UK-POLOS.NET - THE VW Polo Forum

Had a call from my dealer about booking car in for break fluid change. They said it had come up on the system as being due for this. I have a service plan, vehicle registration April 2023 with mileage about 20,000. They said it was a chargeable item, think they said £59?
I was somewhat taken back by the call and declined. I said that with the vehicle covered on a service plan I struggled to understand why a chargeable item should now arise. They said the break fluid hadn’t been changed when the car had the only service in February 2025. I intend getting the second ‘free service’ in Feb/March 2026.
To be fair to the dealer, the caller did offer to get someone else at the dealership to call me about the matter. Thought I would seek opinions/views on here before I ring the dealer back.

VW haven’t included brake fluid changes in their service plans since around 2012 / 2013 so yes, a brake fluid change is a separate chargeable item.

Assuming your service plan was purchased when the car was new, it’ll be what VW now refers to as the standard service plan. From VW’s website, the scope of work carried out under the standard service plan is;

- 2 Services including engine oil and filter changes
- 1 x Pollen filter replaced when required
- Inspections to the components recommended by Volkswagen relevant to age and mileage
- A diagnostic check for any software updates

The service advisor at your dealer’s was correct when they advised you your car’s first brake fluid change is due now in accordance with VW’s service schedule. The first brake fluid change is now due when the car is two years old (previously it was when the car was three years old). Subsequent brake fluid changes are every two years thereafter.

At least your dealer reminded you about the brake fluid change. I no longer have a VW, but when I did I always needed to remind the dealer when the brake fluid change was due! .

Yes brake fluid is a chargeable item and does require replacement periodically , as will the A/C system every 3 years.
these ‘service plans’ dealers sell to customers are very limited in what you are paying for as SRGTD has pointed out.
People are miss sold these imo thinking every thing is included and no other costs are going to crop up , what about consumables like wipers ,discs and pads or even a timing belt.

Just to avoid any confusion, the AC charge should be checked every maybe 3 or 4 years, or when you detect a drop in its performance.

In reality, how the "easy to use" AC equipment works is, the entire fridge gas charge is recovered and weighed, a vacuum is applied too remove any moisture in the system AND to check if there is any leaks - recharging a fridge system that has leaks is not officially permitted, then the car's quoted weight of fridge gas to charged back into the system.

I've only added some of this to make it clear that the fridge gas does not "wear out", it only slowly escapes across plastic seals and plastic pipework - as these materials are slightly porous to these gases.

Ok I totally agree with you’re statement, not everyone knows how a car works and sometimes customers are lead by a service advisor recommendations and they are going to try and sell you a A/C service at the 3 year point so be prepared for that

Many thanks for the observations/explanations. I might ask my local garage to supply a quote for the brake fluid change, rather than drive 12 miles to the main dealership to get this done.

CarbonChaos wrote: Wed Jul 23, 2025 9:32 am Ok I totally agree with you’re statement, not everyone knows how a car works and sometimes customers are lead by a service advisor recommendations and they are going to try and sell you a A/C service at the 3 year point so be prepared for that

Yes, upselling is sometimes very close to intimidation when they know they are dealing with someone that does not want or need to know about how their car works.

For the latest version of car AC gas, ie 1234yf, our older daughter's May 2019 SEAT Leon Cupra seems to have lasted 6 years before the AC dropped off enough in performance to cause her discomfort in this year's summer weather in Scotland - I pointed her to a "Groupon deal" with ATS which have a branch quite close to her, so that has been sorted out this week!
I can't check her car's AC with my kit because our cars are still loaded with, though I R134A, though I suppose that I could have checked her car's AC performance using VCDS - but it gets serviced in October typically so the ambient air temperature is normally below the temperature that "needs AC working".

RUM4MO wrote: Thu Jul 24, 2025 6:53 pm Yes, upselling is sometimes very close to intimidation when they know they are dealing with someone that does not want or need to know about how their car

I think it depends on the dealer. Mine was reluctant to do the DSG service last time I took my car in for a service because it wasn’t due based on the mileage. You’d think they would be glad of the work.

Yes, I'm sure that some of the more "specialised" jobs will get that response when it is the customer that requests them when them feel that it should be done, but when the service reception person gets a drop down list of possible opportunities for more work, them will just try to get the okay for that work - they are in charge at all times, you taking charge irritates them.

My current irritation is my Audi dealer's parts department accepting my order for a couple of expensive parts that need ordering in from the factory, said they were available to order, took my order and my money, then when only one was delivered said - "oh it's on back order" - I never had an order accepted and paid for in the past, for any items that did not exist at that time back at the factory - complete idiots! If I knew that this was going to happen I would have just bought from a respected aftermarket source, now I'm stuffed "any parts ordered in at the customer's request can not be returned for refund" - and no hint of when this back order will get cleared.

Thanks again for the guidance about getting my break fluid changed. Had the job done at a local garage rather than a 12 mile drive to the main dealer. I was slightly surprised that it cost as much as £85. I guess it is inflation and maybe I should have asked for quotes from both the main dealer and the local garage?

I can't answer from personal experience, but, if you assume that a litre of brake fluid costs £20, then maybe a workshop allows 0.5 hour to carry out that task including cleaning up and processing paperwork, then that price could be okay - sounds a bit expensive, but costs and prices keep on rising.

My 2023 gti is having its (2nd year) service at the weekend, and they have messaged me upselling the brake fluid change (for £69), the car is on 12800 miles, and I have tested the moisture content of the brake fluid and it is within working peramiters. I have the necessary brake bleed equipment and could change it myself, but the cost for them to change it while it’s being serviced is making me think that they should do it.