The brief
The Golf came in for routine servicing, the owner keeping up with a regular preventive maintenance schedule. He'd also noticed some squeaking and grinding when braking, so the brakes got particular attention in the inspection. A proper service is more than a quick oil change. It runs through the whole car: change the oil and filter, replace the air and cabin filters, check the fluids, look over the brakes, suspension and electrical side, test the battery under load, run a diagnostic scan, and eyeball the belts, hoses and underbody. Done on schedule, it catches issues before they become major, and a service is exactly when worn brakes get caught and dealt with rather than left.
The diagnosis
The visual and diagnostic check went through the lot. The engine oil and filter were due, the air filter and cabin filter were at the end of their life, the brake fluid's water content was a touch high, the battery was beginning to slip on the load test, and the front brake pads and discs were worn down, the squeaking and grinding the owner had heard. The belts, hoses and underbody checked out clean, no fault codes stored. So it was a full-service list plus a front brake job: replace the wear items, freshen the fluids, do the brakes, and note the battery to watch.
The work
The engine oil was drained and refilled with the correct VAG-spec oil and a new oil filter fitted. The air and cabin filters were replaced, the brake fluid bled and refilled, and the battery load-tested and flagged. The front pads and discs were swapped for new VW-spec parts, the callipers reassembled to torque and the brakes bedded in. Coolant and washer fluid topped up, and a full diagnostic scan run. A road test confirmed everything was running cleanly, the brakes had full bite, and nothing was leaking.
The outcome
A full clean bill of health on the Golf, with the brakes reset to like-new. No flags left except the battery to watch, and the car back on the road for another interval. A service is the cheapest insurance there is, and catching the worn brakes during the inspection meant they got done before the grinding turned into a bigger job.