Author Topic: Looking for advice re damage to my car while in for a service.  (Read 12744 times)

Offline p3asa

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Yeah good advice. There is nothing I can disagree with and I know I should have checked it before hand but I still can't see how they can just wash their hands of it.

I've put some aerospace trim restorer on it and it isn't as noticeable.

I've also watched my dashcam footage and while you can't see the arms of the lift being used or swung into place you can see them being used on other cars and it is definitely the corner of one of these that has been swung into my cill. Its just frustrating how they can damage folks property and not be accountable.
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Offline AndyG

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You can ask to have your car put back on the same ramp and see if any of the lifting apparatus aligns up with your damage.If the dealer has nothing to hide they can hardly refuse.
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Offline Booth11

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Stevie, you may not have the strongest of cases having not picked up the damage before collection, but I would persist with the various avenues and generally make a nuisance of yourself if necessary.  It can pay off.  Seems to becoming a more and more frequent occurrence that a car goes in to the dealer and comes out in worse condition than it went in, which is sadly ironic considering they are going in to be improved in some way, be it warranty work or service.  Trouble is so many people don't really care so let these things go, dealerships become complacent and then go into denial mode when a discerning customer such as yourself decides to pursue the matter (as you should). 

I think the damage is such that it can only have been caused by the lifting apparatus, both the deep nick in the trim (which is not easily marked) and perhaps more tellingly the way the trim has been pushed up.  So as AndyG suggests maybe asking to see your car on the ramp is the route to take to show them that it would result in exactly this kind of damage.

I really hope you can get a satisfactory outcome.  But after repeated instances of careless damage to your car and their attitude I would find somewhere else to have your cars serviced.  It may be less convenient but hopefully in the long run it will preserve your car, and save you a huge amount of time and hassle having to sort out the after effects of total and utter dealer incompetence.
« Last Edit: 10 May 2016, 08:07 by Booth11 »
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Offline JoeGTI

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Did you have a good look under the car too? Might be worth checking if the actual sills themselves are damaged and that would definitely point towards careless lifting. The sills on these cars are quite soft and will bend / crush easily if the car isn't lifted at the correct points.
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Offline p3asa

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That's a good shout Andy at least it would put the matter to bed once and for all. Although I don't know how I'd handle walking into the workshop with 20 odd mechanics all turning round and staring at me. I'm 100% it happened in their care and not knowing how these lifts work I'm sure they would do their hardest to prove it never happened there so would set it up so the arm couldn't swing that way. Yeah call me paranoid  :grin:

Yeah Bec I do think its happening more and more. I know it's accidental so its just carelessness that's causing it. I never used to bother about putting my car into these places but my last couple of cars have been an eye opener. Folk can say what they like about Audi but my local Audi walk round the car taking pictures of it when you drop it off.  That in itself has made me look at the S3 a bit more closely. Don't worry I won't be using this dealer any more. I'll wait and see how my wife's car gets on at another VW dealership failing that it will be an 80 mile round trip to a VW dealership that isn't in the same group.

I've not looked under it Joe crazy at it sounds but I will now.

Thanks
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Offline p3asa

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So I phoned customer services back to say why don't you put the car back on the ramp and if the damage doesn't marry up to the arms of the ramp lifts then I'll agree it didn't happen while in your dealership.

I got told no. The matter is now finished!!! They refused point blank.

The service manager also refused to tell me who his manager was as the matter was now finished!!!

Unbelievable.

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Offline Eccie

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That's piss poor, name and shame them, and everyone on this and other forums can avoid them like the plague. I'd also take to Twitter & post about the bad customer service you've received
« Last Edit: 12 May 2016, 19:21 by Eccie »

Offline Mk7-GTD

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So I phoned customer services back to say why don't you put the car back on the ramp and if the damage doesn't marry up to the arms of the ramp lifts then I'll agree it didn't happen while in your dealership.

I got told no. The matter is now finished!!! They refused point blank.

The service manager also refused to tell me who his manager was as the matter was now finished!!!

Unbelievable.

Time to name and I think, I think a few of us on here would gladly share our thoughts on their tweeter account and the like.

As some of you I was rearended in my CC in March, after taking ages to get it repaired it wasn't done right. Got a quote to sort it out and fix some damage they did while the car was there. Oryx white paint is a little pricey to say the least.

Offline Eccie

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MK7-GTD that was always my concern when looking at those fancy whites or metallic whites, how much to repair and...............can they get a good match?

Offline Mk7-GTD

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MK7-GTD that was always my concern when looking at those fancy whites or metallic whites, how much to repair and...............can they get a good match?

Well by law I have to let them try once to rectify the problems. It is gone back to them now and as a sweetener I asked them to refurbish all my wheels(19" Luganos) and when they sent them off to be repaired they all had flat spots. I knew this beforehand so I had them put in writing that they would sort the wheels out to new condition. They have a policy of not repairing damaged wheels which I also knew about. They tried to do the hole sorry but we can't do anything but with a little persuasion they agreed that they had an agreement with me so 5 new alloys were ordered for me yesterday. Result  :whistle:

Back to Stevie's problem, I would certainly be outing them and I would not stop.