Need you guys opinion! VW dealer's service center rip off me I think...

[Funtuzzi]

I've had to deal with a couple warranty issues at the dealer with my MK5. It's always a fight, it's always an argument, it always gets escalated to VWoA. I had both things covered, but damn, I don't want to fight for what I rightfully am entitled to every single time.

That's because dealerships make more money if work is not Warranty. Warranty coverage pays at a different, lesser rate, and less time given for the procedure (since car is new = no rusty bolts). If a customer comes in for some work, and there is no Warranty coverage, the dealership makes more money on those jobs.
Some dealerships are crooked and would rather make a few more dollars, so they would claim certain jobs, as not covered under Warranty. Once a customer escalates to VWofA, corporate talks to both sides about issue, and almost always sides with dealer.
I am a Tech, but don't work at VW. I suspect VW works the same as many other car brands, and dealerships. Some dealers are good and are satisfied doing Warranty coverage, because it pays well, and is steady work. Others want to make a little extra money.

 

[heiney9]

This hasn't been my experience. All of the dealers I've dealt with have been happy to handle my warranty work.

The problem is getting them to recognize it's a warranty repair.

 

[avenali312]

If anything, I tend to get sub-par work on warranty claims.

Got my car back from the dealer yesterday for the well-known "Error: service vehicle. Only leave vehicle in P position" error. They replaced the shifter mechanism as expected. Now my PRNDS+-, mode, and traction control buttons don't light up and the shifter is sticky when going into Sport/Drive. Pulling it all the way to the rear no longer springs back to D like it's supposed to, I have to push it forward.

 

[Strange Mud]

the diagnostic fee can sometimes be waived IF they do the repair work. It is best to have that discussion before.

 

[TheGreekFreak]

You should read pages 3 and 4 of your warranty.

So I don't have mine on hand but read through the one on VW's website. Should be the same minus the extra years/miles.

Didn't see any mention of carbon buildup or anything that would exclude premature carbon buildup from warranty work? Mind posting what you were referring to?

Carbon buildup in one year in is not normal "wear and tear". Walnut blasting isn't a "mechanical adjustment" either. I pay for gas with my CC so if it was me and they were claiming its due to use of low tier fuel, I would have a year's worth of records showing that I only fill with top tier gas. Don't see what more they can argue aside from poor fuel.

"One time good will"
This is on service paperwork.
This sounds like warranty work comment.
Thoughts?

I don't think a good will repair means the warranty covered it, just that VW acknowledges they have no responsibility to fix the issue but chose to do so out of good will. That's some bullshit, carbon buildup at 20K....

 

[MeltedSolid]

Yea, whatever happened to "bumper to bumper" warranty. The fact that the dealership would even claim that it might not be under warranty is ridiculous! At least VW payed some of it, but you really shouldn't have had to pay for any of it because all of the damage was caused by a defect in the car.

 

[MeltedSolid]

This is not true at all for Direct Injection motors. No gas washing the valves so no matter what driving style they are going to get carbon build up. With my old Audi blowby was WORSE at full throttle applications and high rpm.

It has to do with the surface of the valves being in a particular temperature range causing the carbon buildup to fall off. You need to be driving aggressively for at least 20 minutes before the carbon begins to fall off, but it falls off really quickly when it does according to a patent VW filed detailing methods of dealing with carbon buildup.

 

[The Fed]

Greggles knows what he's talking about. Failed oil separator.

So now VWoA doesn't cover diagnostic fees for warranty work? My guess is the dealer is charging for diagnosing the MIL from the bad spark plugs. VWoA won't cover that.

OP. did they pay for a rental car?

 

[heiney9]

In the end the defective oil separator was the culprit for all the issues, if that hadn't of failed, then no bad plugs, etc. So I would have politely refused to pay a diagnostic fee.

 

[J_C]

Yes the dealer ship paid the rent car.

Anyway I will keep post on it when they get back to me.

I just sent e-mail them.

 

[VentoGT]

"One time good will"
This is on service paperwork.
This sounds like warranty work comment.
Thoughts?

This basically means that the dealer and VW came to an agreement to not charge you and eat the cost. Could have been dealer, could have been VWoA, or a split. Same $hit with my wife's GLK350 after it warped its rear rotors at 13K miles after it ate the fronts at 7K miles.

I had to escalate to MBUSA and to their credit they did the right thing, but ridiculous I had to in the first place. She drives very conservatively, but even if she drove the effing toaster like Jenson Button the rotors should have held up longer.

 

[VentoGT]

It has to do with the surface of the valves being in a particular temperature range causing the carbon buildup to fall off. You need to be driving aggressively for at least 20 minutes before the carbon begins to fall off, but it falls off really quickly when it does according to a patent VW filed detailing methods of dealing with carbon buildup.

This is interesting if you can find any documentation behind it. I was told that with the Audi the best way to get carbon off was to drive at extended periods of time at midrange rpm so I did that a few times on highway trips with the S8 in manual mode holding 5th gear on freeway for long trips around 4K RPM. Terrible for the gas mileage [which was abysmal anyway] and no clue if it worked but I drove for about 2 hours that way.

 

[Strange Mud]

does anyone have a copy of this patent?

 

[2slowvw]

3k rpm for about 20 minutes:

An additional approach for reducing the formation of carbon deposits on the intake valves 20 is to increase the intake valve temperature, at least temporarily, since, surprisingly, it was found that any carbon deposits possibly present are removed at temperatures above 380° C. To this end, the intake valve unit, which comprises, among other components, the intake valves 20 and the valve stem guide 28, is designed with means that hinder heat dissipation in such a way that increased surface temperatures of more than 380° C. develop at least in the area of the neck 68 of the intake valves 20 in at least one predetermined region of the load characteristic diagram 74 of the internal combustion engine. This is illustrated in FIG. 4. The intake valve temperature is above 380° C. in the shaded region 112 b of the characteristic diagram. At these temperatures, carbon deposits on the intake valves 20 are removed. This region 112 b of the characteristic diagram occurs, for example, at speeds over 3,000 rpm, and in that speed range extends essentially to full load. Even if the internal combustion engine is not operated most of the time in the region 112 b during normal driving operation of a motor vehicle, nevertheless, carbon deposits that could adversely affect the operation of the internal combustion engine cannot build up, since their removal in the shaded region 112 b of the characteristic diagram occurs very quickly. For example, operation of the internal combustion engine in this region 112 b of the characteristic diagram for a period of, for example, 20 min., is sufficient to remove even a thick layer of carbon deposits. In other words, a routine expressway trip cleans the intake valves 20 sufficiently. In addition, this region of the characteristic diagram can be entered in the course of maintenance or repair work on the internal combustion engine in an automotive workshop.

https://www.google.com/patents/US6866031

 

[Strange Mud]

thank you

it is nice to see they only say 3k rpm....