VW Citygate Wooburn Green.

[Drpps]

FYI Revolution VW Specialists Ltd reckon about £560 inc VAT to change water pump and fan belt on a 6.1. They use genuine VW parts.

Thanks @GrumpyGranddad. I have just had the same quote from them.
Have you used them or Autobarn as @trev0rk mentioned?
I have always found Citygate OK but not overwhelming. They told me my Exhuast manifold had rusted and had a hole last time I went in, by which they meant I had surface corrosion on the rear exhaust box.They offered to replace my Cambelt 6 months after they had last done it. They have also inspected my roof for corrosion 3 times now. Only needs the tape but given there isn't any and it is 9 years old I am disinclined to let anyone near it. None of it fills me with confidence.
The fact it is no where near a railway station and not cyclable to anything is also a pain.
Bought a black friday service plan last year but not going to renew it and looking for alternatives.

 

[andyinluton]

The fact it is no where near a railway station and not cyclable to anything is also a pain.

Not quite right, it's a 2 mile walk, uphill all the way from the delightful Bourne End station ( no catering or toilets available) which I believe has at least one train a day which goes at walking pace & gets in about 15mins before their service department goes home. Only 4 hours from my home via 4 different tubes & trains.

If you want one with good transport links Alan Day Hampstead is hard to beat. has underground and overground within a short walk.
Just worth checking they've put your oil filter on properly before driving too far after a service.......

 

[GrumpyGranddad]

Thanks @GrumpyGranddad. I have just had the same quote from them.
Have you used them or Autobarn as @trev0rk mentioned?
I have always found Citygate OK but not overwhelming. They told me my Exhuast manifold had rusted and had a hole last time I went in, by which they meant I had surface corrosion on the rear exhaust box.They offered to replace my Cambelt 6 months after they had last done it. They have also inspected my roof for corrosion 3 times now. Only needs the tape but given there isn't any and it is 9 years old I am disinclined to let anyone near it. None of it fills me with confidence.
The fact it is no where near a railway station and not cyclable to anything is also a pain.
Bought a black friday service plan last year but not going to renew it and looking for alternatives.

No not used them but most probably will for servicing/repairs once out of warranty. Closer to me than Citygate and less expensive
Good service from Citygate Monday/Tuesday when fixing my drivers door leak. New ‘Regulator card’ fitted. They were proactive and called me twice to keep me updated.
Failed to fix my Satnav problem though. Still not retaining any destinations/favourites :-(
Edit - However received a follow up call from Craig today re’ the SatNav and discussed further. Looks like an escalation to VW Germany is the next step.

 

[Loz2286]

Not quite right, it's a 2 mile walk, uphill all the way from the delightful Bourne End station ( no catering or toilets available) which I believe has at least one train a day which goes at walking pace & gets in about 15mins before their service department goes home. Only 4 hours from my home via 4 different tubes & trains.

If you want one with good transport links Alan Day Hampstead is hard to beat. has underground and overground within a short walk.
Just worth checking they've put your oil filter on properly before driving too far after a service.......

Probably easier to get a train to Beaconsfield then a cab from the on-platform company. Only 10 mins ride to Citygate from the station.

 

[andyinluton]

Probably easier to get a train to Beaconsfield then a cab from the on-platform company. Only 10 mins ride to Citygate from the station.

If I was doing it again I probably would. Or walk from Beaconsfield - at least its downhill from there.

 

[trev0rk]

If I was doing it again I probably would. Or walk from Beaconsfield - at least its downhill from there.

In fairness, Citygate offer while you wait servicing, and it’s easy to spend an hour or so wandering round Wooburn Green.
(Yes I’m retired!)

 

[GrumpyGranddad]

In fairness, Citygate offer while you wait servicing, and it’s easy to spend an hour or so wandering round Wooburn Green.
(Yes I’m retired!)

