overheard at the dealer today

[Don M]

We have same problems here.  5 VW/Audi Dealers within a 1 1/2 hr drive.  Three, 
I would buy cars from...One, I would recommend for service.  Five years ago 
maybe three, would qualify as ok places for service.

The problem here (SW On) seems to be too many sales not enough trained staff 
and/or large enough facilities to handle the increased business.  Also, a good 
service manager to hold everything together seems difficult to find.

There is one service manager who has been in the business for over 20 years. 
 He's taken p/o customer's cars into the back lot put them in park and floored 
them for several minutes in an attempt to get even.  He also does oil changes 
on new cars...tops them up, fills in your owners manual and sends you on your 
merry way.  He lasts about 5 years at each place eventually gets sacked or 
quits and shows up at another VW/Audi or VW dealer a few months later.  The 
only thing he is good at is keeping costs down which is why he keeps popping 
up.  Pretty sad state of affairs when that's your claim to fame.

Another has a bad habit of adding stuff to your bill.  In one instance a friend 
showed me an invoice to repair what he thought was a bad wheel bearing. 
 Invoice said no, bad brakes...installed new pads and rotors and bled the 
system.  Trouble was they didn't install the rotors or fix the real problem 
(bearing).  He told the customer he was full of sh*t without even looking at 
the car.  So this friend called his lawyer, had the car inspected at another 
dealer...no new rotors and a bad wheel bearing.  Lawyer wrote a letter and 
about 4 months later he received a credit notice in the mail for the rotors and 
an invoice for a wheel bearing plus labour.  I also know of one elderly lady 
who had a bad water pump on her A4 2.8.  Although fixed, she was actually 
invoiced for an a/c compressor for a 100.  Her son (my brother-in-law) spotted 
this error but it took him several months and the threat of legal action to get 
it sorted out.  Over-billing or over-milking the customer seems to be common at 
this dealer.

Don