Newbies: Do not go to the dealer!

I know it has held together and they seem to know what they are doing ...like I said no complaints so far

You have been warned!

chopprs said:

I don't care what label is on the front door! Harley, VW, Chevy Dodge, Whatever. They all hire new kids just out of school for mechanics.

Click to expand...

This reminds me of my high school autoshop class. I took that class and didn't even open the book and aced the class with flying colors. Thanks Dad! (He taught me everything I know, which has saved me a huge amount of money fixing my own cars.)

Anyway, there was this one guy in the class that looked just like that "Stewart" character on Beavis and Butthead. He had a '65 Mustang like mine and was going to put it on the lift to change the oil in class. Dumb boy didn't put the lift arms in the proper places and the car partially fell off the lift severing his tranny lines and bending up his floorboard...DOH!

He failed the class to say the least and had to take it over again the next semester when I was the teacher's aid for the class. I thought to myself, "Wow, Stewart wants to be a mechanic huh? No way in hell that will ever happen." He did get a C- that semester probably cause the shop instructor didn't want to deal with him anymore.

Then about 5 years later after we graduated, I was back in town visiting my parents and went to the local Lincoln dealership to get a window regulator replaced under warranty and guess who was hired as a tech to service cars? You guessed it. It was Stewart!!!!

He didn't work on my car and I've never been back there since...

You have been warned!

ymz said:

As for your believing that the Evo skidplate will take care of any and all oilpan calamities... I did manage to get my oil pan cracked even with the Evo plate...

Click to expand...

Me too. I think that everyone here remembers my horror story.

XXX_er said:

(snip) so far the sevice has been 100% (snip)

Click to expand...

__. It has been widely reported that Canadian stealers see more TDI's because they have made up a much larger segment of the VW sales per year over the past few years (our EPA is "protecting" us from diesels down here). You are much more likely to see techs who are more familiar with TDI's in Canada, mostly because they see more of them through the door. The TDI is the "red headed stepchild" of VW in the US -- and it shows in stealer service.

__. I'm glad that you've had good service from your local place - it sounds as if they're good indeed. Would you think it was good service if this had happened to you:

I was working a 6-day-a-week job out of town (far from tools, workplace etc.). I needed to have a part replaced and I thought that it would be easier/quicker to just ask the stealer to do it. I called for a service appointment on my only day off (40 mile trip one way) and told the rep that I wanted the part replaced. When I got there, I was told that they didn't have any record of an appointment for me and I'd just have to wait while they got to me. I told them that I wanted them to replace the part but I didn't need any "diagnosis" -- just replace the part.
In about an hour and a half, they called me and had brought my car around in front. The service rep told me that they didn't have the part in stock but they'd order it for me. The charge for not doing what I asked that day was $95 for "diagnosis". When I opened the door to my car, I smelled smoke in my car (I HATE that); there was a burn hole in the upholstery on my driver's seat. Of course, that was "pre-existing damage" - it couldn't have been done by their personnel. No responsibility on their part. And when I actually did the work myself in a few weeks after that contract ended (with help from this website and our online vendors), I found that someone had broken my glove box (necessary to change the part) -- did they break my glovebox taking it out only to find out that they didn't have the part in stock? I dunno, I guess that was "pre-existing damage", too.

__. Would you consider it good service if "buddy" and "Carl" had come down on Tuesday morning and treated you that way?

__. And, unfortunately, I've heard many similar stories of "quality" VW service in the US (and quite a few in Canada). Of course, any car/brand is going to have an occasional miss -- that's just a given in diagnosing and fixing cars. But an ongoing pattern is a good indication of what you're likely to get in the future.

__. At least, I didn't ask them to do anything important like a timing belt or anything like that.

It really has a lot to do with who the owner of the dealership is and how they feel about quality. DH worked for a Ford truck dealership. The owner believed in quality, paid the same as union wages, and didn't put up with shoddy work. The Chevy/GMC dealer we took our truck to for it's 50K fudged the bill and a whole host of underhanded things (we wrote a little letter to the BAR about them). Biggest issue: when we got it back we had no first and almost no reverse. Immediately drove/limped it back, where we were told that they'd shown us the clutch plate was burnt and we didn't want it replaced. I couldn't restrain myself, told that was Bull Sh**. Svce Mgr said excuse me? Said you heard me, that BS and you and I both know it, that truck shifted just fine before you got your stinkin' greasy hands on it! Hubby just stepped back, he knew better because I so seldom go off at anybody. We took the truck to the Ford dealership hubby worked at, they would pay him to do the work on his own truck & get the $$$ out of the Chevy place themselves. The Chevy "mechanic" had gotten a throw-out bearing from the parts dept. It was the wrong one, so he just peened it to make it fit and it had seized onto the input shaft.
There are many things that go into making a repair shop good or bad, be they independent or dealer, but it really starts at the top.

