Dealership Service Woes...

[Tsi7]

Depends who owns/runs the dealer will determine if they offer a loaner or not

I'm still working at a dealership, although I hope it's as temporary as possible because I can't stand it

Techs don't give a shit about the work they do or being careful with other peoples property (i've seen it far too many times). Did the tech in the OP's case make an honest mistake? Maybe, we don't know, so the OP has some right to being upset... at least the dealer was nice enough to admit it (now that's really rare) so good on them

service advisors are the worst, 95% of them have no technical background and are literally there to sell people shit that the tech told them too... as long as you can lie through your teeth and sell, you'll make a great advisor...

To make it worse, techs and advisors care even less when it comes to warranty because techs usually make way less on job as they make a set flat rate time that the manufacture sets out in the flat rate manual, and most dealerships don't pay advisors for warranty work so they're not incentivised to care about a warranty customer since they can be railing another customer in "customer pay jobs" and charging them whatever they want to make the most commission possible

That's my 2 cents... I know i'll get flamed for it but it's more or less the truth

 

[Parabola]

Honestly I hate dealing with dealerships or any repair shops for that matter. I took my GTI in once for potential warranty related repair and guess what, they didn't find anything wrong. It was for coolant loss (like op's issue) and knocking from front left side while going slow speeds at the parking lots. Obviously knocking is still there and coolant goes down a bit every 6-7k miles and I just couldn't waste any more time of my life engaging into pissing match with them over whether is there an issue or not...yeah new VWs come with 6yr warranty, but if you're constantly taking it back for something and you have to fight them, what good is it...Now that I am out of warranty, I'll fix things myself.

 

[psychonosspaz]

It also depends on if you have a good tech inside the dealership....they can make a lot of things happen if they are respected at the dealership and do good work.....I have had the coolant leak issues and am getting the water pump and thermostat housings replaced....just had a little residue showing some leakage

 

[THEREALVRT]

Depends who owns/runs the dealer will determine if they offer a loaner or not

I'm still working at a dealership, although I hope it's as temporary as possible because I can't stand it

Techs don't give a shit about the work they do or being careful with other peoples property (i've seen it far too many times). Did the tech in the OP's case make an honest mistake? Maybe, we don't know, so the OP has some right to being upset... at least the dealer was nice enough to admit it (now that's really rare) so good on them

service advisors are the worst, 95% of them have no technical background and are literally there to sell people shit that the tech told them too... as long as you can lie through your teeth and sell, you'll make a great advisor...

To make it worse, techs and advisors care even less when it comes to warranty because techs usually make way less on job as they make a set flat rate time that the manufacture sets out in the flat rate manual, and most dealerships don't pay advisors for warranty work so they're not incentivised to care about a warranty customer since they can be railing another customer in "customer pay jobs" and charging them whatever they want to make the most commission possible

That's my 2 cents... I know i'll get flamed for it but it's more or less the truth

sounds about right.

 

[Supermoto]

did they ask to keep the car or let you drive away and come back once the parts are in?
if they asked to keep the car i can't believe they wouldn't put you in a rental or something.

They asked to keep the car and asked if I had a ride home. I said yes, however I still need to get to work and inquired about a loaner. As I said before, the adviser literally laughed and said they don't do that. She acted as though the idea of a loaner car was a foreign concept.

Techs don't give a shit about the work they do or being careful with other peoples property (i've seen it far too many times). Did the tech in the OP's case make an honest mistake? Maybe, we don't know, so the OP has some right to being upset... at least the dealer was nice enough to admit it (now that's really rare) so good on them

service advisors are the worst, 95% of them have no technical background and are literally there to sell people shit that the tech told them too... as long as you can lie through your teeth and sell, you'll make a great advisor...

