SPARE SAFE lock nut required Edinburgh

[AlisonF]

Does anyone in the Edinburgh area have a VW California / Transporter or similar with a SPARE SAFE lock on the spare tyre?

Clark Commercials still have my van and I’m back in Aberdeen. They claim they can’t find the SPARE SAFE nut and so can’t fit my tow bar. (They’ve had it over 24 hours before even starting the job that was supposed to be finished in 6 hours y’day). I’ve searched everything I took out of the van and it is not here. I am sure I left all the locking nuts in glove compartment and the jacking kit that ckmes with the van is still under the spare seat (they say the nut isn’t there).

Please help if you can as I am likely to be without the van for a week or more unless I can find someone locally in Edinburgh to help.

Thanks in advance

 

[Loz]

They have different keys (the pins at different angles) Tell them to look properly!

If they get it up on the ramp, they should be able to get at the end of the bolt from above it and use mole grips to undo it.

 

[AlisonF]

They have different keys (the pins at different angles) Tell them to look properly!

If they get it up on the ramp, they should be able to get at the end of the bolt from above it and use mole grips to undo it.

Thanks Loz - I’ve called them back several times but not managed to get through to service department. I’ll keep trying... (to be frank, it’s taken me since 5th May to get this far, including an aborted trip 3 weeks ago when they didn’t confirm they had the parts... and thenassured me they did for y’day, but at 1230 I spotted they hadn’t started a 6hr job and asked why not... half an hour later they finally confessed they didn’t have all the parts so couldn’t do the job. I was given a crappy caddy to drive home in last night... and they only started work on my van 1430 this afternoon. 7.5 hours driving for nothing.
I couldn’t get the job done locally in Aberdeen and wanted it to be VW to ensure not impacting my extended warranty. VW Commercial support in Scotland sucks.

 

[Legin]

Got to say that is just not good enough, how can they think its acceptable to treat you this way. Trouble is we start to normalise this kind of thing. I have had similar from two Skoda dealers for my sons car. I actually think the Germans are a shadow of what they were in the automotive world, probably a result of having beat the competition into retreat and now sitting on the laurels.

 

[Travelling Togs]

Did you keep a record of the Spare Safe locking nut number to be able to order another one ? I understand they are all different so even if you found someone local with one I doubt theirs would fit yours.

 

[Sad]

I just wondered, are they looking in the drawer under the bench seat rather than in kit strapped to the back of it?

 

[AlisonF]

I just wondered, are they looking in the drawer under the bench seat rather than in kit strapped to the back of it?

Good question - but no they explained (before I asked) where they had looked, so I’m sure they looked in the correct place.

 

[AlisonF]

Ok, so they are still working on it today and the guy will be back in tomorrow to work on it and hopefully finish it on Monday... so I asked about the 6hr slot... apparently that's factory time for fitting in a new van before carpets etc all installed... so there was no way it was EVER going to be completed on Wednesday but no-one told me that (I think none of the people I dealt with actually knew that). So now they say they will deliver it back Monday or Tuesday... but will call me before they leave Edinburgh...
i think I need to uodate the dealer review section when this is closed out...

 

[SimonB]

Hi Alison - hope it all works out OK with the tow bar.
There seem to be 2 types of spare safe keys, the new ones which have 3 pieces of metal on them that will correspond with 3 holes in the bolt in the tyre cradle or an earlier type that I bought from the shop that looks like this.

I bought mine in 2015 and I don't know when they changed over. Simon

 

[WelshGas]

Hi Alison - hope it all works out OK with the tow bar.
There seem to be 2 types of spare safe keys, the new ones which have 3 pieces of metal on them that will correspond with 3 holes in the bolt in the tyre cradle or an earlier type that I bought from the shop that looks like this.
View attachment 37557
I bought mine in 2015 and I don't know when they changed over. Simon

Mine has 3 pins, bought 2014.

 

[WelshGas]

Ok, so they are still working on it today and the guy will be back in tomorrow to work on it and hopefully finish it on Monday... so I asked about the 6hr slot... apparently that's factory time for fitting in a new van before carpets etc all installed... so there was no way it was EVER going to be completed on Wednesday but no-one told me that (I think none of the people I dealt with actually knew that). So now they say they will deliver it back Monday or Tuesday... but will call me before they leave Edinburgh...
i think I need to uodate the dealer review section when this is closed out...

So what happened with the SpareSafe?

 

[AlisonF]

So what happened with the SpareSafe?

I’m assuming the tip from Loz which I passed on to them worked...

 

[rippers]

Thinking out loud I've always hidden my safe spare key in the tool box screwed onto the back of the bench seat

 

[AlisonF]

Thinking out loud I've always hidden my safe spare key in the tool box screwed onto the back of the bench seat

Yup - that’s where I thought mine was. But will be as soon as van is back
But I’m trying not to lose sight of the fact this situation has only arisen due to VW being ineffectual and in some areas incompetent...

 

[Travelling Togs]

Yup - that’s where I thought mine was. But will be as soon as van is back
But I’m trying not to lose sight of the fact this situation has only arisen due to VW being ineffectual and in some areas incompetent...

Did they find it then, or are you having to buy another spare safe lock ?

 

[Triciap]

Hi, I can’t help with spare safe lock but just wanted to let you know that Clark’s commercials have workshops in Dundee and Kirkcaldy. We have had our van at both having given up on the Edinburgh outfit very soon after we bought the van from them!! I prefer the Kirkcaldy one but Dundee is closer and much better for me. I usually drop the van off first thing, walk the dogs in Camperdown Park and they phone me when it’s ready. Last time it was in for a service I had it back within 5 hours. I also thought Clark Commercials had a place in Aberdeen but I might be mistaken? Hope you get it sorted.

