Are we going to see a turnaround in Skoda/VW servicing?

[BluChris]

Interesting set of coincidences. I received one of those 'you recently had your car serviced' survey invites, and decided to tell VAG the kind of negative experiences I have had with service. Today, The Age has an article suggesting VAG knows it has a problem with price and customer service and is looking toward fixed price servicing and improved customer experiences. I then received a call from the survey company to ask more about my experiences. They indicated VW is very aware they have an issue.

In my case I explained what I had been through over 3 years of ownership - unresolved issues with multiple visits and wasted time, unhelpful or marginally competent dealers (and too few of them) and now out of warranty big $ for routine servicing. I also explained I had taken the very reluctant decision in the last couple of weeks to sell the Skoda because of this and have ordered a car from another manufacturer. I have moved from being a strong brand advocate to someone who would say to a prospective owner 'great car, but the service lets it down badly; avoid'. Repeat for all VAG products.

I know some of you have had a good experience, but in many cases probably because you've had no issues to resolve.

The survey company offered to have someone from VAG head office call me to go over my ownership experience and I welcomed that. It would be grandiose of me to think I could turn this around, but with others I hope to help VAG get real about this issue. The fact that they are talking openly about the problem to the media signals they know they are risking their brand.

I genuinely want Skoda to succeed here and I'd like to think that I could safely come back to them one day; I really do like the cars.

Hopefully some of you might benefit indirectly from my poor experiences.

[woofy]

I'm surprised you had a survey, although I'm still surprised with how many companies don't do it. Mazdas resurgence was led here by good experiences and you get a survey every which way you look. Hyundai only finally sent me one after owning one for nearly a year and they said servicing feedback ones are coming. Skoda never sent me squat to the point where I actually wondered if Skoda/VW even knew I owned the car. I'm sure if they had post sales ones that George at Richmond might have had some ooomph behind him to show the owners there that it was worth listening to him. The price of servicing there was actually one of the best originally, but since Preston shut up shop, they had all the business go to them by default and what was left of a good thing went out the window. Could also be the Zagame influence I guess. Nonetheless we seem to be the only country where it's acceptable to charge more for a Skoda service than an equivalent VW (which are already inflated).

[K1W1]

Skoda offer fixed price servicing schemes in most of their major markets worldwide including NZ I was astounded when they didn't do it here as a point of differentiation if nothing else. Imagine if in 2007 they had started advertising Skodas saying includes "three years fixed priced servicing". It would have gone a long way to overcoming buyer reluctance due to them not knowing the brand. Look what the 5 year warranty did for Hyundai.
Now Toyota and Mitsubishi and other mainstream manufacturers are doing this they will be seen as following the camel train rather than leading it.
As far as surveys and they like are concerned we get far more attention from Suzuki regarding my daughters $16k car the we have from VW/Audi/Skoda with the other two cars worth over $100k.

[woofy]

To be honest I often wonder if they know there is a problem, but are in denial and don't want it quantitated. Certainly there must have been repeated decisions not to do the followup feedback, it certainly shows a definite disinterest in quality controls, we have to do them as part of our tracking and quality systems at my company as well as a myriad other things that would quash most issues people see and have.

[BluChris]

My take is that the VW brand was growing so strongly in the last 5 years that they didn't feel the need to deal with this issue. Times were good and people were not worrying about service - they wanted the badge. Different for Skoda, where people were buying the product based on good background research.

Problem is, with serious flaws in the product range (Golf rattles in past models, 118 engine failures, 7 speed DSG issues, random issues across the board that seem more common than Japanese competitors etc), pretty consistent negative feedback about VW dealers and to an extent Skoda dealers and most competitors moving to fixed price servicing, something was going to bite sooner or later.

I won't go into detail, but let's just say the survey company intimated they had received plenty of negative feedback on VAG product and my experience was not isolated.

I have a deposit on one of the last German built Focus. In terms of service, 6 years or 105,000 km capped price service, all but one are $335, one is $470. Annual service intervals. Could the service turn out to be poor? Sure, but at least there is a far greater dealer choice and more likelihood of finding one you are OK with. Have done exactly this with other brands in the past.

Next year's 4 year service on the Octy quoted by Richmond $2,600. Typical minor service quoted cost about the same as the major on the Focus, etc. Independents are cheaper but still not cheap; for the 4 year I have been quoted $2,000. Yes, I know timing belt, DSG fluid etc; don't care. I have yet to mention these costs to anyone without a horrified reaction and instant, unprompted calls to sell it...

Time for VAG to fix it!

[Umai Naa!!]

Speaking from the other side of the roller doors (I.e the workshop), I find that their warranty and technical support proceedures can be a little tedious and inconsistant. This usually leads to long delays in getting useful help and prior work approvals, meaning a customer's car can sit there for days on end, before any progress is made on diagnosis or repair.

