Dealership HORROR story...
08-28-2002, 08:58 AM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2000
Posts: 7,710
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Dealership HORROR story...
Ok so about 2 weeks ago or so I bring my car into Commonwealth VW-Audi, and they agreed to do the install of my own clutch under warranty. I drop off the car and later in the day I bring the parts for them to begin working on the car. A couple days later I get the car back, I don't receive my old parts back, but I figure that's not a big deal. I leave the parking and the first thing I notice is, I can't get the car in gear. Great.....they didn't bleed my clutch properly. O well, that's not a big deal either, I can do it myself.
So anyways, driving along for the rest of the day I hear this clunk sound coming from the front left side of the car. I'm boggled as to what the hell they did to my car that would make my car clunk like that. I let a couple days pass on trying to figure out what they did to my car. I bring the car to DTM to use their rack, get the car on the rack, the suspension uncompresses and lo and behold this is what I see:
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/9896/dsc04093.jpg" border="0">
WHAT THE HELL. You have got to be kidding me. They left a piece of wood jammed above my upper control arm. Not to mention it nearly scratched off the black liner in my wheel well exposing the bare metal. Here is another shot of the wood:
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/9896/dsc04095.jpg" border="0">
So I pull the piece of wood out, take my car off the rack and now the clunk is gone...or so I think. Seems like the wood did some damage to my steering or maybe busted some bushings. Now when I drive and come to a stop and the car comes back to rest you can hear popping, creaking and all sorts of weird sounds.
This is where my quest begins. I call up the dealership, talk to Mark Thuber (take note, cuz this is the main jackass over there) and tell him what I found. He is somewhat non-caring on the phone and just tells me to send the pictures and he'll get back to me. Alright, fine with me. But to the point he doesn't get back to me until I have to call him back. When I do he just schedules and appt for me and tells me to ask for him when I get there.
I take my car into the dealership on tuesday (yesterday) and I sit down and talk with Mark about the issues that have arised. He begins to turn his face on me, and starts to give me a very negative attitude then proceeds to say that they shouldn't have worked on the car in the first place and that they didn't do any damage to the car. Ummm ok...you left a piece of wood in my car and I'm sure it's good for it? Riiiiiiiiight. He says, let me take your car for a spin. I agree and let him drive around the dealership for 5 minutes or so. And he does agree that he did hear the popping sound. But then get this. He blames me for the sound and tells me that it's common on Audi's and that I have modified suspension so there is nothing he can do about it. I tell him, well then you should have told me from the start. I told him I would have much rather paid to have my own clutch installed and not have the dealership break my car. He tells me the wood didn't do any damage and refuses to fix the car, and basically in a very negative tone of voice tells me to get out there. I was at the point where I was about to snap and knock his 2 front teeth out. So now, I'm stuck with something broken in my front end (still not sure what it is) and having to pay the dealership to fix something that they broke on my car. You see now why I left? Tell me...what do I do from here. This is like going into surgery, the finding out the doctor left a piece of cheesecloth in your body, then having him tell you, o it's not bad for you....I do appreciate them putting in a clutch that is not OEM, but if they didn't agree to it, it wouldn't have been a problem. But them agreeing to do it under warranty, then further breaking my car, doesn't obligate me to silence because THEY AGREED to something they now tell they shouldn't have.
So anyone want to help me resolve this problem with the dealership, or let's go bigger and let AOA know the problem.
So anyways, driving along for the rest of the day I hear this clunk sound coming from the front left side of the car. I'm boggled as to what the hell they did to my car that would make my car clunk like that. I let a couple days pass on trying to figure out what they did to my car. I bring the car to DTM to use their rack, get the car on the rack, the suspension uncompresses and lo and behold this is what I see:
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/9896/dsc04093.jpg" border="0">
WHAT THE HELL. You have got to be kidding me. They left a piece of wood jammed above my upper control arm. Not to mention it nearly scratched off the black liner in my wheel well exposing the bare metal. Here is another shot of the wood:
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/9896/dsc04095.jpg" border="0">
So I pull the piece of wood out, take my car off the rack and now the clunk is gone...or so I think. Seems like the wood did some damage to my steering or maybe busted some bushings. Now when I drive and come to a stop and the car comes back to rest you can hear popping, creaking and all sorts of weird sounds.
