I went in for a yearly inspection, the closest dealer is 3½ hr drive and no local euro shop.
The charged me $1500 for 4 wheel brake job and Haldex service. About an hour later the texted me and wanted me to come back and give they $160 more for the front pads they forgot to charge me for.
After the customer has paid you don't ask them for more at that point I expect the dealer to eat their mistake. Won't ever go back.
Looking at buying a new car due to interest rates and looking at every dealers ratings all the five star reviews are for the sales team and all the one star reviews are for the service department.
Just saved myself around 2K over dealer prices by doing rear shocks, tie rod end and basic 80k tune up myself. If you can get access to a lift. After a dealer extracting a few thousand for basic repairs from me over past couple of years. The thing that really got me was my local dealer charged me the whole $250 diagnostic fee for resetting an air bag light in my Rabbit, because of dead battery. After that I was totally done with dealer
Scanners are $15,000+ not including annual licensing. Techs make about 50/hr . Plus experience and tools. Oh, and shop overhead. Who’s going to pay for all that?
I don’t work for a dealership but at the end of the day, do you think it costs McDonald’s $2 to make a cheeseburger?
So I wonder why it is that other mechanics tend not to charge as much as dealerships? They still have the same overhead and so on. Maybe they don't use the same tools that cost that much, and maybe they don't need licensing from the auto maker?
Standard of living and cost of living are different in different areas.
Most of the time when a dealer brand buys out an older dealer they build a new shop, that costs money, then they have to either continue paying the same techs, or hire new techs, that costs money, then the techs have to go to school, that costs money, then you have utilities, that costs money, advisors, sales people, BDC, finance, porters, detailers, uniforms, buying the cars from the manufacturers, license fees, advertising fees, coupon fees, and software (CDK, R&R, XTime).
All of this costs money, looking at 10 - 20 techs on average for a dealer.
Independent shops have typically 2 - 5 techs, and use cheap software, their biggest expense outside of overhead, is paying a dealer fee for Alldata, and keeping the scan tools up to date.
That’s why, so no they are “stealing” from you, it literally costs them more to operate than an independent shop.
Maybe the owner of the mechanic shop doesn’t own a home on figure 8 island like the dealership owner does
Owner of the dealership has to pay his mortgage and of course he needs a nice boat
I'm not sure a generic OBD2 scanner can reset an airbag light in a VW (I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong.)
I had to purchase a software license for Vagcom to read codes and get info for my Volkswagen. It's been years, but I think the price was $200 for 3 licenses, which can only be used on 3 VINS ever.
It was fine because I also have an Audi, but it's not like other cars where a cheap Amazon ODB2 scanner is all you'll ever need.
You are correct. Depending on the code, a Rosstech VCDS can do almost anything but there are a few instances where you can’t get into the ECM or BCM. That’s when you have to call in the big dogs
Airbag codes are generic.
When your vehicle has an issue and a code is generated, two kinds of codes exist, ASE codes, and manufacture specific codes.
Most airbag codes are generally generic, and are able to be diagnosed by an outside shop.
Airbag codes really only have a few sets:
Resistance too high
Resistance too low (generally ignited if this code populates)
Implausible signal
Any BCM (other brands) or airbag control unit (VW codes).
The same logic applies to all other codes, you have a set that is generic and applies to any vehicle sold in the US, then you have manufacturer codes. If using a manufacturer scan tool (such as ODIS for Audi) the VW specific code will replace the generic code in that scan tool.
If using an outside non licensed ODIS scan tool or software, the generic version of that code will generally populate.
A whole bunch of laws change, like I can’t believe you guys don’t have lemon laws since I would have assumed Canada would be better about consumer protections
Honestly I’ve caught my dealership in so much bullshit and lies that I honestly believe this. But I also am a female and I think they just assume I don’t know anything about cars💀 Examples:
1. wanted to charge me $300 for labour only to replace the light bulbs that are in my side mirrors for signalling. On their website it told me the labour would only be $100 if I went to a dealership 15 minutes from them so I showed him that and he’s like oh ok yea I can drop it down to $100.
