oil changes and warranty

[lizbe315]

I bought an 02 Jetta 1.8T at the end of December, and I recently changed the oil for the first time. Two days later, I received a little note from the dealership asking me to come in so that they can change my oil for me. That got me thinking about the warranty, so I called Volkswagen. They told me that I can't really change my oil myself since I will need work orders from ACS certified shops documenting my oil changes in order for my powertrain warranty to still be in effect. Apparently the burden of proof is heavily on me if anything goes wrong. All of my friends think this is a bunch of crap, but I have talked to two people at Volkswagen who have told me pretty much the same thing. Should I bother changing it myself, or just do what Volkswagen recommends? Thanks.

[SnoopisTDI]

I would continue to do your own oil changes. Just keep all your receipts and make sure you fill out the little maintenance log in the operator's manual.

In the event you need warranty work, they will have to prove that oil was the cause of the problem. Odds are that any warranty you work you need will have nothing to do with the oil anyway.

ETA: If for some reason you have a problem that might be related to oil, take a small sample of the oil and send it in for analysis(AvLube, or somewhere like that). That will show there is nothing wrong with your oil.

[nsbs]

I believe your being told crap. Just remember to use VW filters, and save your old ones, drain them and put them in a bread bag back in the box. Keep all your receipts and you will not have a problem.