Volkswagen and Audi Specialist Car Servicing & Repairs in Poole - Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you MOT my car?

Yes we can, we’re not an MOT testing station but do work closely with a local test centre. Many of our regular customers book in for service and we arrange the test and carry out any rectification work whilst the car is with us. We would usually carry out a pre test check if the car is in for MOT test only. The cost would be less than the current full statutory fee.

I have a warning light on my dashboard, what should I do?

Red warning light, often accompanied by an audible and visual warning, this is indicating a safety/critical fault and the vehicle should not be driven or started until you contact us. We can then advise what to do next.

Yellow/ amber light, this is indicating that there is a potential problem with one of the electronic systems in the vehicle, this is often a sensor fault. These are not usually critical/ safety faults and it should be ok to drive the vehicle. Please contact us so that we can advise.

In either case we would need to get the vehicle in and carry out a full diagnostic test so we can ascertain what needs to be done to rectify the fault.

My car is less than 3 years old, if I bring the car to you, will that invalidate the warranty?

No, the only criteria for maintaining the warranty of the vehicle are:

• The repairer must be VAT registered, which we are.
• Only genuine parts must be used, this we do as a matter of course with vehicles within their warranty period.
• The repairer must follow the manufacturer’s service schedule, we do this as a matter of course with any vehicle.

Do you have Courtesy Vehicles?

Yes we currently have 2 courtesy cars available for use whilst your vehicle is with us. We do make a small charge towards the maintenance of them. They are insured for any driver as long as the driver is fully comprehensively insured on their own vehicle. We just ask that you put in enough fuel to cover your usage. They are very popular so it will be necessary to reserve one when the vehicle is booked in.

I have been told that my CAM belt needs to be replaced every 4 years for VW or 5 years for AUDI, why is this?

The CAM belt, also called a timing belt or toothed belt by VW/ AUDI, is a critical component which keeps the moving parts of the engine synchronized, failure or slippage of this belt will cause extensive damage to the moving parts within the engine and hence a very large repair bill.

Many modern engines use a self-adjusting tensioner to keep the belt at the correct tension. In recent engines these tensioners / idlers are commonly made of plastic, or use a plastic outer layer which degrades after a period of time and breaks up, this causes a slack belt which may then slip and severely damage the engine.

The older recommendation for belt replacement was scheduled at a certain mileage, however, many low mileage users would take many years to reach this replacement mileage and the tensioner / belt may fail prior to this due to age. Therefore the recommendation from VW is to replace the belt & tensioner every 4 years and AUDI recommend 5 years regardless of how few miles the vehicle has covered.

Are you able to carry out diagnostic testing and repair?

Yes, we are fully conversant with today’s complex vehicle systems and use up to date diagnostic equipment so we can offer a near dealer level service. Much of our work is now electronics fault finding / diagnostic testing so we have a great deal of experience in this area.