Tyres for Life!

[brad]

I just bought my mk5 gti from Sinclair Ford in Kingswood (near Penrith NSW), and was interested to hear of their promotion.

If I continue to have my car serviced there, they will replace the tyres for the same ones I have now (good Continentals) for free, plus each service will be a maximum price of $215, including parts.

The tyres will need doing by the time it is due for it's 80k service, so to me, this seems to be a good deal.

Is there anything the Ford guys won't be able to do that a VW place would be able to do?

There is no 80k service. It should be a 75k (minor) one. It might be worth going there once just to get the free tyres but dealers don't do anything for "free", so you must be paying for it somehow.

Here's a simple test. Ask the Service people what oil they will be using and what VW spec it complies with. The answer will be 504/507. Then ask them what brand of oil filter they will be using. It should be VW OEM or Hengst, Mann or Mahle.
Then ask how often the brake fluid should be flushed or get them to tell you what they'll do for the next 3 services & compare with the service manual in your glovebox.
Better still, ask how often you need to come back for service. The answer should be every 15,000km/12month unless you drive under "severe service conditions" (look in your service manual for definitions).

Can you see where this is going? I bet they want to treat your car like a Falcon or a Japanese car.

edit: Is your car DSG? I think DSG oil needs replacement at 75k. Ask them how many of them they have done & if they have the special tool & oil.

[noone]

That's all good for servicing, but how much for repairs? If your car us DSG, I'd be very wary...

[lump_a_charcoal]

It isn't DSG.

I would never get them to do repairs, only a minor service, once.

[Maverick]

They will fit the same ones that are on there.

I call BS, just looking at the figures tells you that this cannot be possible.

The tyres that are on there will cost around $400 EACH to replace. That's $1600 for each replacement which will be required every 20,000km to 40,000km so 1.5 to 3 years.

They're charging $215 for each service, the smaller services take around an hour whereas the larger ones can take six or more. Quality oil for the car will cost them around $50-100 to buy in (you can't use any oil in the car), plus filter costs (oil $30, air filter and pollen filter) and the list goes on. Even if they made $50 on a minor service it would take a hell of a lot of years to make enough to pay for the tyres.

Sounds like absolute rubbish to me and a waste of time for all concerned.

[lump_a_charcoal]

Well if it is BS, I won't get them to do it. No skin off my nose...

[Maverick]

Well if it is BS, I won't get them to do it. No skin off my nose...

http://www.sinclairford.com.au/docs/Used%20Car_Feb.pdf

This has their "tyres for life" promotion and some details with "Purchase a used car from Sinclair Ford and we'll give you FREE tyres for the life of your car!*"

The asterisk conditions are "* Tyres for life program excludes 4x4 vehicles with 18 inch wheels and larger. Terms and conditions apply for program qualification, please contact Sinclair Ford Used cars for more details"

Be interesting to see the full terms and conditions as I'd expect there to be a heap of outs for them.

[lump_a_charcoal]

I checked, double checked and triple checked with the salesman, and the manager guy, and both confirmed that they would replace them, for the same type.
I also cannot see how it is a smart business model for them in this situation, but they signed a form saying they would do it.

[brad]

So your GTI has 17" rims?

What year is it & what did you pay?

I really hope it works out for you

[lump_a_charcoal]

Hey Brad,

Yeah it has 17" rims, it is an 07 and I paid $26k for it.
It has a leather interior, and is immaculate.

I am in love!

[Perun]

Please allow me to share my pearls of wisdom with you kind folk as I feel exceedingly qualified to comment of anything Ford-related.

For the past 13 years I have owned no other car but Ford. Started off with a 2nd hand $5k Telstar in 1997, finished off with a brand new $50k XR6 Turbo in 2005.

I have had the displeasure of dealing with Ford service AT LEAST 60-70 times in that time (mainly warranty work, surprise, surprise) and I can tell you they:

1. Are not very professional
2. Are exceedingly incompetent
3. Lack the basic customer service skills
4. Really don't give a flying proverbial about you or your car

They are literally half the reason why I no longer buy Fords.

Perfect case scenario: you buy a new Ford, it develops issues, service dept. fixes it, everyone's happy.

Reality: you buy a new Ford, it develops issues, service dept. take OVER 15 times to fix a leaky fuel injector but only AFTER I conveyed the advice my mechanic gave me.

In addition to all that, on more than one occasion, I've received my cars back DAMAGED! To add insult to injury, after they damaged a week-old, $1200 front bumper, they argued that it wasn't them!!

So! The point I'm trying to get across is...

You own a prime example of fine German engineering - do not trust a bunch of monkeys with it.