dealership wars

[Stonewall]

Re: dealership wars

It is only the window clip that was warrantied, they made it out of plastic and not metal. I was also told some cock eyed story when I took mine to 5th ave and I new up front that it was going to be warrantied, at least in the end they replace both front ones but you don't like to hear you could be out a couple hundred dollars for something you know should be covered.
Tim did you have any problems with impex shipping to canada? Every time I have tried to order from them in the past they said they wouldn't ship here.

[100%VAGitarian]

Re: dealership wars

"and you still want to know why they're called stealerships?"

i'm still waiting for the answer to this./\/\

so you bought a part from another supplier for less money and that makes the competition become theives? i dont understand this logic. if people will pay the price, let them. some don't like to pay it so they shop around for a better price. thats why they call it shopping around.

i gotta tell you though, the button fell of my new tommy shirt the other day so i went back to the tommy store and they said that a new button is 15 bucks + the repair cost. what a bunch of theives. i went online and bought a new button for 10 cents and sewed it on myself. i couldn't even believe that the competition offered the same button, and even the same shirt for less money!!

(most)modders want their cake and to eat it too. the dealers probably make a thousand times more business from regular, repeat customers than modders who always want a deal, or expect superior service cause they feel they are in the know. i'm sure cutting off deals to modders would be just fine to them. "i'm never going back, they ripped me off, how much?, i'm with this club, i know this guy."

just like the bar, you'll be cut off, denied entry, whatever. there's always someone else behind you waiting with their wallet out.

[Khyron]

Re: dealership wars

Actually car guys tend to get asked by non-car guys about what car to buy, or where to go for service. I know I help our 5 non-enthusiast VW owners at the offce, along with all relatives and friends. It's a big circle after awhile.

I've only JUST started recommending VW again, because the rabbit IS a good deal for the content compared to the competition.

However, when you have a letter from VW saying a regulator is warrantied for 8 years out of good will, then you have a service advisor claim to know nothing about it - that's a stealership. Or when a VW dealer SUES a person who had a horrible experience in order to keep them quiet - that's a stealership. Or when a 50 year old woman is told she needs to pay 100 bucks to have an aftermarket stereo removed before the dealer will even touch the car instead of investing in a 20 dollar KLine detector that could tell conclusively that the radio has the kline hooked - that's a stealership.

My personal experiences other than some nighmares trying to book an appt at 5th ave last year have been positive. Paul at Northland doesn't try and ******** me, so I'm up front with him.

Khyron

[Stonewall]

Re: dealership wars

100%VAGitarian your logic is very weak and has no bases at all. The problem lies in not how much people are paying it is with what is being done for that money. It also stems from all car dealerships not just VW ones. For a latest example I will use a friend who just bought a 2001 jetta used from the mitsu dealership up the street from 5th ave. Now they got the car home and on their first long cruise that night they found one rear brake to be super hot as well as one of the fronts. Now fast forward almost a month later the delership they bought it from where not able to fix the problem so they took it to 5th ave, well from what I have been told they have replaced almost every major brake part and have not fixed the problem (not to rag on 5th ave techs.) You would think with todays training and technology they the problem would be diagnosed to one or two parts. If I was paying good money for that type of work I would be super pissed.

[100%VAGitarian]

