Rubbish service from Main dealer

[scudmad]

Hi all, just thought I would share my experience of Main Dealers. I have a Scudo van for work.

Since I had had this van (from new) it has had 3 clutches, gearbox and a wiring loom.

All was going well until it went in for a 60,000 service. I was told that new discs and pads were needed. Not a problem. Picked the van up and the brakes were smoking and getting very hot, back to dealer, new discs fitted, picked up van, back again next day with same problem.

So far they have replaced the master cylinder, caliper, brake hose and it is STILL no good. The main insult is that the last time I picked it up I was told that everything was ok, but lo and behold, still the same problem.

To add insult to injury, I have paid £600.00 for the privilage for not having my van, and it was damaged while it was at the garage!!! I have been without my van for 3 weeks, with no sign of it coming back.

Is this an isolated incident of 'get it out at all costs cos we have booked out the courtesy car and need it back' or is this attitude rife across the Fiat dealer network. Any comments would be appreciated. :bang:

 

[Jai]

which main dealer.....

 

[T14086]

please dont be mine...please dont be mine...please dont be mine...please dont be mine...please dont be mine...please dont be mine...please dont be mine...please dont be mine...please dont be mine...please dont be mine...please dont be mine...please dont be mine...please dont be mine...please dont be mine...please dont be mine...please dont be mine...:chin:

 

[scudmad]

As the van is still not back, am loathed to say, just in case they read this and pee in the air vents. Its on the south coast between portsmouth and chichester

 

[T14086]

Its on the south coast between portsmouth and chichester

Phew!

 

[bozzy]

As the van is still not back, am loathed to say, just in case they read this and pee in the air vents. Its on the south coast between portsmouth and chichester

PMSL

 

[Jai]

so that'll be the techy in havant pissing irn bru into your side pockets tomorrow eh

 

[scudmad]

More than likely, the tech is a nice bloke who seemsto know what he is talking about, just not given the time by the people on the front desk, Money grabbing whatsits. Finally got a van to use, but a non turbo scudo, 0-60 can be measure alongside continental drift!!

 

[jug]

unless you're getting repairs done for free under warranty you shouldnt have taken it back to the dealer. thats not a fiat thing, it applies to all cars and all dealers. why pay dealer prices? do people really think a dealer is going to be better than an independant garage?

if the brakes were working fine and only needed a disc and pad change then it takes some kind of fool to get it wrong. i've seen the same problem happen when the piston has been forced back into the caliper causing damage to the flexi hose internally. when you get it back jack up the front end and then stick it in 1st. with the front wheels rotating press the brake pedal slightly. both wheels should slow down and stop at almost exactly the same rate. releasing the pedal should make both wheels start to rotate at the same time and rate. if you find one side stops before the other, and then the side that stopped last is also the last to start rotating, you should assume the flexi hose may be the problem. also check for a kinked brake line.

you said the dealer changed the master cylinder, caliper and brake hose. are you sure they did or did they just say they did. i usually stick a blob of tipex on parts i expect to get changed i can check if its actually happened.

last month i did that on every sensor i could find on a nearly new corsa. the dealer was trying to fix an engine management light issue. the dealer returned the car stating they had changed only the MAF sensor and cleared fault codes, but they had actually changed at least 6 sensors that i could see becuase my tipex blobs were gone and the sensors were brand new. its weird, why would they lie about fitting sensors, its not like half a dozen new sensors is a bad thing. as expected the engine management light came back on the following day. that corsa has been back to the dealer 4 times with no luck, everytime they've changed sensors, i think they'll keep doing it till the warranty expires. fools. i personally think its a wiring problem but im not testing it, the dealer said they wont either even though i advised them to on the 4th visit. usual "we know best" attitude, well let them change sensors for the next few years if they want to, thank god it isnt my car.

 

[scudmad]

Cheers for the advice jug. I would have thought that at £80 per hour for 'factory trained technicians' that a simple service and brake change would have been within their capabilities.

I would have taken the vehicle away, but as they have started playing around with it, then it is up to them to sort it out. All the time that they have got my van I have a courtesy van, so it is in their interest to get it back asap, particulary as i am on holiday the end of next week!!!!

I have asked them to keep all parts so I can get them tested.

Spoke to them today and the said that they 'are still playing with it'!!!!