 

[Travelling Togs]

Hi, I can’t help with spare safe lock but just wanted to let you know that Clark’s commercials have workshops in Dundee and Kirkcaldy. We have had our van at both having given up on the Edinburgh outfit very soon after we bought the van from them!! I prefer the Kirkcaldy one but Dundee is closer and much better for me. I usually drop the van off first thing, walk the dogs in Camperdown Park and they phone me when it’s ready. Last time it was in for a service I had it back within 5 hours. I also thought Clark Commercials had a place in Aberdeen but I might be mistaken? Hope you get it sorted.

Sad to hear of your experience with Clarke Edinburgh. It is where we bought our Ocean from 3 months ago and we so hoped their service dept would give excellent customer service as we live in Haddington and it is close to us, just 15/20 min drive. Having to drive to Kirkcaldy, or even further Dundee to get good service would not be convenient but we will see what the future holds. I hear the specialist technician for Californias in the Edinburgh workshop has recently left too so they are having to train new staff as to the intricacies of the Cali. I did have reason to take ours in last week to have all of the wheels 'freed' off as I had read about them sticking to the steel hubs and being almost impossible to release free in the event of needing to change a wheel. The technician who did this for me was excellent I must say and suggested that it was a good job I had taken it in and confirmed all 4 wheels suffered from the sticking issue and would have been almost impossible for me to 'free off' without VW Assist attending, not good as we travel often to the wilds of Scotland where mobile signal is unheard of haha. So, to date, I can't complain, other than to say it isn't always easy to reach the dept you called to talk to..... I will bear your experience in mind and if needed contact Kirkcaldy in future.

 

[AlisonF]

Hi, I can’t help with spare safe lock but just wanted to let you know that Clark’s commercials have workshops in Dundee and Kirkcaldy. We have had our van at both having given up on the Edinburgh outfit very soon after we bought the van from them!! I prefer the Kirkcaldy one but Dundee is closer and much better for me. I usually drop the van off first thing, walk the dogs in Camperdown Park and they phone me when it’s ready. Last time it was in for a service I had it back within 5 hours. I also thought Clark Commercials had a place in Aberdeen but I might be mistaken? Hope you get it sorted.

They also have one here in Aberdeen how ever they won’t touch it for towbar and windout awning. Hence Edinburgh...

 

[AlisonF]

Did they find it then, or are you having to buy another spare safe lock ?

The bolt was in one of the cupboards and not where I had thought. But they seem to have managed without it. Thanks for asking.

 

[Richy]

Yup - that’s where I thought mine was. But will be as soon as van is back
But I’m trying not to lose sight of the fact this situation has only arisen due to VW being ineffectual and in some areas incompetent...

I’ve used Clark Commercials in Edinburgh and understand your frustrations with them !!!!

They had my van for a week, never made contact or returned my calls, On the Friday 5 days later they called and said the van was ready to be picked up, when I asked if it was fixed, they replied “no the technician who was dealing with the on your van has been in holiday all week”

Never again !!!!!!!

 

[Triciap]

They also have one here in Aberdeen how ever they won’t touch it for towbar and windout awning. Hence Edinburgh...

They also have one here in Aberdeen how ever they won’t touch it for towbar and windout awning. Hence Edinburgh...

That’s not so good

 

[Ksar-el-kebir]

I’ve used Clark Commercials in Edinburgh and understand your frustrations with them !!!!

They had my van for a week, never made contact or returned my calls, On the Friday 5 days later they called and said the van was ready to be picked up, when I asked if it was fixed, they replied “no the technician who was dealing with the on your van has been in holiday all week”

Never again !!!!!!!

There is a VW dealer near to me in Kettering. I used them once but returned to Robinson’s Van Centre Peterborough which is 30 miles away. From this site it seems VW dealerships vary hugely in their knowledge about Californias and customer service levels.

 

[AlisonF]

Day 7 of the 6 hour job...
Apparently the towbar is fitted and electrics working.
But they only today opened the box for the wind out awning and discovered one of the brackets is incorrect so have had to order in another... so maybe, just maybe it will be done tomorrow morning and then will be delivered back to me.
I have called so many times and asked them to confirm they had the right parts for installing everything before I drove to Edinburgh...
Sadly I am not impressed with the service

 

[AlisonF]

So on Tuesday (Day 7 of the 6hr job) they finished the towbar and checked all the electrics.
They then opened the box for the wind out awning to discover one of the brackets was incorrect (how many times did I call them to check everything was there before I drove 3 hrs to Edinburgh?).

Wednesday (Day 8 of the 6hr job) a new bracket arrives and awning fitted but it’s not winding in and out properly so they order another one.

Thursday (Day 9 of the 6hr job) they open tbe box of the new awning to discover it is black and I ordered grey. Unfortunately it’s out of stock and so we will hear tomorrow (Day 10) if they can source a grey one elsewhere or wait a further 2 weeks (estimate) for one to be delivered.

If I wrote this as a script no-one would believe me...

 

[Richy]

I would, I’ve been there and had the same experience.

In the first year of ownership, our van was in and out of Bilston for 4 weeks and they always had a tale to tell !!!!
I wouldn’t go near them again, I now travel the extra miles to use Clark’s in Kirkcaldy.