Volkswagen Maintenance | iDSC059

Volkswagen Maintenance - How to Keep Your Car for 200K+ The days of 3,000-mile oil changes are long gone. But regular maintenance is still key to not only your vehicle’s longevity but also keeping your long-term repair bills to a minimum.  We sit down with Ontario Volkswagen’s, Service Manager, Jim Straley to learn how to get the most out of our cars in this iDriveSoCal Podcast.   ***Transcript*** Recording date – April 13, 2018 in Ontario, CA Tom Smith: Welcome to iDriveSoCal, the podcast all about mobility from the automotive capitol of the United States - Southern California. I'm Tom Smith and today I'm at Ontario Volkswagen and joining me is Jim Straley, the service manager of Ontario Volkswagen. Jim has been not only in the Ontario area but specifically in the Ontario Auto Mall here for a number of years as the executive in charge of service departments and Jim is going to tell us all about your Volkswagen, your next Volkswagen, and what needs to be done to take care of it and make sure it's running in tip top shape. So Jim thank you so much for joining me. Jim Straley: Thank you. Good morning. Tom Smith: Good morning. So you've been here with Ontario Volkswagen for a number of years. Cars these days, the technology in them is just absolutely crazy. I mean it's one of the reasons why I started the iDriveSoCal podcast is appreciation for cars, but also in awe of the rolling technological wonders that they are. How do we take care of today's Volkswagen? What really needs to be done, if anything? I mean wave a magic wand and it's perfect, right? Jim Straley: We wish. The primary part of taking care of your car is just the maintenance. The cars will tell us and tell you by its lights. If there's something that needs to be addressed other than just normal maintenance. And maintenance intervals for Volkswagens are annually, one year, ten thousand miles. When your car comes in, we'll change the oil, look the car over, give you a courtesy inspection, let you know what's going on with the car. The goal for us is to keep it running just as well as it did from the day you bought it. Tom Smith: The old school thought of, "Hey, I need to change the oil every 3,000 miles." It's pretty much out the window. Jim Straley: Out the window. Tom Smith: Okay. Jim Straley: New technology and synthetic oils allow us to run cars much longer now on the engine oil. Ten thousand miles, one year. Using synthetic gives better lubrication interior. Top end oiling is better, stays cleaner longer, it's designed to run in the hotter temperatures. Tom Smith: Now here in Southern California, we are a car culture. We drive more than anybody. We have the worst traffic on the planet, right? So, we're harder on our vehicles, but even so, the Volkswagen manufacturer says, "Hey, 10,000 is perfectly fine." Is there ever a situation where I need to do maybe 5,000, 7,000, intense stop and go. I mean I'm not on the racetrack. Jim Straley: No, in this area, no, ten thousand is fine. If you're in the hotter climates, like up towards Palm Springs, 115, 120, maybe a little more often. But the oil that we use is good from zero degrees up to about 110. Tom Smith: When was it the last that I needed to do 3,000? Has it been a long time? Jim Straley: It's been a long time. Yeah. 2001-2002. Tom Smith: Wow, talking about 15, 16 years. Jim Straley: Engine tolerances have gotten tighter. The materials have gotten better, we use multiple or bimetal materials now instead of just basic cast iron and solid pieces. So the closer tolerances, the higher, the better oiling systems, the better oils. As oil has improved,