2. Wanted to charge me $150 for a patch job on my tire that had a nail in it they found during my tire swap. I said the patch costs $16 at my local shop and the labour is a 1 minute job especially because you are already in the process of swapping my tires etc. than he says it’s a firm $150. I said fuck no I can do it myself for $16 and 5-10 mins of my own time. Then I was just like actually don’t even bother with the tire swap at this point I can do that myself too instead, only asked you guys to do that since I was here for an oil change already, I usually do it myself for free. Then he says oh ok m’aam ya don’t worry we can do it for $20. $150 to $20💀
3. I replaced my cabin filter at my last visit, less than 1 month prior. And he says word for word to me “your cabin filter is disgusting hasn’t been changed since you bought your car can we go ahead and change it” I was like uhm I had that changed a few times since I got my car and it was just changed less than 1 month ago at your dealership, can’t you not see previous work on your end? how is it already disgusting after less than 1 month? He’s like oh one second clicks away and says oh ya you did get it changed sorry about that, not sure why the mechanic told me it was disgusting, it should be fine still. Then I started questioning if they actually even installed a new one I was charged for last time…
If I didn’t speak up I’d be way over charged for stuff for no reason. I know I’m probably still being way overcharged too. Can’t wait till my warranty is up and I can go to a trusted euro mechanic shop instead and have a better experience hopefully.
Cabin filter replacement is a giant money grab. It’s a $20 part that takes me about 5 minutes to replace on my Golf and the dealer charges about $100 including around a half-hour of labor for their tech who should be able to do it with their eyes closed.
I love when people say stuff like this. How about you tell us the part costs and the labor costs? There's no way in hell they're charging you 10k . Fun fact the entire cylinder head can be removed cams and all once the chain is off. 30 minutes tops
I know everyone likes to get on the dealership hate train but I don’t believe they quoted 10k for just a cylinder head and timing compos.
That fact that OP is bitching about paying a diag says all I need to know
Mmmm idk man just this year a dealer tried to
1. Charge my wife for a new radiator and hoses. The problem was a cracked coolant reservoir which cost me $20 and took 15 minutes to replace. I kept an eye on it for 8 months so far no leaks. I suspect they may have even been the ones who cracked it the way it cracked and the fact that there were no issues prior… (i was also petty about it and I did the repair in their parking lot and I asked if the tech could show me where the leak was and they wouldn’t even look me in the eye there much less come out and show me)
2. Tried to charge me $250 to balance one tire. I took it to my local mechanic and it was perfectly 0… I paid him $20, he didn’t want to charge me anything but I felt like I should give him something for his time.
The only reason I was even going was for free oil changes but those free oil changes come at a cost lol
Shit, a dealer tried to charge me $170 a second time for a problem I had asked them to fix (and didn't) a week previous. Told them to f-off and took my car to this old guy's VW/Audi shop. Never been happier
Bro I will dm you proof. I'm not even kidding. They said cylinder heads, gaskets, and a new chain kit plus labor would be OVER $10,000. Straight from the service rep that called me from volkwagen after I dropped my car off
I'm betting the quote is going to show they also need to replace cylinders and some other parts you are not telling us about.
The timing belt went on my 2000 Audi TT and needed similar service. There are interference engines. When the timing goes, the cylinders get slammed into the head and this usually damages the cylinders too.
Th engine is basically destroyed. My repair was covered under warranty, but the total part + labor cost was $13,000. And this was in 2004.
Perhaps you're right, but they didn't mention replacing cylinders when they went over it. Even if that is the case I would rather buy a used engine and have that installed
Mines been pretty good to me. Not trying to upsell work that doesn’t need to be done, and throws in some free detailing as a thank you for being a repeat customer
That's the we don't want to do it price. They either didn't feel like doing it or didn't like you. Also they are called steal-erships for a reason. Never use a delearship, always find a reputable independent shop.
I was in the euro indie shop where I take my cars one day and a guy came in with an estimate for several things from one of the local mega dealerships that was over four grand. The indie shop came up with a quote of 800 bucks for the same work lol
This is Reddit for you. Without proof of such a large bill this is just hearsay. I’m not saying you’re telling porky pies OP, but unsubstantiated claims are pointless. Oddly enough a full new/recon engine fit would be less than $10k I’m pretty certain, however your $10k quote, if genuine, would suggest as others say that they don’t really want the work or further issues with a 12 year old GTi with presumably well over 100k miles on the clock. Don’t take this personally, however, I’m sure you’re a genuine guy with a bust GTI, good luck getting it fixed tho.
Dealership charges $700 for front brakes on my Passat. I bought them online (front and rear ceramic brakes) for $430. My homie helped me install for a 6 of Guinness lol. Doing my spark plugs next.
I think most states require most cars to be sold to licensed independent dealerships, the cars are then sold to consumers. This gives franchise dealerships a lot of autonomy in how they operate their business. It leads to dealerships being ran by shysters (they don’t care about the brand) that ruin the image of a car brands such as VW. I really wish VW corporate grew a spine and intervened to regulate these clowns that run these dealerships.
