Bad dealer experience - opinions needed

[JUT]

Nope it wouldn't just tried it on mine sat in car, armed system with key fob whilst sitting inside, it can't be unlocked without the fob as the deadlocks are active.

Thought so... I'm being fed a long line of bull**** by the dealer

[TaviaRS]

Yes, I think you are :grumpy:

I know that if it was me I would be getting decidedly p1ssy by now.

[MonkeyHanger]

Who breaks into a Skoda main dealer to steal car stereos?

Someone who knows what's there ?

Why aren't they willing to tell me if they have CCTV of it (which they must have if it was broken into where they say it was)?

A suspicious person (such as me) could be forgiven for thinking someone has something to hide...

If it was left on the forecourt overnight (contrary to what they say)' date=' why when they know how much expensive kit was fitted? Unless it was deliberately left outside for someone...

[/quote']No...surely not....

How many thieves would know there was a false floor in the glovebox and steal what was under there? Because they did...

A thief who had prior knowledge of the car & its contents perhaps? :rubchin:

If the car has deadlocks, how did they get the boot open just by smashing a back window?

There's a marvellous invention for beating deadlocks. Its called a keyfob

Or was it actually locked???

Is it just me or does this all sound very fishy????? :confused:

Its extremely fishy, in fact i wouldn't be surprised if the thief was Captain Birdseye.

[JUT]

Can anyone recommend a reliable bull****-free dealer in the north london / herts area??? :(

[JBS Auto Design]

I worked on the warranty side of Skoda for 4 years.

If anyone came in with a problem with the headlamps misting up I wold not have given them the brush off.

If after a short period of time , they did not clear , then you would have to look in to it more closely.

May be wrong , but isn`t there a seal?

No do not put up with misty headlamps.

If you have complaints about any dealers get in touch with Skoda customer services.

I worked closely with them on a number of occasions , and they are very helpfull.

If complaints come in about a dealer , they are looked in to , but they do say to get in touch with the Dealer Priciple first.

[Xavier]

I hate to say this, but I agree with Geoff's cynnical but potentially scarily truthful reply (can we make up over the brick issue now? )

Also, just to be really twisted, do you know if they have signs everywhere declaring CCTV surveillance? If they don't, then any recorded footage doesn't legally hold ground. Which in turn could be because they are fake CCTV cameras with no electronics and no tape recording system. :eek:

[JUT]

I hate to say this' date=' but I agree with Geoff's cynnical but potentially scarily truthful reply (can we make up over the brick issue now? )

Also, just to be really twisted, do you know if they have signs everywhere declaring CCTV surveillance? If they don't, then any recorded footage doesn't legally hold ground. Which in turn could be because they are fake CCTV cameras with no electronics and no tape recording system. :eek:[/quote']

I went down there and wasn't heartened by their security measures. Apparently the deadlocks on a Fabia automatically disarm if the battery is disconnected (so what's the point in having them???) and the dealership's not that much more secure...

Firstly, whilst they have CCTV, it doesn't cover the secure compound, nor the area my car was parked in the day before.

Secondly, the 8ft spiky metal fence is only on one side. The rear fence of the dealership is barb-wire topped... over standard garden PVC-coated chicken wire... which the pikeys pulled down hard and thereby gave themselves a gap to get into the compound....

To make matters worse, there is a private dirt road running past this fence that quietly and discretely runs back to a main road...

Bottom line - don't leave your car there overnight...

On the plus side, the dealer has agreed to replace everything, and I'm told I'll have it back by the end of the week, good as new... naturally, I'm taking such promises with a pinch of salt now... It'll be done once I hav the car back, with all faults fixed, all scumbag damage repaired and all stolen items replaced... until then I'm Superb'ing!!!

[camerashy]

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/showthread.php?t=14196&highlight=vindis

You have no idea how appauling Vindis Skoda in Cambridge are...seriously. Avoid! if only you'd said we'd have all said avoid like poo on a stick!!!

They have REPEATEDLY f*cked me about over apparently 'ordered parts' - 4 months after they were ordered...and repeated hounding...i gave up.

As for your theft - sorry to hear it bud, but it really wouldn't surprise me if it was an inside job. Around Cambridge theres porsche garages...vw...odd tvr etc...why on EARTH bother with a skoda garage.

