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Technical First to second gear (pt1)

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Technical First to second gear (pt1)

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Re: First to second gear

luvduvs said:
I wonder how easy they would be able to set their ignorance & pride aside and ask for another dealer's help :chin:
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Yeah especially when they don't know anything. Will be interesting to know how this pans out.
 
Got a call from the salesman (after I chased him a few times), and in a nutshell he said if there's a problem with the car then they'll work with Ateco/Italy and don't need the help of other dealers. He suggested I book the car in, leave it for a few days, get me to come back and road-test it with the technician, and go from there. I don't really see the point of that - they've tried this three times already - 1st time, couldn't fault it, 2nd time, faulted it and adjusted brake switch, 3rd time, couldn't fault it. And I'm not prepared to take a day off just to go in and 'road test' it - they've already experienced the juddering the second time so what's the point of me being there??

Thoughts anyone?
 
Well in case they can't notice the juddering, you taking a technician for a drive might be helpful so you can point it out to him...

If you leave the car with them for a few days, what are you supposed to drive? They should at least be offering you a courtesy car especially considering what they've put you through.

And if they "Don't need other dealers" then why the hell haven't they fixed the problem yet? :rolleyes:

It's a hard situation to be in, maybe you could try ring around other service centres and see if they've had any experience with this issue now that some time has passed and see what they say. It's impossible that you have the only faulty Dualogic on the planet!!
 
Turbodiesel said:
Well in case they can't notice the juddering, you taking a technician for a drive might be helpful so you can point it out to him...

But they've already experienced it before - why do I need to be there? Its not like its going to judder any differently if I'm sitting in the car. Plus why should I take a day off just because someone else is incompetent enough to fix the problem?

If you leave the car with them for a few days, what are you supposed to drive? They should at least be offering you a courtesy car especially considering what they've put you through.

Well he claimed I'll get a courtesy car, but I'm not going to bet any money on that.

And if they "Don't need other dealers" then why the hell haven't they fixed the problem yet? :rolleyes:

One word describes them - arrogant.

It's a hard situation to be in, maybe you could try ring around other service centres and see if they've had any experience with this issue now that some time has passed and see what they say. It's impossible that you have the only faulty Dualogic on the planet!!

He still claims its the first time he's heard of the problem.
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I have four practical options (in increasing order of preference):
  1. Do nothing, and live with it. Easiest way out, but in principle why should I cope with a crap product when I've paid decent money for it??
  2. Try another dealer. I've already tried another one, and I seriously doubt other dealers would be able to help.
  3. Give them a fourth try. They've tried three times already, and three times they've failed. What's the likelihood of them finding a solution the fourth time?
  4. Lodge a formal complaint to Ateco/Fiat AU and demand either a replacement/money back. I've had it with "Bring your car in and we'll look into it for you". So if they can never find a solution for it, does that mean I have to book my car in every month for them to "look into it"???
 
Yes I agree, reject it. I think you have been more than tolerant of this situation.
I`m all for working with dealers to solve problems, but I think a limit of whats reasonable has been passed in your situation.

Arrogant? that would be the final straw for me.

I would demand a refund Luvduvs, but dont know what consumer law is in Aus..
I`m surprised that the dealer/Fiat let it get this far really as all the internet exposure
can`t be doing the dualogics sales potential any good all over the world.
If a manual is not possible,
were I to be in your shoes, I might dump your Fiat dealer altogether and following a refund, buy a more proven, conventional torque converter, as an auto transmission car.

Hope you get it sorted out and that you don`t just accept the car as it is long term, as you sound a decent, tolerant sort of guy. The sort of bloke that most manufacturers want as a customer.

Regards
 
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oilrag said:
Yes I agree, reject it. I think you have been more than tolerant of this situation.
I`m all for working with dealers to solve problems, but I think a limit of whats reasonable has been passed in your situation.

Arrogant? that would be the final straw for me.

I would demand a refund Luvduvs, but dont know what consumer law is in Aus..
I`m surprised that the dealer/Fiat let it get this far really as all the internet exposure
can`t be doing the dualogics sales potential any good all over the world.
If a manual is not possible,
were I to be in your shoes, I might dump your Fiat dealer altogether and following a refund, buy a more proven, conventional torque converter, as an auto transmission car.

Hope you get it sorted out and that you don`t just accept the car as it is long term, as you sound a decent, tolerant sort of guy. The sort of bloke that most manufacturers want as a customer.

Regards
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by the sounds of it Fiat AUS probably dont know anything about this going by what has been said on here. sounds like the dealer is trying to be the hero and failing miserably!
 
fiatdownunder said:
by the sounds of it Fiat AUS probably dont know anything about this going by what has been said on here. sounds like the dealer is trying to be the hero and failing miserably!
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Well apparently when I took it back the first time, the dealer said they've seeked Ateco/Fiat AU's advice so they should know about this problem. But I have doubts about the credibility of what this dealer has been saying to me all this time - its hard to explain, but a lot of things just don't fit together.

Seriously, enough is enough. I think one of my strongest arguments is if they can't fix it, does that mean I have to go back to the dealer every few weeks and be a guinea pig for them ? They've wasted enough of my time/money, and as I've said before I think I've been more than patient/tolerant - I'm going for option 4.

Let me have a browse around for AU consumer laws, draft up a formal letter of complaint, and I'll post it up for comments.

Thanks guys for the support (y)
 
Kev........lets be honest & open here;

I'm not doubting you but I have never seen/driven the car so its hard to give a honest opinion but are you mistaking a 'characteristic of the vehicle' with a fault? End of the day its not a BMW etc but it should fullfill its purpose,we can only go on what you tell us.