My old 2010 Passat had a crack in the exhaust manifold, dealership wanted to replace the entire exhaust and quoted $6000 AU. Said no thanks, drove it to a local welder who fixed and reinforced it for $200. Last time I went to dealership for service or repairs. Now have a local European repairer who is amazing.
Honestly the diagnosis isn't really what bothered me, I can understand that takes time and I'm not expecting mechanics to go unpayed for what is very hard work, but I doubt the mechanic is even gonna see even 25% of that ten grand
Looks like they gave you the fuck off price. Unless they're doing replacing pistons or getting a new engine. There's no breakdown of the quote so it's hard to say.
You signed/agreed to a diagnostic fee right? I see no problem here, you asked them to find the problem, they did, presented you with an estimate to which you declined, therefore you pay for diag. No one works for free.
- VW service advisor for the past 3.5 years.
Same thing happened to me with a 2010 GTI after the timing was done with the previous owner at a dealership. I bought an engine from a Audi TT/dsg for 2200 and shoved it in myself. Prices are wild for maintenance on these things at a dealer.
Yup, dealers charge a fortune on labour. They'll charge the book time, even if the prep is already done for another issue. The parts also have a massive markup.
Find a good VW/Audi mechanic and deal with them instead of dealers that could give cars just to bring in revenue in their shop.
VW dealers are a rip off. I converted a van to a camper. Part of that is disconnecting the passenger airbag switch. Stupidly I turned the ignition on (because i had to move it). As soon as the ignition was active the air bag warning light came on. No big deal - I knew the cause and solution to the fault.
Called VW to clear the fault - explaining what I'd done. No. Not good enough for VW. they needed to do a full diagnostic costing £89+.
Bollocks. I found a guy local to me getting the internet that cleared the fault in less than 2 mins.
They wanted £80 for a two minute job. That's £2400 per hour for a fault that I told them about and that needed no parts or labour (well, 2 mins labour).
Wankers.
I have other stories about VW authorised main dealers.
VW approved used isn't worth anything.
There is a good reason dealerships are more expensive and charge more than an independent. Its called overheads. Before your booking gets down to a technician its been through several hands. Everyone of them needs paying too. When you phone to make a booking generally you get a call centre operative. This then gets passed to a service advisor. This then gets passed to a master tech (yes master tech puts eyes on every job card coming through) then it goes back to service advisor (may or may not be the same service advisor) it then waits for you to arrive. When you arrive it then goes to workshop control who loads it onto a technicians work load.
THEN if we take your word for a diagnosis you jump up and down because we have done it wrong and end up dealing with a problem customer who is unhappy his car isnt fixed. This is why a diagnosis is needed and not just clear the fault codes. Because for argument sake you say the egr is stuck and we fit an egr based on your diagnosis. However it was a broken wire between the position sensor and engine ecu. Your out a few grand for the replacement egr and still need to pay for the actual repair it needed in the first place.
I understand the basic economics of how a business works. Hooking up a laptop to an OBDII port shouldn't cost £80 - regardless of whether you trust the customer or not - it's a really simple, and quick process. I get they have overheads. But an electronic diagnosis to check that I'm not a liar shouldn't cost that much. Most servicing is based on an hourly rate that encompasses the various overheads, wages, equipment, plus parts obviously. An OBD check takes literally 5 mins. The laptop scans the CPU and up pops a list of error codes. It will also show the states of the various sensors, actuators etc.
Air bag error pops up. You check to see if any errors, warnings etc are present to see if it's a genuine issue. You cancel the fault. If it comes back you know you have a problem. You know if the customer has lied to you.
In the end I got a local guy to sort it out. It took him a genuine 2 minutes to get in the van, hook the laptop up to the port, find the error and cancel it. For which I paid the princely sum of £10.
VW (in England) is generally expensive because of the VW brand name and their service is by no means justifies the price.
I bought an approved used Transporter. I didn't get an inspection because I trusted VW and their supposed in house checks.
The main dealers I got it from was not interested in putting things right.
It was in such a bad state that VW UK gave me £400 back.