The security at the place is LAUGHABLE, the front forecourt - you could quite happily walk away with a brand new octy/fabia all you need is a brick.

Don't let them give you ANY gip, as to warranty repairs/costs you've incurred. In future use Downham Market skoda - very helpful, reliable, polite, quick to order things, not run by a bunch of ******* imbeciles.

If you want a hand getting your insurance sorted, i'd be more than happy to come down and 'make a scene' in front of any prospective customers on a Saturday morning, they'd love it i'm sure, could tell everyone just how GREAT a dealership they really are.

[JUT]

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/showthread.php?t=14196&highlight=vindis

You have no idea how appauling Vindis Skoda in Cambridge are...seriously. Avoid! if only you'd said we'd have all said avoid like poo on a stick!!!

They have REPEATEDLY f*cked me about over apparently 'ordered parts' - 4 months after they were ordered...and repeated hounding...i gave up.

As for your theft - sorry to hear it bud' date=' but it really wouldn't surprise me if it was an inside job. Around Cambridge theres porsche garages...vw...odd tvr etc...why on EARTH bother with a skoda garage.

The security at the place is LAUGHABLE, the front forecourt - you could quite happily walk away with a brand new octy/fabia all you need is a brick.

Don't let them give you ANY gip, as to warranty repairs/costs you've incurred. In future use Downham Market skoda - very helpful, reliable, polite, quick to order things, not run by a bunch of fecking imbeciles.

If you want a hand getting your insurance sorted, i'd be more than happy to come down and 'make a scene' in front of any prospective customers on a Saturday morning, they'd love it i'm sure, could tell everyone just how GREAT a dealership they really are.[/quote']

Holding off for now as they *seem* to be sorting it, will know by the weekend though...

As for alternative dealers, I actually live in North London but I bought the car from Vindis A) because they were competitive in price, and because they are located close to where my gf lives. But in terms of future serviicing and repairs I'll probably go closer to home. Welham Green looked like a total mickey mouse outfit to me (bad attitudes, zero discount offered on a new Fabia vRS and the place looks like a large garden shed), anybody have any experience with Le Car Centre in Finchley or have any other suggestions?

[Skodacious]

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/showthread.php?t=14196&highlight=vindis

You have no idea how appauling Vindis Skoda in Cambridge are...seriously. Avoid! if only you'd said we'd have all said avoid like poo on a stick!!!

They have REPEATEDLY f*cked me about over apparently 'ordered parts' - 4 months after they were ordered...and repeated hounding...i gave up.

Must say that the parts side of things isn't good :( This may sound like small change compared to other people's experiences but I have been waiting since October for some suspension turret caps for my Octy vRS (cost

[Xavier]

[...']anybody have any experience with Le Car Centre in Finchley or have any other suggestions?

Graeme (fab16v) bought his furby from Le Car centre and highly recommends them I think.

I phoned them up when looking for mine and they were very helpful. If they're near, I'd deffo go and have a chat with them

[JUT]

Apparently, the van that was seen by a neighbouring company being used in my robbery, was pulled over yesterday by the plod who promptly collared the pikeys driving it. No equipment recovered :( but no surprise there then - you can bet less than half an hour after it was removed from my car, it was for sale out of the back of the same van in a nearby pub car park

On the plus side, the replacement stereo equipment was fitted today apparently. Worryingly the fitter appeared to have very little clue how to install or set up the system - wanted to bridge 4 of channels of a 5 channel amp to the rear speakers and run the fronts of HU power - great for soundstaging... :thumbdwn: also wanted to fit the amp to the passenger side wall of the boot - therefore drilling through the wheelarch to mount it :eek:

I said no thanks, 4 channels to four speakers please and the amp will do just fine screwed to the back of the seat

Hopefully will be getting it back, complete with replaced window, replaced centre console, cleaned/replaced rear seat, replaced xenon headlight, replaced stereo, groan-free rear brakes, replaced glovebox light, full tank of diesel, a nice smelly tree and full valet, and maybe a big silk ribbon too, this weekend. Looking back over that list, that's a hell of a lot to fix on a car with 2,500 miles on the clock :eek: :eek: :eek:

Fingers crossed it's all sorted this time...

