100 laid off at VW dealership

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Sat 30 Aug 2008 15:32
100 laid off at VW dealership - tawse
FYI, was chatting with a friend last night who works at a Citroen dealership and got talking about the car market. He said they were doing pretty good as people were buying the small Citroens.

He then surprised me by saying that a VW dealership in South Wales had let 100 of its staff go in recent months. I assume it must have been in dribs and drabs.

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Sat 30 Aug 2008 17:11
100 laid off at VW dealership - colinh
SMMT sales figures to July

Citroen down 13%
VW down 3%

Wonder how many Citroen staff have gone?
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Sat 30 Aug 2008 17:17
100 laid off at VW dealership - Peter S
Must be some dealership to have more than 100 staff surely? Unless it's a chain of dealerships I guess?

Peter
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Sat 30 Aug 2008 17:30
100 laid off at VW dealership - tawse
Chain apparently.
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Sat 30 Aug 2008 19:20
100 laid off at VW dealership - oldgit
Must be some dealership to have more than 100 staff surely? Unless it's a chain
of dealerships I guess?
Peter


Let's hope it is some of the 'suits' that have gone, rather than the more useful (some doubts here) mechanical labour force.
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Sat 30 Aug 2008 20:28
100 laid off at VW dealership - tr7v8
At my local Jaguar dealer today talking to the young lady who sold me the last Jag, she said that on new cars they're doing very well XF & facelift X Type have helped big time but sales on used cars are lacking. When we bought ours 4 weeks or so ago I think 3 cars went out that day all used.
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Sat 30 Aug 2008 20:39
100 laid off at VW dealership - Pugugly
I have to say the facelifted X type looks like it needed that grille from new.

Edit - I think it looks a lot better now !

Edited by Pugugly on 30/08/2008 at 20:42

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Sat 30 Aug 2008 21:34
100 laid off at VW dealership - tr7v8
Edit - I think it looks a lot better now !

I quite agree & fancied a 3 litre estate but the Missus hated it on sight so that was the end of that!
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Sat 30 Aug 2008 22:02
100 laid off at VW dealership - Cymrogwyllt
I'm hardly surprised. The first service on my previous car (Vectra cdti 150) cost £129 at a mileage of 18k at a main dealer. VW have quoted me £230 for essentially the same service on a Polo 1.2 mileage 12.5k. both on 'long service life ' basis. Next time the indie does it.>>
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Sun 31 Aug 2008 08:32
100 laid off at VW dealership - DP
VW have quoted me £230 for
essentially the same service on a Polo 1.2


The problem with VW dealers in these parts is what the bill ends up at when they've found all the other work that "needs doing". My neighbour has just paid a whisker under £800 for a 60,000 mile service on his 54 reg Golf 1.9TDI - the "it needs discs and pads all round" thing, plus a suspension bush, and other odds and ends.
My brother in law's record for a service on his Passat was £1050. Frankly, I would expect bills like that on a piece of exotica, not a family runabout.

Cheers
DP
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Sun 31 Aug 2008 11:07
100 laid off at VW dealership - jase1
The problem with VW dealers in these parts is what the bill ends up at
when they've found all the other work that "needs doing". My neighbour has just paid
a whisker under £800 for a 60 000 mile service on his 54 reg Golf
1.9TDI - the "it needs discs and pads all round" thing plus a suspension bush
and other odds and ends.
My brother in law's record for a service on his Passat was £1050. Frankly I
would expect bills like that on a piece of exotica not a family runabout.


You're not the only one I've heard mentioning things like this.

As far as I am concerned, this leads to one of three conclusions:

1) The dealers are bordering on theft with their interpretation of the condition of some cars;

2) The cars are criminally badly made; or

3) VW main dealer parts and labour costs are enough to make even Mitsubishi blush.

Any one of these three would put me off buying a VW completely.

Edited by jase1 on 31/08/2008 at 11:09

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Sun 31 Aug 2008 12:46
100 laid off at VW dealership - Bill Payer
3) VW main dealer parts and labour costs are enough to make even Mitsubishi blush.

Hmm...£200 for an oil change service at Mitsubishi. And that was after being quoted £125 with mumbled "plus VAT").
Any one of these three would put me off buying a VW completely.


It must be a VAG thing - just been ripped off by SEAT dealer adding random work to a 4yr old car. Not happy.
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Sun 31 Aug 2008 13:28
100 laid off at VW dealership - ifithelps
The Ford dealer I take the Focus to is good at adding work.

It's got to the point where I listen out for the mobile from about mid-morning...

"Hello, BlogsFord here, it needs this, that and t'other so that £190 fixed price service will now be £400+."

At least I've not had to go back between services - about 13k miles a year with only one visit to the garage isn't too bad.
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