mrGutWrench said:

__. It has been widely reported that Canadian stealers see more TDI's because they have made up a much larger segment of the VW sales per year over the past few years (our EPA is "protecting" us from diesels down here). You are much more likely to see techs who are more familiar with TDI's in Canada, mostly because they see more of them through the door. The TDI is the "red headed stepchild" of VW in the US -- and it shows in stealer service.

__. I'm glad that you've had good service from your local place - it sounds as if they're good indeed. Would you think it was good service if this had happened to you:

I was working a 6-day-a-week job out of town (far from tools, workplace etc.). I needed to have a part replaced and I thought that it would be easier/quicker to just ask the stealer to do it. I called for a service appointment on my only day off (40 mile trip one way) and told the rep that I wanted the part replaced. When I got there, I was told that they didn't have any record of an appointment for me and I'd just have to wait while they got to me. I told them that I wanted them to replace the part but I didn't need any "diagnosis" -- just replace the part.
In about an hour and a half, they called me and had brought my car around in front. The service rep told me that they didn't have the part in stock but they'd order it for me. The charge for not doing what I asked that day was $95 for "diagnosis". When I opened the door to my car, I smelled smoke in my car (I HATE that); there was a burn hole in the upholstery on my driver's seat. Of course, that was "pre-existing damage" - it couldn't have been done by their personnel. No responsibility on their part. And when I actually did the work myself in a few weeks after that contract ended (with help from this website and our online vendors), I found that someone had broken my glove box (necessary to change the part) -- did they break my glovebox taking it out only to find out that they didn't have the part in stock? I dunno, I guess that was "pre-existing damage", too.

__. Would you consider it good service if "buddy" and "Carl" had come down on Tuesday morning and treated you that way?

__. And, unfortunately, I've heard many similar stories of "quality" VW service in the US (and quite a few in Canada). Of course, any car/brand is going to have an occasional miss -- that's just a given in diagnosing and fixing cars. But an ongoing pattern is a good indication of what you're likely to get in the future.

__. At least, I didn't ask them to do anything important like a timing belt or anything like that.

Click to expand...

I think there are good and bad dealers of everything ,it would appear VW dealers in the US don't know TDi's cuz they don't work on em much ,I can identify with that cuz I often had to work on things I didnt know anything about due to not having the experiance

I would agree what you experianced was a bad dealer ,my dealer diidnt do that ,he interupted his sunday diner to get my car into his shop and then he interupted his lunch to personaly fix my air mass sensor out in front of the parts parking area .So far he hasnt made any mistakes since I bought a golf from him back in 2001 ... so In my experiance not all dealers are bad

Sounds like you got a bad dealer

I wouldnt be above using a guru but I would bet the nearest TDi guru is thousands of miles away from me

Last week I got 3 dealer M&P timing belt jobs in here, and today (Monday) one more....and it is 9am!

oilhammer said:

Last week I got 3 dealer M&P timing belt jobs in here, and today (Monday) one more....and it is 9am!

Click to expand...

Looks like a "run on spray paint" is occurring in your area.

mrGutWrench said:

__. It has been widely reported that Canadian stealers see more TDI's because they have made up a much larger segment of the VW sales per year over the past few years (our EPA is "protecting" us from diesels down here). You are much more likely to see techs who are more familiar with TDI's in Canada, mostly because they see more of them through the door. The TDI is the "red headed stepchild" of VW in the US -- and it shows in stealer service.


.

Click to expand...

Living in an area [ the oilpatch] where almost half the vehicles on the road are 3/4 [ extended or crew cab ] 4x4's and most of them diesel you would think that mechanics here would be experienced. Most of the Jetta's that you see driving around here are also diesel.

