VW Dealer, Palmdale, ca

[snortingrooster]

So I recently took my bug to Antelope Valley VW where I was going to get service done on my bug. I scheduled to have the oil changed, Coolant changed, timing belt changed, and diagnostics checked. after I got to my appointment the attendant gave me the estimation of $1600 . I had to stop her as I had to pick up my jaw from the floor since if fell off from sticker shock. I signed the piece of paper and then said to her I need to speek with the wife on this one but cary out running the diagnostics. the attendant said ok and asked if I would like a vehicle to drive while my car was being looked at. I said sure and waited for the rental. I left and went home and talked to the wife while in discussion I was made aware that I needed to pay uncle sam $6k so I obliged him and gave him his due. I then called VW stating the situation and had to decline all the service except for diagnostics. the attendant gave me a little attitude and gave me a guilt trip about scheduling a service and then having to back out of it. I apologized and explained the situation again to her. she then came back with the guilt story. I said sorry and I would be back in to get my vehicle when he was done diagnosing it. needless to say this was a few hours. at about 4:30 P.M they called and said the vehicle was ready and that the rental wasn't being covered and that I needed to drop it off and come get my vehicle. I promptly went to the dealer and got my vehicle while waiting on the forms to sign I noticed no real clarification of hourly charges or anything in fact I really didn't know what I was reading. So I asked the sales clerk to explain the charges. I received no real explanation and was put on the back burner while the two clerks were busy talking to one another. I signed the form thanked them. and said wait a minute i was charged over a $130 an hour for 2 hours and 10 minutes of diagnosis. mind you the vehicle was given to them at 7 AM that morning and it is now about 5 PM. after I made my statement they said "well VW's are very technical" I said no building jet engines from blue prints are technical, smiled and walked out.

needless to say I received a survey from the dealership and I took it I answered it and criticized a little more than I would on a regular survey. but the fact of the matter is that the Gm of VW here in Palmdale called me 30 minutes later and wanted to know my side. I explained it to him. I told him that I was't happy being offered a rental and then after the fact of all the service being canceled do to circumstances. they decided to not comp the rental and left me with an $80 dollar bill with a $270 dollar bill from the dealership. after all as said and done he said he couldn't see where they were at fault. I said it's was in the way I was handled. by not being comped the vehicle after it was offered and being given a guilt trip. he explained that when customers spend 300-400 in the dealership for maintenance they are given a rental. I told him then that was where the disconnect was because I was not made aware of that. I told him I would have gladly have given my local dealer more money Vs paying the rental vehicle and that if the attendant would have let me know this information. Then I would have gladly spent $70 more at the dealer. either way he gave me his direct number and told me to call him if I want to schedule an appointment and he will see what he can do for me. I thanked him and told him I appreciated him calling.

either way I understood where he came from and I believe he understood where I was coming from and over all I am happy with him calling me and giving me his number to schedule my next appointment.

over all by me taking this survey which gave them a 38% on there CSI the GM was immediately made aware (received phone call from him in 30 Min of taking survey) and so was VW of America. over all the Gm said if I wanted y voice heard then its being heard by him and VW of America. cause my survey was flagged for immediate inquiry. I guess it helps when you say you will post a review on google and newbeetle.org forum.

Finally I may have received a sour taste in my mouth from this experience and I vowed never to return. but by actually having my voice heard and receiving a call from the GM I believe I will give them another shot and this time I know what the estimation will be. and Ill be ready to drop the cash on the repairs my bug needs.

my recommendation on this dealership is overall good. but I would ensure all information is conveyed and clearly stated and if no one is giving you the time, then demand it and move to the next person in command.


sorry for no punctuation or any really bad grammer but im sleepy and not going to fix the bad grammer.

[kaiser]

mad that you had to pay for a rental car? it's a rental car not a loaner. sure they would have comped it if you actually had work done. but no, you wasted their time and wanted a free rental. insane.

this attitude amazes me.

[turbos03]

Originally Posted by kaiser

mad that you had to pay for a rental car? it's a rental car not a loaner. sure they would have comped it if you actually had work done. but no, you wasted their time and wanted a free rental. insane.

this attitude amazes me.

yup... and where did it state on your bil that you where charged $130 an hour..?? you signed the service agreement when you dropped the car off right..?? so you already knew what the dia. fee per hour was going to be.. does this shop have a sign posted on the wall with the shop rates listed..?? and if not did you ask..???

[Volkswoman]

Why not just find a really good quality Independent VW mechanic? I've driven a 1965 VW Squareback S as a daily driver for 15 years. My guys are such quality mechanics and over time I noticed that they worked on many types of cars. So last fall when I purchased my 1999 New Beetle as a daily driver so I could give some down/restoration time to my square, I took it to them. They did the diagnostics on it for me prior to purchase. Maybe they aren't considered as good as taking it to a dealer, but the more stories I hear about the money involved in having dealers work on VW I am horrified. My feeling is that the dealer is the best when you buy a new car and it is under warranty. Later, ask around and you will find those high quality mechanics that have left the dealerships and started their own shops or just good mechanics! Unless you can afford the cost, than that's different!

I had all the work done to make her road worthy including the timing belt and water pump replacement , antifreeze and fresh oil for $448.92 incl labor.

I am so far a happy camper.