To make it worse, techs and advisors care even less when it comes to warranty because techs usually make way less on job as they make a set flat rate time that the manufacture sets out in the flat rate manual, and most dealerships don't pay advisors for warranty work so they're not incentivised to care about a warranty customer since they can be railing another customer in "customer pay jobs" and charging them whatever they want to make the most commission possible

That's my 2 cents... I know i'll get flamed for it but it's more or less the truth

All of this is exactly why I have never gone to a dealership, and after this I never will again. I figured why not try to get some things fixed for free but its too much of a headache to worry about how my property is being treated.

Honestly I hate dealing with dealerships or any repair shops for that matter. I took my GTI in once for potential warranty related repair and guess what, they didn't find anything wrong. It was for coolant loss (like op's issue) and knocking from front left side while going slow speeds at the parking lots. Obviously knocking is still there and coolant goes down a bit every 6-7k miles and I just couldn't waste any more time of my life engaging into pissing match with them over whether is there an issue or not...yeah new VWs come with 6yr warranty, but if you're constantly taking it back for something and you have to fight them, what good is it...Now that I am out of warranty, I'll fix things myself.

100% agree with you, this is how I feel as well.

It also depends on if you have a good tech inside the dealership....they can make a lot of things happen if they are respected at the dealership and do good work.....I have had the coolant leak issues and am getting the water pump and thermostat housings replaced....just had a little residue showing some leakage

This is why I like going to smaller shops if I must take the car somewhere. I get to meet the people working on my car and hear about their experience. If I talk to them and they act like they just started working on cars, I'm goin back home. Unfortunately at a dealer you have no clue who's working on your car. Maybe you get lucky and have someone who loves cars and treats them all with respect, or you pull the short straw and get the new kid who doesn't give half a shit about anyone else's property.

I do not know if it was an honest mistake or not, I am not saying its impossible to be a mistake. I am just saying that dealerships have a history of mistreating people's stuff, especially for warranty work. We all can draw our own conclusion based off that

 

[psychonosspaz]

They asked to keep the car and asked if I had a ride home. I said yes, however I still need to get to work and inquired about a loaner. As I said before, the adviser literally laughed and said they don't do that. She acted as though the idea of a loaner car was a foreign concept.







All of this is exactly why I have never gone to a dealership, and after this I never will again. I figured why not try to get some things fixed for free but its too much of a headache to worry about how my property is being treated.







100% agree with you, this is how I feel as well.







This is why I like going to smaller shops if I must take the car somewhere. I get to meet the people working on my car and hear about their experience. If I talk to them and they act like they just started working on cars, I'm goin back home. Unfortunately at a dealer you have no clue who's working on your car. Maybe you get lucky and have someone who loves cars and treats them all with respect, or you pull the short straw and get the new kid who doesn't give half a shit about anyone else's property.



I do not know if it was an honest mistake or not, I am not saying its impossible to be a mistake. I am just saying that dealerships have a history of mistreating people's stuff, especially for warranty work. We all can draw our own conclusion based off that

If you know a tech inside dealership you tell them they are the only who you authorize to work on it - it's that easy

 

[Supermoto]

If you know a tech inside dealership you tell them they are the only who you authorize to work on it - it's that easy

The problem is I don't know any.

 

[Wrath And Tears]

Depends who owns/runs the dealer will determine if they offer a loaner or not

I'm still working at a dealership, although I hope it's as temporary as possible because I can't stand it

Techs don't give a shit about the work they do or being careful with other peoples property (i've seen it far too many times). Did the tech in the OP's case make an honest mistake? Maybe, we don't know, so the OP has some right to being upset... at least the dealer was nice enough to admit it (now that's really rare) so good on them

service advisors are the worst, 95% of them have no technical background and are literally there to sell people shit that the tech told them too... as long as you can lie through your teeth and sell, you'll make a great advisor...

To make it worse, techs and advisors care even less when it comes to warranty because techs usually make way less on job as they make a set flat rate time that the manufacture sets out in the flat rate manual, and most dealerships don't pay advisors for warranty work so they're not incentivised to care about a warranty customer since they can be railing another customer in "customer pay jobs" and charging them whatever they want to make the most commission possible

That's my 2 cents... I know i'll get flamed for it but it's more or less the truth

This is 100% correct, even at an Indie shop. It's all about forming a relationship with your SA / Tech, that will ensure you get the best work and no fuckery with upsells you don't need.

