10k service at Sonnen in San Rafael, CA ?

[adrienne]

I'm getting close to that 10k, first warranty-covered service and there's only one VW dealership and that's Sonnen. My previous experiences with them with my gasser were ok, but not 100% reassuring.

Any recommendations for a more knowledgeable service person at Sonnen than the others? Has any of you used them for warranty service?

I would literally have to take an entire day off work to go somewhere else and I don't have the time off. =\

It's a shot in the dark but it can't hurt to ask. Thanks in advance.

 

[tditom]

isn't 10k mi only an oil change? as long as they are using 507 oil you should be good to go at any dealership.

 

[adrienne]

That's the theory, yes. Still, is it wrong to be so paranoid? They nuffed up my gasser ('98 Passat Wagon) a few times during warranty work and it makes me nervous. It would be nice to Know that they have some friggin' clue what oil to use, which I'm not certain they will, but here's to hoping!

 

[Aedion]

not much is done at 10k besides the oil change. when talking to the CS rep, ask him to show you the oil that they will be using in the car and verify that it is the castrol SLX LL03 that meets the 507 vw spec. it should be in bottles, and if they tell you that it is in a bulk dispenser, that is a bad sign that they dont know what theyre doing. on your receipt itll say that they used 5 bottles of oil but thats just for VWOA. after the service, before you drive off check that the oil isnt overfilled (them using all 5 bottles instead of 4).

those 2 simple checks (correct oil and oil level) will give you peace of mind.

 

[mrfeb14]

after the service, before you drive off check that the oil isnt overfilled (them using all 5 bottles instead of 4).

those 2 simple checks (correct oil and oil level) will give you peace of mind.

Definitely check the level.. Dirito Walnut Creek VW did the 10K on my friends '09 JSW and they used the right oil but over filled it!

 

[adrienne]

Thank you all for your patience and tips. I'll RTFM before I go, so I know what the correct level should be, too.

 

[adrienne]

For anyone else who might care: I had to go into Sonnen on Wednesday for a warranty thing (long story short: busted seatbelt).

My first surprise was an employee who hailed me (at 7am) with a cheery "Hey, GREAT license plate!" and a thumbs up. [IZ A DZL]

Then I met my service fellow, who asked me if I was aware of a software upgrade for the vehicle (why yes, yes Sir, I am) and offered to do it then, while I waited.

While I was waiting for the software bit, I saw two other JSW TDIs pull in for service, which is not a recommendation per se but at least there are others going there for work. Then I saw the early-aughts, sharp, blue TDI Jetta sedan zip into the back parking lot - probably an employee. That made me grin, I admit.

While I'm still wary about taking the car there for my 10k soon, I still have to go back to get the warranty work done once the parts are in, so we'll see ... but at least the place *seemed* much more TDI friendly than I had anticipated.

 

[B100]

While I'm still wary about taking the car there for my 10k soon, I still have to go back to get the warranty work done once the parts are in, so we'll see ... but at least the place *seemed* much more TDI friendly than I had anticipated.

Why wary, and why take it to dealer? Is the 10k on a JSW anything much more than oil change? FWIW, my father took his '09 JSW to the Daly City dealer for its 10k service, they did fine and used the right oil.

 

[ruking]

I haven't reviewed the full 20,000 miles checklist, but the only additional procedure is the fuel filter change (over the 10,000 miles interval) Most of the old checklist's 20,000 miles interval are visual inspections.

Despite my own misgivings, my 10,000 miles interval (@ 12,200 miles) pretty much went off without a hitch @ Winn VW in Newark, CA (next door to Fremont, CA) . They did use the correct oil: G0521951 L, 5 UNITS.

 

[adrienne]

Thanks, Y'all. Daly City and Newark would both be a full day off work for me; even Santa Rosa or the City would be at least a half day. I'm wary only because I've heard such horror stories, but considering the prevalence of TDIs in the greater Bay Area, I think I'm going to give them a chance for the 10k, since (in theory) all I have to do is ask for the empties, and check that the oil isn't over filled. We'll see how it goes.

 

[ruking]

By all means report. I am told a lot of VW dealers peruse the www.tdiclub.com !! Even if they don't, folks like US do !! The other part is, there is a tendency for less mistakes if they know that you know. What do you think your service advisor is going to say if you tell him the correct part number for the Castrol Gold bottles LL03 5w30?? I suspect the dealer eats the costs if they do not do it correct the first time.

So for example I let the service advisor know up front that I would not accept the wrong oil. Then if they didnt have the right oil, or felt they would use any old oil, I brought my own (5L of Total Ineo 5w30 VW 507.00)

 

[adrienne]

I dutifully come to report back! The oil change at Sonnen was a success.

Max went in for his 10k today. Matt Forsythe, my service coordinator, was happy to bring out the magic golden bottle for me to double-check this morning and even took a moment to complain about how frustrating it was that he couldn't buy the Castrol 507.00 in larger sizes to save on plastic waste (ahh, Marin County, how I love you).

When I went to pick Max up, Matt even offered me the remnant mostly-full 5L for the long road-trip I'm taking at the end of this week, "Just in case". I also checked my oil and it's darn high full but it's not over-full, which was reassuring.

There were a couple of SNAFUs that the entire company handled well - from phone to service to managers. For starters there was a miscommunication about how their shuttle service works, and when I found out that I couldn't get a ride until 5:45 instead of 5p I panicked about guests coming over at 6p, they worked to find an additional employee to come get me at 5.

The other was that we've been waiting for parts for a defective back seat issue which is minor - it affects the center seat belt, which I've not used yet, and the underside foam of the back seat (long story). In short Sonnen has been struggling to get the parts needed because it seems that some replacement parts just aren't abundant on a new car model yet. They thought they had the parts, but the foam seat cushion (aka my "foamy bottom" as we've started to call it jokingly) was too small. Sonnen confirmed with VW that it's a defective foamy bottom and they've requested a new one. It's irritating but I completely understand that it's hard to get parts for a new car some times, and I'm appreciative of the effort they've made to keep me in the loop, try to get parts and not compromise on parts that aren't quite right.

So two big thumbs up from me and Max on our 10k change at Sonnen in San Rafael. Even if I didn't seen any other TDIs today

 

[B100]

That's great to hear, glad you found the service to be so professional. If I have an issue with my Golf that only a dealer can fix, I might consider taking it to Sonnen.

 

[NewTdi]

Definitely check the level.. Dirito Walnut Creek VW did the 10K on my friends '09 JSW and they used the right oil but over filled it!

Dirito put in the wrong oil, overtightened the filter and charged me $125.00 for the 10K mile check-up!

 

[NewTdi]

When I went to pick Max up, Matt even offered me the remnant mostly-full 5L for the long road-trip I'm taking at the end of this week, "Just in case".

Glad to hear you got great service. Most probably you will not need to add any oil. IN 7 year and 173K miles I am yet to have to add any oil between the 10K oil changes. Enjoy your long drive this week-end!