Agree. I either wait for the vehicle (ie minor service) and enjoy a couple of coffees or for longer jobs book my van in and have a loan vehicle.

 

[Perfectos]

This ones a rant :

Citygate are now making a Madatory charge of £25 for a courtesy Vehicle , (previously free, albeit £1000 accident excess)

Apparently CityGate management have changed their courtesy vehicle policy very recently.

I made a booking over a month ago to secure a courtesy vehicle, specifically because I was told the it was not possible to do the work while I wait at the facility & they may need my vehicle overnight as the engine and gearbox need to be cold before they can start the works.

I accepted the first available date they could provide me a courtesy vehicle, which was a little over a month away.

At the time of the booking I confirmed the courtesy vehicle at Zero cost as had always been the case. They understood I needed the courtesy vehicle to get back fro their facilitate, as has always been the case previously for the past fives years.

I even agreed to drop my van off mid afternoon a day early, so citygate could gain a benefit from having my vehicle earlier to suit their workshop schedule & ensure the engine / gearbox was cold.
They could not tell me what time / day my vehicle would be ready for collection, therefore I was encouraged to have a courtesy vehicle.

yesterday, just before 5pm, I received a precall, which was the first one ever in five years!
the precall was confirming my appointment, the price agreed for the works, the date and specific time to drop off and the availability of the courtesy vehicle, you will need your driving licence & they then added “there will be a £25 charge for the courtesy vehicle”

I explained to the precaller, my insurance covered the courtesy vehicle and I didn’t need to take the offer of paying to reduce the Accident excess from £1000 to £0 as had been offered on every occasion over the last five years.
The call handler accepted that and ended the call with the normal pleasantries.

10 minutes after the precall, I received a text:

”I have just seen some notes on our precall system, we cannot use 3rd party insurance, we can only use coopers system as per company policy. This is a cost of £25. This is included in your VAT invoice at point of collection. You can test back or call to discuss”

A mistake I thought? I even discussed this at the time of the booking and again during the most recent precall.

i emailed the service advisor, who made the booking and copied in the Senior advisor and Manager, the email was sent at 7.30 am today,
(See some of the previous posts regarding difficulty contacting / getting CityGate To make contact / respond)

later that morning at 10.20 am the senior service advisor called me.

it turns out Citygate have changed their policy,
you can no longer have free vehicle, nor reduce the accident Excess, nor do they accept owners insurance for courtesy vehicles.

despite CityGate acknowledgment that my booking was made prior to the “policy“ change, they would not agree to waive the cost.

I pointed out that the courtesy vehicle charge effectively increased the quoted price of the works by 8%!

The new policy is to be adhered to strictly & makes the mandatory charge for All courtesy vehicles with immediate effect!

whilst trying to discuss, I was informed, “it’s your choice wether you have a courtesy vehicle or not“ ! (See post #27)

I asked how I was meant to get away from Their facility without a vehicle (the vehicle I booked a month previous, simply because CityGate informed me they may need my vehicle overnight ). “ Thats your choice“! (See post #27) they are in the middle of nowhere surrounded by a housing estate.

I live and working an hour away from CityGates facility, which limits flexibility.

discussion regarding other options available to me : the Home collection and return Facility has been withdrawn also !! which makes the previous comment even more ridiculous.

Needless to say the resulting discussion with the Senior service advisory left me under no doubt that Citygate do not value the customer
They are not honourable of agreements.
they clearly do not value or apparently need my custom. (See post #6%)

needless to say, i cancelled my appointment.

The beneficiaries will be the local Independent VW specialist.

 

[andyinluton]

I live and working an hour away from CityGates facility, which limits flexibility.

discussion regarding other options available to me : the Home collection and return Facility has been withdrawn also !! which makes the previous comment even more ridiculous.

Needless to say the resulting discussion with the Senior service advisory left me under no doubt that Citygate do not value the customer
They are not honourable of agreements.
they clearly do not value or apparently need my custom. (See post #6%)

needless to say, i cancelled my appointment.