So... when I purchased my TDI back in June I wanted to change the timing belt and thought... well ... lets just see what the dealer says and get a price for the parts rather than try and get parts over 3000 miles away. I phoned up the dealer and got the prices and was actually surprsed that they were less than I had expected... then came the surprise... what stretchy bolts ??? we have never stocked or ordered any. I even had the parts guy ask the service manager. NOPE... never ever changed any torque to yield bolts and they didn't seem very concerned whether they even changed the idler's or even the water pump. They kinda viewed it as " wait and see how things look inside and if the roller bearings are smooth and tight... leave them alone"

Needless to say I was very surprised especialy about the torque to yield bolts... anyway... I won't be taking my Jetta to this well know dealer which is the only other dealer for some three - five hundred miles around this area. I wonder how many TDI's they have changed timing belts on


So that was my experience with dealers in an area that TDI's are common as dandilioin's

Grampa "J"

Tell me who they were, Grampa! So that when I make my cross-Canada road trip after graduation, I'll know not to go there if things go south.

XXX_er said:

[snip]
I would agree what you experianced was a bad dealer ,my dealer diidnt do that ,he interupted his sunday diner to get my car into his shop and then he interupted his lunch to personaly fix my air mass sensor out in front of the parts parking area .So far he hasnt made any mistakes since I bought a golf from him back in 2001 ... so In my experiance not all dealers are bad

Click to expand...

OK, I'm impressed. What is the name of your dealer?
RWW

I had to have my AC worked on....

and the dealership near where I live, didn't put my skid plate(metal one) or side skirts back on correctly. That is the last time it ever goes in even for AC. I do the rest of the work, I just don't have the tools for the AC work. It scares me to think they couldn't get my skid plate on right, what else do they mess up?

Not all dealerships are bad. Our local Audi/VW service department is quite good, with competent and conscientious techs. Occasionally I have them work on my Audi for large jobs requiring a lift or major repairs in the middle of winter. Of course the fact that they let me work alongside the tech has something to do with that; when we did my clutch job the Service Manager offered to pay me a mechanics wage for the day, but then ruined it by saying he'd also have to charge me shop rate for two techs instead of one I've watched them do timing belts on TDIs, and everything gets replaced - belt, rollers, water pump, and bolts. They also get a lot of messed up timing belt jobs from other service shops - last time I was in it was a seized engine in a Jetta from a botched timing belt job that resulted in the valves kissing the pistons. I'd say in our area the dealership is THE place to go for work on TDIs. There are bad dealerships out there, but rather than avoid them entirely I think you have try to assess the competence of your local dealer, either by watching the techs work or by talking to several people who have had service done there. No dealership is perfect - even the best shop will have their foul-ups.

QZone said:

Our local Audi/VW service department is quite good, with competent and conscientious techs...

Click to expand...

So why don't you tell us who these folks are ???

Yuri.

Need a diesel mech.

Looking for a good diesel mech. in or around los angeles or ventura area.

mark h said:

Looking for a good diesel mech. in or around los angeles or ventura area.

Click to expand...

One of the original TDI-Club Gurus... worth a trip!!!

Wild Rose Motors, Ltd
148F S. Lloyd Ave.
Fullerton, CA 92833

(714) 449-0485

Yuri.

Iowa City Dealer

I'm sitting in the dealership as I write this.

I was advised a few minutes after I came in that the mechanic suggested I don't change the transmission fluid, which is the reason I came in. He stated it is a lifetime fluid and I asked them why the manual states to get it changed every 40K miles. So after I convinced them I have a DSG, the automatic model if that wasn't evident enough , they finally agreed to change the transmission fluid. How nice of them. It didn't help their case when I brought a print out of how the fluid needed to be changed and where the replacable filter was...

So, be an educated consumer. Buy what you can away from the dealer (filters, oil, etc) and do what you can for yourself. Most of the trouble I have is disposing of used oil, but that isn't really that hard if you look in the phonebook or ask your local county office. Some of my friends even get oil picked up from outside their house with the trash if they put it in a old milkjug as part of their trash service.

But back on point, don't always believe they know best.

BigAndy said:

Hub City Motors in Prince George has a good reputation for working on TDI's.

Click to expand...

yup it used to be Carl , I think now his Son Rich is the service manager altho Carl is still around so I am not sure of the arrangement ... BUT thats 2 generations of VW service

Actualy my very cheap lawyer once told me he felt Hub city was the best business he has ever dealt with and altho you do pay premium for it things are done right .

