I just thought I'd share my experience today at a VW main dealer today. I booked my Sept '06 56 plate Passat in for a service before the warranty expires. I phoned on Tuesday and they said they could do it today - good start. Dropped the car off at 7.30 am (useful for me) and was given the keys to a 09 Golf estate. Had a call at about 10 am to ask if I wanted the (recommended) brake fluid change and air con service inc 'refresh'. I said yes to both. Picked the car up at 4.30pm as arranged. They had also replaced a rear wheel bearing and the driver's seatbelt under warranty (following test drive, not at my request). Total cost? £347, which I think is pretty good. The car had also been well cleaned inside and out and was spotless. They even found a gold ring and one or two other bits and pieces and left them on the centre storage lid!
I think the overall 'customer experience' was superb. Friendly, efficient and understated. Given the way main dealers get a bit of stick here (esp VW!) this goes some way to redress the balance. All my previous dealings with them has been of a similiar standard.
The garage: Listers VW Evesham. If you live near enough and own a VW I recommend them.
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did you not hear the bearing then?
i had brake failure the other week due to a binding rear brake cooking the fluid ,so im a believer in the principle of fluid changes in todays world of cutnthrust driving
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I was aware that there was a bit of a drone from the rear but I'd put it down to the fact the rear tyres (and the front ones) were close to replacement. And I certainly didn't know anything was wrong with my seatbelt!
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... Total cost? £347, which I think is pretty good....
Pat,
There are some on here who would expect three services for that much - I'm not one of them.
Ford charge about the same and I'm more than happy to pay it, provided the job's done right.
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Pat - if the job's well done, and you're happy with the price then satisfaction is achieved, as you've said. But exactly what have you had for £347? the bulk of a boggo service is inspecting most bits, oil/filters, and in your case brake fluid and charge the air-con. About £200 at a good independent. I'll clean it myself and pocket the difference. I'm not criticising but that's a lot of money for using the main dealer.
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Main dealers are criticised a lot its good to hear when one gives you a good service it just goes to prove that there are some really good ones out there as well as some poor ones
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If the car is on fixed interval rather than variable servicing then that service should have been nothing more than an oil and filter change and some checks.
Brake fluid ought to have been at 2yrs. The a/c "refresh" is a complete con.
OK, they cleaned it and supplied a courtesy car (was that free/included in the price - £10-£12.50 for insurance?)?
Even at main dealer rates I'd have hoped to pay under £200.
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How much did they charge for topping up the washer fluid?
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>>>Brake fluid ought to have been at 2yrs.
On a VW, the brake fluid should be changed after the first 3 years and then every 2 years.
It says this in the manuals of both my Passat and Golf.
My son had the first service on his 520d, it was about £345, the oil was £75, he is very cross. I told him that's what buying BMWs does for you.
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I should have realised that my post would antagonise the 'full service for £10' brigade!
Given the standard of service I thought the price was reasonable The car is still under warranty and I may need some goodwill in the coming year, so I didnt want to use an indy. I have used two local indies over the years and they charge almost as much, and no courtesy car.
This is only the second time the car has been serviced (mileage now 33k), because, as some of you may recall, it's had new engines which removed the need for oil changes! Also explains the possible goodwill bit.
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On a VW the brake fluid should be changed after the first 3 years and then every 2 years.
Fair enough - it's every 2yrs on daughter's SEAT and they did it "free" at 2yrs as part of the service package and, based on other experiences with them, the garage certainly wouldn't have done that if they didn't have to.
My son had the first service on his 520d it was about £345 the oil was £75 he is very cross.
I run a Merc and the dealers are typically now charging around £15/litre for oil, so the oil cost of models which hold 6.5L is pretty well £100. However it seems common practice to take your own oil and, bizzarely, considering they're giving up a huge amount of profit, the dealers seem perfectly happy with this. You can buy same qty of oil in Costco for £37 (£23 for 4L).
