how would you address this issue?

[cmavis]

Well, at this point I am looking for opinions on how to handle this issue. I own a 05.5 Jetta TDI, package 1. My nerves are shot and my patience is pretty much evaporated.

My issue at hand is the speaker rattles in all the doors except one (rear passenger) and a rattle originating in the sunroof control area. That rattle in the sunroof area sounds like a clip is loose or something. To date, I have been in the dealership 5 time for speaker rattle issues in the front doors. In addition to that, I scheduled an appointment for the dealership to "fix" the sunroof rattle for the 3rd time in less than a week. That makes 8 trips to the dealership since August of 2005!!

I am supposed to take the car in tomorrow morning to address theses issues once again, but when I spoke to the service rep that I have been working with, he wasn't the most pleasant of people to talk to. It seemed as if he was upset that I was calling again, like it was my fault, that I was expecting too much, or I was inconveniencing him by telling him what my problems are.

On top of all of this, there is a new rattle coming from the rear driver's side door from the speaker. I requested them to look at that, but they couldn't "duplicate" the sound. Of course when I picked up the car and drove it home from the dealership, I could easily hear the speaker (which sounds like it is blown at times) and it's incessant rattle.

What should I do? What can I do? At this point, I am begging for ideas or comments that can possibly get my beloved Jetta out of rattle hell!

I used to love my car, but I am really losing my mind over this. I'm getting nowhere with the dealership and it's getting to the point where I don't even want to go back there because I'm not sure if they can get the job done.

I could go on and on about this, but I think I have already rambled on enough.

 

[tditom]

Sadly, this is all too typical VW customer service. Is that the only dealership available to you? Try the next closest, unless you know they're worse. Lodge a complaint with VWOA.

 

[spelchek]

Of course when I picked up the car and drove it home from the dealership, I could easily hear the speaker (which sounds like it is blown at times) and it's incessant rattle.

I'd be doing a u-turn, storming into the service department, and demanding that the service manager comes and takes a listen immediately. By this point in time, I would NOT be being quiet, polite or even watching my language.

I would also (already) have been writing to VW america and complaining bitterly about both the problems you are having, and the rudeness and ineptitude of the service department you've been dealing with.

In short, Id be getting damn angry, damn publicly.

 

[SCEHAR]

Where are you located? Maybe my service dept. is close enough. Did they tell you there was a recall on the speaker clips? VW kept it hush, hush for image reasons. If your not anywhere near WI I would call VW and I'm willing to bet you can get somewhere.
Sean

 

[Flying NB]

Have you seen this technical bulletin ?
Subject: Front Door Panels Rattle With Radio Bass

Unable to attach the pdf file, I'l send it to you via PM. Hope it will help.

FlyingNB

 

[cmavis]

I'm located in the Northern Virginia area, so I'm not sure if Wisconsin is a viable option. Thanks though. I am totally unaware about the speaker recall regarding the clips. I'm thinking that this particular dealership's service department is blind to that as well.

NB, PM me that TSB if you dont mind. Gracias!!

 

[landrumdh]

With rattles you need to go on a drive with the service writer / technician to point it out. Most dealerships will just blow you off otherwise.

 

[cmavis]

Been there, done that

I had the guy who was going to perform the fix on my rattles take a ride with me so I could point them out. At this point, it's a matter of them taking pride in their work and getting the final product up to my satisfaction (rattle free).

 

[deming]

Sqeaks and Rattle Concerns

It is not a VW only issue. Sqeaks and rattles are prevelent in many cars and this is known as the "sqeak and rattle" concern that nobody else can duplicate except for the customer.

The customer is upset and wants the "white glove treatment" and a new car immediately. I a not trying to pick on you or any other sqeak and rattle customer in particular. But having worked closely with customers and with dealerships, I am all too famliar with this common complaint.

1. Sqeaks and rattles are very, very difficult to pinpoint and repair even with chassis ears

2. Lemon Law only applies to major mechanical issues and break downs
Do not call VW and demand a new car, because you are not entitled to a new car or any compensation. (State Lemon Law Statutes do vary)

3. Be patient and work closely with the VW service department and try not to be eine Arschloch. Kindness and calmness will get you much further!

4.Dealer techs are not mind readers or magicians and they must be able to verify and isolate the noises and sqeaks. You are the owner and you know the car best. Take the Service Manager and a Tech with you on a ride and drive and accurately duplicate your concern to them.

