Servicing !

[OCD]

Hi folks ..I'm a newbie from northern ireland and I'm picking up a cupra ateca next Tuesday.
Being in n.ireland we do not have any stand alone Cupra dealers so all servicing work is done through Seat dealers.
I've paid £129 for 2 services which I assume is 1 major and 1 minor ??
Online I'm getting different advice about service intervals..is it every years or every 2 years ??
The wife has a "normal" ateca and loves it but this is my first cupra .
I drive trucks for a living and I'm on the roads a lot and I would say that I've only seen 1 cupra ateca over here so they are really rare which I feel happy about.
Once I get it I will be bugging this forum with more green horn questions so get ready.
Ps...what is v1 v2 v3 levels ??..I have the comfort and sound pack ??
Thanks
Mark.

 

[SRGTD]

There are two different service regimes;
- flexible / long life where the service intervals are the sooner of 24 months or 20,000 miles
- time and distance which is a service every 12 months or 10,000 miles whichever occurs first.

I think that VAG originally introduced the flexible / longline service regime to help fleet operators with a larger number of vehicles manage their fleet servicing costs. I couldn’t find anything on the Seat website, but the text in italics below is from VW’s website which IMHO should be relevant as the same engines are used by both VW and Seat across their vehicle ranges, so the service procedures ought be the same.

Time and distance servicing - recommended if you;

• Drive fewer than 9,300 miles per year
• Mainly drive in the city, or if you make frequent short journeys
• Often carry out high engine loading activities, such as steep hill climbs, towing, and driving often with multiple passengers
• Often drive using a high engine rpm with heavy acceleration and braking

Flexible / long life servicing - recommended if you:

• Regularly drive more than 25 miles per day
• Regularly drive long-distance
• Drive at a constant speed with minimum vehicle and engine loading, such as hill climbs, towing, and driving with passengers

Under time and distance servicing, services alternate between minor (oil change) and major (oil change and inspection) services. I’m not sure if this is the case for cars on flexible / long life servicing, or whether cars get a major service each time because of the longer time interval / greater mileage covered since the last service. I own a VW and my car is on the time and distance service regime as I don’t like to leave it for up to two years before it gets an oil change, even with modern high tech oils.

VZ1, VZ2 and VZ3 are the different trim levels available - details are in the Ateca brochure at the link below. I’m not sure if these trim levels are relevant to NI vehicles though.

https://www.cupraofficial.co.uk/content/dam/countries/gb/cupra-website/download-documents/2022/v1_cars_models_cupra_ateca_pricelist-KH76-06-2022.pdf?_gl=1*1qa0z6t*_up*MQ..&gclid=EAIaIQobChMInpbstbKq-gIVB-_tCh3jtQYVEAAYASAAEgLm-_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[OCD]

There are two different service regimes;
- flexible / long life where the service intervals are the sooner of 24 months or 20,000 miles
- time and distance which is a service every 12 months or 10,000 miles whichever occurs first.

I think that VAG originally introduced the flexible / longline service regime to help fleet operators with a larger number of vehicles manage their fleet servicing costs. I couldn’t find anything on the Seat website, but the text in italics below is from VW’s website which IMHO should be relevant as the same engines are used by both VW and Seat across their vehicle ranges, so the service procedures ought be the same.

Time and distance servicing - recommended if you;

• Drive fewer than 9,300 miles per year
• Mainly drive in the city, or if you make frequent short journeys
• Often carry out high engine loading activities, such as steep hill climbs, towing, and driving often with multiple passengers
• Often drive using a high engine rpm with heavy acceleration and braking

Flexible / long life servicing - recommended if you:

• Regularly drive more than 25 miles per day
• Regularly drive long-distance
• Drive at a constant speed with minimum vehicle and engine loading, such as hill climbs, towing, and driving with passengers

Under time and distance servicing, services alternate between minor (oil change) and major (oil change and inspection) services. I’m not sure if this is the case for cars on flexible / long life servicing, or whether cars get a major service each time because of the longer time interval / greater mileage covered since the last service. I own a VW and my car is on the time and distance service regime as I don’t like to leave it for up to two years before it gets an oil change, even with modern high tech oils.

VZ1, VZ2 and VZ3 are the different trim levels available - details are in the Ateca brochure at the link below. I’m not sure if these trim levels are relevant to NI vehicles though.

https://www.cupraofficial.co.uk/content/dam/countries/gb/cupra-website/download-documents/2022/v1_cars_models_cupra_ateca_pricelist-KH76-06-2022.pdf?_gl=1*1qa0z6t*_up*MQ..&gclid=EAIaIQobChMInpbstbKq-gIVB-_tCh3jtQYVEAAYASAAEgLm-_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Thanks for the reply...I think time and distance would suit me better .
This is the thing about n.ireland we can't get new cupras here because we have no dedicated cupra dealers unlike the mainland so any new cupras will have to be brought in from Englandshire

 

[OCD]

There are two different service regimes;
- flexible / long life where the service intervals are the sooner of 24 months or 20,000 miles
- time and distance which is a service every 12 months or 10,000 miles whichever occurs first.

