Are all car dealers clueless...

[burble]

.. or is it just VW dealers?

My R32 went in for a 40k service on Friday. As part of that service it needs to have a DSG oil and filter change plus a Haldex oil filter and change. I even mentioned this to them when I booked the car in.

At about lunchtime yesterday I got a call saying that the car needed new front pads and they'd just discovered that it needed a DSG filter change too. They didn't have a set of pads or DSG filter in stock but could order one in for delivery this morning. Ok, a bit of a pain but not a huge problem.

I called them this morning to check what time the car would be ready and was told that it was pretty much finished so I could collect it in about 30 minutes.

When I got there they talked me through what was done - 40K service, DSG oil and filter, air con service, front pads and brake fluid service. No mention of the haldex service so I asked and was told quite abruptly that it had been done and he pointed to the DSG service on the job sheet. I told him that DSG was the gearbox and again asked about the haldex service. He went off to talk to the parts guys and came back to again tell me that the DSG service had been done. Argh!

Eventually he went to ask a technician and told me that I was right about DSG being the gearbox but that the haldex service wasn't due until 80K. Well, actually he told me that it was a service for the rear differ... (he didn't know the word differential). I went to grab the service book and showed him that it clearly stated that an oil and filter change was due on the haldex coupling every 40K miles. Eventually he had to admit (through visably gritted teeth) that I was right but that they will only do work that is specifically mentioned on the job sheet. I pointed out that their service books mentioned what the service entails so why do they not follow it?

So after arguing or nearly 20 minutes I left with a car that they'd had for almost 2 days and still hadn't completed the service on.

It really makes me wonder how many people out there are driving cars which through the fault of the dealer are not serviced according to the service schedule?

[Cuprabob]

That is totally woeful

How much were the brake pads?

Edited May 1, 2010 by Cuprabob

[theduisbergkid]

What a sorry story. What concerns me is what goes on behind closed doors. That said, I used to get great service from VW Loughborough.

I only use Indy's now, they'll physically show you what they've done, explain everything, know their stuff and make an effort to retain your business.

[steelwind101]

The problems are in general that few people who work was a customer service advisors have ever been mechanics, so they really have no idea what a DSG or Haldex is. They have a few courses, but really they are nothing more then office administrators and smilers (if your lucky!). Booking appointments, collecting money etc. and most clients do not know whats going on anyway!

The other thing i always feel is that the Customer Service people tend to stick very much to sheet. Apart from the car cleaner and showroom greeter they are the worst paid of all the staff. Going above and beyond isnt in there pay packets or counts towards there bonus.

There are nice smaller dealers out there as well as good indies, i always try to avoid these big "group" dealerships where possible.

[Tipex]

What a sorry story. What concerns me is what goes on behind closed doors. That said, I used to get great service from VW Loughborough.

I only use Indy's now, they'll physically show you what they've done, explain everything, know their stuff and make an effort to retain your business.

Aye, I'll always use my local 'back street' mechanic, as he charges a reasonable price, knows what he's talking about, is happy to show me what he's done, and can fit me in at a moments notice if I'm stuck.

However, I recently tried booking my Subaru in with an 'independant specialist' who'd been recommended to me by a friend of a friend, and had also been recommended by several people on a Subaru forum, but even trying to book the car in was a hassle, with several promises to call me back never happening, and then no one being able to give me a quote, or even a rough estimate, so I fecked them off, and my usual mechanic is doing the work now.

'I've never done a clutch on one of these before' he said, 'so i'll book it in for the whole day, and if I'm finished early, I'll get the rest of the day off!'

He's looked up the book time for the job, and thats the labour he'll charge me, even if it takes significantly longer, thats the sort of mechanic I'll return to time and again.

[burble]

How much were the brake pads?

No idea, I've got a fixed price service plan.

[burble]

I only use Indy's now, they'll physically show you what they've done, explain everything, know their stuff and make an effort to retain your business.

When the fixed price maintenance thingy expires (November 2011) I'll either be taking the car to a fantastic Indy in Milton Keynes who I used numerous times on my PD 150 or go to APS in Brackley.

Most likely I'll use APS because they're the chaps that have done all the mods on the car but the Indy is more convenient because he'll come to the office and do the work there.

[burble]

The problems are in general that few people who work was a customer service advisors have ever been mechanics, so they really have no idea what a DSG or Haldex is. They have a few courses, but really they are nothing more then office administrators and smilers (if your lucky!). Booking appointments, collecting money etc. and most clients do not know whats going on anyway!

True, but they should be more open to accepting that they aren't the font of all knowledge. It took a good 5 minutes of discussion for him to accept that the DSG service was bugger all to do with the haldex coupling.

Then when he did go off to ask, a technician told him that in all cases a haldex service was due every 80K. So if the customer facing people and the so called technical people don't know there really is something wrong.

[cruiser647]

Presume you'll use a different VW dealer now.

That one can't be trusted.

[burble]

Oh absolutely, once they've done the haldex service on May 12th I won't be going back to them. I started going to this dealer because Wayside in Milton Keynes were crap (and still are) and until now they've been great. The problem is that although the VW dealer in Bedford is meant to be very good, it's far from convenient for me to go there but I'll work around that.

[edo]

No idea, I've got a fixed price service plan.

Ah. It becomes clear. The tick is not to mention this when you book it in.