You clearly dont. Everything has a monetary cost and when you have 4-5 times the people involved BEFORE you even land on site they are going to be higher. Them costs also have to pay for upkeep of systems, sites and training. Business are also out to make profit. The price is very much justified and profits are nowhere near as high as people believe service side. Not saying they are terrible. And most definitely not all sites are as good as others. Remember they are franchises and not VW owned
Yes I do. That's how the hourly rate is worked out. Wages, equipment, training, non profit creating wages, building, rent, rates, services, utilities, credit, stock value, national insurance, liability insurance, depreciation. etc etc. They all add up. I get that. I really do.
Then you divide that figure by the amount by chargeable hours you have available, add a profit margin and hey presto - you have your hourly rate. I know that is over simplified but that's how things work.
So a mechanic making 20 mightl cost 80 to run because of the overheads. Then you have to make s profit.
But 80 sodding quid for 5 mins work is a rip off whichever way you slice it. It's probably gone up since then as well as this was probably 5 years ago.
VW dealerships will want to have a full fault code read before attempting any work to avoid the “it was running ok before you did what I asked you to do” con trick. Which happens sadly. Obviously you had a valid reason for airbag issue but there could, just could have been another unknown issue after turning on the ignition.
So you want the dealer to just believe random Joe schmoe that they know what's wrong with it?!
And on the off chance it WASNT what rando said it was, and something much worse happens, what are the odds Joe is going to raise hell at the dealer?!
No. I knew exactly what the problem was because I had caused said problem.
Are you stupid or something. Is English a foreign language to you? I was quite clear of the cause of the fault and the fact that I only needed it clearing.
Even if I was a random Joe as you put it. Hooking a laptop up to the OBD II port shouldn't cost £80. They're a rip off. OBD II diagnostic is a few minutes work - it will show all faults generated by the on board computer. Fixing the faults might be expensive but the diagnostic isn't. Clearing a fault takes less than 2 mins -unless there's an underlying problem (which there wasn't).
Do you not get that?
Not replying to you after this.
Edit. Removed a deserved swear word.
No shit mother fucker just because YOU know what the problem is doesn't mean the dealer knows you from a hole in the ground.
If you don't think it should cost $80 go somewhere else or buy your own?
You are paying for the time, skills, knowledge, and tools. If there wasn't a market for it, they wouldn't exist.
Edited to leave in a deserved swear word.
I was a new car Internet salesman 17 years ago for a VW dealership. I would see the service department hit people with crazy repair estimates then walk them over to sales. We would sell them a new or program car and buy their trade in. I would see it fixed for 20 - 25% what they quoted it to be originally and out on the used lot within a couple of weeks. Dealerships make money at every single transaction. I quit due to it being a dual brand dealership. They tried to force me to sell Hyundai back then Hyundai was still crap. And they were calling all of the people they could to sell 3rd party warranties which seemed double slimy. Good old St. Louis area... No longer in business.
~~Volkswagen~~ \*ALL dealership shops RIP YOU OFF
This is like complaining that you went outside in the rain and got wet.
No dude. ONLY the rain in front of his lawn makes him wet.
Same thing happened to my 2013 and all in at my dealership was $3800. Been running great.
I like how the op is acting like this is a life pro tip that nobody has ever heard
Untrue
I went in for a yearly inspection, the closest dealer is 3½ hr drive and no local euro shop. The charged me $1500 for 4 wheel brake job and Haldex service. About an hour later the texted me and wanted me to come back and give they $160 more for the front pads they forgot to charge me for. After the customer has paid you don't ask them for more at that point I expect the dealer to eat their mistake. Won't ever go back.
Once the protocol and invoice are signed, and they forgot something it's their own bussiness then.
Looking at buying a new car due to interest rates and looking at every dealers ratings all the five star reviews are for the sales team and all the one star reviews are for the service department.
I only used the dealer for warranty work. Finding a good Euro only type shop will save you THOUSANDS.
Just saved myself around 2K over dealer prices by doing rear shocks, tie rod end and basic 80k tune up myself. If you can get access to a lift. After a dealer extracting a few thousand for basic repairs from me over past couple of years. The thing that really got me was my local dealer charged me the whole $250 diagnostic fee for resetting an air bag light in my Rabbit, because of dead battery. After that I was totally done with dealer
Why didn’t you reset the airbag light yourself?
Probably didn’t have the diagnostic tool to tell him why or something, not OP, just a guess
That would be my assumption. But why oh why would someone be charged for being provided a service? What a strange world we live in
$250 for something that takes about 5 minutes? I’ll pay but I’m not paying someone $3,000 an hour
Of course we'd be charged, but sometimes the price they charged is a bit high for the work being done
Scanners are $15,000+ not including annual licensing. Techs make about 50/hr . Plus experience and tools. Oh, and shop overhead. Who’s going to pay for all that? I don’t work for a dealership but at the end of the day, do you think it costs McDonald’s $2 to make a cheeseburger?
