RANT: #*&@*#%& Dealers

Ferbie

Active member
Joined
Dec 7, 2008
Location
Alliston, ON, Canada
TDI
2003 Jetta TDI
Ok, I know there a probably a million posts on here like this, but I just have to rant a bit. Take this as a warning, anyone who still swears by them!

I do NOT use the dealers for service, but the person who I purchased my car from had it serviced at the dealer for everything, from day 1 until I purchased it last year. They did the timing belt for him, right on schedule at 160,000 km, so I figured I was good for a while still (currently sitting at 236,000 km). I've developed a squeaking belt, which I assumed was serp belt, but my mechanic (NON dealer!) was searching for the source, took the serp off and low and behold..... still squeaked!! We checked the receipts from VW, and of course, they DIDN'T DO THE WHOLE KIT, THEY LEFT OUT THE ROLLERS!!!!

So now I have rollers with 236,000 KM on them that are starting to go. I'm only half way to where I SHOULD have to do a timing belt change..... but of course now I can't trust it! So I was left with the decision to either change just the rollers now, which of course is almost the same work as doing the whole belt, and then going back in 80,000 K's later to change the belt.... or just change it all out now 80,0000 KM's BEFORE I SHOULD HAVE TO!!!!!

#*&(@!#*%&)!#%& Dealerships........

End of rant, thank you for listening...... forgive my outburst!
 

LNXGUY

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 10, 2004
Location
Barrie, Ont, Canada
TDI
'05 Jetta TDI Wagon
Which dealer was it? If it was Alliston, I'd be surprised they have a pretty good reputation...

I also don't think rollers are apart of the 'VW Approved' TB job even though they *should* be...
 

mjhandy

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 3, 2007
Location
Kitchener, Ontario
TDI
2009 Touareg TDI
I feel for you. My dealer TB installed slipped long before it's due date.

Best bet may be to do the TB and have the piece of mind.

EDIT: cause i can't type well on the iPhone....
 
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Ferbie

Active member
Joined
Dec 7, 2008
Location
Alliston, ON, Canada
TDI
2003 Jetta TDI
It was done at Bramgate VW, previous owner lived in Toronto area. The water pump and tensioner were changed according to the bill...... but I'm doing what Mark has suggested, just changing everything now. I don't want to play with potential timing belt failure. It will only cost me a couple hundred dollars more to have the whole timing belt kit installed than it would to do just the rollers, so I figure I'll bite the bullet. This way I know for sure that I'm good for 160,000 km.... like I was SUPPOSED to be!

Bill, you're so right.... the rollers should be part of the "approved" job. My mechanic said it helps them stay competitive with their pricing, by leaving parts out they get there costs comparable to private guys. And the Alliston dealer is not too bad, you are correct. I still don't use them though, except to buy small parts for quick DIY jobs.

On a side note, and I got a good laugh out of this..... on the same bill, they changed the oil, along with the oil, fuel and air filter.... and charged $300!!!
 
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dieseldorf

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 11, 2000
Location
MA
TDI
ex- 1996 wagon, ex-2000 Jetta
Ferbie, there's another thread floating around here saying 'we shouldn't be feeling hate towards VW dealerships' ;)
 

Victor Huge

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 18, 2009
Location
Alberta
TDI
Mk7 Golf TDI
I think the dealers just want to see people bent over. If I had the means I would start a private TDI dealership with respectable services. Contemplating how they can skip out on such vital parts is destroying my neurons...
 

TDIMAXIMA

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jul 5, 2004
Location
MARKHAM, ONTARIO, CANADA
TDI
2004 4motion Passat 5 speed 1.8t
They have to charge so much. VW regulates, taxes and takes as much from the dealer, as the dealer takes from us. We should put dealers in pacific mall. At least the car would cost less.... Dealers suck. Buy a toyota. Less reason to go.
 

P2B

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 11, 2006
Location
Toronto & Muskoka, Canada
TDI
2002 Jetta, 2003 Jetta, 2003 Jetta Wagon
It's not only the dealers.

