don't replace your brake fluid, it can become a major safety issue. This makes it one of the most important aspects of your maintenance plan.

Coolant/Antifreeze

Coolant is essential for the operation of several parts of your car, including the radiator, heater core, and thermostat. Particles of debris form in the coolant system over time, and they can interfere with the flow of the coolant. These can clog the system, causing damage to the various components.

You should change your coolant every 40,000 miles to avoid this. It's also a good idea to change the coolant if you have to replace any part of the coolant system.

Spark Plugs

This is something that varies between different Volkswagen models. Worn spark plugs can cause misfires, which may harm your engine. Repeated misfires can damage your catalytic converter, which is very expensive to replace.

Refer to your owner's manual to know when you should be replacing the spark plugs in your car.

Timing Belt and Chains

Timing belts and chains are among the most crucial parts of a Volkswagen that need to be replaced when they're worn. Fortunately, they last a lot longer than most other parts.

You should replace the timing belt roughly every 80,000-90,000 miles. It can be quite easy to notice when timing chains are approaching the end of their life as they start to make clicking noises and the vehicle won't run as smoothly. When this happens, you should get it replaced immediately.

Transmission Service

Different transmissions need replacing at different times. This is another component that you should replace based on the recommendation in your owner's manual.

Tire Rotations

This will help get the most out of your tires. For a regular car, you should do this with every other oil change. If you have an SUV or crossover, you should rotate the tires every oil change.

Sunroof Drains

You only need to worry about this if your car has a sunroof. It's not as urgent as most other aspects of your maintenance schedule, and you only need to get your sunroof drains cleaned roughly once a year if you park outside (ideally before the spring rain comes). If you keep it in a garage, once every 2-3 years should be often enough.

Finding Replacement Parts

Volkswagen maintenance can be tricky, and depending on how well you know cars, you might want to have everything done by a professional mechanic, or you may want to take care of certain aspects yourself. Either way, it's crucial that you use quality parts.

At UroTuning, we stock a wide range of high-quality OEM parts for Volkswagens as well as various other vehicles. To find out more about what we offer, click here.