5. Your vehicle is a man made product and there are no two cars that are 100% alike or 100% perfect.
Do you know how many components are installed from around the globe on your car? How many suppliers are involved in the assembly process?

5.You MUST be able to go on a ride and drive and the Tech must be able to duplicate your concern. If you do not have the time and the patience to work with your VW dealer, your concern will be very difficult to resolve and it may never get resolved. You can not drop the car off at a dealership and simply walk away with the thought that the problem will magically be cured by the dealership. It can be fixed it the concern can be isolated and duplicated!

Sqeaks and rattles are commonplace in the automobile business and there are some customers who CAN NOT be satisfied no matter what brand or model of car they are driving. You also need to keep an open mind and be realisitic with your expectations. This is not a $100,000
Silver Arrow. It is a $20-22,000 daily driver i.e. a (compact) car.
Your purchase is a valuable and significant purchase but nonetheless VW, Honda, Toyota and others sell $20,000 cars all day and everyday.
VW has a "limited warranty" and they will attempt to repair any diagnosable factory defects in materials or workmanship. This DOES NOT cover abuse, neglect, lack of maitenance, modification or using the vehicle in a mannner that it was never designed nor intended to be used.

Your options:

Find another dealer, call VW customer relations and make sure you can duplicate your concerns to the dealer. Work with them.

Trade it off and buy another TDI or ask VW CR for a subsidized trade out for another Jetta TDI. Make sure you are happy with the next new TDI and test drive it before accepting the deal and driving away.

Sorry to be so direct and abrasive in this thread.

 

[tditom]

No other dealerships available?

 

[tditom]

Deming-

If you were the service writer at this dealership, wouldn't you make damn sure that the rattle was fixed at the end of the second time someone was in for the problem? You wouln't want to waste valuable tech time for a return visit, would you?

I agree that the only way to locate the source is to take a drive with the customer, but it sure sounds like they haven't suggested doing this. Plus there's a TSB on the issue and they didn't go over it (or didn't let the customer know they did, anyways).

VW dealer service has a bad reputation for this sort of "service". And it shouldn't need to be a $100K vehicle to address these issues. We spend our hard earned $$ on these cars that begin to depreciate as soon as they leave the lot and we deserve better service than what VW typically provides.

 

[lildevildee]

I just bumped up the TSB thread. It has the speaker rattle TSB.

 

[cmavis]

Tditom-

There are other dealerships available, but the service rep that I have been working with advised it is best to keep bringing the car to them since they are familiar with the problem. I thought it would be best to try to continue to bring my car to the place I bought it out of common courtesy and it's also close to my place of employment.

I realize that no car is rattle free, but when I sit down with the tech and he hears the noise, identifies it's location and can duplicate the sound, I would figure that he has a good handle on the problem and doesn't need me to hold his hand. I have been extremely patient throughout this process and haven't lost my cool with anyone. In fact, I'm probably handling this situation better than 99% of the people out there.

Upon purchasing this car, I was ensured by my salesperson that I wouldn't have any issues with rattles. I brought that up from the start. Since that time, it has been nothing but an issue. I'm just trying to get VW to fix the problem that should have never been present in the first place.

Deming, I appreciate your response and outlook. However, I do not think that I am going over my bounds with this issue. I believe it's pretty obvious that I am willing to work with VW to get this issue fixed. My service record proves that. I would expect that after the 2nd time, someone would be making sure that this problem was fixed so they don't have to waste their tech's time with addressing this 7 times!!

Yes, I purchased a $25,000. To some people, including me, that is a load of money. You expect quality in return. I could see some Daewoo giving me fits b/c they are essentually junk in my opinion. But we are talking about VW.

 

[deming]

Cmavis and tditom,

Here is how I would have handled the situation if I were in the service advisor's shoes.

1. Take the customer, one technician and the service manager on a thorough test drive of the vehicle with the chassis ears and try to acurately duplicate the concern.

2. Put the customer in a loaner vehicle or an Enterprise rental car for a few days and keep the car in order to repair correctly---make sure the customer understands it will have some miles on the odometer when he/she arrives back to pick up the car.--Write the RO and inspect body for any scratches or body damages and get the customer's signature on the RO.

3. Run a VIS on the VIN number and search for any open campaigns or product updates that may apply

4. Have the tech call VW Tech Line for assistance in the repair
(the Tech is having his or her concerns with the repair)

5. Request a Field Engineer look at the car (Last Resort)--probably not needed but available in a difficult repair situation.

