When should I service my Volkswagen Tiguan Mk1?
The standard oil and filter service is every 15,000km or 12 months, whichever comes first, unless the car has a service indicator, in which case, be guided by that up to the same limit. The oil sump plug should be renewed at the same time.
The brake fluid should be renewed every two years in all Tiguans, while the clutch fluid in the diesels should be changed at that time, too. On the subject of the TDI engine, its fuel filter should be replaced every 30,000km. If the car has 4Motion four-wheel drive, its differential oil must be changed every three years. If it has a DSG automatic gearbox, its oil must be changed every 60,000km.
The cabin filter should be swapped for a new one at the same time (or every two years, whichever comes first). Air filters are due for replacement every 90,000km or six years. That's the same interval for spark plugs in the 2.0 TSI petrol engines, except for cars made from 2014 on; for some reason, their spark plugs need to be changed more frequently, at 60,000km or four years. That applies to all model years of the 1.4 TSI, incidentally.
Does the Volkswagen Tiguan Mk1 have a timing belt?
The 2.0 TDI diesel engine in the Tiguan uses a timing belt. Up to 2010 models, the recommended schedule for changing it was every 180,000km, regardless of time, with the tensioner changed every second time the cam belt is. From 2010 on, however, the interval was upped to 210,000km, applying to the belt and the tensioner. The 2.0 TSI petrol engines use timing chains.
It's not so clear cut for the 1.4 TSI petrol engines, as, up to 2015, these used timing chains, but from then on they switched over to timing belts. The engines using cam belts can be identified by their engine codes, which start with "CZD". And there's no set replacement schedule for these. Instead, Volkswagen recommends that the belt is checked by a mechanic at 240,000km (regardless of time) and then every 30,000km after that until it's deemed necessary to change it.
Next section: Can I fit child seats and a buggy in the Volkswagen Tiguan Mk1?