The beneficiaries will be the local Independent VW specialist.

Thats whyI prefer Alan Day Hampstead due to their location, although a similar drive time to Citygate its an easy walk to either overground trains on the Bedford - St Pancras line & the tube lines. They don't sell new Californias but they have the expertise in the workshop.

 

[OGII]

Never did rate them. They were within cycling distance of an old workplace. Never once got it right.

Their car service place in Wycombe were very professional, wouldn't have believed they were the same outfit.

 

[Barry Chuckle]

This ones a rant :

Citygate are now making a Madatory charge of £25 for a courtesy Vehicle , (previously free, albeit £1000 accident excess)

Apparently CityGate management have changed their courtesy vehicle policy very recently.

I made a booking over a month ago to secure a courtesy vehicle, specifically because I was told the it was not possible to do the work while I wait at the facility & they may need my vehicle overnight as the engine and gearbox need to be cold before they can start the works.

I accepted the first available date they could provide me a courtesy vehicle, which was a little over a month away.

At the time of the booking I confirmed the courtesy vehicle at Zero cost as had always been the case. They understood I needed the courtesy vehicle to get back fro their facilitate, as has always been the case previously for the past fives years.

I even agreed to drop my van off mid afternoon a day early, so citygate could gain a benefit from having my vehicle earlier to suit their workshop schedule & ensure the engine / gearbox was cold.
They could not tell me what time / day my vehicle would be ready for collection, therefore I was encouraged to have a courtesy vehicle.

yesterday, just before 5pm, I received a precall, which was the first one ever in five years!
the precall was confirming my appointment, the price agreed for the works, the date and specific time to drop off and the availability of the courtesy vehicle, you will need your driving licence & they then added “there will be a £25 charge for the courtesy vehicle”

I explained to the precaller, my insurance covered the courtesy vehicle and I didn’t need to take the offer of paying to reduce the Accident excess from £1000 to £0 as had been offered on every occasion over the last five years.
The call handler accepted that and ended the call with the normal pleasantries.

10 minutes after the precall, I received a text:

”I have just seen some notes on our precall system, we cannot use 3rd party insurance, we can only use coopers system as per company policy. This is a cost of £25. This is included in your VAT invoice at point of collection. You can test back or call to discuss”

A mistake I thought? I even discussed this at the time of the booking and again during the most recent precall.

i emailed the service advisor, who made the booking and copied in the Senior advisor and Manager, the email was sent at 7.30 am today,
(See some of the previous posts regarding difficulty contacting / getting CityGate To make contact / respond)

later that morning at 10.20 am the senior service advisor called me.

it turns out Citygate have changed their policy,
you can no longer have free vehicle, nor reduce the accident Excess, nor do they accept owners insurance for courtesy vehicles.

despite CityGate acknowledgment that my booking was made prior to the “policy“ change, they would not agree to waive the cost.

I pointed out that the courtesy vehicle charge effectively increased the quoted price of the works by 8%!

The new policy is to be adhered to strictly & makes the mandatory charge for All courtesy vehicles with immediate effect!

whilst trying to discuss, I was informed, “it’s your choice wether you have a courtesy vehicle or not“ ! (See post #27)

I asked how I was meant to get away from Their facility without a vehicle (the vehicle I booked a month previous, simply because CityGate informed me they may need my vehicle overnight ). “ Thats your choice“! (See post #27) they are in the middle of nowhere surrounded by a housing estate.

I live and working an hour away from CityGates facility, which limits flexibility.

discussion regarding other options available to me : the Home collection and return Facility has been withdrawn also !! which makes the previous comment even more ridiculous.

Needless to say the resulting discussion with the Senior service advisory left me under no doubt that Citygate do not value the customer
They are not honourable of agreements.
they clearly do not value or apparently need my custom. (See post #6%)

needless to say, i cancelled my appointment.

The beneficiaries will be the local Independent VW specialist.

I'm completely with you on this one, it's not just VW garages it's right across the board. It's simply a way of making money on their insurance which no way costs them £25 a day!!!!

I was fortunate enough to own an Aston Martin a few years back and I had a similar call from Grange Aston Martin in Birmingham. They wanted nearer £75 from memory, when I asked them it they'd be giving me an AM as a courtesy car they told me 'no sir it'll be a Polo or Golf' !!!

I told them I'd pay the price but I'd be calling AM UK to complain, at that point they waived the fee. Dealers also receive bonuses on customer satisfaction surveys, if you remind them you'll be reporting them to the manufacturer they often back down.

 

[GrumpyGranddad]

This ones a rant :

Citygate are now making a Madatory charge of £25 for a courtesy Vehicle , (previously free, albeit £1000 accident excess)

Apparently CityGate management have changed their courtesy vehicle policy very recently.

I made a booking over a month ago to secure a courtesy vehicle, specifically because I was told the it was not possible to do the work while I wait at the facility & they may need my vehicle overnight as the engine and gearbox need to be cold before they can start the works.

I accepted the first available date they could provide me a courtesy vehicle, which was a little over a month away.

At the time of the booking I confirmed the courtesy vehicle at Zero cost as had always been the case. They understood I needed the courtesy vehicle to get back fro their facilitate, as has always been the case previously for the past fives years.

I even agreed to drop my van off mid afternoon a day early, so citygate could gain a benefit from having my vehicle earlier to suit their workshop schedule & ensure the engine / gearbox was cold.
They could not tell me what time / day my vehicle would be ready for collection, therefore I was encouraged to have a courtesy vehicle.

yesterday, just before 5pm, I received a precall, which was the first one ever in five years!
the precall was confirming my appointment, the price agreed for the works, the date and specific time to drop off and the availability of the courtesy vehicle, you will need your driving licence & they then added “there will be a £25 charge for the courtesy vehicle”

I explained to the precaller, my insurance covered the courtesy vehicle and I didn’t need to take the offer of paying to reduce the Accident excess from £1000 to £0 as had been offered on every occasion over the last five years.
The call handler accepted that and ended the call with the normal pleasantries.

10 minutes after the precall, I received a text:

”I have just seen some notes on our precall system, we cannot use 3rd party insurance, we can only use coopers system as per company policy. This is a cost of £25. This is included in your VAT invoice at point of collection. You can test back or call to discuss”

A mistake I thought? I even discussed this at the time of the booking and again during the most recent precall.

i emailed the service advisor, who made the booking and copied in the Senior advisor and Manager, the email was sent at 7.30 am today,
(See some of the previous posts regarding difficulty contacting / getting CityGate To make contact / respond)

later that morning at 10.20 am the senior service advisor called me.

it turns out Citygate have changed their policy,
you can no longer have free vehicle, nor reduce the accident Excess, nor do they accept owners insurance for courtesy vehicles.

despite CityGate acknowledgment that my booking was made prior to the “policy“ change, they would not agree to waive the cost.

I pointed out that the courtesy vehicle charge effectively increased the quoted price of the works by 8%!

The new policy is to be adhered to strictly & makes the mandatory charge for All courtesy vehicles with immediate effect!

whilst trying to discuss, I was informed, “it’s your choice wether you have a courtesy vehicle or not“ ! (See post #27)

I asked how I was meant to get away from Their facility without a vehicle (the vehicle I booked a month previous, simply because CityGate informed me they may need my vehicle overnight ). “ Thats your choice“! (See post #27) they are in the middle of nowhere surrounded by a housing estate.

I live and working an hour away from CityGates facility, which limits flexibility.

discussion regarding other options available to me : the Home collection and return Facility has been withdrawn also !! which makes the previous comment even more ridiculous.

Needless to say the resulting discussion with the Senior service advisory left me under no doubt that Citygate do not value the customer
They are not honourable of agreements.
they clearly do not value or apparently need my custom. (See post #6%)

needless to say, i cancelled my appointment.

The beneficiaries will be the local Independent VW specialist.

Yes it was always optional to reduce the excess to £0 @Perfectos :-(

So just to be clear, if you choose not to reduce the excess to £0 do you still have to pay the £25? And if so is the excess £1000? Do they then charge more than £25 to reduce the excess to £0?

 

[Perfectos]

The Charge is £25 regardless, if you want a vehicle you pay Regardless.

I did not get into the detail regarding the level of insurance cover or what Accident excess level was, they weren’t intrest in anything other than I must pay £25 when I collect !

if you have ever had a courtesy vehicle from then you’ll know they don’t even clean or check the vehicle over and pretty much every time I have has one it’s been filthy inside, damaged outside & empty of any fuel (which seems to amuse them).

judging from The trust pilot reviews it seems I’m not the only unhappy CityGate customer.

Citygate is rated "Average" with 3.6 / 5 on Trustpilot

Do you agree with Citygate's TrustScore? Voice your opinion today and hear what 1,955 customers have already said.

www.trustpilot.com

 

[GrumpyGranddad]

The Charge is £25 regardless, if you want a vehicle you pay Regardless.

I did not get into the detail regarding the level of insurance cover or what Accident excess level was, they weren’t intrest in anything other than I must pay £25 when I collect !

if you e ever had a courtesy vehicle from then you’ll know they don’t even clean or check the vehicle over and pretty much every time I have has one it’s been filthy inside, damaged outside & empty of any fuel (which seems to amuse the).

judging from. The trust pilot reviews it seems I’m not the only unhappy CityGate customer.

Citygate is rated "Average" with 3.6 / 5 on Trustpilot

Do you agree with Citygate's TrustScore? Voice your opinion today and hear what 1,955 customers have already said.

www.trustpilot.com

Coincidently, when I was there this morning a chap was moaning about having to pay the £25.

 

[Perfectos]

Coincidently, when I was there this morning a chap was moaning about having to pay the £25.

It won’t be popular is just another way to get £25 out of every customer for providing a filthy damaged van, with no fuel, that the dealer uses as a tax benefit And cash cow.

I have a year an a half left on my All in plan, I have already told CityGate that they will not get another penny from me.
I am seriously considering going further afield to another dealer, the experience can’t be any worse. My initial contact with the other dealer is they are cheaper and respond Promptly.

Citygate will not price match, they are not interested in being competitive and the customer service is shocking And contemptuous From CityGate management.

I have held back from posting details of the Myriad of issues I’ve had with CityGate After sales.

 

[Barry Chuckle]

As a matter of interest what sort of courtesy car do you normally get when your Cali is in? I'm guessing it's not another Cali!?

 

[Perfectos]

As a matter of interest what sort of courtesy car do you normally get when your Cali is in? I'm guessing it's not another Cali!?

It’s usually a current reg SWB panel van, usually filthy inside and out.
Never any Fuel in the tank, some times smells of cigarette, think builders Van that the builder didn’t care about !

 

[GrumpyGranddad]

As a matter of interest what sort of courtesy car do you normally get when your Cali is in? I'm guessing it's not another Cali!?

Normally a van.

 

[Barry Chuckle]

It’s usually a current reg SWB panel van, usually filthy inside and out.
Never any Fuel in the tank, some times smells of cigarette, think builders Van that the builder didn’t care about !

Sounds delightful, do you get a rolled up copy of The Sun wedged between the dashboard and windscreen?

 

[Perfectos]

Sounds delightful, do you get a rolled up copy of The Sun wedged between the dashboard and windscreen?

You occasionally get an old MacDonalds cup, or something similar wedged between the seat and hand brake / bulk head area,
I’ve had 40 kg of loose building sand in the back,
enough mud to plant a tree in the footwell, (you get the idea)
Strangely enough you never get a clean van that’s fueled and ready to go !

