What to expect from a full gold rated 10 star main dealer servicing ?

[Shayne]

OK its not a landcruiser but my Mrs had her car fully serviced last year by a main dealer (she has every year since she bought it new) . 3 days later she went for an M.O.T and was given an advisory about a leak in her steering rack . I was away so she phoned me and I told her to take it back to the service centre and play hell . It seems she did phone them but before she could return the car someone ran into it . Insurance repaired it at the same dealers again . Today she put the car in for this years service and has been told she needs a new steering rack . That's a £900 full service last year and another £900 minor service this year !

I would appreciate any comments .

 

[yogi]

Expect nothing, the term 'main dealer' seems to just be a lisence to print money. My other half has a tdi passat, had it about 4 years.

Developed a turbo fault, losing boost in 4th gear. Brought it to the local main dealer, 250 quid later they diagnosed a sensor fault, sensor was about 25 quid. Robbery if you ask me.

Gets better though, developed a misfire at idle, did a bit of research and discovered it eas a wiring fault, back to MD, 250 quid to put it on the computer again, about 40 quid for the part i told them it needed.

Then she brought it back again for another turbo problem without telling me, I went and collected it....... £400, not fixed told me turbo lag was a cat fault, wanted me to pay about 900 for a new one......................
Brought it to a new mate of mine with computer diagnostic kit...... boost solenoid, 50 quid, 10 mins........................FIXED

I reported them to VW but surprise surprise no reply.

The profit in the car industry is now in all the electronic crap, computer systems and spare parts used by MAIN DEALERS surprise.

Even funnier is that a neighbour of mine got fired out of the same main dealer because he changed the back axel bushings in someones car and forgot to reattach it on one side!! He was atrainee at the time and no one senior ever checked his work...................

About all there is to be said about main dealers..... Find a good independant mechanic that knows the make and never go back.

Or do what i do for myself and now her too and only ever buy cars etc that you can fix yourself because they aren't full of sensords and electrics

 

[Shayne]

I have to agree with all that yogi but despite the fact she thinks I could fly a jumbo jet upside down through high street and pick up a pie on the way she won't let me touch her pride and joy for fear she will come home and find I've had the wheels powder coated and blacked out the rear windows It's a Hyundia SIII coupe , and the steering rack is not likely something they can diagnose on a computer .

I was hoping someone might offer some useful tips on dealing with them about this , as far as i'm concerned they let her drive around for a year with a problem that might have killed someone , she failed to mention until today that the steering failed altogether just a week ago , fact is i'm inclined to go there a wring somebodies neck but a judge I know too well told me i'm not allowed to do that anymore .

 

[yogi]

Well your in the UK so i think i would try trading standards if you really want to go down that route, we lack anything like that here in Ireland. But remember your up against a multi million pound corporation so when they tell you to do one there is not a lot you can say!!

Very hard to proove anything too seeing as the MOT passed it, not that it means much in reality.

Last time i lost the plot over anything vehicle related was getting a lorry tested, left it in for a retest with 4 monor fixes to be done........
They 'forgot' to do the retest inside the time frame so had to retest it.......
With 14 more miles on the clock and having sat in their yard for a total of 2 weeks...... THEY FOUND 37 FAULTS, INCLUDING THE MISSING FILLER CAP THAT WAS STOLEN IN THEIR YARD.

In hindsight if i hadn't lost it so spectacularly with them I would have gone down a legal route with them, not that i would have been any better off but at least they would have got in the poo as an 'official test centre'.
Funny thing was i drove it to another test centre and there were only 11 problems.