Help! - independent VW Cali Engineer needed to inspect and report on Ocean

[Racheelew]

Hi we had a very similar situation at a different garage many years ago with our brand new Ocean. Every time the van went in for a minor warranty repair (such as a broken blind) it came back with much bigger damage caused by the engineers. Once they smashed a hole in the plastic on the back of the bench seat. It went in so many times that they basically ruined it. Oil stains everywhere etc. Our brand new van trashed. In the end we had a meeting with the Managing director of the Dealership after threatening to go to the top at VW. The agreement we came to was that they bought the van off us and lent us a Caravelle for our holiday. It wasn’t quite at the price we felt it was worth but we cut our losses. They just didn’t have the expertise to mend it. VW then sold it on at a profit very quickly which was very upsetting.
We kept away from VW for many years and have now bought a Beach with less things to break on it.

 

[Toothlessjon]

I haven't got anything to add with regards to the nightmare that you've been having, apart from I can imagine how you feel after having an unrelated nightmare myself with a VW dealership and VWCV earlier this year.

What I would say though is to not bother with the Motor Ombudsman as I wasted months waiting for them to deal with a referral I made in January with no luck whatsoever. 4 months after my referral, they still hadn't looked at the paperwork and I was still in a queue for my case to be assigned to someone.

They are woeful and if you look at their FB page, you'll see numerous messages from people who waited months and even well over a year without any response to their referral.

Report them to the Ombudsman’s Ombudsman, lol.

 

[Calibus]

What dealer please?

I'm from MK and use surrounding areas, I'd like to avoid this dealer please!

Dave.

 

[Trev]

Thanks @VW Guru for such a thorough reply (and thanks all for the moral support) - I really appreciate it. I hope to post the pictures of the new repair tonight, if she comes home - after 9 weeks you never know! This is the sum up I’ll give VW uk then if I piece together your words with what they have said to me:

1. The dealer tried to to the repair on the cheap, using a non properly trained Vw tech for some unknown reason

2. The dealer pretended to not know how to fix the first bad repair for 7 weeks to avoid the cost to make good OR they have no techs capable to do a normal repair (they told me they had to pay as VW UK wouldn’t accept a warranty claim and they told me they needed to bring in techs from another dealer

3. In the last 2 weeks the dealer tried to do the repair properly and it didn’t go to plan - hence needing to get new hydraulics, etc

So sadly we haven’t been told the truth or treated fairly. We have good grounds to be concerned for the vehicles actual condition (and value!) - What do you think is reasonable for me to expect/ ask for based on this?

1. All work done and the whole vehicle is covered VW warranty so I can take it and any future faults next time to a dealer of my choice. VW UK should write that to me and give me the service records.

2. As goodwill VW should extend the warranty to 5 years on the whole vehicle (they did offer a compensation but I did not decide to accept yet)

3. If an independent inspection finds the repair is not properly done this time, I’ll refer our problem to the motor ombudsman.

Any other or better advice how to react?

Thanks again!




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I would stick at it with VWCC. No way should you be paying for an independent report. Pictures are clear the dealer does not know what they are doing. We have lots of dealings with VWCC and they did put pressure on when we had problems with our Cali (replacement engine and then replacement vehicle). It took is a long time though. And I second the comment about @VW Guru. He absolutely knows his stuff was very helpful with our problems. Good luck.

 

[shudycamps]

Try vs Bury St Edmunds, they're great!

Bought our 2015 Cali from Bury; great service always.

 

[Moore288]

Thanks for all the ideas and moral support. As suggested I’ve given VWCC one last chance before I try Ombudsman (sounds like that won’t help anyway!) As the van is so costly and valuable, even though I shouldn’t need to, I will pay for the report if we get stuck still.

So firstly - plan a - i sent vwcc a letter with all the new photos showing the new repair issues- and asked them for their solution to make good.

Plan b is ombudsman.

Plan c is independent engineer report. Tricky as engineers that are qualified to write the report for legal action don’t seem to be Cali-able.

I suppose one thing that might work is a new dealer with stronger technicians. I keep you all updated what come form plan a!


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[Toothlessjon]

I would think that under consumer law you can give them a deadline to fix the problem to your satisfaction and advising that you will employ an independent engineer such as the AA,s. And have the repairs made by another Volkswagen dealership and charging all the costs to them, whilst also seeking compensation for the negligence, inconvenience and lack of use of the vehicle etc. I would pay a solicitor to write them a letter. I would name them on the forum.