Re: dealership wars

OK. I'm sorry if I haven't been clear. What I am trying to say is that; If you need a service to be performed by someone other than yourself, than you need to pay whatever that person is charging. If you can perform the service (whatever it may be) yourself, then take into account what you charge for YOUR time. Is your time worth something? A person who is either already involved or becoming involved in the automotive industry (or any other industry or profession) has certain accuired, learned skills that a consumer has to pay for. Do you get pissed at your accountant, your bank, you favorite restaurant that just raised their prices to help with their own rising costs? Is there a coined expression for those places ripping me off? Is there a forum where I can ***** about how much the vietnamese restuarant down the street charges?
Certain problems with your car, plane, motorbike, bicycle, tool, whatever need to be trouble shot, anyone who has ever troubleshot something and got to the point of being stumped by the persitant problem, will start with replacing the cheapest part first, and work his way up to the most expensive. Sometimes that is what it takes. Even the best and most experienced professionals (that is what techs are) ask questions and make mistakes. An example is, my Father-in-law has fixed twin otters for the last 35 years, and I can't tell you the number of stories I've heard about troubleshooting, and still not being able to figure it out (small engine planes aren't that much different from todays cars). It dosn't make him a poor tech, or a thief. If fact he is very well known and in the top 5 techs in the world.
I would also like to point out that you catch more bees with honey, and any business has the right to refuse service.

hearsay is not set in stone and you shouldn't take the perks for granite. besides, this is a mute point now and has no bases.

[RONDAL]

Re: dealership wars

here's the worst. when yuo pay shop rate and they **** things up!!!

5th Ave charged me for a botched diagnosis and then the parts. They wanted close to $700 in labor so I did it myself only to find out the diagnosis was completely wrong.

Root of the problem....a $0.10 fuse that was blown.

[VWSM]

Re: dealership wars

Nothing against you, Dave, but my experience today sucked.

Was hoping to get a goodwill recall on my failing driver's door window regulator. both the service manager and VWoC customer care denied it and I was quoted $250 for the parts only.

I went over to http://www.worldimpex.com/ and ordered the repair kit for $49.

and you still want to know why they're called stealerships?

No such thing as a Goodwill recall.Goodwill is for original owners and vehicles
that are maintained at the dealership.Recall only applied to vehicles in U.S.A
OR moved to Canada.

if you are the original owner and had the vehicle serviced at V.W dealerships
Goodwill gesture might be applicable,depending on mileage or year.

You have to remember that dealerships pay for part of/ or all of the repair
depending on the customer.
that's why it's called goodwill...

if you don't service your vehicle or maintain it at the dealership why would we
want to pay for part of your repair..

Paul
403-640-8521

So all the money you save at after market shops or doing it yourself
i guess your further ahead anyways???
Enjoy..

[zilla]

Re: dealership wars

Paul, I'm not trying to make this personal, but you seem to be taking it personally.

1. I am the original owner
2. the car has a bit under 115,000 km on it
3. i guess everyone on the vortex and the guys back in the ottawa vw club were lying when they said that they got the window regulator clips covered under a goodwill warranty.

No such thing as a Goodwill recall.Goodwill is for original owners and vehicles
that are maintained at the dealership.Recall only applied to vehicles in U.S.A
OR moved to Canada.

why are you contradicting yourself? In the exact same breath you say there's no such thing as a goodwill recall, but then you go ahead and give the criteria to get goodwill work done.

What it comes down to is this:

why is the exact same OEM VW repair kit being sold for 250$ at a dealership and $50 at impex? the $250 price tag is for the kit only. you have to tack on labour to that price, too.

If i can't do the repair myself, i have no problem with paying to have someone who knows what they're doing fix my car. My beef is not about paying the shop rate.

Brent: i originally emailed impex because i couldn't find the exact part online. I got a phone call from john at impex 10 minutes later to follow up and hooked me up with the correct repair kit. I asked to have it shipped USPS to canada and he had no problem with it. he said it'd be in the mail today.

My driver's window hasn't fallen into the door yet, but i can hear something rattling inside and i can move the window up and down with my hand. I even asked if it would make a difference if i would go out into the lot, roll down the window and start slamming the door until the window fell. they said no.. doh.

[Stonewall]

Re: dealership wars

I think the who thing with the window reg clip (ans MAF'S for that matter) is that VW never stepped up to the plate and said "hey this part sucks so we will fix it" instead they call it a goodwill warranty rather then a recall. YOu see almost every other manufacture doing the odd recall yet when VW screws up they call it goodwill warranty, in my eyes that is pure BS.

