VW Dealerships - what’s going on

[clarky92]

Have I been incredibly unlucky or is this the level of service from VW main dealerships these days?

I book my 3 month old car in to look at one of the headlights not seated in the correct position. It’s clearly a factory issue where quality control doesn’t exist on the mk8. Simple job, remove the front bumper loosen the headlight bolts, slide it over a bit, put bumper back on etc

I provided photos at the booking stage so they knew ahead of time what it required. When dropping the car off on the day I showed the technician so he fully understood the issue and everyone on same page. Left it with them overnight and got a call 4pm the next day to say ‘sorry we didn’t get round to it, we need to book you back in’. WTF

Decided to try another dealership. Same thing, photos provided all booked in etc. left the car with them for a day and a half and received a call the next day to say we need it another 24 hours. I say no as I need the car back. Went to go pick it up and there is bodywork damage, but nowhere near the area they were supposed to be working! Looks like someone has smashed a spanner into the quarter panel taking a chunk with them.

Luckily I took photos when I dropped the car off so they have admitted liability in writing. Next kicker is their group bodyshop is a 88 mile round trip away. I’m left scratching my head at how things can go this wrong.

[fredgroves]

88 mile round trip?!

Do you live in Scotland??

Make them come and get it I suggest. That's ridiculous. That's a day out of your time to deliver and collect for something that's their fault.

On the general issue of poor service. Yes it's definitely fallen off a cliff. I had no complaints in my mk7 years but the last three it's been as shoddy as any marque dealer I've experienced over my car owning years.

[SRGTD]

@clarky92 - That’s shocking! - poor service and lack of care / respect for a customer’s car.

The dealership I’ve used for the entire period of owning VW’s (nearly 22 years) used to be pretty good. However, they’ve gone through a couple of takeovers during that time and I think latterly, customer service has definitely gone downhill. At my car’s most recent service;

• I was initially overcharged. To be fair to the dealership, the overcharge amount was refunded back to me without question but it shouldn’t have happened in the first place (all service documentation including invoices are now digital so I didn’t notice the overcharge until I got home and opened the emailed invoice).
• the new engine oil was barely at the miminum mark on the dipstick. I was foolish enough not to check it until a week after the service but as my car’s never used any oil (I’ve owned it since new in 2020), the low level was due to the dealer being being extremely sparing with the amount of replacement oil they used .
• tyre pressures weren’t checked and adjusted. I’d checked them a couple of days before the service and they were all around a couple of psi down on what they should’ve been. I didn’t bother topping them up as I assumed (wrongly) that they’d be done during the service. However, when I checked them a week later - same time as I checked the oil - they were all still 2 psi under inflated.

I’ll be checking tyres and fluid levels before I leave the dealership next time!

Also with my current VW, things were missed at PDI - damaged sill scuff plate, panel alignment issues. Having said that, with every one of the five VW’s I’ve bought (all bought new) there’s been something that’s been missed during PDI that I’ve had to go back to get it put right!

There’s a good chance I’ll be switching to a non-VW, non-VAG brand for my next car………. .

[Exonian]

Flippin’ ‘eck that’s a saga in the making.

At 88 miles they should be at the very least offering you a courtesy car whilst they take your car to their bodyshop. But I’m not sure I’d trust them to drive it there!

Is the damage too bad for a smart repair?
Is there not some way of getting it to a more local VW Approved bodyshop and the dealer footing the bill, or if the car is on a finance plan could you maybe not involve the finance company and threaten to reject the car?
It shouldn’t have to be so but in modern times you have to be prepared to throw a massive tantrum to get anywhere near decent service on too many occasions. We come to expect less than adequate service and it’s often a surprise when we get decent service when really that should be the norm.

[clarky92]

Thanks for the replies, good to get others opinions as you can imagine I’m fairly stressed out about it. I took the car to a local highly recommended bodyshop who think most of the side of the car needs painting due to the location of the damage and to get a good match with the metallic silver. Luckily the dealer accepted the quotation and agreed to cover the cost. The dealership bodyshop is in a stupid location compared to their dealer sites.

I’ve spent more time on the phone and emailing the vw executive office trying to sort issues than actually driving this car.

[Carlosfandango]

I feel that I need to say, that I’ve had nothing but a positive experience my service department of choice at Inchcape VW cheltenham, be that during regular servicing or warranty issues, for me it’s been an all around excellent service! I cannot though comment on their sales department, as I bought the car from Marshalls VW south Oxford, which I found to be equally good.

[clarky92]

I feel that I need to say, that I’ve had nothing but a positive experience my service department of choice at Inchcape VW cheltenham, be that during regular servicing or warranty issues, for me it’s been an all around excellent service! I cannot though comment on their sales department, as I bought the car from Marshalls VW south Oxford, which I found to be equally good.

Glad you’re having a better experience, must be a good feeling! Do you face any resistance when trying get warranty issues fixed on the car at a different dealership group from where you purchased the car? I’m the same with my car coming from a different part of the country to where my local dealer is. I’m facing constant ‘well you don’t buy it from us’ or ‘you have to take it back to where you bought it’ until I run them through how warranty works.

[joet]

I feel that I need to say, that I’ve had nothing but a positive experience my service department of choice at Inchcape VW cheltenham, be that during regular servicing or warranty issues, for me it’s been an all around excellent service! I cannot though comment on their sales department, as I bought the car from Marshalls VW south Oxford, which I found to be equally good.

Glad you’re having a better experience, must be a good feeling! Do you face any resistance when trying get warranty issues fixed on the car at a different dealership group from where you purchased the car? I’m the same with my car coming from a different part of the country to where my local dealer is. I’m facing constant ‘well you don’t buy it from us’ or ‘you have to take it back to where you bought it’ until I run them through how warranty works.

That is shocking.

I bought my car from a dealership in Kent and have taken it for all warranty work to a dealer in Devon and they have been absolutely fantastic. No issues with them whatsoever. There are still some good ones out there

[clarky92]

I feel that I need to say, that I’ve had nothing but a positive experience my service department of choice at Inchcape VW cheltenham, be that during regular servicing or warranty issues, for me it’s been an all around excellent service! I cannot though comment on their sales department, as I bought the car from Marshalls VW south Oxford, which I found to be equally good.

Glad you’re having a better experience, must be a good feeling! Do you face any resistance when trying get warranty issues fixed on the car at a different dealership group from where you purchased the car? I’m the same with my car coming from a different part of the country to where my local dealer is. I’m facing constant ‘well you don’t buy it from us’ or ‘you have to take it back to where you bought it’ until I run them through how warranty works.

That is shocking.

I bought my car from a dealership in Kent and have taken it for all warranty work to a dealer in Devon and they have been absolutely fantastic. No issues with them whatsoever. There are still some good ones out there

Good to hear I’m not going mad and it’s fully acceptable to expect warranty to be covered by any dealership as per VW’s warranty conditions.

If you think that’s shocking here is another one for you. I don’t care about naming the supplying dealership as relationship completely in the toilet with them now. My Clubsport was presented to me at collection with unmatching tyres on the front axle. How the hell that happens in the first place let alone pass a PDI is beyond me. I had to use the executive office ‘weight’ to get them to pay for the correct matching tyre to be fitted. Supplier dealership was adamant unmatching tyres would make no difference to how the car drove - it caused a constant pull to one side.

[joet]

Unbelievable.