Northland screwing me over?

[R_Ethug]

they were really nice to me about my seats wearing.. i'm gonna bug them again in about 15 days if they don't phone me.. I guess it depends on how you talk to them.. since i'm always on the phone with people all day I can smooth talk people and twist minds nicely

[kuhli]

mixed bag

In general my experience there has been negative,

1. Slow - I've had my car for 3 days in nearly 5 weeks. CV joint fix took one full week. Getting a tranny into the dealer took nearly two. And now the tranny isn't right, they need another part, which has already taken 4 more days.

2. Lie/Shoddiness - they replaced the CV joint, claimed it solved the noise that the car was making and returned it to me. Within 20 metres from the parking spot it was obvious nobody test drove the vehicle. They stated they test drove it!

3. DON"T RETURN PHONE CALLS - and not the one's I've placed, the one's they've promised to return on their own accord.

4. Loaner has 1200 km on it, has never had some of the blue plastic shipping plastic removed, never had windows cleaned and the interior is a dust bowl. The exterior and interior were so dirty I couldn't take a client around if I had too.

5. The only good thing is, the tranny is being replaced 'no questions' under 5yr 80 km powertrain warranty on 2000's. Initial service rep didn't even know about it and that it covered the CV joint. This shouldn't need to be a good thing it should be expected, but under the circumstances, and without anything else to be happy about, I'm happy about it.

[kuhli]

Or an alternative

Embarrassing story but...everyone will be better for it. The letter hasn't gone to VW Canada about this one.

My wife bought a Beetle this spring, foolishly I forgot to check for a block heater, my dark domestic days had lulled me into believing one could never be delivered without a block heater. After the negotiations had closed, but before leaving we remembered to ask about it and they said they'd check it out before delivery. Fine. This was all at Southcentre. The conclusion was there was no block heater, so we accepted a quotation for one and went onto the merry days of summer.

August, fall arriving...

Thinking we need a block heater, my GTI had been serviced at 5th ave so I thought we'd take her car there. Appointment was made, install performed quickly and the car picked up. They raised an alarm bell because the brakes that were supposedly at 60 % at Southcentre were now at 20% at 5th Ave. I called Southcentre and requested the Safety check form they produce upon inspection, and a full history report on the car. They sales rep sent me the history report but no sign fo the safety check.

Within the history report it was clear the vehicle had twice had block heaters installed, and the final entry was that the cord had been tucked away since the previous owners weren't using it. So the question is, if there was a block heater with the cord tucked away under there why had we been charged, install and part costs for the block heater.

In a near rage, drive car up onto edge of curb with blocks and take a look underneath. Low and behold, there's a block heater, as one would now expect. However, the cord is muddy, the writing is worn for the most part off and it's clearly quite used.

Best case for 5th ave, they installed a used one, worst and almost guaranteed case, they pulled out the cord and charged us.

VW Canada and 5th ave will receive a letter over this.

[Al]

sounds liek a load of crap on their part kuhli...send the letters and get them as high as possible....i am heading in now to talk with them and if all else fails i will mention a call to VWoA and see where that goes...but i will keep my cool! wish me luck!

[kuhli]

VWOA?

I presume that's the VWOA VW Owners Assoc.-- never heard of them?

The letter will go to VW Canada and the Dealer at the same time.

[Al]

so i went there and they told me cause of my neons which are on a completely different circuit not even close to the headlights are casuing the problem. so i have a bill for $260 which i am not paying and i am going to talk to the asst service manager on monday. see some of u in edmonton!

[RobTheGob]

Originally posted by lsc2g
they were really nice to me about my seats wearing.. i'm gonna bug them again in about 15 days if they don't phone me.. I guess it depends on how you talk to them.. since i'm always on the phone with people all day I can smooth talk people and twist minds nicely

I'm pretty good at negotiations... But in my situation, they immediately took the course that they would do absolutely nothing for me, and there was nothing *I* could to about it. My seller would have been able to push them, but they strongarmed him into thinking that *he* was doing something wrong.

I've got a letter that I'm sending to VW and Northland. Basically letting them know the reason why I'll never darken their doorstep again...

[1.8Trip]

Man o man. Why can't these guys figure out that a happy customer is their best sales person. If its a warranty issue, what is the big deal? I thought that it doesn't affect the dealer one bit, aside from some man hours. Again, a happy customer is their best sales person. So to have a tech do some work, is not without benefit. (besides, the tech doesn't get paid the $80/ hour that we pay)

[RobTheGob]

I have a friend who owns a $15,000 Honda Civic. A few years ago, he lent the car to another friend for a couple of hours and forgot to remind him to use his "immobilizer" that was installed by a third party.

