Dealers - in perspective

[GrannyJen]

Recently there has been a slagfest against the VW commercial dealership network, and for good reason. I, because of my recent experience, have merrily joined in. It's time to redress the balance I think.

Start with the most important question: Why a camper? Why not a motorhome, a caravan, a tent, a hotel bed.....?

So you want something nimble, versatile, a mile-muncher, something comfortable but fits on the drive, something that gets to places where there are no hotels and on roads that other forms of leisure vehicles would not be comfortable on.

You decide on a California. It's the complete package, probably the best utilisation of space on the market, a supremely efficient driving vehicle supported by the largest dealer network on the planet and based on the transporter which has a legendary reputation for reliability.

Now it all goes pear-shaped. You struggle to find a dealer interested enough to sell you one. Why should they be interested? They sell vans, no complications with habitation units, and they sell thousands of uncomplicated vans against handfuls of California's.

Finally you find that rare beast, a partnership of both interested dealer and salesperson who has actually read the manual and understands the vehicle. I think this forum should publish a poll so those rare beasts are scored, a sort of forum user rating, so people can go direct to the interested ones and not waste time swimming in the sea of disinterest.

You get one, it's nice and shiny. Now, with luck you will not need to see a dealer for the next 20,000 miles. Really, really not. I chose to see a dealer because my van had an irritating intermittent fault. It did not stop me using and enjoying Albert. I've had a ball. The California has lived up to expectation in every possible way and exceeded expectation in most ways. It is a fabulous vehicle and most will only ever need to see a dealer for minor issues on rare occasions. So do not despair.

My dealer did not let me down. I am disappointed in the overall service package in fixing a minor irritant, especially as the fix made it into a major issue. but that disappointment extends beyond the dealer and all the way to Milton Keynes. If it was just a routine issue then I would still be singing the praises of VAG.

So, yes, a side issue is that VW needs to address seriously how it sells and supports the California. However in the main it does not detract from the vehicle. I have now twice researched the whole camper market and still come down to the Cali.

Now, how about a dealer user rating section for the forum?

 

[Meoncoast]

I am happy with my local dealer. I tried SMG early in my California history when I took my van to them when it developed a known fault with the " Moo Valve" Everyone said SMG were the tops for service and understanding of the complexities of the T5 and the Cali. Mooing all the way down to them. All I got was sorry sir can't find a fault "computer says no issue" All the way home Moo very evident so went to my local dealer and yes no issue on the computer but they looked at the little valve on top of the engine ."Yes sir although we can't get a fault on the computer we have changed your value and pipes as you have the old type which VW have updated". Guess what never an issue again.
As I have posted before I use Breeze in Totton. I trust them with my van, always helpful good environment free tea coffee tv while you wait or pick up drop off etc. I personally would not use SMG again as I did not build a rapport with them. My recent stuck rear seat resulted in a few week without a rear seat while parts came from Germany but I had weekly updates from my dealer and VW HQ. Plus 80% good will towards it's repair costs with 2 year warranty on repaired parts.
The trouble is we seem to hear the worst on the forum (seems to be the same on most car forums).

 

[andyinluton]

What about comparing VW to the alternative - a conversion or moterhome, my experience with a coach built motorhome:

1. Warranty work generally only done by supplying dealer however far away that may be & no courtesy car.
2. Parts take ages to source - 6 months for blown 12v light fittings, 2 months for battery charger, 18 months for rear bumper.
3. split responsibility - ford garage for cab end & motorhome dealer for back end.
4. dealer goes bust & you are effectively warranty less.
5. water leaks are expected!
6. Bits are expected to fall off if you actually use it!

In comparison to other makes of car:
1. Landrover - Discovery new car delivered, needed for towing a race car, turns up without towbar takes 3 weeks before they can source & fit one!
2. Discovery - new car delivered with blemish on bonnet, goes back for a week to be sorted, is returned with windscreen coated with clear lacquer & wipers "glued" to screen
3. Defender - new car picked up in the rain, over an inch of water in the footwells by the time I had driven 5 miles home.
4. Range rover - new car delivered, gearbox seized within 10 miles as factory forgot to put the drain plug in.
5. MG rover - new car with so many faults the salesman agreed to replace it with a new one after 3 months without any pressure
6. MG Rover - new car "fell off the ramp" whilst at the dealers, 2nd replacement car supplied.
7. Porsche - takes 4 days for a basic service & £2500 bill, "we expect our owners to have another car to use whilst the porsche is in for a service. What do you mean you use it every day?"
8. Porsche - year old approved car, after 6k miles in for a service recommended £4500 of additional urgent work!
9. Mini - timing chain failure on 18 month old car
10. mini - car returned from service/ recall work engine seized 30 miles later (garage bought the car off me in the end) & lent me one of theirs for a couple of months.
11. mini year old car bought & delivered with brake pad wear light on, took 3 months of moaning to HQ before the dealer refunded the costs. (check the mini approved wording - about 150 items are checked but it doesn't say anywhere that they will replace anything they find worn)
12. Mazda - new mX5 in about 1989 took delivery an hour after a hail storm,was delivered complete with dimple effect in all upper body surfaces - Id already paid & ended up an insurance job.
13. Aston Martin - Bit like porsche but add another zero on the end of each bill
14. Caterham - great service, great cars & they actually encourage you to fix it yourself

Ive tried both end of the market & they all appear to be as bad as each other, it seems to come down to individuals at each garage rather than the make of car, I find the best ones are where they actually let you bypass the receptionist & speak to the bloke with the spanner. If I spent all day fixing cars I probably wouldn't spend all evening reading up about how to fix particular problems on a specific rather rare model, so there is a good chance if you've done your research you may well know more than the garage.