I have noticed though that the 1.9 non turbo van DRINKS fuel. £30 fuel from Portsmouth to Basildon and back. Can do that trip for £15 in my 2.0 jtd turbo

 

[T14086]

unless you're getting repairs done for free under warranty you shouldnt have taken it back to the dealer. thats not a fiat thing, it applies to all cars and all dealers. why pay dealer prices? do people really think a dealer is going to be better than an independant garage?

Jug....thats a very unfair personal opinion and insulting against the very many good technicians who work on Fiat & other makes of car dealers.We have customers who are still coming back after 30 years & do our best to keep new customers returning to us.
I can think of a few reasons why people do go to dealers after warranty has run out;
1)The techs know the car & its history from new.
2)Technical back up is available if required.
3)Courtesy cars/lifts/pick up & delivery is available.
4)Genuine parts are used not just the cheapest parts at local factors.
5)Special tools.
6)A dealer with 8-10 trained technicans working collectively are more likely to solve a difficult fault than 2 or 3 individuals.
7)If a situation arises where a customer is unhappy there is more chance of getting the situation resolved as dealerships cannot afford bad publicity...unfortunally a point exploited by many customers of the 'go into showroom shouting' attitude.
Now i'm not against independant garages(as I have stated many times here on FF)but everyday I answer at least 2/3 enquires from local independants looking for information(which I am happy to give out)and do at least 1/2 jobs on cars brought in from independants who get a generous discount then add extra for themselves before presenting the customer wit the bill.
There are some very good independant garages(I know many)but to say not to go to dealers after warranty is run out is unfair as there are many customers happy with dealer services.

 

[scudmad]

I agree that there are some very good independents out there, my father in law runs one, but he is snowed under with mots!! Also can be awkward when something is not done right!! With regards to shouting the odds, i have tried not to do this, but I feel as though I am justified to be slightly unhappy. Anyway, now 4 weeks without van. Wifey has renamed it 'the glacier'. Big, white and hardly moves!!

 

[Hellcat]

I think we need to point out that dealers can vary - like apples. Some are bad, some are good. Our man, Mr T here is obviously one of the better ones.

 

[scudmad]

Good point hellcat, have known some very bad garages and some very good ones, as we all have. It just gets on my nerves that the garage cannot fix a problem that was not there when it when in. If it was an independent, i would still be annoyed!!

 

[T14086]

I worked at 2 independant garages & liked it,I enjoyed the 'family atsmophere' & the flexability....you could turn up hour late and nothing said,but I became frustrated at the lack of information available to fix the cars which were becoming more & more complicated hence my move to dealerships.
However i'm not blinkered & do know that alot of people do sometimes get overcharged at dealers but with car dealers you can complain face to face...try that with british gas/electric/BT/AOL etc,you cant & are at their mercy.
Dealers are more aware thesedays...posts on this forum will back this up about customer complaints but at same time the dealership is a business...objective to make money the same as any other business.A few hours reading through sites like this will give a good idea of possible faults or at least to sniff out any potential bull*hit.
Finding a good dealer(or independant)is half the battle so to speak but they are there....and always speak to the technician working on your car!

 

[scudmad]

Agreed T, when we had an astravan (curses) we had a very good independent who was always willing to help out of hours/weekends/after accidents etc.

M & N Autos in Portsmouth were spot on, but when we bought the scudos, we decided to go the main dealer route for the warranty and expertise.

They are a family run business and give a much better class of abuse than main dealers. They get to know their customers and people go back to them year after year. They know their customers by name, and are willing to do MOTs at weekends or late in the day. Top notch service!!!!

OK, they dont have access to the diagnostic equipment that dealers have, but advice is free, and normally they can reccommend a garage who can help if they can't.

 

[scudmad]

hi all, just an update, 5 weeks and still no van, progress is being made tho, fiat technical have now diagnosed a faulty servo!! At last, answers, action, but no van. Has to go in the bodyshop after the brakes are sorted! grrrrrr!!!!!

 

[T14086]

Getting somewhere I suppose as you say......bugg*r of a job changing servos on them vans,dont envy tech doing that job.

Keep us posted

 

[scudmad]

Yes T, apparently the engine has to be dropped a bit to gain access to it.

 

[punto5dr]

I can fully understand where you're coming from where main dealers are concerned. The dealer in amersham (bucks) took my punto in for a full service (when my mum owned the car), and they forgot to put water back in the radiator! Luckily i was there when my mum picked the car up and me always being cautious of main dealers always make sure they've done the job before driving off and spotted the empty rad. It could have ended in a buggered engine, i bet the dealer wouldn't have sorted that for free eh?