My VAG vehicle (Skoda) is just over 3 years old and hence out of warranty. I was telephoned by the local dealer who suggested that I might like to book the car in for a service and an MOT. The car is on variable servicing (but has since been serviced by me) and I have an excellent independently run MOT garage nearby - so no thanks.
The response was huffy - but then I'd had a run in previously with these people who wanted to charge me about £100 for headlamp removal and refitting (twice) for conversion to LH dip when the job can be done in situ in under 5 minutes. I'm not impressed with them or their knowledge of VAG vehicles.
A few weeks later - a recall notice. This is for the well known tandem pump cover bolts on the PD diesels (see C by C breakdown on old Passat). Knowing that only one maker of the two possible makes of tandem pump is affected, I 'phoned the local dealer to see which it was - my car is busy earning money and there is at least a 50% chance that no action is required. A very frosty response was the result with no possibility of divulging this information - I must "bring it in for examination".
These people do not credit their customers either with common sense or the use of the Internet. The vehicle registration body in Australia clearly states under recalls that only tandem pumps of LUK manufacture are affected. One minute's work with a dental mirror confirmed that my car has a Bosch pump.
An e-mail to VAG(Skoda) merely asking them to confirm that no action was required as my vehicle has a Bosch pump resulted in the same frosty, time-wasting response which was forthcoming from the local dealer. I am, of course, satisfied that no action is required.
My feelings are that in this case the recall was used as a final bid to keep this vehicle in the dealer "net" and that no doubt other work would have been advised had the vehicle been booked in. As I have experienced actual damage caused to this vehicle by a VAG dealer (broken undertray) it certainly won't be darkening their doors again.
This recall was issued well over a year ago. I think the timing of this recall was, in my case, an abuse of the system.
659.
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I know what you mean. When I had a BMW there was a coolant header tank cap replacement campaign. I called in at the dealer for a replacement cap. They confirmed my car needed one but wouldn't give one to me - it had to be 'booked in' for a technician to 'undertake the work'. I couldn't be bothered dealing with the jokers and it was a lot easier to buy a replacement OEM cap from ECP for about £10.
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Aprilia
Your dealer would have been SO disappointed. The whole point of the fake "rad cap recall" was to publicize their "reduced prices for older models" initiative. It was a very natty way for their marketing department to get the current addresses of all the cars that had slipped out of the dealers' net.
Every dealer got an instruction pack setting out in excruciating detail how they must not let you get away until you'd been coffeed, shown round the workshop and had received an extended ear-bashing about the vital importance of dealer servicing for the older BMW.....
Edited by Screwloose on 05/11/2007 at 19:48
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This was a few years back, possibly '98/99 ?? - I think the car was just out of warranty at the time - although I do know that BMW dealers consider anything out of warranty to be an 'old car'.
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I've always found BMW Customer Services to be excellent with regards to recalls etc. A quick email to them will get you a polite, well worded same day reply detailing exactly what recalls are outstanding for your vehicle, which have already been completed, as well as the exact specification of your car.
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Aprilia
Yes; it was a while back. The "rad cap recall" is now legendary in the trade.
I'd love to know how much BMW made out of it. Are they still doing their special price servicing deals for "old" BMWs?
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Yes - well quite recently they were anyway.
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Re. cheaper BMW servicing for older cars, how old was "old"? I'd be interested to find out whether BMW Ireland have a similar scheme that my new-to-me 2001 3 series would qualify for.
(I'm also interested to know how the discount would compare to the prices of a local BMW independent who was recommended by a work colleague that ran a 3, then a 5, and still uses the same garage for her current cars...but that could be another story)
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Are they still doing their special price servicing deals for "old" BMWs?
Yup - called 4Plus - for cars 4 years or older.
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Some dealers also do further reduced rates for slightly newer and older cars again, e.g., in Cardiff it's ~£100 + VAT standard rate, 2+, 4+ and 6+ (30% discount), which brings the cost down to ~£70/hour + VAT and, given the padding over the actual job time that I experienced when I went to an indie, makes the job cost comparable as well as quicker to book in and more convenient.
I'll still stick with my back street mechanic for routine work (the car had a complete six year gap in history when I got it) but for anything he can't handle, I'm inclined to go to the dealer.
EDIT: That said, I'm inclined to agree with the OP that the recall mechanism can be used to bring in customers and subject them to a high-pressure sale, and is another revenue maximiser, just as the tiered hourly rates are. It's obviously profitable to them to offer me a 30% discount and I suspect that they *could* offer it to owners of newer cars but doing so would not maximise revenue. Nothing wrong with that of course, as long as the customer is aware what's going on.
Edited by DavidHM on 06/11/2007 at 12:39
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