We have to be honest when we found ourselves reading the quote for the Volkswagen ID.4 Service Certificate we were quite puzzled. Those who have been following us for a while know that we have dedicated two specials to EV maintenance: Electric and hybrid car maintenance: how much does it cost? and how maintenance is shifting from ICE to hybrid and electric cars. Electric cars do maintenance, apart from Tesla which no longer needs maintenance, but they do. The post published on the Volkswagen ID.3 ID.4 ID.5 fan group, however, makes us reflect on a wind of change already underway and it is confirmed by a dealer who replies to the message. We want to share these thoughts with you.

VOLKSWAGEN ID.4 MAINTENANCE COUPON: 565 EUROS

Let’s start at the beginning: the user Paul Nardinowner of a Volkswagen ID.4 post the photo of the quote below on the Facebook group. And he writes: “What do you think of this inspection quote for my ID4 first max from April 2021? seems unnecessarily expensive to me”. The figure proposed by the workshop to which he would have turned is surreal for an electric car about 3 years old: 565 euros for an overhaul that the Volkswagen ID.4 must do every 2 years regardless of the miles traveled. We refer you to the following paragraph on the elements that contribute to increasing the price. While we are not really on the cost, according to other owners of Volkswagen ID.3 and ID.4. Gianluca Allegruccianswers: “Me at first service, inspection of climate filter and brake oil, including labor I paid 145 euros”. Except for those who also asked for disinfection, the cost is confirmed by many others.

COST COUPON ID.4: A VW DEALER’S RESPONSE

Many other VW Group users urge you to report the incident or go elsewhere. Except in one comment that deserves equal attention. Antonio Redaelli writing : “I am the dealership owner. Thank you all for trusting us thieves, robbers and criminals. That said, a little explanation: if VW requires us to perform a certain type of maintenance on the cars, we have to do it. In the specific case ID.4 with heat pump and R744 gas we are obliged to carry out work on the cooling system. To run this job you have to have a device that costs 6/7000 euros. In addition, the training we received to carry out the maintenance and all other HV car tools have a cost. So when you bring the cars, we have to do what is prescribed, whether we like it or not. The only difference you will find between me and a colleague is the labor rate. But the elements of the estimate will be these ».

WHAT DOES THE COUPON ID.4 TO THE VOLKSWAGEN NETWORK

This post inspired us to dig deeper into the story, with the thoughts we share with you. In the meantime it is unclear why the estimate includes the replacement of the coolant which represents about 30% of the costs. Indeed, in the Volkswagen scheduled maintenance plan that can be consulted online, for the Volkswagen ID.4s are planned every 2 years exclusively these ordinary interventions in the absence of intensive use:

• Replacement dust and pollen filter
• Exchange brake fluid
• Inspectionamong which, along with 20 other controls, there is the coolant control.

THE MOST EXPENSIVE ELECTRIC CAR MAINTENANCE COST? VOLKSWAGEN SAYS THE OPPOSITE

From the post, it is not clear whether the estimate comes from an authorized Volkswagen network subsidiary or from a multi-brand workshop. But even an insider’s statements coincide with what Volkswagen is reporting online and what other ID.4 owners have paid instead. We do not question whether or not it is fair to charge customers for training and equipment. This would not be consistent with what Volkswagen writes on the site. It is rather likely that more and more will be encountered different hourly costs maintenance between electric cars and ICEbetween approved, multi-brand and independent networks. Note Volkswagen’s promise: “Electric mobility really makes life easier. There electric car maintenance is an excellent example of this simplicity, since reduced visits to the workshop ewhen a visit is necessary, minimizes intervention costs”.