Parts are another issue. Quite often, the most commonly-replaced parts are never in stock in the warehouses, and the dealerships struggle to keep high-moving stock due to the amount of small variations between trim levels on the same model (Such as some models having several different brake packages). Other manufacturers have it all over VAG in this regard, with Honda and Hyundai for example, having only 2 or 3 different oil filters to cover all models, dating back several decades. VW? Last I checked, the current line-up had 5 or 6 different oil filters. The smaller dealerships struggle big-time with this. Even when a new model comes out, they could at least be supplied with a list of part numbers for the consumable service parts. Instead, one comes in for it's first oil change, and what's this? We've never stocked one of those filters before!

Having said all of that, I enjoy working on the VAG products, even now as an independant.

[Transporter]

Also, the question remains; will people, stop complaining, if the service would be for free or capped price?

Isn't all that complaining about the price, mainly because, after you paid all other bills there is less money left in the bank for the car service. I remember reading back in 1995 , that to cover the cost of servicing up to 100,000km on a new 4 cylinder Honda Civic you needed $2,500 , which is not that far from today's cost of servicing on 4 cyl. VAG cars, considering that every other expense in life at least doubled.

Keep in mind that the cost of the new cars didn't change too much in the past 15years.

[K1W1]

Also, the question remains; will people, stop complaining, if the service would be for free or capped price?

The whole point of the Internet is to allow people to complain. It's the only reason the Internet exists. Haven't you figured that out yet?

[K1W1]

Next year's 4 year service on the Octy quoted by Richmond $2,600. Typical minor service quoted cost about the same as the major on the Focus, etc. Independents are cheaper but still not cheap; for the 4 year I have been quoted $2,000. Yes, I know timing belt, DSG fluid etc; don't care. I have yet to mention these costs to anyone without a horrified reaction and instant, unprompted calls to sell it...

Buy a Land Rover. You are talking those sorts of numbers for almost every service - at 10,000km intervals! BMW aren't far behind either with brake pads every service and rotors every second service.

[Umai Naa!!]

Capped-price servicing was designed to keep the independants out of the hunt. I'd be struggling to break even, if I tried to undercut some of the deals doing the rounds just to get the job.

Service departments make almost nothing out of it, relying on the good old up-sell (injector cleaners, wheel alignments, tyre rotations, etc) to turn a profit. The dealerships initially have to hammer the deal with accessories to attempt to bridge the gap.

[K1W1]

Capped-price servicing was designed to keep the independants out of the hunt.

It also keeps heads coming back to the dealership so sales people can approach owners of 3 or 4 year old vehicles with upgrade offers.

[Umai Naa!!]

It also keeps heads coming back to the dealership so sales people can approach owners of 3 or 4 year old vehicles with upgrade offers.

Absolutely. The old saying in the industry goes:

"The Sales department sells the first car, The Service Department sells the second, third, and fourth".

[BluChris]

I knew when I bought my Skoda that it would probably cost more than many common brands and was prepared for a premium because I liked the car.

I did not expect costs like the 4 year service, did not expect dealers who were very unhelpful and highly lacking in product knowledge, did not expect the build quality issues I experienced that the dealer couldn't/wouldn't fix and I mostly had to DIY... In other words it wasn't just cost, it was cost + poor customer experience. Can't tell you how much time I wasted and how immensely frustrating and disappointing it has been. I have had tons of cars, owned and company, and never had anything approaching this experience. I've had much worse cars (old French cars come to mind), but the dealers have been on the ball by and large, as have independents I used. If not, move on and easily find another who could do the job.

Guys, I hear lots of very good things about the independents who are forum members and a couple of months back that's where I was headed. I just got to the stage where I couldn't do it any more. After 3 years and some issues still unresolved (2/3 build quality) after a recent workshop visit for beaucoup $ that also required a return visit for rework, and facing a very big service bill plus probably brakes early next year, I cried 'enough'.

I work in a vehicle related industry and hear about repair costs for many Euro brands, and yes Land Rover is notorious. And, like me, I know of many owners across these brands who move away from them for these reasons. The point being that if service sells the next car, this is definitely where they lost me and are losing others. Maybe VAG have finally woken up to this?

[Greg Roles]

Great to hear, thanks for the lengthy update. Perhaps it's less about facing up to the issue and more about forthcoming major competition from excellent marques like Opel and the current majors releasing some great cars. If you were to go hunting in the next several months for a new toy, well there's a LOT of choice now....

Lately every time I notice a car and think "what is that" it's a bloody Hyundai or Kia! Seems the world is catching up.

[BluChris]

You may well be right Greg. Everything I drove is in a category below the one my Skoda was in at the time. All are decent cars I could live with. The Focus I chose is up there with the Golf, and for non-enthusiasts the new i30 is attractive inside and out. Hell, even the Cruze with the 1.4 ITI engine and IRS is a decent enough drive. Go up the scale and there's enormous choice. VAG needs to be on its game.

We all know there are plenty of trolls about and people with an axe to grind will jump in, but read the feedback on the VW article in The Age. It paints a picture of unhappy ownership.