[JUT]

Vindis phoned again... f*cking muppets, again they have locked out the dash cluster (2 more in fact after the first one they buggered :eek: ) so again the car is not ready for collection when they said it would be. I'm going down there tomorrow to make sure everything else is fixed anyway, but can someone (please??? Ross maybe???) give me instructions on how to correctly fit and code a dash cluster, so I can pass them onto Vindis and hoepfully overcome their ignorance?!?!?!

PS I have insisted they keep the car inside overnight, which they have promised to do... fingers crossed...

[skodaw]

Re Headlight steaming up' date=' If it steams up then IMO its a fault.

It can only steam up if there is an air leak around the joints or where the bulb holder seals to the unit, check this area carefully, Ive had similar problems & it was caused by a sidelight wire being trapped under the edge of the rubber seal to the bulb unit (my fault when changing headlight bulbs)

They dont steam up on most cars so why should yours ?

Will a car with fogged up headlights fail the MOT, I dont know the answer but if its yes then your car is technically illegal & the headlights as fitted are "not fit for purpose" so Skoda should sort it.

[b']I bet VAG wouldnt try & fob off an Audi owner with the same "excuse" so wht should you accept it[/b]

The headlight's that are now used on most VAG cars are made entirely of plastic and require a form of venting to allow heat to escape - this means you can get some misting.

Audi(UK) will NOT replace a headlight under warranty for steaming up,however if as we have seen the headlight gets to he stage of having droplets of water on the inside of the unit - that is accepted as a warranty claim,additionaly Audi states that the steaming should clear with the headlights on dipped beam for 10mins - if it doesnt that is also an acceptable claim.

As for the misted lights causing a legal issue - these days with clear lenses its not as critical as it would have been with the old len's that control beam pattern - one of the reasons of changing to clear lens was to offset the effect of dirty lens - so slight misting would have little/no effect.

[skodaw]

Vindis phoned again... f*cking muppets' date=' again they have locked out the dash cluster (2 more in fact after the first one they buggered :eek: ) so again the car is not ready for collection when they said it would be. I'm going down there tomorrow to make sure everything else is fixed anyway, but can someone (please??? Ross maybe???) give me instructions on how to correctly fit and code a dash cluster, so I can pass them onto Vindis and hoepfully overcome their ignorance?!?!?!

PS I have insisted they keep the car inside overnight, which they have promised to do... fingers crossed... [/quote']

Not that this is really any help......

the current system of immobiliser / dashpod coding used by VAG is utter crap.

when we were using the system vindis are using it was not uncommon to screw at least one pod when trying to code them - for instance when entering the existing mileage - you have to do this in Kilometres :eek: the dashpod is then ment to adapt to miles - more often than not it would stick with kilometres,sometimes you would get past the miles/km thing and all would appear well - you then get to the stage of authorising the keys - this would either be plane sailing or would refuse 1 or all of the keys - junk dashpod exit stage left please.....

Audi are now on a different system,which is a secure link to the factory - so bloody secure we can hardly ever get access!! - I currently have 4 cars parked outside my workshop waiting for the pods to be coded - you can imagine what my customers think of that

Without wanting to appear biased towards Vindis I'm afraid I will need to side with them on this one. Audi TT dashpods are over

[JUT]

Not that this is really any help......

the current system of immobiliser / dashpod coding used by VAG is utter crap.

when we were using the system vindis are using it was not uncommon to screw at least one pod when trying to code them - for instance when entering the existing mileage - you have to do this in Kilometres :eek: the dashpod is then ment to adapt to miles - more often than not it would stick with kilometres,sometimes you would get past the miles/km thing and all would appear well - you then get to the stage of authorising the keys - this would either be plane sailing or would refuse 1 or all of the keys - junk dashpod exit stage left please.....

Audi are now on a different system,which is a secure link to the factory - so bloody secure we can hardly ever get access!! - I currently have 4 cars parked outside my workshop waiting for the pods to be coded - you can imagine what my customers think of that

Without wanting to appear biased towards Vindis I'm afraid I will need to side with them on this one. Audi TT dashpods are over

[skodaw]

Do you know, off the top of your head, all of the info that needs to be entered, and how to identify which to enter, e.g. how to spot if it should be miles or kilometers???

Part of the problem is that the information required varies dependant on the level of immobiliser used(VAG have different systems currently most Audi's are immobiliser 3 moving to 4)

it would not be right of me to try to tell them what to do - I don't know which system is used in the Fabia - although I'm sure Ross will - that said Vindis should be able to talk to Skoda about it - someones gotta pay for the foooked ones...........