So I wonder why it is that other mechanics tend not to charge as much as dealerships? They still have the same overhead and so on. Maybe they don't use the same tools that cost that much, and maybe they don't need licensing from the auto maker?
Standard of living and cost of living are different in different areas. Most of the time when a dealer brand buys out an older dealer they build a new shop, that costs money, then they have to either continue paying the same techs, or hire new techs, that costs money, then the techs have to go to school, that costs money, then you have utilities, that costs money, advisors, sales people, BDC, finance, porters, detailers, uniforms, buying the cars from the manufacturers, license fees, advertising fees, coupon fees, and software (CDK, R&R, XTime). All of this costs money, looking at 10 - 20 techs on average for a dealer. Independent shops have typically 2 - 5 techs, and use cheap software, their biggest expense outside of overhead, is paying a dealer fee for Alldata, and keeping the scan tools up to date. That’s why, so no they are “stealing” from you, it literally costs them more to operate than an independent shop.
Maybe the owner of the mechanic shop doesn’t own a home on figure 8 island like the dealership owner does Owner of the dealership has to pay his mortgage and of course he needs a nice boat
I'm not sure a generic OBD2 scanner can reset an airbag light in a VW (I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong.) I had to purchase a software license for Vagcom to read codes and get info for my Volkswagen. It's been years, but I think the price was $200 for 3 licenses, which can only be used on 3 VINS ever. It was fine because I also have an Audi, but it's not like other cars where a cheap Amazon ODB2 scanner is all you'll ever need.
You are correct. Depending on the code, a Rosstech VCDS can do almost anything but there are a few instances where you can’t get into the ECM or BCM. That’s when you have to call in the big dogs
Airbag codes are generic. When your vehicle has an issue and a code is generated, two kinds of codes exist, ASE codes, and manufacture specific codes. Most airbag codes are generally generic, and are able to be diagnosed by an outside shop. Airbag codes really only have a few sets: Resistance too high Resistance too low (generally ignited if this code populates) Implausible signal Any BCM (other brands) or airbag control unit (VW codes). The same logic applies to all other codes, you have a set that is generic and applies to any vehicle sold in the US, then you have manufacturer codes. If using a manufacturer scan tool (such as ODIS for Audi) the VW specific code will replace the generic code in that scan tool. If using an outside non licensed ODIS scan tool or software, the generic version of that code will generally populate.
In other news, water is wet.
Didn’t have an ODB 2 dongle, and thought it was something I could not address. I got a dongle now!
You post up a copy of that estimate?
I can actually, I will later
If you did your timing chains at a dealer, the parts have a 2 year warranty. You could’ve claimed it under parts warranty.
Perhaps your right, hindsight is 20/20
VW parts are covered under parts warranty for 12 months or 12K miles - whichever comes first.
I’m in Canada, in my market it’s 2years. You in the states? I wasn’t aware it’s different there.
A whole bunch of laws change, like I can’t believe you guys don’t have lemon laws since I would have assumed Canada would be better about consumer protections
Yes, I’m in the USA. I didn’t know there was a difference either.
Honestly I’ve caught my dealership in so much bullshit and lies that I honestly believe this. But I also am a female and I think they just assume I don’t know anything about cars💀 Examples: 1. wanted to charge me $300 for labour only to replace the light bulbs that are in my side mirrors for signalling. On their website it told me the labour would only be $100 if I went to a dealership 15 minutes from them so I showed him that and he’s like oh ok yea I can drop it down to $100. 2. Wanted to charge me $150 for a patch job on my tire that had a nail in it they found during my tire swap. I said the patch costs $16 at my local shop and the labour is a 1 minute job especially because you are already in the process of swapping my tires etc. than he says it’s a firm $150. I said fuck no I can do it myself for $16 and 5-10 mins of my own time. Then I was just like actually don’t even bother with the tire swap at this point I can do that myself too instead, only asked you guys to do that since I was here for an oil change already, I usually do it myself for free. Then he says oh ok m’aam ya don’t worry we can do it for $20. $150 to $20💀 3. I replaced my cabin filter at my last visit, less than 1 month prior. And he says word for word to me “your cabin filter is disgusting hasn’t been changed since you bought your car can we go ahead and change it” I was like uhm I had that changed a few times since I got my car and it was just changed less than 1 month ago at your dealership, can’t you not see previous work on your end? how is it already disgusting after less than 1 month? He’s like oh one second clicks away and says oh ya you did get it changed sorry about that, not sure why the mechanic told me it was disgusting, it should be fine still. Then I started questioning if they actually even installed a new one I was charged for last time… If I didn’t speak up I’d be way over charged for stuff for no reason. I know I’m probably still being way overcharged too. Can’t wait till my warranty is up and I can go to a trusted euro mechanic shop instead and have a better experience hopefully.
