I have been looking over the warranty and maintenance booklet for my new 2010 JSW and have a few questions. Many owners seem to be encouraging DIY oil changes as opposed to having dealer service during the "Carefree" maintenance period. Has anyone had a warranty claim refused because of a DIY oil change? What were the circumstances? Any stories? How best to prove that a DIY oil change was performed on time and done properly? Save the receipts, bottles, and simply fill out the service record in the booklet? Witnesses required? These booklets were reviewed by lawyers - best to know how to protect my (our) warranty rights in advance.
It's good practice to document everything you do on the car, particularly if you plan on selling it later. I usually save the receipts for oil and filters, then write the time/mileage/maintenance done on the back, similar to how I document receipts at my job for expense accounts.
After having a dealer deny striping the threads of my oil pan on my old car (a Honda) during a regular oil change after they had changed it the last time, I'm leaning toward DIY for the Jetta. Besides, all the stories of wrong oil and overfilling for new Jetta TDIs have me a little freaked out. Any thoughts and advice would be appreciated. Thanks!
Look on the underside of the hood in your JSW. There should be a sticker that says to only use VW 507 spec motor oil. Insist that they show you the bottles they'll use. The correct bottle will say something about conforming to VW spec 507. Tell them you want to inspect the underside of the car yourself before they put the plastic skid plate back on. Also insist on checking the oil level yourself at the dealership with your service rep watching.
I took advantage of the maintenance package. You pretty much paid for it in the price of the car. It's your money, you want to be sure it's done right. Nothing wrong with that.