The only caveat was my lawyer was talking about buying and servicing gassers but there are lots of TD'i's up here and especialy in PG

Maven said:

I'm sitting in the dealership as I write this.

I was advised a few minutes after I came in that the mechanic suggested I don't change the transmission fluid, which is the reason I came in. He stated it is a lifetime fluid and I asked them why the manual states to get it changed every 40K miles. So after I convinced them I have a DSG, the automatic model if that wasn't evident enough , they finally agreed to change the transmission fluid. How nice of them. It didn't help their case when I brought a print out of how the fluid needed to be changed and where the replacable filter was...

So, be an educated consumer. Buy what you can away from the dealer (filters, oil, etc) and do what you can for yourself. Most of the trouble I have is disposing of used oil, but that isn't really that hard if you look in the phonebook or ask your local county office. Some of my friends even get oil picked up from outside their house with the trash if they put it in a old milkjug as part of their trash service.

But back on point, don't always believe they know best.

Click to expand...

Yeah, I would have run from there like I was running from the plague....you likley just were the first DSG service they ever did.

Wonder if they even used the correct fluid.

As with anything, there is always the 'few good ones'. But when one's local stealership (Reno) is known as the "mother of all stealerships", and insults TDI owners when they question the job performed as related to what VWoA requires ... along with the next closest one being 250 miles away, it's difficult to alter the attitude.

That's why many of us simply find a local recommened VW shop (Automotion), (or guru)with TDI trained technicans, to do their repairs/service calls.

QZone said:

Not all dealerships are bad. Our local Audi/VW service department is quite good, with competent and conscientious techs. Occasionally I have them work on my Audi for large jobs requiring a lift or major repairs in the middle of winter. Of course the fact that they let me work alongside the tech has something to do with that; when we did my clutch job the Service Manager offered to pay me a mechanics wage for the day, but then ruined it by saying he'd also have to charge me shop rate for two techs instead of one I've watched them do timing belts on TDIs, and everything gets replaced - belt, rollers, water pump, and bolts. They also get a lot of messed up timing belt jobs from other service shops - last time I was in it was a seized engine in a Jetta from a botched timing belt job that resulted in the valves kissing the pistons. I'd say in our area the dealership is THE place to go for work on TDIs. There are bad dealerships out there, but rather than avoid them entirely I think you have try to assess the competence of your local dealer, either by watching the techs work or by talking to several people who have had service done there. No dealership is perfect - even the best shop will have their foul-ups.

Click to expand...

oilhammer said:

(snip) Wonder if they even used the correct fluid.

Click to expand...

__. And if they did, do you think that did the work to change it right? (Hint: I don't!)

ymz said:

So why don't you tell us who these folks are ???

Yuri.

Click to expand...

New Sudbury Volkswagen, Sudbury, Ontario

Maven said:

I'm sitting in the dealership as I write this.

I was advised a few minutes after I came in that the mechanic suggested I don't change the transmission fluid, which is the reason I came in. He stated it is a lifetime fluid and I asked them why the manual states to get it changed every 40K miles. So after I convinced them I have a DSG, the automatic model if that wasn't evident enough , they finally agreed to change the transmission fluid. How nice of them.

So, be an educated consumer.

Click to expand...

Knowing what your TDI needs before you go a dealership... that's a start. But sometimes it is not nearly enough. You can tell them what you want done, and afterward they will tell you they did it, but you never know for sure... until months later, when it's too late, when they can plausibly deny responsibility.

oilhammer said:

Yeah, I would have run from there like I was running from the plague....you likley just were the first DSG service they ever did.

Wonder if they even used the correct fluid.

Click to expand...

Let's hope they didn't put ATF in it.

Why isn't this thread a sticky?

yes how is this not a stick?

My first and only trip to the dealer was in '04. 2 weeks after I bought the car had a code for low manifold press. I was charged $160 to change a short vacuum line. After the light came back on 2 days later I cleaned the intake out. They couldn't even diagnose the problem.

I hate car dealers with a passion. I've been jipped everytime I've set foot on a lot.

November 14th, 2008.....just got botched timing belt job #15 in the shop this calandar year.

Hahaha, I think one might be coming in here today too... Says he hears some funky noise.. Belt was done 15k ago...

Hehe, Dec 1st.... botched job #16! One more month! Will I get any more?

This one even got the middle timing cover left off