6. Repair the car as per the Repair Order and road test
Have customer come into the dealership and road test with the Tech to make sure he/she is totally satisfied with the repair

7. Clean and detail the car and fill it up with a fresh tank of DIESEL Fuel in order to fully compensate for the mileage accumulation and fuel useage
Close out the RO and get the paperwork ready for the customer

8. Ask the customer for a positive survey when VW mails the customer a survey or calls the home to make sure the customer was satisfied with the repair.

This is how I was trained to deal with Honda "Squeak and Rattle" issues when I worked as a service advisor.

 

[tditom]

And that is EXACTLY how they should have handled this case and obviously didn't. Its the same old thing with them. The vast majority don't seem to give a rip about doing the job right.

Why did you ever give up this line of work. You could have made a fortune with that attitude

 

[cmavis]

Deming

I agree 100% with your latest post. Unfortunately that is not how I have been treated. Your method would certainly have made much more sense.

I'm hoping that when I drop off my car tomorrow morning, they take the time and fix it. I have already gone on a test drive with the tech once, so he should be pretty familiar with this car, seeing how this is the third time in a week they will have worked on my car.

 

[DRbillZ]

It's now a TSB. End of subject. Print the TSB out and take it in. It will now be fixed.

 

[deming]

Every dealership is different.
Being an automotive dealership service advisor is a really tough way to earn a living. I do not ever want to be another service advisor due to the long hours, very low pay and the stress from customers unloading on you with their complaints. Keep in mind my CSI was over 92% and I worked for one of the the top Honda dealerships in the midwest.

Good luck!! Print off the TSB and work with the dsealership to get this thing resolved. Ask for a loaner or a rental car---dealer/mfg pays for the rental, and get that baby fixed.

 

[ohiodon]

Being an automotive dealership service advisor is a really tough way to earn a living. I do not ever want to be another service advisor due to the long hours, very low pay and the stress from customers unloading on you with their complaints.


As this is why we are involved with Farming:
Great pay
No long hours
No stress
And I've never heard a plant [FONT=&quot]complain[/FONT]

 

[cmavis]

Update

I took my car in this morning to have the rattle coming from the sunroof control area looked at (3rd time in a week). When I walked up to the service counter, there was only me and the rep there. I stood in front of him patiently waiting for him to help me. I stood there and waited for him to finish up whatever he was doing, but that ended up being where everything went downhill. You see, the day before, I was contacted by VWoA regarding my treatment and to see if i was satisfied with this particular dealership and my level of service. Since I had been in there so many times regarding problems that nobody seems to be able to fix, I gave a bad review. Who wouldn't?

Turns out, the service rep was reading the results of my survey and was not in a good mood. He pretty much got on my case and belittled me. At this point, I had been waiting long enough that other customers began to show up. He pretty much singled me out and was extremely rude. Now mind you, I was not rude or insulting to him in any way shape or form. To me, the way I was treated this morning was unprofessional and totally uncalled for.

I will not call out the rep's name or the name of the dealership. I will say this, my business with them is done. I will find another service department to have my car worked on from here on out.

Big thumbs down to VW service and this jerk in particular. After railing me and more or less questioning me and my issue, he took it upon himself to try and be cool with me as I was walking away.

Now I just hope they don't do something dumb and take it out on my car since they currently have it. I plan on picking it up at 5:30 pm today and will give it a good inspection before I leave.

So, in retrospect, I wouldn't want to be him when his boss catches wind of this.

 

[tditom]

I will not call out the rep's name or the name of the dealership.

As a public service, please DO give the name of the dealeship so others can avoid them. TIA

 

[deming]

CMavis,

Those surveys are very important to VW and to The service rep.
I probably would not have been rude with you but nevertheless I would not have been too happy and i would NOt have gone to any extraordinary lengths for you or for your car.

As OhioDon and I have both said, being a service writer is a really difficult way to make a living. Most customers think the service advisor is paid bookoo bucks and has tons of perks and SERPS available to them. This is not the case and service advisors are not Fortune 200 CEO's. Those surveys can make or break an advisor. No kidding!!
You may want to give him a good survey if it is fixed properly this time or take the time to write the dealership owner a nice letter. You can also try another dealer and I would suggest you do.
It sounds as if that Bridge you just crossed may be on fire!

 

[shaolin]

For myself, I will give my service guy every fair chance to fix the car. At the same time, we have to understand that there's no magic bullet in some problems. If he is being nice and just not able to fix your problem, just go to another dealership. If he is not being professional, write to VW and go to another dealership. Why will you want to go back to him after you shot him in the head?

