VW servicing

[banger2]

Hi All,
I wanted to get some general feedback on VW servicing.

Ive serviced my newly purchased Jetta 2.0T DSG with a Sydney dealer. I bought it privately at just under 60000km, so my first experience was the 60000k service. I was a little surprised by the $900 service cost, but the dealership were friendly and helpful..they even washed the car, which I have never experienced with the other 2 brands I have dealer serviced before. I noted a whine from what I thought was the drive train. Further investigation, the tech says its the turbo. I'm not convinced but as it was 7days within factory warranty, who am I to argue with a new turbo? The part would be no more than 2 weeks to come in. 6 weeks later, my boot starts playing up. Doesnt want to lock, occasionally pops open itself. Take it in, excellent one off small cost for loan car...feeling good! Dealership rings me, not warranty as the aftermarket reverse camera causing the problem coz of the way it was wired...and magically the parts are now there to do the turbo! So they do the turbo...
a few days after getting the car back, which appears to have less performance than before (or was I spoiled by the loaner Golf TDI torque??), i snip the reverse camera wires...and guess what the boot still doesnt lock! Then the coolant warning show on the dash one morning...not only that I then notice a small stain where the car is parked! To my surprise its not only coolant but oil as well! Lucky they are quite small, so not gushing coolant or huge pools of oil.
Despite loving my VW(my first VW), not only is it starting to feel like the quality(poor) of a European Holden, but the service seems to be unable to complete any jobs properly!
Im wondering whether a non dealer VW service mechanic may be of better value, and more reliable service? Does anyone here in Sydney service with a mechanic specifically advertising or experienced with VW cars? I have got an extended warranty, so cost of warranty repairs isn't an issue, but reliability of repairs is!
If you read this far, sorry for the long post! Any thoughts from anyone?

Being a long weekend, all the more frustrating I cant ring the dealer now and discuss the issue...

On a positive note, got my Parot 3200LS bluetooth handsfree installed and working excellently alongside my AVC9000...very pleased with both The install was quite easy except one little power wire requiring modification.

cyas
Ashley

[maca]

Congrats on the new car and sorry to hear about all your dramas. I've generally found that it'll take 2 or 3 trips to the dealer and a lot of hard poking to get the result you want. But as you've said, it's out of warranty now so take it to a local mechanic who will probably do a more thorough check of the car and give you good feedback.

Good luck and let us know how you go.

[Maverick]

I'm not sure there's a problem there. The 60K service is a major service and if you had done your homework before purchasing the car you would have found out the service costs. They replace the turbo under warranty for you, you took the car back 5 weeks after the warranty expired and they explained the problem with the boot was caused by an aftermarket camera install and as such not a warranty claim (note this was 5 weeks out of warranty and they looked into doing this under warranty for you which you should be appreciative of - you mentioned aftermarket warranty so depending on which one depends on what you can claim). Did you ask them for a quote to rectify the boot?

They replaced your turbo for you at the same time at no charge and now you have a small coolant/oil leak which the dealer will most likely fix at no cost as it may be related to the turbo replacement.

To sum it you were happy with the dealer and staff, you were happy with the service, you were happy with the car wash, you were happy that they replaced the turbo but you're not happy with the price of the service, the fact that an aftermarket camera has affected boot operation and that you have two very minor oil and coolant leaks?

You should lower your expectations because it doesn't sound like anything out of the ordinary has occurred other then possibly a mistake when the turbo was installed. The dealer can't be held responsible for an aftermarket wiring issue.

[Tick]

I'm not sure there's a problem there. The 60K service is a major service and if you had done your homework before purchasing the car you would have found out the service costs. They replace the turbo under warranty for you, you took the car back 5 weeks after the warranty expired and they explained the problem with the boot was caused by an aftermarket camera install and as such not a warranty claim (note this was 5 weeks out of warranty and they looked into doing this under warranty for you which you should be appreciative of - you mentioned aftermarket warranty so depending on which one depends on what you can claim). Did you ask them for a quote to rectify the boot?

They replaced your turbo for you at the same time at no charge and now you have a small coolant/oil leak which the dealer will most likely fix at no cost as it may be related to the turbo replacement.

To sum it you were happy with the dealer and staff, you were happy with the service, you were happy with the car wash, you were happy that they replaced the turbo but you're not happy with the price of the service, the fact that an aftermarket camera has affected boot operation and that you have two very minor oil and coolant leaks?

You should lower your expectations because it doesn't sound like anything out of the ordinary has occurred other then possibly a mistake when the turbo was installed. The dealer can't be held responsible for an aftermarket wiring issue.

If you read the post properly, he says he was a little surprised, never mentions not being happy. If you want I will mail you a dictionary and you can look up the difference between surprised and unhappy.

[TDIESEL]

Play nice now Maverick

For $900 I would have expected a personal massage and a weekend away to a romantic getaway spot in the blue mountains instead of just a car wash to keep their detailer busy...but thats just me

Seriously though, get the dealer to check it out. It may be something they can easily fix which was caused by their previous work. If not I'm sure someone else here can point you to a reliable VW mechanic. Where in Sydney are you located?

[TDIESEL]

Everybody shhhhhhhhhhh...don't feed the troll

[Greg Roles]

Play nice now Maverick

For $900 I would have expected a personal massage and a weekend away to a romantic getaway spot in the blue mountains instead of just a car wash to keep their detailer busy...but thats just me

Seriously though, get the dealer to check it out. It may be something they can easily fix which was caused by their previous work. If not I'm sure someone else here can point you to a reliable VW mechanic. Where in Sydney are you located?

I agree, except the weekend getaway would be "babe supplied".

Get a recommendation for an independant VW mechanic in your location, far cheaper and more personal. Heck, I'm doing that WITH warranty.

[Maverick]

If you read the post properly, he says he was a little surprised, never mentions not being happy. If you want I will mail you a dictionary and you can look up the difference between surprised and unhappy.

Clearly he is unhappy because he is considering going somewhere else based on one minor issue (the leaking oil/coolant).

He has unrealistic expectations going by the rest of his post, it's the not the dealers job to cover warranty on damage caused by third parties and just snipping some wires as he did is not going to repair that damage. He's critical of the dealer throughout his post including questioning the need to replace a turbo making a noise yet clearly doesn't have the knowledge to diagnose faults himself.

[cathmic]

Clearly he is unhappy because he is considering going somewhere else based on one minor issue (the leaking oil/coolant).

He has unrealistic expectations going by the rest of his post, it's the not the dealers job to cover warranty on damage caused by third parties and just snipping some wires as he did is not going to repair that damage. He's critical of the dealer throughout his post including questioning the need to replace a turbo making a noise yet clearly doesn't have the knowledge to diagnose faults himself.

Maverick
I too recently had that 60000/4year service for my 2.0fsi golf and cost well over $800.00 (The car at the time had only done 42000km). When I checked the invoice I noticed 4 spark plugs cost over $120.00. Later was able to purchase the same NGK plugs delivered from England in less than a week from order for less than $50.00AU.
Talk about being touched up!
This tends to be the problems with VW excessive pricing knowing that whilst the owner has a car with new car or extended car warranty the owner is warry about going elsewhere incase of a later warranty claim.
In all future services when the car is out of warranty the Dealerships (Stealerships) will be last on the list.

[Maverick]

Maverick
I too recently had that 60000/4year service for my 2.0fsi golf and cost well over $800.00 (The car at the time had only done 42000km). When I checked the invoice I noticed 4 spark plugs cost over $120.00. Later was able to purchase the same NGK plugs delivered from England in less than a week from order for less than $50.00AU.
Talk about being touched up!

How much were the spark plugs in Australia from other (non VW) suppliers? Probably around the same price I assume. Importing parts from overseas is hardly a fair comparison as parts from a non dealer service will be around the same price and is more an indication of our market size then anything else.

You can supply parts to the dealer the same as any service centre for a service.

[cathmic]

How much were the spark plugs in Australia from other (non VW) suppliers? Probably around the same price I assume. Importing parts from overseas is hardly a fair comparison as parts from a non dealer service will be around the same price and is more an indication of our market size then anything else.

You can supply parts to the dealer the same as any service centre for a service.

Maverick
I think you know NGK cannot supply these plugs to the local market at the same price as available overseas. Furthermore VW only quotes its part number for the plugs and it isn't untill you have the old parts are you able to find out who the plug manufacturer was. I dont think many people are aware of the price difference untill after they have paid the invoice

[Maverick]

Maverick
I think you know NGK cannot supply these plugs to the local market at the same price as available overseas. Furthermore VW only quotes its part number for the plugs and it isn't untill you have the old parts are you able to find out who the plug manufacturer was. I dont think many people are aware of the price difference untill after they have paid the invoice

So if NGK sell the plugs for a more expensive price in Australia which is I assume around what they cost buying them from the dealer why are you saying that VAG has excessive parts pricing?

