More hazards at the stealer

[bluey]

Last time i went to the stealer, they kept or threw out the remainder of the oil I supplied. stealer claimed they used it all up. According to the manual, there should have been 1L left over after oil and filter change. Management asked for feedback on a survey, but since I said they owed me a litre of synthetic 507 oil, they never followed up.

This time (different stealer), we appear to have scored some minor panel damage. I'm guessing it was caused by a big 4WD, since the appearance suggests a black rub strip level with the Polo's fuel flap. I think I would have noticed that a few days ago when I filled up - it is after all in a rather obvious spot. The scrapes go all the way to half the mudflap, which suggests a vehicle mudflap that sticks out.

This particular stealer has a very crowded parking lot with very narrow bays, so it would be no surprise if they did in fact cause the damage. The stealer has paperwork where they claim to document existing damage, but this is not signed off by the customer prior to acceptance (like a reverse of a car rental damage form). So they could make up anything they like after the fact if someone at the stealership did cause it. Bottom line - I said I think they caused it and they say it was there before and they won't accept responsibility. The pen scribble on the damage form is at a different angle from the scribble for other known damage on the driver's front door, suggesting it was made at a different time (like after they caused it). So scratch another stealer - obviously the management training is still a bit lacking, since for a bit of cut and polish, they might have tried to keep a customer.

Metal denting looks to be minimal, so I guess a lazy weekend polishing out the plastic residue is in order.

So beware - next time you drop your car off at the stealership, take lots of photos and request to sign off on the pre-existing damage report and keep a copy. Out of warranty, no more stealer services for this Polo.

Last time we rented a car, we got pinged for repair of light bumper scuffs (about $400). Because we picked up the car at about 10:30pm in a dark parking lot, I took photos of lots of pre-existing light scratches in the paint (down to undercoat) which were all over the car and not documented in the rental agreement (like it had been driven through scrub). Didn't particularly notice or photograph the bumper corner, sadly. Many times before, rental companies have palmed off light scratches without metal dents as "normal wear and tear", and don't even want to bother writing those down when I have pointed them out. Happened to get a particularly picky guy when returning this vehicle - must be collecting bonuses for spotting panel damage. No more Europcar rental for me.

[h100vw]

Shame about the damage why use the dealers for servicing though, it doesn't affect your rights to claim warranty.

Gavin

[Diesel_vert]

why use the dealers for servicing though, it doesn't affect your rights to claim warranty.

I was about to post the same thing.

[Umai Naa!!]

If it happened in their care, they're liable to fix it.

Chase it up, and get it resolved.

[bluey]

If it happened in their care, they're liable to fix it.[...]

They said they'd fix it *if* they caused it. But they claim it was there when they got it. So it's their word against ours. Had a long discussion with the service manager, who wasn't budging.

Made partly worse because partner did a big scrape on the front drivers door a few months ago. It's clearly old, since I have touched up the paint cracks with undercoat.

[nat225]

which suburb is this stealer? i need to know so i will stay far far far away from it

[kaanage]

If you have totally given up getting both of these dealers to correct things for you, then I feel you are entitled to name and shame to help other know who to avoid.

[h100vw]

If you have totally given up getting both of these dealers to correct things for you, then I feel you are entitled to name and shame to help other know who to avoid.

I agree, go and see Jmac in Slacks Creek instead.

Gavin

[bluey]

Agree on seeing Jmac. Was planning that for next time. Still had an outstanding service bulletin recall item for the stealer to do, which is part of the reason I persisted one more service. While I understand that theoretically, warranty shoud not be affected, there is still the goodwill factor when it comes to making a determination on a possible warranty fault - the difference between someone deciding to say "yes" or "no" the the fight one might be up for if they do say "no".

There's more to this story. Just checked the tyres. Stealer claimed a charge for rotate and balance of tyres. When shown the bill, i said that didn't need doing, because the tyres were new (1 month). The good bit is that they took off the charge happily with no argument. The bad bit is that the rotate/balance was *never* *ever* done - which I have just seen inspecting the tyres/rims just now. The wear patterns are readily apparent and the gutter rash is where it was. (Had all the wheels off after new tires fitted to get the old grungy double sided tape off, so I know exactly which wheel was where.)

Polo stealer is at Newstead. I think you will know which one. Does a lowly 5 year old Polo get the worst mechanic at the shop??? They all seemed so nice when I dropped it off.......

[Diesel_vert]

While I understand that theoretically, warranty shoud not be affected, there is still the goodwill factor when it comes to making a determination on a possible warranty fault - the difference between someone deciding to say "yes" or "no" the the fight one might be up for if they do say "no".

A log book full of dealer stamps might have some bearing in whether you receive some sort of goodwill assistance from the manufacturer after the factory warranty has expired, but it's certainly no guarantee.

Is that worth servicing a 2009 Polo 1.9 TDI (with no DSG or DPF) exclusively at a dealership for 5 years? If it were me, I'd be inclined to say, no.

I think it's better to wear the cost of any out-of-warranty repairs, rather than go through +5 years of dealer shenanigans in the hope that the vehicle manufacturer will come to the rescue if something were to break outside of the factory warranty period.

Of course, it might be different if you'd stumbled upon a dealership that looks after the customer (and their cars) but your posts suggest that hasn't been the case.