Why do the dealers always get it wrong?

[Garth]

I have never had a trouble free main dealer experience....

This time, I took my car in for it's 4th longlife service. They did a time and distance service  I asked why it had not been given long life oil, 
"we just did what was in the log book. The other services were time and distance".

I looked in the log book and all 3 previous services are clearly marked as longlife 

To cap it all off, they've curbed one of my new wheels. I'm picking it up in an hour after having the oil replaced again FOC, but I have to wait until the 19th before the service manager is back to hear about my wheel 

[Andy]

sorry to hear you have trouble with the dealers-i have had a lot of problems with my local dealer as well

[gaz b]

Shocking.  did they think you wouldn't notice?

[Norbreck21a]

Really get's my goat this, I mean it's not as if the dealers don't charge you a LOT more than an independant, and they have all the correct service tools and diagnostics.

I think they are just too cost driven. If a job is supposed to take 2 hours, they will press the technician to get in done in an hour (but still charge you the same amount !).

Rant over.

[182_blue]

Not good, i always ask for Longlife, and i make the service person walk around the car to check its ok, epsecially the wheels, you look a nut but it help when stuff like this happens

[Garth]

Not good, i always ask for Longlife, and i make the service person walk around the car to check its ok, epsecially the wheels, you look a nut but it help when stuff like this happens

I agree.
I did stipulate 4 times that I wanted longlife, but that message clearly wasn't passed through to the techs. I'm not too bothered about that as they agreed due to my mileage (about 30k a year), longlife was a must and they offered to redo the day after (today) for free.
Anyone can make a mistake, as long as they admit it and rectify it's not a massive problem. HOWEVER, damaging the wheels and not mentioning it is taking the p1ss. I'm clearly a car enthusiast with a few mods and my car looks mint, so as Gaz says, did they think I wouldn't notice a curb mark on a brand new wheel?  

[Aldo]

Sorry to hear of your dealer hassles. Think of it as a free oil flush 

Good luck with the wheel. What dealer was it by the way?

[mortygttdi]

Garth I got dropped with the the wheel thing...I took mine to Skoda which have been far better than VW Leeds ever have but took it in for a brake fluid change,  I'd taken a Octavia Vrs out for test drive got back went home in my car?  The day after when I washed it there was a massive chunk out of the front wheel and I tried blaming the misses!!?  but when I went to my refurber he said it had been done on a garage car ramp!!!! So I carn't do nothing now.

Darren

[Garth]

Thanks for the advice, I think I might try Skoda next time. I know that the service manager will fob me off when he returns so I don't expect them to do anything about it. If I'm wrong though, I'll be impressed!

Aldo, it was a VW main dealer in Yorkshire, staring with an 'L' and ending with an 'S' 

[Mako V12V]

Does it rhymn with those unwanted green little plants that grow in your garden?? 

[Oli]

I have never had a trouble free main dealer experience....

This time, I took my car in for it's 4th longlife service. They did a time and distance service  I asked why it had not been given long life oil, 
"we just did what was in the log book. The other services were time and distance".

I looked in the log book and all 3 previous services are clearly marked as longlife 

To cap it all off, they've curbed one of my new wheels. I'm picking it up in an hour after having the oil replaced again FOC, but I have to wait until the 19th before the service manager is back to hear about my wheel 

VAG spec for the oil for both types of services is the longlife anyway, well it is whilst the car is in warranty!

Muppets anyway

When I had my 335, and took it in for some work, they damaged two different wheels on seperate occaisions, and said they would refurb them. I refused as the car was brand new and they were Alpina wheels. Cost the dealership £1000!

[Garth]

Does it rhymn with those unwanted green little plants that grow in your garden?? 

Yes it does, it was of course Leeds VW. I was hoping they would have admitted fault with my wheel and come to some arrangement to sort it out, but No.
I finally got a call back today from the service guy who has said to me: "We don't have any curbs in the workshop, it wasn't us" 
They're completely ignoring the fact that the wheel was perfect when it went in to them and it came out damaged. I won't be going back there for servicing again, that's for sure.
It's not a massive loss for me as a refurb is maybe £50 max. I need 2 services a year due to my mileage, so that's a minimum of £400-500 per year they will lose out on, plus the bad reputation they will get from me telling everyone I know about how crap they are
 

[NEWEY]

its for this type of thing that my cars now never go to main dealers.

[Phil Mcavity]

Oh boy, this sounds oh so familar, same thing happened to me last year at my local dealership, one mint pescara damaged ,then they tried to "repair" it by matter of respray, but as we know there isnt an accurate colour available to respray, so managed to have a chat with the service manager and got a brand new alloy and kept the old one.

took 3 weeks to get the wheel after chasing them 4 times!!!.

Stick with it. They will resolve it. They wouldnt want the bad publicity.

[Garth]

Stick with it. They will resolve it. They wouldnt want the bad publicity.

Too late, they've washed their hands of it, point blank refusing to budge. There's still going to be a strongly worded letter to the dealer principle plus one to VW UK, but I don't expect anything in return.