Tim good to hear about impex, they never seemed to reply to my emails before (hte one time they did they said they would not ship here) but maybe I will give them a try again.

[Tpuppy]

Re: dealership wars

I haven't posted here for a while but this all is a good read. I have nothing to worrie about cuz my 99 golf just wont break. The thing that get's to me is paying 55 to 60 bucks a week to fill up my gas tank. It's a fricken VW. Oh yea and 5th ave is hit or miss for me keep up the good work 5 ave guys and you can stop sending me the fuel pump recall letters. I hate going to any shop cuz being with out my wheels and knowing someone eles is driving her is like lending out my girl friend and saying go a head and have your way with her. You gus can replace my fuel pump when either A. I have time B. My car wont work or C. it starts on fire. I havent had my car in to a dealership for about 3 years now and I am not looking forward to knowing what is wrong with it and how much it will cost.

[James]

Re: dealership wars

I haven't posted here for a while but this all is a good read. I have nothing to worrie about cuz my 99 golf just wont break.

lollerskatez

The thing that get's to me is paying 55 to 60 bucks a week to fill up my gas tank. It's a fricken VW.

um...i dont really understand what this has to do with the brand of the car..you think those 300c's get good gas mileage?

Oh yea and 5th ave is hit or miss for me keep up the good work 5 ave guys and you can stop sending me the fuel pump recall letters.

you're lucky to even get recall letters! People have to tell me when they get a recall letter so I know it exists (usually do from vortex, but still, at least they're trying to get you in unlike me :P)

[100%VAGitarian]

Re: dealership wars

"5th Ave charged me for a botched diagnosis and then the parts. They wanted close to $700 in labor so I did it myself only to find out the diagnosis was completely wrong.

Root of the problem....a $0.10 fuse that was blown."

Imagine the time/money you could have saved not only yourself, but 5th ave too, if you had decided to do your own work to begin with. i mean its hard to feel sorry for your experiences when you keep going back for more. How long did it take you to find out the root of the problem? Just out of curiosity?
My gilrfriend was complaining that her gti wasn't as fast as it used to be. I took it for a drive before i opend the hood.

Root of the problem was that her floor mat was buckled up under her gas pedal. but i still opened the hood to make sure there were no other obvious problems. Total time to figure that out 1/2 an hour including a test drive. Shop rate; $100/hr? give or take? boy a guy would sure feel like an idiot for paying for that diagnosis. but it happens. thats why the vehicle gets taken to the shop in the first place.

Maybe the dealerships aren't for everybody. There are other options as everyone on this forum knows.
I find it hard to swallow the constant complaining about the door rates, the apprentices, the mis-diagnosis...
bottom line is; Buy your own tools and manuals, and fix it yourself! If you can't, then be grateful that some dealerships do offer a discount to enthusiasts. let alone and open door to discuss it./\/\ if you asked for my help, and the problem couldn't get fixed, and then went out and called me a thief, but came back the next day for the correct part, i'd tell you to shove it. It probably helps if youre nice to them, afterall, we are all only human.

[VAG_Tech]

Re: dealership wars

Werd /\ /\
Case closed.... I'm through with this thread and winers that think that the dealerships are always ripping them off. This topic has been beaten to death, Everywhere!
You won't believe the amount of free work I do for people at the dealership. I go out of my way to help people out when I can.

so don't expect another reply from me on this thread because I'm done and pissed off.

[Stonewall]

Re: dealership wars

I believe another root of the problem is that we can not clone Dave and plant him at every VW dealership in the world

[VAG_Tech]

Re: dealership wars

I believe another root of the problem is that we can not clone Dave and plant him at every VW dealership in the world

O.K. maybe one more post.. First off, thanks for the compliment Brent.

Second, we thought about cloning me but we did the calculations of how much beer myself and my clones would drink and it wasn't feasable due to the low stores of beer around the world. There just wouldn't be enough for the rest of you.