Are you being abit hard on the garage? Maybe they are trying hard & intermittent faults (talking from personal experience) can be difficult & frustrating to find.How about arranging a courtesy car for a week as a sort of final chance for them to fix it?

I'm dissapointed in their 'we dont need help attitude',everyone needs help from a technician level upwards.I'm personally not afraid to phone friends at other dealers for help & visa-versa,a practise welcomed here in UK.Fiat techs are encouraged to share their experiences so we all have a much quicker/permanent solution to customers problems.The customer must come first no matter what it takes,there is no gloating as to who found/solved the fault its all about getting the customer back in the car they paid for & doing your best to make their experience in a fiat a happy one.....after all we want customers to come back with their custom(y)
 
T14086 said:
Kev........lets be honest & open here;

I'm not doubting you but I have never seen/driven the car so its hard to give a honest opinion but are you mistaking a 'characteristic of the vehicle' with a fault? End of the day its not a BMW etc but it should fullfill its purpose,we can only go on what you tell us.

Are you being abit hard on the garage? Maybe they are trying hard & intermittent faults (talking from personal experience) can be difficult & frustrating to find.How about arranging a courtesy car for a week as a sort of final chance for them to fix it?

I'm dissapointed in their 'we dont need help attitude',everyone needs help from a technician level upwards.I'm personally not afraid to phone friends at other dealers for help & visa-versa,a practise welcomed here in UK.Fiat techs are encouraged to share their experiences so we all have a much quicker/permanent solution to customers problems.The customer must come first no matter what it takes,there is no gloating as to who found/solved the fault its all about getting the customer back in the car they paid for & doing your best to make their experience in a fiat a happy one.....after all we want customers to come back with their custom(y)
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But what if they still can't find a fix for it after the fourth time? At some point I have to say "This is getting ridiculous, they've had enough attempts at it". They obviously don't know what the source of the problem is, let alone any idea on fixing it. I feel like a guinea pig, giving up my car so they can play around with it here and there and hopefully find a fix for it? If they're fair dinkum about customer satisfaction, they could possibly replace my car with another fault-free one, then they can play with the faulty Dualogic all they want, but don't experiment with mine.

Totally understand the point about dealers helping each other out - shame they don't see it that way.
 
luvduvs said:
But what if they still can't find a fix for it after the fourth time? At some point I have to say "This is getting ridiculous, they've had enough attempts at it".
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Exactly! remember I said reject it (which as you know is not like me!) but unless tey are prepared to accept outside help chances are this saga will drag on (3rd part of trilogy;) ) ,have you contacted fiat italy?
 
T14086 said:
Exactly! remember I said reject it (which as you know is not like me!) but unless tey are prepared to accept outside help chances are this saga will drag on (3rd part of trilogy;) ) ,have you contacted fiat italy?
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I'm sorry to say but I'm not prepared to waste my time for a fourth time. Reason? Its not like I haven't given them a chance to have it fixed. In fact, they've had it three times and still they're not able to find a solution - how many more chances do they deserve?? There's a fault with the product, they can't fix it, obviously have no idea where to look, and most importantly, they have refused external help. I've tried to tell them on numerous occasions about this forum and how the people here may be able to help, but every single time it was bounced back in my face with scepticism and refusal to listen. If they could stop being ignorant and arrogant for just two minutes, this may have a very different outcome.

And T, this is partly your fault; you've set the benchmark for how a dealer should behave and deal with customers - and they're simply not doing that.

No I haven't tried Fiat IT - I should?
 
T14086 said:
Its simple,treat the customer the way you would expect to be treated yourself!

Yes try Italy.
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I'm not a dealer and even I understand this simple fact of life!

Have you dealt with them before? What kind of 'things' can I expect from them?
 
luvduvs said:
No I haven't tried Fiat IT - I should?
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No, your contract is surely with the supplying Fiat dealer? ( here in the UK it is)

I wouldnt do anything else that could give you more delay. The longer you keep it, the more likely you are going to be stuck permanently with the car.

It seems the dealer is already getting arrogant, what will they be like if you go behind their back to Fiat Italy? Even if they manage to improve the dualogic, what if problems resurface when the manufacturers part of the warranty is over?

Time is passing and you have a problem car that it seems the dealer cannot fix,
every passing day makes rejection harder..........

Time would be better spent (IMHO) in a one off visit to a lawyer re rejection.

Part three of the trilogy could then be about your satisfaction with a new manual GP, or another car altogether.

Regards and good luck:)
 
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Kev, if you're only dealing with the service department maybe it's not their place to decide whether you're eligible for a replacement or not etc. Does the actual sales department know about everything you've been through? After all they have all the new cars.
 
oilrag said:
Time is passing and you have a problem car that it seems the dealer cannot fix,
every passing day makes rejection harder..........
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Good point, though bear in mind the reason why six months has passed is because throughout this time I've been working with the dealer to have this fix, so in a way this adds to my argument that I've done all I possibly could.

Already drafting up how the letter would look.. :slayer:
 
luvduvs said:
the reason why six months has passed is because throughout this time I've been working with the dealer to have this fix, so in a way this adds to my argument that I've done all I possibly could.
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Yes, I`m all for working with dealers to solve problems. Its not as though you have rejected it in the first couple of weeks, I think you have really given them every chance to sort it.
Perhaps they will respond well to an initial friendly approach for a refund, or swapping it for a manual GP?
Thats how my first approach would be, might still be possible ( for them) to maintain a good relationship with you.
( well thats how some good dealers would view it i think)
Regards
 
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