 

[dequardo]

You were predisposed to not trust dealers. The one you took it to screwed up and admitted it. For you it’s confirmation bias. Aside from the loaner issue (which I too would fight for) there’s really nothing else you can do. The other issues you now have on record.

If it were me I’d take it to another dealer once you get it back. Good luck to you.

 

[cb1111]

Assuming that you meet the age requirements for a loaner, then it is very simple:

Call VWoA and explain the problem. Tell them you need a loaner and have them call the dealer.

While you're at it, discuss the issues they couldn't find and ask that a regional rep comes down and looks at your car.

 

[Tsi7]

You were predisposed to not trust dealers. The one you took it to screwed up and admitted it. For you it’s confirmation bias. Aside from the loaner issue (which I too would fight for) there’s really nothing else you can do. The other issues you now have on record.

If it were me I’d take it to another dealer once you get it back. Good luck to you.

But can you blame him? I'm predisposed to not trust them also and I work in one so my confirmation bias is probably the worst!

 

[Supermoto]

Assuming that you meet the age requirements for a loaner, then it is very simple:

Call VWoA and explain the problem. Tell them you need a loaner and have them call the dealer.

While you're at it, discuss the issues they couldn't find and ask that a regional rep comes down and looks at your car.

I appreciate the help, that sounds like a plan once I get the car back. I am going to take a look at it myself as I have a sneaking suspicion I know where the coolant loss is. I'm gonna pick up some UV dye and find it myself, then bring it in telling them exactly what to fix. If I still cant find it, I will bring it back in and call for a regional rep. Hopefully it isn't a head gasket issue.

But can you blame him? I'm predisposed to not trust them also and I work in one so my confirmation bias is probably the worst!

Thanks for not jumping to flame like a lot of others here.

 

[itsstan]

Well, powertrain is.
But that's not what the op is talking about here.

I just had my water pump and thermostat housing replaced for free with the power train warranty. Service advisor said it was a 7 hour job.

OP, your coolant symptoms echoed mine except mine was confirmed with a pressure test. If your thermostat is leaking it’s easy to spot, just take off the lower shield under the car and look up.

 

[Supermoto]

I just had my water pump and thermostat housing replaced for free with the power train warranty. Service advisor said it was a 7 hour job.

OP, your coolant symptoms echoed mine except mine was confirmed with a pressure test. If your thermostat is leaking it’s easy to spot, just take off the lower shield under the car and look up.

This is exactly what I planned to do before the UV dye. I have heard its pretty common for there to be a leak around the thermostat or waterpump housing due to the design of the part. It often is a slow weep so it can be harder to detect.

 

[abar22]

Depends who owns/runs the dealer will determine if they offer a loaner or not

I'm still working at a dealership, although I hope it's as temporary as possible because I can't stand it

Techs don't give a shit about the work they do or being careful with other peoples property (i've seen it far too many times). Did the tech in the OP's case make an honest mistake? Maybe, we don't know, so the OP has some right to being upset... at least the dealer was nice enough to admit it (now that's really rare) so good on them

service advisors are the worst, 95% of them have no technical background and are literally there to sell people shit that the tech told them too... as long as you can lie through your teeth and sell, you'll make a great advisor...

To make it worse, techs and advisors care even less when it comes to warranty because techs usually make way less on job as they make a set flat rate time that the manufacture sets out in the flat rate manual, and most dealerships don't pay advisors for warranty work so they're not incentivised to care about a warranty customer since they can be railing another customer in "customer pay jobs" and charging them whatever they want to make the most commission possible

That's my 2 cents... I know i'll get flamed for it but it's more or less the truth

Where are you that advisors don't get paid for warranty work? That job is tough enough without that bull. I used to love warranty work because I knew the job would actually get paid for. Sure the %s were higher for customer pay but those jobs would get declined. Warranty work was easy money... Relatively.