The best ever service I've had was when I ran a Scimitar 1800Tii (you will have to google it) I sorted electrical problems by speaking to the actual chap in the factory responsible for wiring the car originally & they did a special production run of rear suspension bushes for me when none were available anywhere, I did have to buy 10 instead of just the 2 but it was still only pence each.

 

[GrannyJen]

Young man,

I do not need to "google" Scimitar

I remember them well

 

[larrylamb]

Great post Andy, you've had more than your fair share of problems.

 

[andyinluton]

Sorry Jen I don't believe you!!! no ones heard of them. This was the actual one I owned one of only 114 & supposedly the only one in black, body by Dunlop, engine from nissan 200x turbo and bog standard brakes from a mini metro - it could accelerate quicker than it could stop.

 

[alstevens]

Bought Herman from Carr's in Exeter .... the initial test drive and communication with the showroom rep (Anthony Cutler, though I understand he is no longer with the firm )was excellent - very patient during my vacillation about everything - volunteered a discount as I was ( were we not all ) somewhat taken aback by the price with the ( essential!!) extras - he followed through assiduously, gave regular unsolicited updates on the build and delivery dates and a comprehensive handover that took the better part of two hours.

Couple of months after delivery I had a fridge problem - would not stay switched on - took it back to the service centre of the folk I bought it from in Indian Queens, Cornwall - very courteous, changed the fridge once one had been sent over from Germany . Discovered that a few minor scratches had appeared on the wardrobe door - obviously during the fridge fix - again contacted Carr's - sent a pic of the scratches through and they accepted responsibility without question - they ordered a new door and fitted it in due course with - again courteous service , lots of free coffee while I waited for the door to be plugged in -

maybe that'll be it for the rest of the 20k miles, but so far so good .....

 

[andyinluton]

Larry, those are just some of the bad ones that I remember!

I could have also put wife mazda 5 owned 6 years, had to replace front brake pads thats it.
Vw california owned 11 months 12000 miles, had to top up the washer fluid thats it.
I also forgot we had one of the very first Discovery3 but rejected it after a week as the hand brake had broken twice & the suspension pump failed.

Of all the vehicles with the potential for stuff to go wrong the Cali has to be near the top of the list theres twice as many bits as a t5 van & those extra bits don't appear on any other vw vehicle - I guess the dealers should be ok at the engine end but the habitation side is probably a but of an unknown. There is probably an opening for an independent specialist to set up dealing with just the specialist bits of a cali. If things are bad with the VW dealers now, what are they going to be like once the T5 is not a current vehicle, at least now there should be someone in the network that should be trained!

 

[GrannyJen]

Sorry Jen I don't believe you!!! no ones heard of them. This was the actual one I owned one of only 114 & supposedly the only one in black, body by Dunlop, engine from nissan 200x turbo and bog standard brakes from a mini metro - it could accelerate quicker than it could stop.

View attachment 9863

Young man,

my memory may be losing a few cells here or there but ...

ok

getting mixed up with a Reliant Scimitar

 

[GrannyJen]

Larry, those are just some of the bad ones that I remember!

I could have also put wife mazda 5 owned 6 years, had to replace front brake pads thats it.
Vw california owned 11 months 12000 miles, had to top up the washer fluid thats it.
I also forgot we had one of the very first Discovery3 but rejected it after a week as the hand brake had broken twice & the suspension pump failed.

Of all the vehicles with the potential for stuff to go wrong the Cali has to be near the top of the list theres twice as many bits as a t5 van & those extra bits don't appear on any other vw vehicle - I guess the dealers should be ok at the engine end but the habitation side is probably a but of an unknown. There is probably an opening for an independent specialist to set up dealing with just the specialist bits of a cali. If things are bad with the VW dealers now, what are they going to be like once the T5 is not a current vehicle, at least now there should be someone in the network that should be trained!

You should have worked for Leyland.

I was given a company car.

When I was promoted I was given two of the things.

I begged to be demoted so I could at least get one broken down heap of my drive, and two sets of leaked engine and gearbox oil was just too much of a mess to deal with

 

[motacyclist]

You should have worked for Leyland.

I was given a company car.

When I was promoted I was given two of the things.

Surely that was a demotion?

 

[motacyclist]

8. Porsche - year old approved car, after 6k miles in for a service recommended £4500 of additional urgent work!

You're frightening me mine goes in for service in a couple of weeks! They are giving me a courtesy car though, I was offered a choice of Porsches, or a Jaguar

 

[Ricotansky]

You're frightening me mine goes in for service in a couple of weeks! They are giving me a courtesy car though, I was offered a choice of Porsches, or a Jaguar

Whaaat? I got a Caddy when mine was in last week!

 

[andyinluton]

Jen
that was a Reliant Scimitar - just not the one most people think of

 

[andyinluton]

↑
8. Porsche - year old approved car, after 6k miles in for a service recommended £4500 of additional urgent work!
You're frightening me mine goes in for service in a couple of weeks! They are giving me a courtesy car though, I was offered a choice of Porsches, or a Jaguar

Adventure before dementia

To be fair that figure did include a new windscreen as I had picked up a chip, respray of the bonnet as that had a chip on it & 2 back tyres at £400 each as they had done 6000 miles so looking a bit short on tread...but they were somewhat surprised that I didn't want the work done.

 

[motacyclist]

Whaaat? I got a Caddy when mine was in last week!

I'm keeping it secret which VW van centre it is

 

[GrannyJen]

When my BL cars went in for service they gave me a bicycle

I came to realise that it was a bloody good swap