owners wanting to do there own pdi

[Saha]

hello
        why do people want to do there own pdi on there brand new gti/clean it themselves is it because the vw dealer cannot be trusted if so surley vw should smarten up there act and sort this out i disagree with some of the comments that  all cars have problems i have had 37 new cars and i can say without a shadow of doubt this gti is the worst car i had for problems.

[2014GTi]

I agree with you that there are far too many negative comments on the forums, this does not reflect the majority of owners.
I trust my dealership a lot, it used to be a family run business and the same staff work there to this day.
The very same mechanic since 2004 works on my R32 (master), he has also been tasked to do the PDI of my GTi
My R32 is rather special and I wouldn't trust many dealerships with it as I don't know them so you could say I'm very picky.
A lot of people on the forums complain that their dealers cause swirl marks etc or can't wash a car properly, if this is the case than they should'nt buy from them and vote with their feet.
It's comical that many forum members bad mouth their dealerships yet still buy from them.

[dubber36]

It's well known that many dealers aren't especially fussy when it comes to preparing a new car. You've only got to walk around the back to see the valeters in action with TFR and a brush, followed with a wipe down with a chamois that looks like it has been dragged across the car park.

To the majority of customers, there standard is good enough, but many people on here are enthusiasts with a fine attention to detail. We like things to be right, but judging by the way you have written your post, you are not bothered about things like that.

[Mark V GTD]

Not sure about the concept of 'my dealer' which implies a relationship with the franchise... I have not even set foot in the dealership that will supply my car and I have no idea about the standard of paintwork preparation to be expected - which is why I will politely request they leave the paintwork alone.

There is a lot more to a PDI than cleaning.

[2014GTi]

It's well known that many dealers aren't especially fussy when it comes to preparing a new car. You've only got to walk around the back to see the valeters in action with TFR and a brush, followed with a wipe down with a chamois that looks like it has been dragged across the car park.

To the majority of customers, there standard is good enough, but many people on here are enthusiasts with a fine attention to detail. We like things to be right, but judging by the way you have written your post, you are not bothered about things like that.

I am very much a car enthusiast I guess every dealership is individual, my dealership know's how fussy I am lol they are tasked with looking after one of the finest privately owned Golf R32's in existance so that's some responsibility.

I still think that if your dealership can't PDI or prep your car properly based on past experience than you should go elsewhere
A PDI, prep, wash etc is part of their job / service and it should be to a good standard for the brand VW.

I detail my own cars and pretty please with the results.

As mentioned, my dealership used to be family run, so that sense of personalization still exists and I've been going there since 2004

If any mistakes are made on my GTI I have faith in them to resolve them.

It's a shame not all dealerships are the same, I will be posting up a full review once I have my car, this will include any positive or negative experience throughout each stage.

[monkeyhanger]

When you're spending £26k on a car, loyalty is out of the window. If someone can offer me a cheaper deal than the last place I bought then i'm there. Wouldn't really haggle over £20, but when my local group is £1500 more "cost to change" than the next nearest group, i'll use them for services and warranty, but buy elsewhere. I'd let them do the PDI and pick up the car in daylight, give it a good going over. If things aren't right then they need to sort it. These forums do attract the fussy/attention to detail element (and I include myself in that group), but some are more extreme than others and I for one would not pay a detailer £200+ to dress a new car when I can get 98% of the way there on my own efforts. More chance in having your PDI rushed if you buy to pick up on new plate day or want it within hours of its arrival at the dealership.

[Saha]

Hello
    Thanks for your replies i have spent 37 years in the motor trade whilst working for BMW for 10 years I have seen a lot of events especially on new cars but when you are looking forward to your new car and you find a fault it takes the shine out of it especially when it comes to paintwork my car has some dirt in the front wing as I have said previously they will only paint the wing not the adjacent panel which would show a colour mismatch also if you have it painted the paint on that panel will obviously be thicker it's just a shame that vw do not check the cars over properly.Thanks

[dubber36]

Hello
   
Thanks for your replies. I have spent 37 years in the motor trade. Whilst working for BMW for 10 years I have seen a lot of events, especially on new cars, but when you are looking forward to your new car and you find a fault, it takes the shine out of it. Especially when it comes to paintwork. My car has some dirt in the front wing as I have said previously. They will only paint the wing, not the adjacent panel, which would show a colour mismatch. Also if you have it painted, the paint on that panel will obviously be thicker.

It's just a shame that VW do not check the cars over properly.Thanks

So now do you understand why some people would prefer that the dealer has minimal contact with the car?

[2014GTi]

Hello
   
Thanks for your replies. I have spent 37 years in the motor trade. Whilst working for BMW for 10 years I have seen a lot of events, especially on new cars, but when you are looking forward to your new car and you find a fault, it takes the shine out of it. Especially when it comes to paintwork. My car has some dirt in the front wing as I have said previously. They will only paint the wing, not the adjacent panel, which would show a colour mismatch. Also if you have it painted, the paint on that panel will obviously be thicker.

It's just a shame that VW do not check the cars over properly.Thanks

So now do you understand why some people would prefer that the dealer has minimal contact with the car?

a PDI is a dealership job, not the customers... its to ensure everything is ready for the customer.
Having a customer do their own PDI is plain crazy. 

[dubber36]

The mechanical elements of the PDI granted, mostly the issues are with the standard of valeting. There will also be an element of the dealers spotting defects, but saying nothing in order to get the car handed over. We've even had a Honda salesman on here who has told us how he would stand in front of poor paintwork, in a hope that the customer won't see it.