Independent Audi, VW, SEAT, Škoda and CUPRA servicing

What do you do for Audi and Volkswagen Group cars?

Reverie Autocare is an independent service centre at 57 Great North Road, Welwyn Garden City. For Audi, Volkswagen, SEAT, Škoda and CUPRA owners we offer:

• Servicing on the fixed or flexible schedule: see fixed or flexible servicing explained.
• DSG and S tronic oil service, at the interval listed for the gearbox.
• Cambelt and water pump replacement, at the interval in the maker’s schedule for your engine.
• Haldex, quattro and 4MOTION oil service for four-wheel-drive models.
• Diagnosis of warning lights and gearbox faults, and repair of leaks, engine and emissions faults.
• MOT tests in our own Class 4 bay.

We also add the service to the car’s digital service record.

Electric and hybrid Audi, Volkswagen, SEAT, Škoda and CUPRA models are looked after by technicians qualified to work on electric and hybrid vehicles.

Which engine oil goes in my Audi or VW?

Oil that meets the VW oil standard listed for the engine. Škoda publishes a clear list of these standards. It describes VW 504 00 for petrol engines and VW 507 00 for diesels, including those with a particulate filter, as allowing extended intervals. The newer VW 508 00 and VW 509 00 are only for engines listed for them, and are not backward compatible.

The binding standard is the one in your handbook, so we confirm it for each car before we fill it.

Which faults do you see?

• DSG gearbox problems: judder pulling away, harsh changes, or only odd or even gears before drive is lost.
• Audi S tronic problems: a gearbox malfunction message, harsh or erratic shifts, or no reverse.
• Timing chain: a metallic noise after start-up from a worn, lengthened chain, for example on the 1.4 TSI.
• Wet belt engines: which TDI diesels have an oil pump belt running in oil, and why it usually gives no warning before it fails.
• AdBlue faults: a no-restart countdown and warning lights while the car still drives normally.
• DPF light: DPF, glow plug and engine lights with loss of power after failed regenerations.
• EPC light and misfires: the EPC light on and the car shaking when accelerating.
• Coolant loss: a low coolant warning, or leaks at the water pump or thermostat housing.
• Clutch and flywheel: a slipping clutch, judder or a rattle at idle, with the dual-mass flywheel measured so only worn parts are replaced.
• EGR valve and cooler: gradual coolant loss with no visible leak, which on some 2.0 TDI engines comes from an internal EGR cooler leak.
• Intake carbon cleaning: rough idle, duller response and slight power loss on direct-injection petrol engines.
• Audi air suspension: slow height changes, or a compressor that runs constantly or not at all.

How do you find the cause of a fault?

A fault code is not a repair. We read the fault data, test to prove the cause, and send you a written price and a promised update time before any part is fitted. If we find something else, we send photographs and ask for your written approval before doing it.

Should I check for a recall first?

Yes. Some faults on these cars have DVSA recalls behind them, for example:

• DSG clutch: R/2009/110 (Volkswagen), R/2009/111 (SEAT), R/2009/112 (Audi) and R/2009/124 (Škoda), for some cars built from September 2008 to August 2009.
• Audi auxiliary coolant pump: R/2017/115 and R/2018/152, for some A4, A5, A6 and Q5 built from May 2011.

Whether a recall applies depends on the individual car, so check your registration on gov.uk. Recall work is done by the manufacturer’s network, not by us.

Do you remove DPF, EGR or AdBlue systems?

No. We repair DPF, EGR and AdBlue systems and never remove or disable them. At the MOT, emission control equipment that is missing or obviously modified is a Major defect.