I had so many problems when trying to purchase a Marco Polo I wanted to complain to Mercedes, however they don’t want to know and refer you to the dealership you have the problem with.

 

[ArunAlec]

I would think that under consumer law you can give them a deadline to fix the problem to your satisfaction and advising that you will employ an independent engineer such as the AA,s. And have the repairs made by another Volkswagen dealership and charging all the costs to them, whilst also seeking compensation for the negligence, inconvenience and lack of use of the vehicle etc. I would pay a solicitor to write them a letter. I would name them on the forum.

I had so many problems when trying to purchase a Marco Polo I wanted to complain to Mercedes, however they don’t want to know and refer you to the dealership you have the problem with.

Agree, it’s a good idea to give them deadline with the caveat that if you don’t hear from them by a set date you will proceed.

 

[flying banana]

I'm dubious about these so called vw 'master techs'. I'm sure some of them know their stuff but in my experience the customer knows more about the van than them. I had this when my roof bellows came away at one corner. The 'master tech' had a look. It was still the same when I got home and I ended up fixing it myself even though I had warranty. I'm no vw engineer but I'm no moron either and even with warranty work I don't want days of my time taken up dealing with these 'master techs' and that's what they don't get. Plus the camping your missing out on. Shame on that vw van centre. They need whipping naked in the streets. Now after the whipping sort out this man's problem you morons.!!!!

 

[VW Guru]

I'm dubious about these so called vw 'master techs'. I'm sure some of them know their stuff but in my experience the customer knows more about the van than them. I had this when my roof bellows came away at one corner. The 'master tech' had a look. It was still the same when I got home and I ended up fixing it myself even though I had warranty. I'm no vw engineer but I'm no moron either and even with warranty work I don't want days of my time taken up dealing with these 'master techs' and that's what they don't get. Plus the camping your missing out on. Shame on that vw van centre. They need whipping naked in the streets. Now after the whipping sort out this man's problem you morons.!!!!

Hi @flying banana i understand your frustrations and there are some bad technicians out there but I am one if these “so called vw master techs” and I’ve spent a lot of time and energy on training courses on line learning and exams to be where I am today it’s not an easy path to take I also have to be reacredited every 3 years by the IMI to make sure I’m still on top of my game. Some of the frustrations all customers have I understand, what is in essence a simple fix like a applying adhesive to prevent the bellows coming out or replacing a fresh water tank pump can take minutes to do however the hoops we have to jump through to get that warranty claim authorization are huge. For instance even though just a bit of adhesive and tightening up the rail will solve the issue with the bellows we cannot do that as it’s not an accepted repair by vw. If say we replace a tank pump we know it’s easy to replace however we have to run diagnostics using our equipment which doesn’t even talk to the camping systems we have to take pictures then we have to write up every step we took so to replace a tank pump we would fill three quarters of a page of A4 typed up telling a story and every trim nut,bolt and screw removed listing every special tool used and every torque figure applied. If we were doing a flywheel replacement the paperwork can take a day to complete I appreciate that none of what I have said is ever any concern of the customer but that should give you a little insight into what we have to do behind the scenes on a daily basis which is why sometimes we say we will need your vehicle for a couple of days this is not only to make sure the vehicle is repaired correctly according to vw instructions but also to allow us to be able to complete all the required paperwork and make sure we as a business get paid by vw. I do appreciate after saying all of that there are bad dealers out there who let technicians with no Cali experience work on the vehicles and in my opinion that is unacceptable but on the flip side there are dealers out there that do know what they are doing but face a never ending barrage of hoops to jump through and forever changing expectations from Vw

 

[flying banana]