When the guy got to his house, there was a truck running on the otherside of the street and with the silky smoothness of a Honda engine, didn't realize the engine was still running after he got out. The engine kept running but the cooling system didn't, due to the cheap immobilier!! I'm not sure I see the benfit of an immobilizer that won't shut off the engine, but that's another story.

Anyways, the guy comes back out about three hours later and the car won't start. He looks under the hood and the car had baked itself until it stopped running. The timing cover had melted and slid down the engine!!

He took it to T&T Honda, and planned on playing ignorant. He ended up telling him the truth and said that it must have been the shitty third party immobilizer that caused the engine to cook. The service manager said that he appreciated his honesty and said that they'd have a look at the car and call him back.

Basically, a large majority of the parts under the hood had to be replaced. Including the engine. Estimate: $5000-6000.

Honda did it under warranty. They didn't want someone (on a board like this, on the street, at a party, etc...) telling someone that there Civic engine died. That's bad publicity.

I just wish that Honda sold a TDi...

[Eugene@TorqueSteer]

That Honda story is mostly nonsense, it was the dealership that made the choice of whether to fix it or not, not Hondas. On big time fixes (usually over $2500 or so, depends on the make of a car), the regional service manager for the manufacturer has to approve of it. Sometimes they come and look at the car, sometimes they don't. If the service manager was cool, he probably played dumb to the regional manager guy, and just got him to approve it period. It isn't like the CEO of Honda made some decree that he didn't want bad publicity and to fix your friends car. It is completely a dealership thing, and also, if the dealership doesn't want to do your work, most likely its because they don't know what is going on, the dealership still gets paid (although a lot less compared to regular service work) to work on the vehicle. They just get paid from Honda, and not you.

As far as the absolute WORST service from the manufacturer ever, Subaru would have to be the one that takes the title. In my line of business I cross many factions of car enthusiasts. And there seem to be two types of Subaru owners...

#1. The kind that have had their car for a few months, and not any servicible problems.
#2. The kind that have taken the car to the dealership and had SoA rape them and say it wasn't warrantable.

The regional service guys are famous at Subaru for voiding warranties on everything. And Subarus are so horribly made, especially the drivetrain, that it is inevitable. I know many people that bought the WRX, since it was overhyped, but they were underwhelmed to say the least. Plus, when they went to the dealership, they were all turned away from even the slightest modification. Their trannies are even known as the "glass box" in some circles because of their propensity to break. The quality of a WRX is ridiculous, and stories abound about the WRX problem.

I know an individual who had his WRX warranty voided because he changed the tires to something else besides stock. They would warranty his drivetrain or engine any longer as a result that there were "driveability issues" stemming from the new rubber.

Don't ever get upgraded parts from the Subaru dealership for your WRX. There are been individuals who purchased the upgraded suspension at the dealership for the WRX, and came to find out that Subaru would no longer warranty their suspension and chassis as a result of it.

Be happy that VWoA at least covers their real problems. As for your lights, its not the fuse if any of the other lights work within that headlight. Most likely its a wiring harness problem. Truthfully, headlights are so cheap, you might just want to replace them and get some better looking e-codes or something.

[RobTheGob]

Yeah, but you missed my point. It makes no difference to the customer who agrees to honour a warranty claim, as long as it's done.

VW has the worst reputation, IMO. I have another friend who had his vehicle royally screwed up during a timing belt change at a local VW dealer, to the tune of $8,000 in damage. They denied all guilt and claimed that he had modified his car (an EGR vent hose!) that caused the engine mount casting on the block to crack, essentially writing off the engine. The swore up and down that they don't go near the passenger side engine mounts while doing a timing belt.

He took them to court and they fought tooth and nail. The day before the court date, they settled out of court for all repairs plus all legal fees and court costs. Luckily, he had done all the necessary prep work to prove that they had to have screwed up the work.

There are plenty of vehicle manufacturers that allow all sorts of "questionable" warranty claims in the name of good faith. Unfortunately, there are some that also fight when there is a valid warranty claim or they blatantly screw up and cause damage themselves by not replacing single use bolts...

[Eugene@TorqueSteer]

But to base the reputation of a manufacturer on whether the dealership fixes the work or not when they shouldn't is NAIVE to say the best. To be frank, I abhore individuals such as your friend that would even attempt to get warranty service for stuff that is clearly his fault. Reason being is I end up having to pay for it. When warranty service is abnormally high for the manufacturer, all of a sudden they start getting more and more strict etc. The same goes for people with questionable or falsified insurance claims. It is the legit owners that end up getting hurt one way or the other by individuals such as your friend. Truthfully, I think your friend is a crook, and I think the dealership should be severely reprimanded or punished for honoring that work as under warranty.