..........senses sudden rise in fabia dashpod failures amongst Vindis fleet

[JUT]

Extract of my email sent to the general manager at vindis:

"Phil,

I was fairly annoyed yesterday when I got this call. I was hoping that I would be able to collect the car this morning as previously indicated by you, and I thought it was pretty short notice to only tell me at 6:15pm on Friday that the car wouldn't be ready Saturday morning. Today, after seeing the car, I'm fuming. Because I was blatantly lied to.

I believe it was your sales manager again who phoned me last night. He said everything except the dash cluster was sorted, plus the car needed a valet. That was a long way from being a truthful statement. Let's see now...

Dash cluster - not finished, as explained - not happy, but accept this is the case.

Centre console damaged when other stereo was stolen - not changed as you promised it would be.

Battery cover - broken. Don't recall this being broken after the robbery, but it is today. Either way, it should be fixed before being returned to me.

Bonnet stay retaining clip - not replaced as you promised it would be.

Subwoofer - not the item we agreed on, and not the item that was stolen. A cheaper, inferior item.

Front speakers - couldn't see that they had been fitted, if they have I couldn't see that they have been wired into the amplifier as agreed - although the boot is still a mess from when the car was turned over in the robbery so can't be 100% on that.

So it was crystal clear that the car would not be ready for collection today a lot earlier than 6:15pm last night. If the other parts needed had not been ordered and weren't in stock by the end of Thursday, then it was obvious that the car would not be ready Saturday AM. And it was, as illustrated above, totally untrue that the dash pod and valet was all that remained to be done."

And so it continues. Complaint lodged with Skoda Customer Care tonight.

Getting sick of this **** now :( :( :( :( :( :(

[Nick_H]

Jut

what a nightmare. This is what I would do if it was me. You have everything documented yes ?

I would walk into the showroom and get my car out of their. I would take it as it is.

I would not give them anymore opportunities to f#ck my car up.

I would then immediatley start legal procedings against them. Take your car somewhere else and get it sorted.

As far as I can see you have a watertight case. Let the useless f#ckers pay for a proper repair by another dealer.

To$$sers. I'm glad our local dealer, Bickertons in Sheffield, are superb.

[JUT]

Jut

what a nightmare. This is what I would do if it was me. You have everything documented yes ?

I would walk into the showroom and get my car out of their. I would take it as it is.

I would not give them anymore opportunities to f#ck my car up.

I would then immediatley start legal procedings against them. Take your car somewhere else and get it sorted.

As far as I can see you have a watertight case. Let the useless f#ckers pay for a proper repair by another dealer.

To$$sers. I'm glad our local dealer' date=' Bickertons in Sheffield, are superb.[/quote']

A lot of the emails I sent, and the dates, will be on outlook at work. I've got all the info but I'll get dates and correspondence while I'm at work and hopefully Skoda Customer Care will return my email sent last night and I can get something sorted with them. Otherwise I will use the info to write to Which?, Watchdog and such (nothing like bad PR to spur them into action).

[plumsoul]

Would it be a good idea to take some photos of the state of the car while its still in their garage before you remove it (if you do remove it that is). Just so you have some proof that it in that state when you removed it.

Good luck

[JUT]

Phil, the general manager from Vindis, happened across this thread today and gave me a bell on his mobile. He feels that I was perhaps a bit unfair in my criticism, but he assures me that everything is in hand and he will sort the car out completely and deliver it back to me, in person, this week. I have told him that if he does so, I'll let everybody here know that everything has been sorted as it was promised... am now waiting for a callback tomorrow morning to confirm days and times etc... watch this space...

[JUT]

"Tomorrow morning" became this morning... this morning has now passed... still waiting for that call...

[TaviaRS]

I personally wouldn't be holding my breath, but I'm prepared to be proved wrong.

[JUT]

As I said to Phil, I'll be more than happy to post here that everything has been sorted and I'm satisfied with what's been done. But I won't be doing that until it has, and I am. Saying it'll be sorted, and confirming everything has been sorted, are two entirely different things. I've heard the first (more than once), I'm still waiting to hear the second. It's 4 weeks ago today that I dropped the car off for another shot at the repairs...