I recently had my Jetta in for an oil change. The mechanic forgot to tighten either the drain plug or oil filter and the car ran out of oil after I left the dealership and got on the freeway. Tom Ganley refuses to talk to me and repair my damaged engine. I have been forced to contact an attorney. While investigating my problem I've heard countless complaints about VW and Audi Service. I will never purchase another VW product and encourage everyone to BEWARE.
I agree with you about Ganley; they don't deserve to be selling VWs (or any other German car). I don't agree about the product itself. The cars are great, but sometimes the people don't measure up. VW (and Audi) salesmen and dealer mechanics are not often "into the cars" as much as the customers/owners are.
I had a similar experience with Ganley a few years ago, not on the service side, but on the sales side. After making me wait 2 weeks for a car that was located only 200 miles away, they still got the wrong car: wrong color. In fact, the car they brought me was the same as a car already on their lot. But it was not the end of the world. Plus, that car came with a CD that was not documented. A day later they sheepishly called to grant me the "opportunity" to pay them for the CD, since it was "extra." I never contacted them again and they never contacted me again. ..... I have long since sold the CD ......I'd say an equitable swap for my waiting time.....
Recently had a similar experience with Cascade Audi. Took them days to perform simple work and it still wasn't right. Wasn't even engine or transmission work. They have demonstrated that they are inept people who refuse to accept suggestions or criticism. I guess that's why independent repair shops like Swedish Solution and Euro-Car-Service thrive.
I believe the solution is to buy used from a private seller and get the car serviced at an independent shop. Or perhaps try a variety of different dealers, if you generally prefer them. At least in NE Ohio there are a number of VW (and Audi) dealers in a 50 mile radius. I have lived places where the next VW dealer was 250+ miles away.
Any mechanic can forget to replace an oil plug...it should not be a reflection on the quality of the cars themselves. Personally, I'd never pay dealership prices for something as simple as an oil change. You'll often pay $50+ for a simple oil change at a German car dealer, for which price a synthetic oil change can be had at some independents or quick oil change places.
If you want to spread your message, try also posting to rec.autos.makers.vw.watercooled
I'll never set foot in Cascade. I had friend who was a mechanic there and quit because he was tired of seeing fraudulent practices. That was over a decade ago, and I thought I'd give them a shot when I was looking for my A4. That was a mistake...they tried to keep my deposit on a car that didn't exist. The salesman and I sat down and wrote out a specification on options, exterior color and interior. I put a deposit down to show good faith. I found out a few days later that what we wrote down was a vehicle that Audi would not make due to interior/exterior combinations. I wanted my money back to get out of a contract on a non-existant vehicle and avoid the old "bait and switch". He refused, and I was transferred to the owner so she could berate me, curse at me and tell me to never bring an Audi I own to get serviced there. That is fine with me. I had to get the BBB on them, threaten to get an attory involved and pull a loud rant in a crowded showroom on a Saturday afternoon to get my money back.
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