As far as VW having the worst reputation, how does your life correlate with the other manufacturers and their warranties. I have contacts in almost every single brand, and I can tell you, by their own admission who has the worst reputation, and that is by far Subaru, there is no question. It is the #1 reason why many WRX owners have vowed never to purchase one again. They don't stand behind their product.

You keep talking about manufacturer this, manufacturer that, you are talking about the dealership and their denial of liability. You keep confusing the manufacturer and the dealership, they are not one in the same, and in fact often work AGAINST each other, which is why there are manufacturer dealership quality groups that work towards just that end, the dealerships quality.

Most of the time, its the dealership's choice whether to fix it or not. It is completely in the dealership's power to decide what to tell the regional service managers etc. If the dealership told the regional service manager the actual truth, I am sure he would have denied the warranty claim, but I doubt that is what happened.

If you have a valid experience with the REGIONAL service manager under VAG, than that would fall under manufacturer liability, but having to sue the dealership to get them to fulfill their liability is their fault, not VWs.

[kuhli]

Automakers vs Dealers

In General:

Automakers build cars
Dealers warranty cars

Every automaker has problems, even the cherished Honda brand has problems. The difference is in how the Dealers warrant the cars.

For the major problems the Automakers get involved and ensure that things are warranted. But for the day to day items it is purely dealer discretion.

Might I add that I suspect dealers are subject to and measured by the dollar amount of warranty work they do compared to the number of cars they service.

Also, stating VW is the worst isn't really going to help find a solution. I continually see this on 'enthusiast' sites for different makes and it is pure crap. Everyone has complainers.

[RobTheGob]

Careful who you calling a crook, Eugene! (that sounded too much like an old Pink Floyd song to not say it). Re-read my post. My friend thought briefly about trying to get it done as a warranty claim, but thought that he would probably come out better by telling the truth and hoping he gets a break on the repairs.

You may think that VW has a great reputation for warranty work, but I know few people that will agree with you. To suggest that the manufacturer has no input on warranty claims is naive in my opinion.

Ask a Saturn owner if they've ever had warranty claims problems. Saturn has the ability to drive policies down from the top. Their cars may have tons of issues, but the dealer always smiles and fixes your problems...

[Eugene@TorqueSteer]

Originally posted by RobTheGob
Careful who you calling a crook, Eugene! (that sounded too much like an old Pink Floyd song to not say it). Re-read my post. My friend thought briefly about trying to get it done as a warranty claim, but thought that he would probably come out better by telling the truth and hoping he gets a break on the repairs.

You may think that VW has a great reputation for warranty work, but I know few people that will agree with you. To suggest that the manufacturer has no input on warranty claims is naive in my opinion.

Ask a Saturn owner if they've ever had warranty claims problems. Saturn has the ability to drive policies down from the top. Their cars may have tons of issues, but the dealer always smiles and fixes your problems...

I think you are completely missing the points that me and a few other individuals are trying to get across to you. Yes, the manufacturer does set the rules and the precedence, but in the end it is the dealerships that warranty it or not. I would suggest learning about the service chain of command before you denounce or advocate it. Either way, in the end it is the dealership's fault that they fixed your friends car...IMO, your friend didn't deserve to have his car fixed under warranty, actually, he deserved to pay for it as a result of his own mistakes.

I don't think that VW has a great reputation for warranty work, in fact I know they don't. I MANUFACTURE and wholesale parts for VWs, I should know. With every single bad case at the dealership, I promise you there are 50 that were good. People just don't remember the good treatments at the dealership, they just post and ***** about the bad ones.

As for Saturn, I don't know what your point is, maybe your local Saturn dealership is the king of dealerships, and whenever you go in for an oil change, Harems serve Chardonnay to you while feeding you grapes. But does Saturn have a good reputation, that is hard to discern. The tuning community of Saturn is very limited, and there are very few Saturn boards etc for the horror stories to proliferate, most likely the reason why you haven't read hundreds of horror stories about dealer work. Joanie the 43 year old mother of 3 and soccer mom doesn't find it necessary to post on the Saturn performance forums about her debacle with the dealership. Saturn though is one of the worst rated by multiple consumer sources for quality and service, but maybe they have just been going to all the wrong dealerships. :mrscrewy:

I am not here to argue with you, I just think you need to substantiate your claims with a lot more "evidence" than you have given. Yes, VW does have problems, and your middle man to VAG is going to be the dealership, so in the end its the dealership that treats you right or doesn't. So chalk one up for your friend's Honda dealership, although if I was the regional service manager, I would fire the service manager of that dealership in a second, and put the dealership on probation. Maybe that is just me though, I hate paying for other people's mistakes. :angry: