Service recommendations - where?

[aliceh92]

Hello! I’ve recently bought a 2006 reg California which apart from a few niggles has been great. It’s coming up for a service and after a horrendous experience at VW Heritage (Bristol) I’ve vowed to never use the dealers again - or at least the one in Bristol.. I’m Salisbury based, and weighing up whether to go with someone who knows Calis/Transporters for a service - if so is anyone able to recommend anyone? Or if anyone has had better experiences with VW in Hampshire/Wiltshire. Thanks in advance.

 

[Loz]

We travel from Gloucestershire down to Poole to use Breeze.
We have used Swindon in the past with no issues.

 

[GSX1300R]

Personally I would say that any decent local garage could do the job and for about Half the price..All you need to do is google garages locally and see what feedback they get...When it was time to get my cam belt and water pump changed I went to a garage which had 100% positive feedback.. You have to remember that the vehicle is a van and apart from the California Campervan bits attached most of the work is basic mechanics..

 

[aliceh92]

Personally I would say that any decent local garage could do the job and for about Half the price..All you need to do is google garages locally and see what feedback they get...When it was time to get my cam belt and water pump changed I went to a garage which had 100% positive feedback.. You have to remember that the vehicle is a van and apart from the California Campervan bits attached most of the work is basic mechanics..

I completely agree with you, like you say it’s a van, ideally I’ll never have to use VW again.

 

[GSX1300R]

VW probably charge £110 + per hour and local garages will charge around £50.. But you will get a free cup of coffee at you VW van centre...

 

[WelshGas]

VW probably charge £110 + per hour and local garages will charge around £50.. But you will get a free cup of coffee at you VW van centre...

+ A 2 Yr warranty on parts & labour.

 

[SimonB]

Like @Loz we drive from Bristol to Breeze in Poole. Takes about 2 hours for us but totally worth it.
We had a very pleasant day in August looking around Dorset whilst they serviced and MOT'd our Cali. We went there the previous year too. They will drop you in Poole for the day if you ask and pick you up when the service is done. It's only about an hour from you, I wouldn't hesitate. They can also repair the camping side of the vehicle which a regular garage might not be able to do.
Mention the Club as there are quite a lot of us going there now.
Simon

 

[MrP]

Hi,
I have a 2008 van and live in the south.
For servicing I still use VW (Breeze at Poole who are one of the leading Cali centres but they also have a centre at Totton). The reason for this is that it is not a lot more, they use the correct oil (which the 2.5 is very susceptible to) and a VW stamp goes a long way.
Anything beyond a standard service I tend to use a VW specialist garage, there are plenty of them around.

Hope this helps.

 

[flying banana]

Just had my mot done up the road. 50 sheets. Passed. Job done. But I did have to pay for a latte so 52.40. And saved me hours of driving. At the moment with 25k miles I'm ignoring the 4yr cambelt change for another year at least. 2016 reg

 

[Ch1pbutty]

..

Just had my mot done up the road. 50 sheets. Passed. Job done. But I did have to pay for a latte so 52.40. And saved me hours of driving. At the moment with 25k miles I'm ignoring the 4yr cambelt change for another year at least. 2016 reg

My MOT is due next month so had a call from the Dealer asking if I wanted to book. (Same dealer serviced it last year, also new cambelt, pump & brake fluid....but no coffee! they left some of the roof canvas poking out the front of the van when I collected it last time, car park is very tight and was parked in such a way so I didn't notice until I got home, but no damage so all ok). Explained that I would take is down the road instead as only a 5 mins walk versus a 40 min roundtrip. Dealer then asked for details of the garage where the MOT would be carried out.

At the end of the call I asked them about an update regarding roof corrosion recall work for which my van is booked in for (but can take up to 2 years, been nearly a year now), they said they would check...so far they have failed to get back to me.

 

[B J G]

+ A 2 Yr warranty on parts & labour.

Could be looked at from a different angle - extra £60 per hour to cover any future warranty claims.

 

[dartmoordingoe]

If buying new or nearly new ... with a Warranty .. is it sensible to stick to say Breeze or other VW dealer at least till warranty runs out ?

 

[B J G]

Warranty is with VW not the Dealer. Dealers vary in Customer relations so check on recommendations. Mine queried if I bought it from them, says a lot.

 

[dartmoordingoe]

Breeze sound great ... I think I am persuaded!

 

[Ch1pbutty]

Its a commercial vehicle, so service costs for the mechanical side of relatively low, especially given the value of vehicle & only due every 2 years depending on mileage. I use VW Main Dealer for servicing as most future buyers will be more interested in a full VW history and should help on resale. (Non VW) Specialist history is of same quality but only means something if the person buying is local and knows that particular garage.

