Skoda Service Damage

[Sharpy]

Discussed with the dealership manager, refusing to cover the cost to return the vehicle to pre-damage condition via my detailer. Will only do so through theirs and using their ceramic coating. Expressed that it was not acceptable and was not returning the vehicle to its original condition I left them the car in. They use a sub premium product and there is no way I trust their detailers.

On a side note, they want the car to do further testing to find the Bluetooth fault. This is the 4th "testing".

Fed up.

[donweather]

Donweather it was VW Group Australia that declined warranty, not the dealer. I've had more than one instance where the value on trade in was higher due to completed dealer log book. I agree that dealers won't always provide as good service as some independent outlets, but staying within the system does have some benefits too.

Sorry I don't understand. You had two exactly identical vehicles with exactly the same mileage but one was dealer serviced and the other was independent serviced and you sold them at exactly the same day but got a higher trade in price for the car that was dealer serviced?

[donweather]

Only Skoda service departments are Skoda-approved. Same goes for pretty much all manufacturers.

So you're saying my warranty is void because I get my car serviced at an independent and not the stealer. Hmmmm best I tell Jmac that then as he will be most upset all of his clients will be walking out the door tomorrow. I'm pretty sure they introduced laws in Aus to stop dealers voiding warranties if your car wasn't serviced at the dealer service department. Aren't you a VAG independent servicer yourself? So are you saying you're not Skoda or VAG approved?

[Umai Naa!!]

So you're saying my warranty is void because I get my car serviced at an independent and not the stealer. Hmmmm best I tell Jmac that then as he will be most upset all of his clients will be walking out the door tomorrow. I'm pretty sure they introduced laws in Aus to stop dealers voiding warranties if your car wasn't serviced at the dealer service department. Aren't you a VAG independent servicer yourself? So are you saying you're not Skoda or VAG approved?

You're getting lost in the terminology here.

Independant shops are not 'approved' by the manufacturers. They are licensed to trade by their state's department of fair trading. Therefore, manufacturers cannot void your warranty because you get your car maintained at an independant workshop.

[Umai Naa!!]

Discussed with the dealership manager, refusing to cover the cost to return the vehicle to pre-damage condition via my detailer. Will only do so through theirs and using their ceramic coating. Expressed that it was not acceptable and was not returning the vehicle to its original condition I left them the car in. They use a sub premium product and there is no way I trust their detailers.

On a side note, they want the car to do further testing to find the Bluetooth fault. This is the 4th "testing".

Fed up.

That's a very disappointing outcome.

[donweather]

You're getting lost in the terminology here.

Independant shops are not 'approved' by the manufacturers. They are licensed to trade by their state's department of fair trading. Therefore, manufacturers cannot void your warranty because you get your car maintained at an independant workshop.

Thanks for the clarification.

[paulie71]

Only Skoda service departments are Skoda-approved. Same goes for pretty much all manufacturers.

Under the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth), so long as the vehicle is serviced at the correct intervals, using the correct replacement parts and consumables, a dealer cannot make it a condition of a car warranty and/or deny a warranty claim if the fault was due to the workmanship and quality of the vehicle being manufactured. If a dealer tells you this, it is illegal and they can be prosecuted. If you have the vehicle serviced by another garage (ie non-dealer), they are responsible for the workmanship of the work they undertake on your car. Here's some information the RACQ publishes on the matter https://www.racq.com.au/cars-and-dri...aler-servicing . We had a Subaru before our Skoda for 14 years and it never saw the dealer except for warranty work. The garage we used in Brisbane was well known to dealers as being highly reputable, so all we ever did was hand over the invoice and report from our garage, and we drove out in a loan car. Never was a problem! On resale value of a service book with dealer stamps in it (not that they exist anymore), in my opinion the benefits are marginal with the rapid depreciation most cars these days. If you get to 5 years on any car and have 50% of the sale value intact, you are doing great!

[woofy]

For the record I had a $600 Part replaced by good will with Skoda at the 5yr mark, 2 years out of warranty. And had a broken radiator fan and cracked engine cover also covered at the 7yr mark. Dealer good will for the latter two and them pushing hard for the former one. I got the car serviced the whole time at the dealer. I intended to go independent after warranty and especially for the major belt change but between fixed price servicing coming in and price drops it didn't seem logical later on as the price was much the same and until early last year I had no issues in 7rs all up of servicing there.

[Jondalar]

No, of course not, but when trading the dealer has always asked "does it have full factory service history" before giving the price, there was one where they thought it didn't, when I clarified that it did the trade in went up $1000. I know if I were buying a 2nd hand car, I would pay more for one with full factory service history and the evidence is out there, cars like that cost more.

As for the warranty, I've heard of cars with DSG problems a year out of warranty getting fixed under warranty, this particular Golf only had 45k on it at 4yo but needed a new clutch pack.

Sorry I don't understand. You had two exactly identical vehicles with exactly the same mileage but one was dealer serviced and the other was independent serviced and you sold them at exactly the same day but got a higher trade in price for the car that was dealer serviced?

[Antiplastix]

As for the warranty, I've heard of cars with DSG problems a year out of warranty getting fixed under warranty, this particular Golf only had 45k on it at 4yo but needed a new clutch pack.

Our Yeti has never been near a dealer for servicing. It has had 2 clutch packs and mechatronics unit replaced under warranty and another clutch pack and mechatronics unit replaced free of charge out of warranty. It all depends on the dealer and your approach.

[jamesatfish]

My issue with dealership service versus independents is that mechanics tend to progress from apprentice to dealership to independent, not the other way around. Those mechanics who rise above the rest tend to end up running their own workshops or working for small businesses with similarly qualified bosses, and they're the guys I'd prefer to have working on my car.

If I'm looking at a vehicle with an independent workshop history it's pretty easy to google the mechanic and see what reputation they have. If any of the mechanics who frequent this forum appeared on a service record I'd be more confident of the vehicle's history than I would with just a series of dealer stamps.

[Sharpy]

Discussed with a lawyer friend, they have breached our contract, I have a strong claim however the cost to sue is too great in regards to the amount being claimed for damages.

If anyone has any other ideas that would be greatly appreciable, in future for any warranty claims I'll be getting them to sign off on a contract which stipulates if the car is washed, they will be liable for the detail cost through my independent detailer.

[Smart1]

Take it to small claims, from memory they have a set small fee and the judgement is binding.

[jamesatfish]

Take it to small claims, from memory they have a set small fee and the judgement is binding.

Agreed - I'm not sure of the exact details in Victoria but I believe VCAT is similar to ACAT here in the ACT. Essentially it's a non-lawyer replacement for small claims court (claims less than $10,000), small fee to have your case heard and the decisions are legally binding.

It's a system designed exactly for this type of case - where the $ amounts under dispute are small enough that traditional court actions become uneconomical.

Edit: I'm sure your Lawyer friend would be able to advise better on the specific details.