VAG independent garage experience

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.

wemorgan

MB Enthusiast
Joined
Apr 5, 2008
Messages
8,106
Car
A205 C220d
I had my A2 serviced today with new cambelt and water pump. :)

Arrived at 8:15. Garage open, ready and expecting me. Courtesy car provided :)

Returned at 5:15. Audi ready :)

Invoiced prepared and I noticed that the wrong oil had been used :(

He apologised and offered to change it immediately :)

Whilst chatting I asked if he was able to get the vag-com working. He said "Yes", I said "Are you sure", "Yes" :)

Mechanic pops head around the corner and says " Did you tell customer vag-com was not working!" :(

I asked if the service book in the glove box has been stamped. "Yes" :)

I get home and service book is unstamped :(

What a hassle, it shouldn't be this hard surely.

In the absence of another garage I've booked it back in the New Year to fix the vag-com. Above mechanic knows of a few sensors that can block the signal. Final chance to redeem themselves.

Thank heavens for Audi's long life service, I wont have to return to a garage for 2 years! (* touch wood)
 
Sounds pretty much like the experiences I had over 8 years of running VW company cars with VAG Franchised Dealers. Seems it runs with the brand :doh:
 
The vag-com and service book issues I can live with, the wrong oil, very disappointing, but glad I spotted it. But it just leaves me frustrated and doubting the quality of the other works done.

Hey ho, it's Christmas soon :)
 
My first experience with a Franchised VAG dealer was when I had my company Passat serviced. When I picked the car up I noticed a good deal of spray white grease in the door shut where the "technician" had lubed the door hinges and couldn't be ar*ed to wipe off the surplus. I drove home and about a mile from my house could hear a scraping noise from under the car so stopped to investigate. The cause was that the "technician" had left at least half the fasteners off when he refitted the engine undertray. I got home and lashed it up with a couple of ty-wraps.

Next day I visited the dealership and asked to speak with the Quality Controller. Told him what a pig's breakfast they'd made of the service work and asked him to get it fixed, now. By the fuss he made, you'd have thought I'd asked him to arrange an audience with the Pope :rolleyes:

20 minutes later he tells me that they've cleaned off the grease from the door shuts but that they hadn't got any of the undertray fasteners in stock so they'd fastened it up with more ty-wraps ( :rolleyes: ) and they'd order the fasteners which they'd fit when I next had the car serviced by them. I asked him why on earth did he think I'd be bringing it back to them for the next service and he looked genuinely surprised :doh:

While I never experienced that level of incompetance and arrogance again, every other service experience I had with a VAG Main Dealer resulted in the car being returned with reported faults unfixed or new faults created, and that experience was instrumental in me leaving the brand.
 
Not to excuse the service but i think cable ties/zip ties are actually much better at holding under trays on than those silly clips that most manufacturers use..
 
I guess this is not a unique experience for any garage/customer brand.

Some places are good :), some not so :(.

Some have their bad days too - we all do sometimes :eek:

FWIW (main dealer!) Chiswick VW are superb in my experience. Obviously nowhere near the OP, but maybe useful reference for others nearby.

Sorry to hear that your indi wasn't great this time around.

Were they good price-wise?

Will
 
Jay - I tend to agree with you, but if they hadn't forgot to fit them in the first place there wouldn't have been a problem.

My father spent most of his working life in service side of the motor trade. He served his apprenticeship just after WWII and then worked on the bench until the early 1970's before becoming a Workshop Quality Controller and then a Service Manager. Many years ago he taught me that you should never trust the work of someone who forgets to replace or fully tighten fasteners.
 
I guess this is not a unique experience for any garage/customer brand.

Some places are good :), some not so :(.

Some have their bad days too - we all do sometimes :eek:

FWIW (main dealer!) Chiswick VW are superb in my experience. Obviously nowhere near the OP, but maybe useful reference for others nearby.

Sorry to hear that your indi wasn't great this time around.

Were they good price-wise?

Will

Thanks Will.

If I'm being rational then the only real issue was the oil. At least the invoice was comprehensively broken down so I could clearly see the oil grade been used. So credit to them for that. Also the foreman was very helpfully, both initially on the phone and then during collection. He was just packing up to go home. So to offer to change the oil there and then was something.

Prices were:

long life service £130 +VAT
cambelt & water pump £260 +VAT
air-con service £55 + VAT

so quite competitive I'd say.
 
A old pal of mine took his 52 plate VW Golf in to Main Dealer in Boston nearly 3 weeks ago for a service & said "While its here please change the brake fluid,because its been in there nearly 4 years", They brought his car back & when my pal wanted to use it the pedal was spongy,so he rang em & they fetched it back. Since then they've had 2 of their 'mechanics' on it,a new master cylinder,a mechanic from the Audi garage on it !!! & its STILL in there. They're full of apologies,& saying it wont cost him,but my pal who is normally a laid back easy going sort of guy is beginning to wonder if he'll ever get it back & getting rather wound up about it.
 
I've used IVC in Leeds for donkey's years. Top notch in every respect.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom