Service Centre Recommendations

[she_dub]

VW South Yarra are a bunch of muppets - I would not recommend them for anything, least of all servicing.

[changas]

just did my 60k service with VW @ sutherland.

put it this way, it was not bad, far better than their sales staff

the service manager was very helpful as was her service staff (one of their mechanics owns a ballistic R and took us for a spin in it)

all up, was 1500 as i had already done the pads, rotors (fluids, oil filter, fuel filter, dsg service, etc.). if you can source the wipers and clean the injectors yourself otherwise its roughly another 300 on top.

they had a look at some of the other problems i had (major oil consumption, 2.5L per 15000 km's; rattles here and there, MDI problems, DSG clunk etc) and they've logged all my faults so i can rest a little easier.

if you have any further questions just PM me.

[dsuhiti]

Just got my GTI 2 weeks ago (used, 37,000k in the clock), went to Capalaba VW to address the waste gate rattle. Spoke to the 2 service center admins...both clueless as a rock. Said they have never heard of the issue (I even provided them with the work number from VW). Have the car booked in for next Wednesday.

I am sure it will take 3 visits to the dealer to get it sorted

[MGV]

2 visits should see you right!

That's a strange one, though... I had mine fixed up at Camberwell in 2 visits. The 1st guy i spoke to when i dropped my car off was positive that it was a one-off that they hadn't encountered before, the 2nd guy told me it was a common problem, so common that they had just used their last clip (fix) & i would have to re-book to have it fixed when they got some more clips in!

But back to the original question! Am almost due for a service & thinking of going to Richmond Motors (Melbourne) (on my way to work, kinda). Recommendations?

[gordy2au]

vw villiage is better, barloworld overcharge on parts by at least 20%

I'm a 45K service done on my golf tsi. After looking around a lot I decided to go with Barloworld Mascot, as they were the cheapest dealer $425. I also enquired at non-dealer service centres. The cheapest I was quoted was at VW Village $250.

I decided to pay the extra $175 and go to the dealer for peace of mind. But it's up to you.

dealers inparticular charge 20% or more on parts!!! esp buggery world

[gordy2au]

Need a service centre close to Central Railway Station in Sydney. Saw this place advertised: SYDNEY PRESTIGE 589 - 591 Elizabeth St Surry Hills.

Any experience or views? (45k service)

Mine is leased so it needs to have an Australian Vehicle Consultants link. (they manage the maintenance process for the lease company)

there brilliant very good and helpful

[gordy2au]

AsVewM broke

go to vw villiage anzac parade kensington, half or more less than dealer

[walbjj]

dealers inparticular charge 20% or more on parts!!! esp buggery world

I love how people rationalize paying more by saying "peace of mind". It's the same logic as to why a lot of people stick with nrma or aami. Aami in particular is a terrible Iineurance company, but because they been there since forever they r unwilling to switch.
Dealers offer no more peace of mind than any other reputable workshop

[richmurphy]

Dealers offer no more peace of mind than any other reputable workshop

Agree. The only advantage of the dealership is when you come to sell. Rightly or wrongly some buyers hold dealership servicing in high regard. Selling can be such a pain at the best of times and I've never heard of a buyer walking away because the car was serviced by a dealer...

[Digger11]

Agree. The only advantage of the dealership is when you come to sell. Rightly or wrongly some buyers hold dealership servicing in high regard. Selling can be such a pain at the best of times and I've never heard of a buyer walking away because the car was serviced by a dealer...

I only ever buy cars with full dealer service history. It is not the quality of service you are buying, but the quality of owner. Conservative, ok to spend a $ on the car etc.

[walbjj]

I only ever buy cars with full dealer service history. It is not the quality of service you are buying, but the quality of owner. Conservative, ok to spend a $ on the car etc.

That logic is flawed as many enthusiasts would take their cars to independents who themselves r enthusiasts whereas someone taking it to a stealer might be a soccer mum who wouldnt have a clue how to maintain a car and treat it like crap. And also would u prefer a mechanic that has been working on that brand of car for many years or some 20 yo apprentice with dreams of going drinking with his mates that weekend

[Candyman]

Service Centre Recommendations

Dealer serviced vehicles have better resale (all else being equal) as they appeal to a wider market

Not saying it is the best option whilst owning the car in terms of cost or quality of the service

Solely referring to selling the vehicle

The wider market prefers the dealer stamp (plus the goodwill repair is more likely as well)

Personal experience with selling our GTI - every person specifically wanted dealer service stamps in the logbook, not independents

[Umai Naa!!]

So you're saying independant workshops don't have apprentices who spend too much time planning bulk consumption of alcohol?

I beg to differ. Seen it first hand. Wouldn't surprise me if the moron is still there.

[Umai Naa!!]

Dealer serviced vehicles have better resale (all else being equal) as they appeal to a wider market

Not saying it is the best option whilst owning the car in terms of cost or quality of the service

Solely referring to selling the vehicle

The wider market prefers the dealer stamp (plus the goodwill repair is more likely as well)

Personal experience with selling our GTI - every person specifically wanted dealer service stamps in the logbook, not independents

Had a similar experience with our run-of-the-mill MK4 Golf.

During our time of owning it, I did all the maintenance and repairs myself (fully-qualified mechanic with extensive VW training). You'd think it wouldn't be a big deal to most, considering the car's age. But no, we had to provide a satutory declaration to say that the work that I'd done was actually done.

Wasn't a big deal in the end, as we were able to sell it for double what my own dealership offered me on trade-in.

[Dutch77]

For the average buyer a second hand Golf may still be a significant investment and the dealer stamp provides them some extra piece of mind.

If I could easily establish that the independent mechanic was a VW specialist then I would have no issues with the vehicle, as above its quite likely the car may have received better attention as a result. Unfortunately the average buyer probably won't think like that.. they're probably moving up from a Toyota.