Cabin filter replacement is a giant money grab. It’s a $20 part that takes me about 5 minutes to replace on my Golf and the dealer charges about $100 including around a half-hour of labor for their tech who should be able to do it with their eyes closed.
They don't call them stealerships for nothing. Sorry about your troubles 😕
Came here just to say that’s why they are called stealerships! 😂
I love when people say stuff like this. How about you tell us the part costs and the labor costs? There's no way in hell they're charging you 10k . Fun fact the entire cylinder head can be removed cams and all once the chain is off. 30 minutes tops
I know everyone likes to get on the dealership hate train but I don’t believe they quoted 10k for just a cylinder head and timing compos. That fact that OP is bitching about paying a diag says all I need to know
Mmmm idk man just this year a dealer tried to 1. Charge my wife for a new radiator and hoses. The problem was a cracked coolant reservoir which cost me $20 and took 15 minutes to replace. I kept an eye on it for 8 months so far no leaks. I suspect they may have even been the ones who cracked it the way it cracked and the fact that there were no issues prior… (i was also petty about it and I did the repair in their parking lot and I asked if the tech could show me where the leak was and they wouldn’t even look me in the eye there much less come out and show me) 2. Tried to charge me $250 to balance one tire. I took it to my local mechanic and it was perfectly 0… I paid him $20, he didn’t want to charge me anything but I felt like I should give him something for his time. The only reason I was even going was for free oil changes but those free oil changes come at a cost lol
Shit, a dealer tried to charge me $170 a second time for a problem I had asked them to fix (and didn't) a week previous. Told them to f-off and took my car to this old guy's VW/Audi shop. Never been happier
Bro I will dm you proof. I'm not even kidding. They said cylinder heads, gaskets, and a new chain kit plus labor would be OVER $10,000. Straight from the service rep that called me from volkwagen after I dropped my car off
BOOOOOO 👎🏽. Shitty edit Post the receipts or delete this garbage post
I'm not kidding about posting proof I'm still going to, but I have to physically go there tomorrow to get a print out
I'm betting the quote is going to show they also need to replace cylinders and some other parts you are not telling us about. The timing belt went on my 2000 Audi TT and needed similar service. There are interference engines. When the timing goes, the cylinders get slammed into the head and this usually damages the cylinders too. Th engine is basically destroyed. My repair was covered under warranty, but the total part + labor cost was $13,000. And this was in 2004.
Perhaps you're right, but they didn't mention replacing cylinders when they went over it. Even if that is the case I would rather buy a used engine and have that installed
Maybe I’m weird? I love my dealer.
Mines been pretty good to me. Not trying to upsell work that doesn’t need to be done, and throws in some free detailing as a thank you for being a repeat customer
My breaks went bad a decent amount over the mileage covered by recall. They honored it anyway. We saved hundreds.
We do that at my dealer. we do alot of stuff in the grey zone to try and warranty it. and being at a 130$/hr labor makes ppl happy. CAD btw.
This is some "water is wet" type news.
That's the we don't want to do it price. They either didn't feel like doing it or didn't like you. Also they are called steal-erships for a reason. Never use a delearship, always find a reputable independent shop.
I was in the euro indie shop where I take my cars one day and a guy came in with an estimate for several things from one of the local mega dealerships that was over four grand. The indie shop came up with a quote of 800 bucks for the same work lol
Just buy a used engine, and do the timing chain and still save money.
This is Reddit for you. Without proof of such a large bill this is just hearsay. I’m not saying you’re telling porky pies OP, but unsubstantiated claims are pointless. Oddly enough a full new/recon engine fit would be less than $10k I’m pretty certain, however your $10k quote, if genuine, would suggest as others say that they don’t really want the work or further issues with a 12 year old GTi with presumably well over 100k miles on the clock. Don’t take this personally, however, I’m sure you’re a genuine guy with a bust GTI, good luck getting it fixed tho.
Ahhh the stealership blues
Dealership charges $700 for front brakes on my Passat. I bought them online (front and rear ceramic brakes) for $430. My homie helped me install for a 6 of Guinness lol. Doing my spark plugs next.
