It seems like the jokers at VW Palace cross haven't learned from their previous mistakes.
My Polo is back in the workshop, barely 2 months after the rear drum brake assembly was replaced under warranty. This time, the strut bearings are to be replaced and also the wiper blades have become hard in a 6 month old car.
I'd taken an appointment for a monsoon check-up on the 7th of August,I reached by 11.45AM and was made to made for 40 mins before a SA was appointed to attend to my car.
I mentioned of wiper judder, steering noise and after noting down all the complaints, i was made to wait another 40 mins telling me the 'job card' is getting ready and i'll have to sign before i leave. I called him twice in between those 40 minutes and finally left the place without signing the job card as the SA told me he'll take another 30mins or so.
My car was to be delivered at 4.30pm the same day, and i'd called him twice once mentioning that i wanted my car to be washed, and finally at 4.15 to check if my car was ready. SA says the car is ready, but he'll check and call back.
Finally i get a call at 4.50PM from another SA(not the one who attended to my car earlier) saying the steering noise is because of 'steering cone' and its to be replaced under warranty.
New SA: "Sir, the steering cone needs to be changed and it'll take 4-5 hours, we can do it no" ?
Me: Why didn't you inform of this before ?
SA: Sir the diagnosis took time, but we're replacing under warranty no (Implying VW is doing me a BIG favor)?
Me: Agreed, but you're expected to inform me before hand of such major repairs, not in the nth minute after saying the car is ready.
SA: Sir this is not the nth minute, the job is only starting now.
Me:
(thinking to self, whatever they did from 1-5 pm on my car) Ok replace it under warranty, but when will i get the car ?
SA: Tomorrow (8th) morning sir.
Since this was to be a 2 hr check-up we'd planned a visit to a relative's house and now that the car was unavailable my dad had to drive for 1.5 hrs to get to where we were as the family was at the relative's place and we couldn't take a rick.
On the 8th at 2PM,i call the old SA(New SA doesn't have a cell, he calls from the receptionist's phone)since i haven't heard from them yet,as he doesn't answer my call, i call the manager and ask him what's wrong.
He says its not the steering cone's but the strut bearings need replacement as they are responsible for the noise. I ask him why it failed in 6 months ?
He says its because of rain water entering and water when washing the car. I'm shell shocked! This is the EXACT same reason he mentioned for why the brake assembly needed to be replaced in May!
Looks like he knows nothing other than these reasons to give customers, so i ask him to look into the matter and he says he'll do so and call me back.
As usual he doesn't call back, SA calls me at 5PM and tells me that the rubber in the wiper blades have gone hard and it needs to be replaced, since its not covered under warranty i've to pay. I tell him not to replace it as it was working fine despite the judder and he also is 'updated' with the latest cause for the steering noise and tells me work is still going on.
Today (9th) they didn't call me till now, so i call the SA and he doesn't answer my call. I call him back again and he says the car is ready, but the supervisor has not given his approval yet and so the car can't be delivered till then. Its a mere telephonic approval and the supervisor is out of reach. On asking the New SA why the bearing had failed, he struggles to explain and begins to laugh after a while. After he's done laughing, he says he can't explain what has exactly been done or why it has failed prematurely but the supervisor can do so.
As I write this post, i'd called the SA and he says he can deliver the car as the 'technician' has given a go ahead and the supervisors approval is not required. I refuse to take delivery as I want the supervisor to be present as only 'he' can explain what really went wrong.
The manager,new SA are all a bunch of jokers really. Neither are they responsible, nor do they understand the car and its mechanicals. I've already written a mail to VW explaining my ordeal, i'd like to know how i can file a complaint against the dealer.