VAG do what many manufacturers do and choose products that meet their specifications and bundle them under their own product number, you can go and find plugs that suit by going to a plug manufacturers website and doing a search.

A quick search shows the details of the Golf spark plugs and a set of 4 is around USD$60 from ECS tuning (part numbers are provided there) so no need to buy them from your dealer to get the part number.

http://www.ecstuning.com/Volkswagen-Golf_V--2.0T/Maintenance/Engine/4

http://www.golfmkv.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18676

BTW there are a lot counterfeit NGK and BOSCH spark plugs on the market, I'd be buying them from someone reputable not just a cheap online store or ebay.

[cathmic]

So if NGK sell the plugs for a more expensive price in Australia which is I assume around what they cost buying them from the dealer why are you saying that VAG has excessive parts pricing?

VAG do what many manufacturers do and choose products that meet their specifications and bundle them under their own product number, you can go and find plugs that suit by going to a plug manufacturers website and doing a search.

A quick search shows the details of the Golf spark plugs and a set of 4 is around USD$60 from ECS tuning (part numbers are provided there) so no need to buy them from your dealer to get the part number.

http://www.ecstuning.com/Volkswagen-Golf_V--2.0T/Maintenance/Engine/4

http://www.golfmkv.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18676

BTW there are a lot counterfeit NGK and BOSCH spark plugs on the market, I'd be buying them from someone reputable not just a cheap online store or ebay.

Untill recently Bosch did not have an alternative to the Platinum NGK for the 2.0lt FSI motor.
Secondly the Mk 5 Rabbit (Golf) in America is a 5 cylinder 2.5lt and the fuel the America starts at 87Ron and goes to a Max of 92Ron (Not the 98 Ron fuel for the 2.0lt FSI sent to Australia ,UK & Europe) Even the Mk 5 GTI with has to run on Max 92 Ron in California which has a turbo 2.0lt FSI motor would be tuned different to the ones sent to Australia & UK so hence I would not be using American Part Numbers for the spark plugs here.
Thirdly check the prices of MK5 GTI Side skirts, Underseat drawers & Fog light kits prices to those of America (Which you can use here) and you will see what I mean with the large price difference.
I have recently returned from the USA and was amazed on:-
1 the lower octane fuel (4 Types all less than and including 92ron) and
2 the large variation in spare prices

[Maverick]

Untill recently Bosch did not have an alternative to the Platinum NGK for the 2.0lt FSI motor.

Bosch were the original supplier of spark plugs for the FSI/TFSI and AFAIK still are.

Secondly the Mk 5 Rabbit (Golf) in America is a 5 cylinder 2.5lt

The GTI is what? 2l FSI. And that's the pricing that I supplied. Notice the quantity of four plugs?

and the fuel the America starts at 87Ron and goes to a Max of 92Ron (Not the 98 Ron fuel for the 2.0lt FSI sent to Australia ,UK & Europe) Even the Mk 5 GTI with has to run on Max 92 Ron in California which has a turbo 2.0lt FSI motor would be tuned different to the ones sent to Australia & UK so hence I would not be using American Part Numbers for the spark plugs here.

You're confused.

We use RON (Research Octane Number) and the USA and Canada use a average of RON and MON (Motor Octane Number). MON measures fuel in a more realistic manner and thus gets a rating that is 8-10 points lower.

87 US is equivalent to our 91
91 US is equivalent to our 95
93 US is equivalent to our 98

And the spark plugs "may" be different but the part numbers are a starting point and you can check European sites to confirm.

Thirdly check the prices of MK5 GTI Side skirts, Underseat drawers & Fog light kits prices to those of America (Which you can use here) and you will see what I mean with the large price difference.

And check the price of the car, it's USD21K for a GTI. Again completely irrelevant because our taxes are different, we have a lower population and so forth which makes it generally more expensive to buy anything in this country that is imported and anything we make here is generally more expensive.

Smaller market = more expensive prices

I have recently returned from the USA and was amazed on:-
1 the lower octane fuel (4 Types all less than and including 92ron) and
2 the large variation in spare prices

Responded to above.

[Greg Roles]

I have trouble getting genuine sparkplugs at any price.