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Pat - I'm happy to pay my way and recognise the need for others to charge for their work, but where's the 'goodwill' in a warranty? If it fails, they have to fix it. No goodwill required.
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woodster - my point is that I may need to make an out-of-warranty (goodwill) claim given the engine problems I've had. If the current engine goes west in September a new one will cost upwards of £4k, but with a bit of luck - not that I'm a 'lucky' person as the engine saga illustrates - I may get a goodwill replacement.
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my point is that I may need to make an out-of-warranty (goodwill) claim
If you're concerned that it's likely then maybe you ought to buy a VW extended warranty. If they do make a goodwill payment it will not be without a *load* of hassle and you probably won't get a 100% payment - even 50/50 could leave you with a huge bill.
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Pat is quite right - customers who pass what I believe the police call 'the attitude test' will get looked after.
I worked at a Renault garage in London and I've seen this in operation.
A well-liked customer will always be first in the queue for the available loan cars and extra efforts will be made in other ways.
Chasing around to get parts and mechanics working their lunch hour to finish a job are just a couple of examples.
Believe it or not, some dealers take pride in giving good service to those that appreciate it.
I couldn't care what the block exemption Euro rules say, using an indie will compromise the factory warranty.
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ifithelps - exactly! I might have saved maybe £30-£50 by using an indy but it seemed too risky imo.
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Its nice to hear a positive VW dealer experience. I can also vouch for Man Eggerton in Swindon - they have always looked after me well
Edited by mikeyb on 12/06/2009 at 21:00
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VW Bridgwater are spot on as well.
My Golf 1.9TDI was 3k from service but desided to get it done early a week before the warranty expired. Had mentioned whilst booking it in over the phone that the DMF was juddering when cold during the winter.Once the car was running DMF was fine.
When i dropped the car off, pre signed authorisation was ready for replacement DMF and clutch.
2nd service with "longlife", MOT and courtesy car for 2 days came in at approx £210.
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My Focus is getting a 6-year (major) service shortly at a Ford franchised dealer for £200, including collection and delivery. Out of curiosity I asked two local independents for a price and they quoted £220 and £240 respectively with no collection/delivery service. It strengthened my view that I'm doing right in sticking to franchised dealers.
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My Focus is getting a 6-year (major) service shortly at a Ford franchised dealer for £200 including collection and delivery.
Out of interest L'escargot, how close does the actual price you pay come to the original quote? The Renault dealer I used to use were excellent and always came in bang on, but I know this is a favourite trick of a VW dealer near me. I had two friends walk away from a services quoted at £250 with bills for nearly £800 by the time they'd finished with the "this needs doing urgently, sir / madam" and "while we've got it on the ramp, we've found...." list.
I agree though, dealer servicing CAN be cheaper than an indie. If you get the right dealer. I still tend to trust indies more, all things being equal. Of the (admittedly handful) of truly dreadful experiences I've had at the hands of the motor trade in my motoring career, all have been at big plate glass and pot plant outfits rather than back street sheds.
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I agree though dealer servicing CAN be cheaper than an indie. If you get the right dealer. I still tend to trust indies more all things being equal.
I just always feel that the dealer is working on the same cars day in day out so should be more familiar with them, have the special tools to hand etc etc. Also of anything does go wrong it's a bit easier to shout at a franchised dealer and you have several other level of attack available (head office, manufacturer etc) than you do with an indie.
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I just always feel that the dealer is working on the same cars day in day out so should be more familiar with them have the special tools to hand etc etc.
I think an Indie dedicated to a particular marque is the best option (once you've established their reputation and quality, of course)....because the main dealer won't have a broad knowledge of all faults, because many people stop using the main dealer after the warranty is up...plus main dealers are more likely to employ 'fitters' rather than mechanics. It's an Indie, with all my marques mechanics certificates all over the walls and a computer diagnostic machine relevant to that marque ....that does if for me.
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