This is where my quest begins. I call up the dealership, talk to Mark Thuber (take note, cuz this is the main jackass over there) and tell him what I found. He is somewhat non-caring on the phone and just tells me to send the pictures and he'll get back to me. Alright, fine with me. But to the point he doesn't get back to me until I have to call him back. When I do he just schedules and appt for me and tells me to ask for him when I get there.
I take my car into the dealership on tuesday (yesterday) and I sit down and talk with Mark about the issues that have arised. He begins to turn his face on me, and starts to give me a very negative attitude then proceeds to say that they shouldn't have worked on the car in the first place and that they didn't do any damage to the car. Ummm ok...you left a piece of wood in my car and I'm sure it's good for it? Riiiiiiiiight. He says, let me take your car for a spin. I agree and let him drive around the dealership for 5 minutes or so. And he does agree that he did hear the popping sound. But then get this. He blames me for the sound and tells me that it's common on Audi's and that I have modified suspension so there is nothing he can do about it. I tell him, well then you should have told me from the start. I told him I would have much rather paid to have my own clutch installed and not have the dealership break my car. He tells me the wood didn't do any damage and refuses to fix the car, and basically in a very negative tone of voice tells me to get out there. I was at the point where I was about to snap and knock his 2 front teeth out. So now, I'm stuck with something broken in my front end (still not sure what it is) and having to pay the dealership to fix something that they broke on my car. You see now why I left? Tell me...what do I do from here. This is like going into surgery, the finding out the doctor left a piece of cheesecloth in your body, then having him tell you, o it's not bad for you....I do appreciate them putting in a clutch that is not OEM, but if they didn't agree to it, it wouldn't have been a problem. But them agreeing to do it under warranty, then further breaking my car, doesn't obligate me to silence because THEY AGREED to something they now tell they shouldn't have.
So anyone want to help me resolve this problem with the dealership, or let's go bigger and let AOA know the problem.
08-28-2002, 09:06 AM
#3
Member
Join Date: Mar 2000
Posts: 4,751
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
GOTTA love the "Audi Experience" when it comes to dealerships and service!
While not NEARLY as bad, my dealership crimped (and broke) one of my vac lines when they put the engine cover back on. THEN . . . when I brought it to their attention, the told me that I'd have to pay to have them fix it b/c my warranty had expired. GOOD LAWD!
08-28-2002, 09:08 AM
#5
The real question is why did they need to put wood in your front suspension ?
What was the name of the tech who worked on your car ?
I've worked at that dealership for years. Mark is normally a good guy - if terribly overworked. He has race and mechanical experience that goes way back.
Please send me a mail, and let's see about finding a solution.
I've worked at that dealership for years. Mark is normally a good guy - if terribly overworked. He has race and mechanical experience that goes way back.
Please send me a mail, and let's see about finding a solution.
08-28-2002, 09:11 AM
#7
AudiWorld Expert
Join Date: Apr 2002
Posts: 25,530
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
AoA won't help you much...
They will tell you it is between the independent dealer and you. Similar thing happened when I bought my car. The Audi dealer sold me my A4 with a broken wastegate. AoA, said sorry, we wish there was something we can do for you. In the end I got it worked out with the dealer. 2 months later. You just need to keep calling them and working with them. Talk to the service manager, if he won't listen talk to the general manager.
The simple fact is they agreed to work on your car and now it is doing something differnt (in a bad way), they should take care of it.
Did they have to disassemble any suspension parts when they worked on it? I don't see the point of this wood block above the upper control arms. What did they say it would have been placed there for? Talk to the mechanic if you can.
The simple fact is they agreed to work on your car and now it is doing something differnt (in a bad way), they should take care of it.
Did they have to disassemble any suspension parts when they worked on it? I don't see the point of this wood block above the upper control arms. What did they say it would have been placed there for? Talk to the mechanic if you can.