I think that VAG originally introduced the flexible / longline service regime to help fleet operators with a larger number of vehicles manage their fleet servicing costs. I couldn’t find anything on the Seat website, but the text in italics below is from VW’s website which IMHO should be relevant as the same engines are used by both VW and Seat across their vehicle ranges, so the service procedures ought be the same.

Time and distance servicing - recommended if you;

• Drive fewer than 9,300 miles per year
• Mainly drive in the city, or if you make frequent short journeys
• Often carry out high engine loading activities, such as steep hill climbs, towing, and driving often with multiple passengers
• Often drive using a high engine rpm with heavy acceleration and braking

Flexible / long life servicing - recommended if you:

• Regularly drive more than 25 miles per day
• Regularly drive long-distance
• Drive at a constant speed with minimum vehicle and engine loading, such as hill climbs, towing, and driving with passengers

Under time and distance servicing, services alternate between minor (oil change) and major (oil change and inspection) services. I’m not sure if this is the case for cars on flexible / long life servicing, or whether cars get a major service each time because of the longer time interval / greater mileage covered since the last service. I own a VW and my car is on the time and distance service regime as I don’t like to leave it for up to two years before it gets an oil change, even with modern high tech oils.

VZ1, VZ2 and VZ3 are the different trim levels available - details are in the Ateca brochure at the link below. I’m not sure if these trim levels are relevant to NI vehicles though.

https://www.cupraofficial.co.uk/content/dam/countries/gb/cupra-website/download-documents/2022/v1_cars_models_cupra_ateca_pricelist-KH76-06-2022.pdf?_gl=1*1qa0z6t*_up*MQ..&gclid=EAIaIQobChMInpbstbKq-gIVB-_tCh3jtQYVEAAYASAAEgLm-_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

I had a look at that link...looks like I have a V1 but with a lot of V2 add ons....so V1.5

 

[rafletcher]

My Cupra Ateca came from a SEAT dealer - it's not a "proper" Cupra, the Formentor is the first of those. I've had VAG cars for the last 10 years, and I've always had an annual service around the 10k mark - I've no idea where the 9300 comes from, pure nonsense really - and different regaions of the world have different specs for servicing.

As for what your £129 has paid for - did you not ask? ;-)

One small mod you'll probably want to do is to buy an aftermarket LED boot light - the fitted Audi LED one is utter crap - it has a small LED bulb built in. The aftermarket ones have a much larger panel of LED that does give a resonable light.

 

[OCD]

My Cupra Ateca came from a SEAT dealer - it's not a "proper" Cupra, the Formentor is the first of those. I've had VAG cars for the last 10 years, and I've always had an annual service around the 10k mark - I've no idea where the 9300 comes from, pure nonsense really - and different regaions of the world have different specs for servicing.

As for what your £129 has paid for - did you not ask? ;-)

One small mod you'll probably want to do is to buy an aftermarket LED boot light - the fitted Audi LED one is utter crap - it has a small LED bulb built in. The aftermarket ones have a much larger panel of LED that does give a resonable light.

Thanks for the reply ...as I said in my original post I don't get the car till Tuesday so will ask about the 2 services then and get it in writing..think that will come from vag head office. The first mod I would like is the rear Maxton splitter that fits between the 2 sets of exhausts...think it looks smart in photos not sure what it looks like in the flesh so to speak!

 

[SRGTD]

I've no idea where the 9300 comes from, pure nonsense really - and different regaions of the world have different specs for servicing.

9,300 miles is the equivalent of 15k kilometres which is the annual distance limit for VW’s on time and distance servicing.

 

[Azizo]

Sorry for the irrelevant post but I just had to comment on your car! What an absolute beauty! Hoping to hopefully own one of them myself one day!

 

[OCD]

Sorry for the irrelevant post but I just had to comment on your car! What an absolute beauty! Hoping to hopefully own one of them myself one day!

Very kind of you ...I'm in Ireland here and this yoke is gonna be as rare as Prince Andrews sweat.