Usually works out cheaper to avoid main dealer for Tires, brakes, exhaust. But sometimes VW Dealer will price match so always worth asking the question.

For the T4 we used the local garage down the road as he was able to fix most things himself (or knew someone that could), rather than just plug into a diagnostic machine & replace part. Fuel pump went so he removed it, junior dropped it off a marine pump specialist in Hove where it was rebuilt and back in the van within 24 hrs. Another time the alternator went, so he sent to a local local firm in Ditchling who rebuilt the old one. The garage actually used to drive the van to find faults!....obviously with a more modern van you need the diagnostics so not so easy nowadays hence the need for a well equipped garage.

 

[flying banana]

..


My MOT is due next month so had a call from the Dealer asking if I wanted to book. (Same dealer serviced it last year, also new cambelt, pump & brake fluid....but no coffee! they left some of the roof canvas poking out the front of the van when I collected it last time, car park is very tight and was parked in such a way so I didn't notice until I got home, but no damage so all ok). Explained that I would take is down the road instead as only a 5 mins walk versus a 40 min roundtrip. Dealer then asked for details of the garage where the MOT would be carried out.

At the end of the call I asked them about an update regarding roof corrosion recall work for which my van is booked in for (but can take up to 2 years, been nearly a year now), they said they would check...so far they have failed to get back to me.

you reconfirm my thought sabout most dealers, they know fk all about californias so you may aswell save your cash and go somehwere else .

 

[GSX1300R]

The first question the lady asked was about servicing....Where to go...The VW van is a transporter..The California is a transporter with loads of camper bits..If you need a Service and it’s out of warranty then find a good reputable local garage to do the work..If you want the camper van bits sorting that’s different BUT it doesn’t mean it’s only a VW main dealer that can carry out the work.. after all it’s a camper van not a space craft..

 

[flying banana]

I reckon ALL the camper bits can be fixed yourself using the vast knowledge on the forum.

 

[aliceh92]

Thank you everyone for your replies, they’ve been super helpful and food for thought.

 

[Paulro]

Can I ask where you went and are you happy with the result? I’m in Bristol and have had a similar experience with Heritage and won’t go back there.

 

[aliceh92]

Can I ask where you went and are you happy with the result? I’m in Bristol and have had a similar experience with Heritage and won’t go back there.

Hi Paulro, yes had an amazing experience with Colin at Volkstech Romsey, former VW specialist who has his own business in Romsey. He was brilliant and made sure he ordered in the right oil etc which instilled even more faith in him. It might be a bit of a trek for you from Bristol but I can personally vouch for him!

 

[Alied]

Can I ask where you went and are you happy with the result? I’m in Bristol and have had a similar experience with Heritage and won’t go back there.

I'm also from Bristol and like you I'm also not happy with using Heritage in Bristol as their technicians don't know how to put a Beach roof down properly. I'm off to Breeze in Poole on Friday 8th January for a service and an Mot. I went there last year aslo for a service and an Mot due to recommendations from this site. Although a four hour round trip from Bristol I found it was well worth the journey.

 

[HeatherM]

Can I ask where you went and are you happy with the result? I’m in Bristol and have had a similar experience with Heritage and won’t go back there.

Hi there, just tagging onto this thread as I'm also in Bristol and looking for a good local garage to service our 2018 Cali. Heritage have been useless and made it impossible to have some minor repairs done within the warranty period. I'd rather not travel every year for a service as we've got young kids. Any suggestions for good Bristol garages to carry out a Cali service?

 

[Paulro]

Hello Heather, you’ll see I’m in Bristol.
I’ve had some very poor experiences with Heritage but I joined their service program to give them another chance.
But, I took advice from SimonB on this forum.
He also has a California and uses Breeze, main dealers in Poole for major servicing work but also a local garage here in Bristol.
I have used them on my Cali and they have done some work on my Jaguar XF too and they are excellent, reliable and very reasonably priced.
Mi motors
Oxford st
Kingsdown
Bristol
BS2 8HH
Tel 0117 9349677
Please mention Simon and myself.
They are friendly and professional and will look after you and your vehicle.
Good luck
Paul

 

[HeatherM]

Hello Heather, you’ll see I’m in Bristol.
I’ve had some very poor experiences with Heritage but I joined their service program to give them another chance.
But, I took advice from SimonB on this forum.
He also has a California and uses Breeze, main dealers in Poole for major servicing work but also a local garage here in Bristol.
I have used them on my Cali and they have done some work on my Jaguar XF too and they are excellent, reliable and very reasonably priced.
Mi motors
Oxford st
Kingsdown
Bristol
BS2 8HH
Tel 0117 9349677
Please mention Simon and myself.
They are friendly and professional and will look after you and your vehicle.
Good luck
Paul

Thanks Paul, I’ll check them out.