All for the princely sum of £25 to cover insurance, whilst they relive you of some proper Money servicing/ fixing your van ! (that’s £9125 to insure a van per year x multiple vans ! Who are they kidding ? )

 

[Perfectos]

So the Issue gets worse.
having cancelled the planned DSG service due to reason stated in previous posts , I obtained quotes from Another VW Franchise main dealer and & an indie VW specialist, whom I have used before.
I have gone to great length to ensure the info below is 100% correct & is 100% on a like for like basis & Inclusive of courtesy vehicle :
DSG service 40k miles :

City Gate Franchise = £341
Cordwallis Franchise = £330
Indi VW specialist £281 (£60 cheaper than CityGate Or 20% )

 

[Barry Chuckle]

So the Issue gets worse.
having cancelled the planned DSG service due to reason stated in previous posts , I obtained quotes from Another VW Franchise main dealer and & an indie VW specialist, whom I have used before.
I have gone to great length to ensure the info below is 100% correct & is 100% on a like for like basis & Inclusive of courtesy vehicle :
DSG service 40k miles :

City Gate Franchise = £341
Cordwallis Franchise = £330
Indi VW specialist £281 (£60 cheaper than CityGate Or 20% )

not knowing a lot about campers (yet!) how important is a dealer stamp on the service log when selling on your vehicle?

 

[SusiBus]

So the Issue gets worse.
having cancelled the planned DSG service due to reason stated in previous posts , I obtained quotes from Another VW Franchise main dealer and & an indie VW specialist, whom I have used before.
I have gone to great length to ensure the info below is 100% correct & is 100% on a like for like basis & Inclusive of courtesy vehicle :
DSG service 40k miles :

City Gate Franchise = £341
Cordwallis Franchise = £330
Indi VW specialist £281 (£60 cheaper than CityGate Or 20% )

So if your indie VW specialist uses OE parts, will any VW warranty that you have still remain valid?
As you live in the same county as myself, I would possibly be interested in their services. Are you willing to give them some publicity.?

 

[Perfectos]

So if your indie VW specialist uses OE parts, will any VW warranty that you have still remain valid?
As you live in the same county as myself, I would possibly be interested in their services. Are you willing to give them some publicity.?

Hi SusiBus,

Good to hear from you . Hope you are both Well ?

The Indie is owned and run by two Ex VW Master Techs, have spent their whole lives working for VW upto the point they set up their own business, full write up on their website) :

They use OEM parts.
The facility is not on the same level as a Franchised dealer showroom, but the advantage is you deal with the Head Honcho‘s face to face.
They respond promptly to emails & are user friendly.
They update the digital service record and provide a copy.
They provide an itemised VAT invoice detailing parts, part numbers, individual cost etc & a separate line detailing Labour cost, hours and hourly rate.

I have provided the details before when I had my Cam belt & water pump changed by them at a huge saving vs Franchised Dealer.

- see the thread for cost difference And company Name post #94

Service Interval

I changed both Timing Belt and Waterpump (incl. stud, antifreeze, etc.) after 6 yrs with VW independent for £500 all in using genuine parts. Not sure why anyone would pay some of the above prices at dealers for what is a straight forward job.

vwcaliforniaclub.com

If you PM me I can send you the details / website directly if that helps ?

as far as Maintaining Warranty:
You would need to check VWs current requirement, but I believe this garage complies completely With the Requirement laid out by law enabling you to use anyone you select etc. As long as they comply with certain criteria. (Check out the requirement)

Will VW, in reality, resist or try to a refute a claim under warranty is another matter. Although I can’t see legally that they can If the Garage has complied fully.

Warranty Repair work on the other hand may be a totally different story as I belive VW specify that the repairer must be one of their franchises . (Back to a Franchised Dealer).

 

[Perfectos]

@SusiBus i have sent you a PM with the website link