Hi @flying banana i understand your frustrations and there are some bad technicians out there but I am one if these “so called vw master techs” and I’ve spent a lot of time and energy on training courses on line learning and exams to be where I am today it’s not an easy path to take I also have to be reacredited every 3 years by the IMI to make sure I’m still on top of my game. Some of the frustrations all customers have I understand, what is in essence a simple fix like a applying adhesive to prevent the bellows coming out or replacing a fresh water tank pump can take minutes to do however the hoops we have to jump through to get that warranty claim authorization are huge. For instance even though just a bit of adhesive and tightening up the rail will solve the issue with the bellows we cannot do that as it’s not an accepted repair by vw. If say we replace a tank pump we know it’s easy to replace however we have to run diagnostics using our equipment which doesn’t even talk to the camping systems we have to take pictures then we have to write up every step we took so to replace a tank pump we would fill three quarters of a page of A4 typed up telling a story and every trim nut,bolt and screw removed listing every special tool used and every torque figure applied. If we were doing a flywheel replacement the paperwork can take a day to complete I appreciate that none of what I have said is ever any concern of the customer but that should give you a little insight into what we have to do behind the scenes on a daily basis which is why sometimes we say we will need your vehicle for a couple of days this is not only to make sure the vehicle is repaired correctly according to vw instructions but also to allow us to be able to complete all the required paperwork and make sure we as a business get paid by vw. I do appreciate after saying all of that there are bad dealers out there who let technicians with no Cali experience work on the vehicles and in my opinion that is unacceptable but on the flip side there are dealers out there that do know what they are doing but face a never ending barrage of hoops to jump through and forever changing expectations from Vw

As I said. I'm sure there are good ones like yourself out there. I'm also an engineer so I suppose I can fix things easily compared to some customers. I just fixed my awning leg. But to hear of a customer putting up with all this like he has I don't care how many hoops you have to jump through. Jump through them and fix it. This guy probably spent 60 thousand quid on his vehicle. It's not a kia cede is it.

 

[VW Guru]

As I said. I'm sure there are good ones like yourself out there. I'm also an engineer so I suppose I can fix things easily compared to some customers. I just fixed my awning leg. But to hear of a customer putting up with all this like he has I don't care how many hoops you have to jump through. Jump through them and fix it. This guy probably spent 60 thousand quid on his vehicle. It's not a kia cede is it.

Oh I fully agree what has happened to this Cali is totally unacceptable

 

[flying banana]

Oh I fully agree what has happened to this Cali is totally unacceptable

A full life times savings for a lot of people. Me included. I admire your honour vw guru and your help on the forum is often worth reading.

 

[GillianC]

A full life times savings for a lot of people. Me included. I admire your honour vw guru and your help on the forum is often worth reading.

I would say that @VW Guru s help on the forum is ALWAYS worth reading!

 

[CaliforniaBen]

After reading this it has confirmed to me that I will be doing the 3 hour journey to VW Guru at Breeze in future !! This really takes the shine off owning a Cali

 

[babble]

i've just checked and Breeze is only one hour from my UK family home in Southampton, so i think i will be going there too, as i am back two or three times a year. VW Guru - can you do official VW service work on a California from Belgium?

 

[ArunAlec]

Interested in knowing to what you are referring?

Looks like we will never know!

 

[ArunAlec]

I would say that @VW Guru s help on the forum is ALWAYS worth reading!

Do hope Breeze appreciate what @VW Guru is doing for their reputation!
Time to ask for a pay rise?

 

[Joker 1299]

Looks like we will never know!

I think the OP said about his van, “taking her into the dealers...” or something like that.

 

[VW Guru]

i've just checked and Breeze is only one hour from my UK family home in Southampton, so i think i will be going there too, as i am back two or three times a year. VW Guru - can you do official VW service work on a California from Belgium?

Hi @babble yes we can carry out service work on vehicles from any country.

 

[Joker 1299]

What stuns me is the assignation of a gender to an inanimate object.

Not so unusual. All those ships launched on the Tyne over the years would have been referred to as ‘her’.

 

[flying banana]

I would say that @VW Guru s help on the forum is ALWAYS worth reading!

I would say that @VW Guru s help on the forum is ALWAYS worth reading!

I would say that @VW Guru s help on the forum is ALWAYS worth reading!

that's a dig at me. a customer goes throu all this and I think it stinks. the company and the gurus do not know what they are doing. if I performed like this where I work I would be sacked.

 

[soulstyledevon]

Until Volkswagen open a couple of dedicated California Service Centres these issues will continue.
The California is a bit more specialist than a general van. They need a dedicated team who know the vehicle inside and out.
You would think with the amount they sell this could be quite feasible to do. 2 centres, one around the midlands and another in the north. I know people would make the effort to drive to such places if they existed...

 

[Moore288]

Update: VW UK have written to me today to say they are trying to get the dealer to agree to have our Cali repaired at another dealer. I’ve told them that is ok for me. I’ll let you know what happens.

Any recommendations on a dealer who is Cali competent, we live near Aylesbury but I don’t mind travelling for the right expert.


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[Loz]

I would take it to Breeze Poole.