[2004NBTURBOS]

Its called a stealership. NOT a dealership. All they want is the sale. They don't give a crap about you after the sale. This is not only VW. I bought a new 2004 Dodge Ram, a month later the overhead console light broke. Called the stealership, they ordered the part and made a appointment to have it fixed. When I got there they handed me the console and a can of factory color spray paint. They expected me to paint and fix it myself. When I stated that I paid almost $38 thousand and the truck was less then 2 months old and they should fix it, the service manager told me I needed to set a appointment in the body shop to paint the part but the next opening was 2 weeks away....I FLIPPED out. I told them I was a small business owner and need the truck to run the business. They could care less if I was gonna lose money, and told me so. In a fit of rage, I took the part, got in my truck and parked in front of the service bay door and started ripping apart the console and painting the new part. When they found me in front of the door with a line of cars waiting to get in the bay they were not happy. When the owner of the dealership came up to me I told my side of the story and he paid attention. I don't know if he was trying appease me or get me to move my truck, but he offered me free oil changes for the life of the truck. As the truck was a Cummins and quite costly to do oil changes I moved the truck. They always treated me right after that... The squeaky wheel get's the grease.

[kaiser]

Originally Posted by 2004NBTURBOS

Its called a stealership. NOT a dealership. All they want is the sale. They don't give a crap about you after the sale. This is not only VW. I bought a new 2004 Dodge Ram, a month later the overhead console light broke. Called the stealership, they ordered the part and made a appointment to have it fixed. When I got there they handed me the console and a can of factory color spray paint. They expected me to paint and fix it myself. When I stated that I paid almost $38 thousand and the truck was less then 2 months old and they should fix it, the service manager told me I needed to set a appointment in the body shop to paint the part but the next opening was 2 weeks away....I FLIPPED out. I told them I was a small business owner and need the truck to run the business. They could care less if I was gonna lose money, and told me so. In a fit of rage, I took the part, got in my truck and parked in front of the service bay door and started ripping apart the console and painting the new part. When they found me in front of the door with a line of cars waiting to get in the bay they were not happy. When the owner of the dealership came up to me I told my side of the story and he paid attention. I don't know if he was trying appease me or get me to move my truck, but he offered me free oil changes for the life of the truck. As the truck was a Cummins and quite costly to do oil changes I moved the truck. They always treated me right after that... The squeaky wheel get's the grease.

i guess you don't know how a (import) dealership works.

they make peanuts on the sale of a new car, the service and parts depts are where the profit is. used cars can yeild a good profit but new car dealers rarely have succesfull used lots.
i know it goes against the community's thoughts on dealers, but dealers are not out to screw you. they are there to be succesfull and make customers happy so they come back.

so saying that a dealer just wants the sale is far from the truth. they want you coming back over and over agian.

[snortingrooster]

actually kaiser I dont expect anything for free so take your name calling else where. really I was pissed about the way things were handled and fortunately for me the GM and I spoke and the communication barrier was discussed. and like I told him I would have rather have spent the extra money at the dealership Vs paying the rental company. funny how you read only what you want, but either way take a hike. the only reason I went to the dealer this time is cause im away from home on business and obviously im not carrying any tools on me so to the dealer I went. yes there are a few shops around here that do a fantastic job on working on german cars and charge much better rates. but I guess I better get used to someone else working on my vehicle while im on the road and get used to how things work at a shop or a dealer that way kaiser wont jump down my throat.

[wawalker]

Originally Posted by kaiser

i guess you don't know how a (import) dealership works.

they make peanuts on the sale of a new car, the service and parts depts are where the profit is. used cars can yeild a good profit but new car dealers rarely have succesfull used lots.
i know it goes against the community's thoughts on dealers, but dealers are not out to screw you. they are there to be succesfull and make customers happy so they come back.

so saying that a dealer just wants the sale is far from the truth. they want you coming back over and over agian.

Not just imports, but most cars in general are not profitable (until you get to the upscale units, i.e. Caddies, Vettes, etc.), the $$ is in trucks and SUVs, now that that has largely evaporated dealerships are relying on service and parts even more. It's a tough business. Part of the reason that Ford, GM, etc. have been pushing the "superstores" and getting rid of the small mom & pop dealership on every corner is to make it harder for the buyer to visit 4 dealers in a day, play them against one another and bargain them down to no profit. Some dealers have earned their poor rep, but most are decent places to do business, the parts and service depts. at my local VW dealer have always been very fair and good to me over the years. I can't think of one bad experience with parts or service at Performance VW and I think I prolly first did business there in about 1984.

and, for the record, I saw no name-calling in either of your posts, no edits either...so, hmmmmm

[snortingrooster]

I wasn't really referring to any of the usual name calling. Either way I wasn't really trying to deter people from going to vw of antelope valley but just venting my frustation and showing my ignorance as well as the dealers bad handling. the only thing that really set me off was just in the conversation I had had with the attendant it would be hard to explain the abrupt way they spoke to me. and that it was just "well were not going to pay for the rental" that was really it. and like I said as I spoke to the GM I let him know that it was the way I was spoken too and how it was handled. not everyone is out for a free ride, I don't expect a handout but I do expect a dealership that is looking for more business would at least give me he common courtesy to come to a reasonable solution rather than just say to hell with you.

[kaiser]

i didn't call you any names.

it still boggles my mind that you are upset over diag charges (that break down to $52.00 per hour, cheap) and the fact that you had to pay for the loaner.
bottom line here is you come off as one of those customers that feels that a dealership owes you something, or that you are entitled to some sort of special care.
i see nothing wrong with the service you recieved, other than the service advisor may have been annoyed that you canceled your repairs, can you blame him/her?

i'm done here.

off to take my hike.