I just bought another MK4 TDI with less than 500KM on a new timing belt done by an independent.

The bill says:

timing belt kit $380
water pump $105
vw antifreeze $20

The coolant is green, and the bolts I can see look like they were reused... I just hope they changed the rollers so it doesn't ALL have to be done again :(

Simon
 

waynemad

Active member
Joined
Dec 26, 2001
Location
Burlington, Ont
TDI
2000 Jetta silver
Had my timing belt done by a recommended mad Russian independent. He did change the water pump and a bunch of other items and the labour was reasonable but he did not change the tensioner. Said it looked OK and of course I found out after the job was done. Also had it back twice to rejig some of the other jobs because he took pride in not "changing everything for new like the dealers do". So guess what, at 80k the tensioner pooches and the belt jumps. Took it to the dealer and was damned lucky there was no damage. They charged me an extra $200 to pull the head and check above the $700 belt job. I thought that was fair.

My point is there are good and bad independents just like there are good and bad dealers but I will never use another low budget independant. Maybe someone who does mainly TDI's. ANy suggestions in the Burlington area greaty appreciated.
 

Victor Huge

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 18, 2009
Location
Alberta
TDI
Mk7 Golf TDI
Simon, sorry to hear that. Is this the silver a4 you bought not too long ago or some other one? Sorry for your misfortune, hope it's not too much work to sort out. If you need a second hand, let me know. I've gotten quite good at working on this car since we met :)
 

ymz

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 12, 2003
Location
Between Toronto & Montreal
TDI
2003 Jetta TDI Wagon, 2003 Jetta TDI Wagon
waynemad said:
They charged me an extra $200 to pull the head and check
Doubtful... They would have had to replace the head gasket and head bolts, and the dealership price for those would be more than C$200... forget about the added labor...

Just hang around the Ontario forum for a while... you'll learn who's trustworthy... (and who isn't...)

All the best,

Yuri
 

Tsagoth

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 22, 2005
Location
Hanover, ON
TDI
2003 Jetta Wagon Automatic
Ferbie said:
On a side note, and I got a good laugh out of this..... on the same bill, they changed the oil, along with the oil, fuel and air filter.... and charged $300!!!
Here's something even funnier: A full TB change (all the parts), the 160K service(oil change) and 01M service (fluid/filter) was $2423 at the dealer. :eek:
 

LNXGUY

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 10, 2004
Location
Barrie, Ont, Canada
TDI
'05 Jetta TDI Wagon
Tsagoth said:
Here's something even funnier: A full TB change (all the parts), the 160K service(oil change) and 01M service (fluid/filter) was $2423 at the dealer. :eek:
Oh boy....

Anytime I'm in the dealer for parts I always get a chuckle listening to the Service guy call people back and tell them their cars are ready.. Then he goes over what they did and the final price... It makes for a few laughs for sure.
 

P2B

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 11, 2006
Location
Toronto & Muskoka, Canada
TDI
2002 Jetta, 2003 Jetta, 2003 Jetta Wagon
Victor Huge said:
Simon, sorry to hear that. Is this the silver a4 you bought not too long ago or some other one? Sorry for your misfortune, hope it's not too much work to sort out. If you need a second hand, let me know. I've gotten quite good at working on this car since we met :)
Hey Victor, not my silver A4, only Brandon and I are allowed to touch it ;)

This is a beater I bought last week, expecting to have it legal for the road in a day or two. Thanks for the offer to help, I don't suppose you have anywhere warm and inside where we could look over it?

