My girlfriend has a 2001 Civic that needed to go to a dealer recently. (Turns out that they have a lifetime seatbelt warranty, and she had a microswitch give out in her SB buckle.) I picked a Honda dealer near where I work, and had them do the freebie buckle swap. ($300+ if she had to pay-- evidently the $215 buckle has explosives in it!)
I went in to inquire about the warranty (not driving her car at the time). One of the service writers helped me. He said that it was, indeed, covered under warranty, but they couldn't order the part without diagnosing it themselves, and to just bring it in for that. They missed the part about me having to set up an appointment. I brought it in the next day, and they turned me away because I didn't have an appointment. I was pissed, and set up an appointment for the next day. When I came in, they remembered me, remembered that I was mad, and went out of their way to treat me right. They are a very busy shop, and it turns out that any shop visit is going to be a half-day, at least. They did a "free safety check", where they outline all the ways they would like to get my money. I caught them red-handed. They said the cabin filter needed to be replaced, and I had just put in a brand new one a couple of days before. GF's glovebox is completely full of stuff, which has to be removed to check the filter-- I'm positive they fudged that part. Also recommended a tranny flush, which she had just done. Other than the minor attempted fleecing, the experience was very good, overall.
I have only darkened the door of the VW service department when I absolutely need to-- like having a new key programmed. My impression of VW service departments has been universally negative-- the techs seem sleazy, the service writers seem to have a 'tude, and the overall experience is bad. I got my car at a dealer, and interacted with their service department then, and have had a couple other encounters. I do go to several dealers for parts, though. Almost every time, a shark-like salesman comes out and tries to sell me a car. If I'm waiting for something, I sometimes chat them up. Every salesman I've talked to had a SHOCKING lack of knowledge of the product. Very little knowledge of diesels in general or TDIs in particular. No idea about when generations changed (MKV-MKVI, etc.). I've even had a couple argue with me about technical things, where they don't have a clue.
VW parts departments are a little better, but not much. I've run into several parts guys that don't seem to know a thing about cars-- how does that happen? I've been fixing up a little old Honda car ('87 CRX Si), and I hit the Honda parts departments often. They have all been incredible. Schomp Honda in Littleton in particular is fantastic. I've had guys spend a half an hour helping me track down some discontinued part, knowing they're not going to make a dime from me. Seriously-- I've hardly ever experienced better service anywhere.
So, now that VW wants to sell a lot more cars in the states, I think they're going to run into a real problem with their inferior dealerships. (I know, I know, they're not all bad. I'm sure there are tons of great VW techs working at dealership-- I'm not bashing them.) Look at the intercooler icing issues we're seeing on the CRs-- some folks are having to BEG for months to get a well-known TSB issue taken care of. Others are breezing right through. They're not only crooked, sleazy, and dishonest, they're inconsistent about it. What gives? Anyone have a theory of why VW dealerships are so lousy? Usually (IMHO) when a company is evil, there is either evil leadership at the top, or a lack of leadership. I've actually quit a job/career to get away from a toxic corporate culture. Two, now that I think about it... I feel sorry for the good folks who happen to work at a VW dealer, knowing their customers are getting abused, leaving with a very poor opinion of VW. The folks at the Honda place all seem to love their jobs.
I went in to inquire about the warranty (not driving her car at the time). One of the service writers helped me. He said that it was, indeed, covered under warranty, but they couldn't order the part without diagnosing it themselves, and to just bring it in for that. They missed the part about me having to set up an appointment. I brought it in the next day, and they turned me away because I didn't have an appointment. I was pissed, and set up an appointment for the next day. When I came in, they remembered me, remembered that I was mad, and went out of their way to treat me right. They are a very busy shop, and it turns out that any shop visit is going to be a half-day, at least. They did a "free safety check", where they outline all the ways they would like to get my money. I caught them red-handed. They said the cabin filter needed to be replaced, and I had just put in a brand new one a couple of days before. GF's glovebox is completely full of stuff, which has to be removed to check the filter-- I'm positive they fudged that part. Also recommended a tranny flush, which she had just done. Other than the minor attempted fleecing, the experience was very good, overall.
I have only darkened the door of the VW service department when I absolutely need to-- like having a new key programmed. My impression of VW service departments has been universally negative-- the techs seem sleazy, the service writers seem to have a 'tude, and the overall experience is bad. I got my car at a dealer, and interacted with their service department then, and have had a couple other encounters. I do go to several dealers for parts, though. Almost every time, a shark-like salesman comes out and tries to sell me a car. If I'm waiting for something, I sometimes chat them up. Every salesman I've talked to had a SHOCKING lack of knowledge of the product. Very little knowledge of diesels in general or TDIs in particular. No idea about when generations changed (MKV-MKVI, etc.). I've even had a couple argue with me about technical things, where they don't have a clue.
VW parts departments are a little better, but not much. I've run into several parts guys that don't seem to know a thing about cars-- how does that happen? I've been fixing up a little old Honda car ('87 CRX Si), and I hit the Honda parts departments often. They have all been incredible. Schomp Honda in Littleton in particular is fantastic. I've had guys spend a half an hour helping me track down some discontinued part, knowing they're not going to make a dime from me. Seriously-- I've hardly ever experienced better service anywhere.
So, now that VW wants to sell a lot more cars in the states, I think they're going to run into a real problem with their inferior dealerships. (I know, I know, they're not all bad. I'm sure there are tons of great VW techs working at dealership-- I'm not bashing them.) Look at the intercooler icing issues we're seeing on the CRs-- some folks are having to BEG for months to get a well-known TSB issue taken care of. Others are breezing right through. They're not only crooked, sleazy, and dishonest, they're inconsistent about it. What gives? Anyone have a theory of why VW dealerships are so lousy? Usually (IMHO) when a company is evil, there is either evil leadership at the top, or a lack of leadership. I've actually quit a job/career to get away from a toxic corporate culture. Two, now that I think about it... I feel sorry for the good folks who happen to work at a VW dealer, knowing their customers are getting abused, leaving with a very poor opinion of VW. The folks at the Honda place all seem to love their jobs.