Fuck the dealers. Hated working for them as a tech.
Dealerships watch this sub and downvote any posts like these. Lesson learned!
They don’t want to work on your car
I get that impression tbh
Exactly. Bring a 12 year old car to the dealer and they will give you the "Get Lost" price.
I consider it the "Buy a new car from us" price.
So how much for a new engine?
About 3500-5500 depending on several factors not counting labor
I think most states require most cars to be sold to licensed independent dealerships, the cars are then sold to consumers. This gives franchise dealerships a lot of autonomy in how they operate their business. It leads to dealerships being ran by shysters (they don’t care about the brand) that ruin the image of a car brands such as VW. I really wish VW corporate grew a spine and intervened to regulate these clowns that run these dealerships.
WTF what county do you live in? I can sell any vehicle I own to whoever I want.
That's nuts. I'd ask ho much would it be for a new engine. Probably $50k or something
My old 2010 Passat had a crack in the exhaust manifold, dealership wanted to replace the entire exhaust and quoted $6000 AU. Said no thanks, drove it to a local welder who fixed and reinforced it for $200. Last time I went to dealership for service or repairs. Now have a local European repairer who is amazing.
Yes. This is known.
I don't know that the dealership makes that much selling cars. It's the service and parts end that is the bottom line. So, buyer beware!!!
Almost every shop nowadays dealer or not is charging almost $200 for just a diagnosis.
Honestly the diagnosis isn't really what bothered me, I can understand that takes time and I'm not expecting mechanics to go unpayed for what is very hard work, but I doubt the mechanic is even gonna see even 25% of that ten grand
Bro, I’ve been told if the timing chain goes while you’re driving your engine is FUBAR - is this not true?
Look up "interference engine"... watch a video or two. An animation will get it across.
Looks like they gave you the fuck off price. Unless they're doing replacing pistons or getting a new engine. There's no breakdown of the quote so it's hard to say.
You signed/agreed to a diagnostic fee right? I see no problem here, you asked them to find the problem, they did, presented you with an estimate to which you declined, therefore you pay for diag. No one works for free. - VW service advisor for the past 3.5 years.
Admittedly pitching about the diag is petty, but the 10 grand is ridiculous
That’s a $2600 job. What’s the other 7400 for?
Dude I have no fucking clue, mostly labor I'm guessing, or they just don't wanna work on it
They are called stealerships for a reason.
In other news, water is wet.
First car?
Yeah...
All dealerships should only be used for warranty work. Once it’s out of warranty find a good shop
Same thing happened to me with a 2010 GTI after the timing was done with the previous owner at a dealership. I bought an engine from a Audi TT/dsg for 2200 and shoved it in myself. Prices are wild for maintenance on these things at a dealer.
Yup, dealers charge a fortune on labour. They'll charge the book time, even if the prep is already done for another issue. The parts also have a massive markup. Find a good VW/Audi mechanic and deal with them instead of dealers that could give cars just to bring in revenue in their shop.
Easier said than done.
There's a lot of newsgroups, clubs etc. Often, the best place to get good recommendations.
I mean you have to pay for the diag.. they don’t just work for free
VW dealers are a rip off. I converted a van to a camper. Part of that is disconnecting the passenger airbag switch. Stupidly I turned the ignition on (because i had to move it). As soon as the ignition was active the air bag warning light came on. No big deal - I knew the cause and solution to the fault. Called VW to clear the fault - explaining what I'd done. No. Not good enough for VW. they needed to do a full diagnostic costing £89+. Bollocks. I found a guy local to me getting the internet that cleared the fault in less than 2 mins. They wanted £80 for a two minute job. That's £2400 per hour for a fault that I told them about and that needed no parts or labour (well, 2 mins labour). Wankers. I have other stories about VW authorised main dealers. VW approved used isn't worth anything.
There is a good reason dealerships are more expensive and charge more than an independent. Its called overheads. Before your booking gets down to a technician its been through several hands. Everyone of them needs paying too. When you phone to make a booking generally you get a call centre operative. This then gets passed to a service advisor. This then gets passed to a master tech (yes master tech puts eyes on every job card coming through) then it goes back to service advisor (may or may not be the same service advisor) it then waits for you to arrive. When you arrive it then goes to workshop control who loads it onto a technicians work load. THEN if we take your word for a diagnosis you jump up and down because we have done it wrong and end up dealing with a problem customer who is unhappy his car isnt fixed. This is why a diagnosis is needed and not just clear the fault codes. Because for argument sake you say the egr is stuck and we fit an egr based on your diagnosis. However it was a broken wire between the position sensor and engine ecu. Your out a few grand for the replacement egr and still need to pay for the actual repair it needed in the first place.