[Wizbit]

Similar story when I bought my A8 from Yeovil Audi. It had its full 40k mile service before I bought it, but when I got home and looked under the bonnet I noticed that the diesel filter still looked old.

I checked the service book and the diesel filter should definitely have been changed. I took it into Northampton Audi and they confirmed that the diesel filter currently fitted was still the original one! They promptly changed it for me. Yeovil Audi also didn't change the pollen filters either when they should have.

Certainly makes you wonder about some dealers.

[Cuprabob]

Remember the days when dealers used to change things that didn't need changed. Now it seems it's the opposite, they can't be bothered doing anything.

I make sure when I book it in and again when I drop it off they are clear exactly what has to be one on the car.

[garcon magnifique]

So let me get this straight. Your typical VW dealership has "customer service representatives" and "showroom greeters" as well as (whatever ridiculous titles they give them) salesmen and mechanics. They might pay them peanuts, but it strikes me they're filling made up roles that don't actually do anything.

I wonder if it has occurred to anyone that if they had a simplified structure of sales staff, sales manager, service engineers, service manager and maybe a receptionist they might save enough money to be able to employ and train better service engineers who they could actually put in front of the customer.

[burble]

Ah. It becomes clear. The tick is not to mention this when you book it in.

I don't think that's anything to do with it since I'm paying VW directly for the service plan, not the dealer. Plus when the dealer tap in the registration plate of my car they see straight away that it is on fixed priced maintenance.

[steelwind101]

The guys are not great, i dont know if you expect them to be. What does a customer service administrator earn? £16K-£25K at standard brand garage(Ford, VW, Toyota, Vauxhall etc), 3-5% more at somewhere like Lexus or Mercedes.

Your asking people to think alot more then they would like, who after tax couldent afford an £800 per month mortgage and still eat. At the same time you want them to care that your £30K car gets the right fluid.

Not that im meaning to agitate things, but when everythings considered its hard to imagine every "i dotted" and "t crossed".

Im as dissapointed as everyone else when you dont want the car cleaned and you asked them not but it still gets done. Or you expect everything on the service sheet to be completed but the boxes are ticked and it hasnt.

I have often found myself taking in the cars to places with a certain level of trepidation that when i return its not going to have gone as well as i have hoped.

I believe you have to pay people the right money to do a job a right. But there is only so many dealers and only so far you can go to get the car serviced so in the end, they pay people what it costs to get you to pay. Which we do, and it goes on....

Geoff

[cruiser647]

The guys are not great, i dont know if you expect them to be. What does a customer service administrator earn? £16K-£25K at standard brand garage(Ford, VW, Toyota, Vauxhall etc), 3-5% more at somewhere like Lexus or Mercedes.

Your asking people to think alot more then they would like, who after tax couldent afford an £800 per month mortgage and still eat. At the same time you want them to care that your £30K car gets the right fluid.

Geoff

I don't agree with you there.

You still get superb customer experience from the Sainsbury's bods, even though they are not on much wedge.

Same for house sellers (builder sites). You could be buying a £400K house, but they probably earn less than £30K.

But, at the end of the day, they are paid to do a job and do it properly.

Forgot to add, the computer should tell them what needs to be done when they type in the registration number. The service manager should know.

[burble]

But, at the end of the day, they are paid to do a job and do it properly.

Precisely. If you're paid to do a job then you should do the job properly. I'm far from 100% happy in my role but I always do the best job I can.

Forgot to add, the computer should tell them what needs to be done when they type in the registration number. The service manager should know.

I would have assumed that too, but I'm told that unless something is specifically written on a job sheet, it won't get done. Now that doesn't ring true to me as the job sheet specified a 40K service on an R32 and one of the things that service entails is the haldex service.

I'll be having a word with the service manager when the car goes back in and am also planned on talking to VW (for what good it'll do).

[Wizbit]

I'll be having a word with the service manager when the car goes back in and am also planned on talking to VW (for what good it'll do).

You might be surprised. I mentioned the diesel filter and pollen filter issues when I bought my A8 further up in this thread. I wrote a letter of complaint to Audi UK and they were great actually. They gave me an additional 1 year warranty extension (on top of the 1 year warranty I already had) and 50% off my next service. I was really pleased, so its definitely worth sending a letter.

Just to add - I wrote my letter to the head of Audi UK, not customer services, so if you are going to write one, then find out who the boss of VW UK is and write directly to him. I'm sure I wouldn't have got half as much if I had written to the normal customer services address.

[burble]

Well I've got nothing to lose so I'll write to VW UK tomorrow and see if they bother to respond.

[Mac]

It's astonishing what crap stuff dealers do - and a lot of end users wouldn't notice. Back when I had my RS4 and I kept bending wheels badly - turned out that they'd been repeatedly putting the wrong tyres on...Too softer a sidewall or something.

*****.

[dq1]

When the fixed price maintenance thingy expires (November 2011) I'll either be taking the car to a fantastic Indy in Milton Keynes who I used numerous times

Out of interest is that Inde-Tech or AJ Autos?

Have used them both in the past.

[burble]

Out of interest is that Inde-Tech or AJ Autos?

Have used them both in the past.

Neither, it's a chap called Pete Drobecz (I think that's the right spelling). I don't know if he still does but he used to work for VW in Aylesbury a few days a week and then work for himself a few days a week.

I used him a few times on my previous car and considering I'm a real fussy sod I couldn't fault him or his work.