Simon
 

Victor Huge

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 18, 2009
Location
Alberta
TDI
Mk7 Golf TDI
I do a lot of work in the garage, there's enough room to walk around the car for the most part, but it's not tshirt and shorts kinda warm. With a little fan heater, it's alright. With that said, for checking over the engine or timing belt, I'm sure we'd be comfy :)
 

Silver02TDI

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Sep 2, 2006
Location
Toronto, Ottawa
TDI
2012 Golf Wagon TDI Highline
Tsagoth said:
Here's something even funnier: A full TB change (all the parts), the 160K service(oil change) and 01M service (fluid/filter) was $2423 at the dealer. :eek:
I think you're turning into a sucker for punishment ;) :D
 

wildkitty

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 12, 2008
Location
Toronto, ON
TDI
Jetta
Tsagoth said:
Here's something even funnier: A full TB change (all the parts), the 160K service(oil change) and 01M service (fluid/filter) was $2423 at the dealer. :eek:
Uhh... I was quoted $900+tax for a TB change at Owasco... they did my oil change for about $100... what are you leaving out?
 

Tsagoth

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 22, 2005
Location
Hanover, ON
TDI
2003 Jetta Wagon Automatic
wildkitty said:
Uhh... I was quoted $900+tax for a TB change at Owasco... they did my oil change for about $100... what are you leaving out?
Nothing but I was mistaken on the oil change. The TB was around $1440, $770 for the parts and around $650 or so for the labor. The 160K service I see now is the full filter one rather than just the oil change, so that's $500 plus $300 for the 01M service.

YVW quotes around $865 I think for their TB change, TB/tensioner+waterpump only. I gave them the list of parts in the Roseland kit and it came to almost $800. $144 just for the one roller I think. I'll dig out the invoice and scan it.

Just a plain oil change is about $80.

edit: reading the invoice it was $249 for the 01M service, $507.95 for the 160K service and $1419.36 for the TB ($672 labor, $742 parts) and $304 in tax.
 
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ymz

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 12, 2003
Location
Between Toronto & Montreal
TDI
2003 Jetta TDI Wagon, 2003 Jetta TDI Wagon
They get Official VW parts from the Official VW parts distribution chain.

If you ever found out what the wholesale price of the (aftermarket) TB-kit parts is you'd be shocked... Let's just leave it at "the vendors here also make a bit of profit..."

Yuri
 

Tsagoth

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 22, 2005
Location
Hanover, ON
TDI
2003 Jetta Wagon Automatic
Victor Huge said:
I don't get it, shouldn't the parts be $380 or so? Where are they getting $800 from?
$110 Belt
$134 Roller (-243-N)
$143 Water pump
$52 Roller (-244)
$55 Roller (-244-E)
$122 Roller (-244-M)

were the expensive bits.
 

ymz

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 12, 2003
Location
Between Toronto & Montreal
TDI
2003 Jetta TDI Wagon, 2003 Jetta TDI Wagon
Tsagoth said:
$143 Water pump
Was that a brand new pump or a rebuilt one (with an "X" suffix) ??? When I was replacing my belt last fall and didn't like the play in the bearing of my World-Impex-supplied pump, I bought one at Belleville VW for less than $100... (with an "X"...)

Yuri
 

VOLKSWAGEN_JETTA_TDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 30, 2007
Location
Mississauga, Ontario
TDI
2000 Volkswagen Jetta TDI , 2006 Mercedes-Benz E320 CDI, 2002 VW GTI 1.8T
TDIMAXIMA said:
They have to charge so much. VW regulates, taxes and takes as much from the dealer, as the dealer takes from us. We should put dealers in pacific mall. At least the car would cost less.... Dealers suck. Buy a toyota. Less reason to go.
'pacific mall' hahahahahaha !
 

Tsagoth

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 22, 2005
Location
Hanover, ON
TDI
2003 Jetta Wagon Automatic
So here's what all that 160K service looks like for you peeps that never go to the dealer.



 

Ferbie

Active member
Joined
Dec 7, 2008
Location
Alliston, ON, Canada
TDI
2003 Jetta TDI
Yeah..... my invoice (from previous owner) for the 160,000 km looks like that price wise..... but doesn't have NEARLY as many parts listed! No rollers, washers, bolts, nuts, screws....... I wonder how THAT works!
 
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