 

['Little' John]

VZ1, VZ2 and VZ3 are the different trim levels available

He's quite right, but they're the trim levels available for the facelift model. As you've said, your trim level is actually Comfort and Sound. Pre-facelift there was a basic model and then you could specify 'Comfort and Sound' and/or 'Design'. Comfort and sound came with an uprated sound system plus various other goodies, although I can't remember exactly what. If pushed I would say Adaptive Cruise Control, Heated Seats, spare wheel and probably three or four other things. Design gave you bigger brakes, copper alloys and different interior trim.

 

[OCD]

He's quite right, but they're the trim levels available for the facelift model. As you've said, your trim level is actually Comfort and Sound. Pre-facelift there was a basic model and then you could specify 'Comfort and Sound' and/or 'Design'. Comfort and sound came with an uprated sound system plus various other goodies, although I can't remember exactly what. If pushed I would say Adaptive Cruise Control, Heated Seats, spare wheel and probably three or four other things. Design gave you bigger brakes, copper alloys and different interior trim.

....and adding design to the tax to over 500 quid.. eekkk .

 

[Tell]

The service plan ones are put onto the annual fixed service, least for the regular Atecas. They leave the factory on the long plan and get switched down. Then you have two things running, distance / time plus oil monitoring. The latter can pop up within a year or so. That one caused angst to those who were on long service, probably not taking out the regular service plan, so it got them before the two years were up. Those are the Seat Ateca rules whether Cupra Atecas require more than pass. The oil sensor based derived one is on the screen accessed via menus. The one that causes angst to those that think they can last out two years.

Importantly topping up if you are on the long plan must be done with a different spec of oil if they use a lower spec on the fixed plan. Oil viscosity measurement will downgrade you off the long plan so important to put the correct oil in.

The other tip if still available and keeping your car long term is to look at the Seat / Cupra website. Last year the website was offering 3 and 4 year plans which dealers don't sell. I bought a 4 year service plan. Discounted cash flows and inflation was a good option at the time. Suspect VW Finance won't want to sell them soon if they still are. You can only buy these plans once your current plan is out.

 

[SRGTD]

The service plan ones are put onto the annual fixed service, least for the regular Atecas. They leave the factory on the long plan and get switched down. Then you have two things running, distance / time plus oil monitoring. The latter can pop up within a year or so. That one caused angst to those who were on long service, probably not taking out the regular service plan, so it got them before the two years were up. Those are the Seat Ateca rules whether Cupra Atecas require more than pass. The oil sensor based derived one is on the screen accessed via menus. The one that causes angst to those that think they can last out two years.

Importantly topping up if you are on the long plan must be done with a different spec of oil if they use a lower spec on the fixed plan. Oil viscosity measurement will downgrade you off the long plan so important to put the correct oil in.

The other tip if still available and keeping your car long term is to look at the Seat / Cupra website. Last year the website was offering 3 and 4 year plans which dealers don't sell. I bought a 4 year service plan. Discounted cash flows and inflation was a good option at the time. Suspect VW Finance won't want to sell them soon if they still are. You can only buy these plans once your current plan is out.

Sadly, VW don’t offer a service plan any longer than 2 years, although I’ve read on some VW forums of some dealers having their own dealer-branded versions which can be three year plans.

VW‘s service plan used to be a three year one - I had this with my mk6 Golf GTD and also included the first brake fluid change. However, they withdrew it back around 2015 and replaced it with a two year plan which covers just two basic services; one oil change service (basically and oil and filter change and a quick visual check) and an oil and inspection service.

 

[OCD]

Sadly, VW don’t offer a service plan any longer than 2 years, although I’ve read on some VW forums of some dealers having their own dealer-branded versions which can be three year plans.

VW‘s service plan used to be a three year one - I had this with my mk6 Golf GTD and also included the first brake fluid change. However, they withdrew it back around 2015 and replaced it with a two year plan which covers just two basic services; one oil change service (basically and oil and filter change and a quick visual check) and an oil and inspection service.

I got the 2 year deal last week ..1 minor and 1 major ..apparently

 

[Tell]

Sadly, VW don’t offer a service plan any longer than 2 years, although I’ve read on some VW forums of some dealers having their own dealer-branded versions which can be three year plans.

VW‘s service plan used to be a three year one - I had this with my mk6 Golf GTD and also included the first brake fluid change. However, they withdrew it back around 2015 and replaced it with a two year plan which covers just two basic services; one oil change service (basically and oil and filter change and a quick visual check) and an oil and inspection service.

I bought a four year one from the Seat VW site last October !. As said that wasn't sold by local dealers. They push the combined service / extended warranty ones. I was tipped off by my dealer that more was available directly but as said you can only see these once out of service plan + 7 days or so. You can't check up on what's on offer until you are out of the plan + a few days it uses your registration plate.