 

[tditom]

Cmavis-

How did it go when you picked up the car? Is everything OK now? How were you treated?

IMO, you have given them every opportunity to fix the car, and you haven't "shot him in the head" or "burned a bridge" by honestly answering a survey. Corporations count on these inputs for making appropriate changes. It should matter to the service rep and VWoA. The customer should always be given the benefit of the doubt. There is NO excuse for any person representing a business to belittle a customer. If I were you, I'd follow up this visit with another "survey" and also write a letter to the owner of the dealership. Hand deliver it to the owner. Tell them in no uncertain terms that unless you are given an apology (and assuming the car IS fixed) you will not do ANY business with them in the future. I forgot if you told us if this was were you originally purchased the car? Ask them if they want your return business and referrals. Or negative referrals. Certainly the dealer owner will care about that, even if VWoA or the individual behind the counter doesn't.

Sorry to get on the soapbox, but I've dealt with this issue before and I really think the only thing we can do to help VWoA to improve is to document the issues, give them the chance to make right, and let how/where you spend your $$$ do the talking.

 

[cmavis]

Let me first say this, I have given the dealership at very fair shot at fixing the problem. I have had the car in there 8 total times to be worked on since last August. Each time, I have never been rude and always accepted the fact that some things take time to fix. After so many attempts, you really start to lose faith in VW to get this right.

Here's how it breaks down:

6 times the passenger door rattle has been worked on, but it still rattles at times, depending on the mood of the door.

2 times the drivers door rattle has been worked on, this seems to be fixed for the time being.

2 times to have the drivers window worked on b/c they pinched the wiring for the switch when they attempted to fix the speaker rattle.

2 times for the center console rattle, which appears to be fixed.

3 times in the past week for the rattle coming from a loose clip in the headliner near the sunroof controls.

I also complained of a buzz / rattle from the rear driver's door speaker, but they couldn't fix it or hear it. That rattle is still there, as is the passenger door and the headliner rattle.

Shaolin,

Okay, now for my update.

I dropped my car off at 7:30 AM and it was getting late so I called to check on my car at 4 pm. They found the headliner rattle but "couldn't fix it and the car needed to be put back together". I depend on my car heavily to get around due to my commute, so I told the service rep to have the car put together so I could pick it up. I wasn't treated badly because I didn't have to deal with the service rep from earlier in the morning.

I got to the dealership and spoke to the GM. He was cool about the situation and understood why I was angry. He told me that he would have his best tech look at the rattles and give me a rental in the meantime. I also told him that the service rep wasn't really acting professionally earlier that morning and I expressed my displeasure with that whole situation.

I am the original owner of this car and was intending on purchasing a new Golf for my fiance from this dealership. At this time though, I am reluctant to do anymore business with VW.

So, do I let the service department take another shot at fixing the aforementioned problems or do I take it some other dealership? I really wish there was some sort of compensation that could be given to me for all of this. Just not a happy camper right now. More than I can express, I wish that I can say that I'm a happy customer, but that's not the case. I really wish that I could be happy with everything, top to bottom regarding my Jetta.

Thoughts?

 

[tditom]

Well it sounds like they already have the car and you have their rental, so you don't really have a choice but to let them try one more time, no? If its not fixed this time, find another dealer.

Where are you located?

 

[scknight]

cmavis,

If it was me, I would call VWOA, tell them the situation (answered survey honestly, service guy read it while you were there, and took it out on you). Ask them for a service area near you with a good reputation, because your imminent VW purchase rests on the crappy service you received at that dealer to be an ISOLATED incident.

 

[cmavis]

The dealership does not have my car at this time. The GM said that he would try to arrange a time next week for his best rattle guy to take a look at the car.

Until I am completely cut off from this dealership, I can't give the name just yet. There is still an outside chance that I might let them take ONE last try at fixing my car. If I decide to take it elsewhere here in Northern VA, I will then give the name of the dealership. Believe it or not, I'm still trying to be professional about this and not be the one to burn bridges any more than they already have.

 

[shaolin]

You are right to complain to VW, I will do the same thing. I am just saying once you complain to VW about the service you recieve, I will just move on to another dealership if I am you. You have already gave them plenty of chances and I don't think they are capable to solve your problem. They probably pointed finger at you when you turn around so why not move on.

 

[cmavis]

Shaolin

Excellent point and I agree with you. In everyone's best interest who is involved, all ties should be severed.