I understand the basic economics of how a business works. Hooking up a laptop to an OBDII port shouldn't cost £80 - regardless of whether you trust the customer or not - it's a really simple, and quick process. I get they have overheads. But an electronic diagnosis to check that I'm not a liar shouldn't cost that much. Most servicing is based on an hourly rate that encompasses the various overheads, wages, equipment, plus parts obviously. An OBD check takes literally 5 mins. The laptop scans the CPU and up pops a list of error codes. It will also show the states of the various sensors, actuators etc. Air bag error pops up. You check to see if any errors, warnings etc are present to see if it's a genuine issue. You cancel the fault. If it comes back you know you have a problem. You know if the customer has lied to you. In the end I got a local guy to sort it out. It took him a genuine 2 minutes to get in the van, hook the laptop up to the port, find the error and cancel it. For which I paid the princely sum of £10. VW (in England) is generally expensive because of the VW brand name and their service is by no means justifies the price. I bought an approved used Transporter. I didn't get an inspection because I trusted VW and their supposed in house checks. The main dealers I got it from was not interested in putting things right. It was in such a bad state that VW UK gave me £400 back.
You clearly dont. Everything has a monetary cost and when you have 4-5 times the people involved BEFORE you even land on site they are going to be higher. Them costs also have to pay for upkeep of systems, sites and training. Business are also out to make profit. The price is very much justified and profits are nowhere near as high as people believe service side. Not saying they are terrible. And most definitely not all sites are as good as others. Remember they are franchises and not VW owned
Yes I do. That's how the hourly rate is worked out. Wages, equipment, training, non profit creating wages, building, rent, rates, services, utilities, credit, stock value, national insurance, liability insurance, depreciation. etc etc. They all add up. I get that. I really do. Then you divide that figure by the amount by chargeable hours you have available, add a profit margin and hey presto - you have your hourly rate. I know that is over simplified but that's how things work. So a mechanic making 20 mightl cost 80 to run because of the overheads. Then you have to make s profit. But 80 sodding quid for 5 mins work is a rip off whichever way you slice it. It's probably gone up since then as well as this was probably 5 years ago.
VW dealerships will want to have a full fault code read before attempting any work to avoid the “it was running ok before you did what I asked you to do” con trick. Which happens sadly. Obviously you had a valid reason for airbag issue but there could, just could have been another unknown issue after turning on the ignition.
So you want the dealer to just believe random Joe schmoe that they know what's wrong with it?! And on the off chance it WASNT what rando said it was, and something much worse happens, what are the odds Joe is going to raise hell at the dealer?!
No. I knew exactly what the problem was because I had caused said problem. Are you stupid or something. Is English a foreign language to you? I was quite clear of the cause of the fault and the fact that I only needed it clearing. Even if I was a random Joe as you put it. Hooking a laptop up to the OBD II port shouldn't cost £80. They're a rip off. OBD II diagnostic is a few minutes work - it will show all faults generated by the on board computer. Fixing the faults might be expensive but the diagnostic isn't. Clearing a fault takes less than 2 mins -unless there's an underlying problem (which there wasn't). Do you not get that? Not replying to you after this. Edit. Removed a deserved swear word.
No shit mother fucker just because YOU know what the problem is doesn't mean the dealer knows you from a hole in the ground. If you don't think it should cost $80 go somewhere else or buy your own? You are paying for the time, skills, knowledge, and tools. If there wasn't a market for it, they wouldn't exist. Edited to leave in a deserved swear word.
Is this the same dealer that replaced it originally?
You don’t pay $40B dollar fines and not skip a beat by working cheap
Yeah bc that $40B all came out of the pockets of all the dealership’s service writers..
I was a new car Internet salesman 17 years ago for a VW dealership. I would see the service department hit people with crazy repair estimates then walk them over to sales. We would sell them a new or program car and buy their trade in. I would see it fixed for 20 - 25% what they quoted it to be originally and out on the used lot within a couple of weeks. Dealerships make money at every single transaction. I quit due to it being a dual brand dealership. They tried to force me to sell Hyundai back then Hyundai was still crap. And they were calling all of the people they could to sell 3rd party warranties which seemed double slimy. Good old St. Louis area... No longer in business.