[joslicx]

Originally Posted by noopster

^^ Only fair to say that being charged for oil dip stick insertion etc. is NOT typical for all of us

I think at VW you are charged on a per min basis for any service. The SA might be required to register what he is doing on that basis and you are charged for that.

But really charging 111.11 to hand over the key takes the cake

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by clevermax

I have already asked him to refer the bills and information mentioned in the thread pointed by Ninja.
.

Posting on tbhp has its risks too - here's one more post with a list of recent servicing records. Hey look, your friend's record is there too Hope it proves useful to him.

Originally Posted by noopster

I am sick of VW service now.

Aiyyo! Whaaat saar - all fine with the 4 wheeler? I thought you were a satisfied kaastomer!

Urge all Vento/Polo owners to give good and hard-hitting feedback when the inevitable call from VW CRM team comes to you. They take their time but the feedback finds its way back to the dealer and they WILL call you.

+1 to this.

[el lobo 6061]

Point to note:

Previously had read in EU Skoda Fabia user manual that the 1.6 TDi w/DPF engine has an engine oil capacity of 4.3 L, which I think would be constant even for 1.6 TDi engine that comes in Vento/Rapid.

Blatantly VW workshop charges for 5 L engine oil, which is impossible as they cannot put additional 700 ml which would lead to oil in crankcase and kill the engine.

When I got the service done, mechanic in front of me put 4 bottles of 1L in the engine but just a few more ml from the 5th bottle but charged me for 5L. I should have questioned them, but they had changed the clutch hose pipe FOC which was more necessary so didn't take the matter further.

Come next service in Apr'13, I'm gonna have a big ordeal with the VW workshop regarding the excess engine oil cost. Outside the same oil would be cheaper and plan to get the same oil from outside to save in more money.

Money saved is money earned.

Originally Posted by asdfvinay

Thanks for posting these. We are planning for a new car in feb/mar 2013 and this post helped me eliminate Vento and Rapid, I was hesitantly considering these two so far, but now they are out.

Don't let just one off experience to deter you from owning a good drivers car. There is always a chance you did find another owner who may have had a bad experience with other brand. Keeping that in mind, you did never be able to zero on a car.

Each & every manufacturer & dealer are different. There are many Skoda owners who are satisfied with their after sales experience. Do give Vento/Rapid a try.

Originally Posted by clevermax

He will surely be writing to VW and EVM about this, asking for a clear explanation. I have already asked him to refer the bills and information mentioned in the thread pointed by Ninja.

Your friend has been taken for a royal ride. Almost 80% of the things mentioned in the bill are non-relevant. Didn't your friend verify the bill before paying. Rather then writing to EVM & VW ask him to drop in and ask their workshop manager for the discrepancies.

Originally Posted by clevermax

As a matter of fact, my Punto's 4th paid service (at 45000 Kms) was just 9K. The same will be applicable to Linea. Vento is a really nice car to own but service costs may repel potential customers.

I got my Vento 1st paid service for Rs. 7544, which is even cheaper than your Punto which is hatch. The service cost that I incurred in 1st paid service could have easily reduced by another 2% and Rs. 700 if I had been more smarter. But my point is that one needs to be aware of what he wants to be done on his car and ask why this charge & that? One simply cannot be reluctant and do things as others do.

Originally Posted by coolboy007

2. I see no reason why brake pads or drums need to be cleaned/opened at the very first service, you can clearly make out the depth of pads left and i state no opening the pads or anything.

Its actually done to check & clean break pads and it was done on my Vento TDi and it improved braking a lot.

[clevermax]

Originally Posted by el lobo 6061

I got my Vento 1st paid service for Rs. 7544, which is even cheaper than your Punto which is hatch. The service cost that I incurred in 1st paid service could have easily reduced by another 2% and Rs. 700 if I had been more smarter.

I actually mentioned about the fourth paid service of my car, which was 9K. I don't think a Polo/Vento's fourth service will be that cheap. My first service cost was just zero rupees by the way.

I heard from VW owners that Polo - Vento service costs doesn't really differ much. Hence the comparison with Punto, where I know its service costs and Linea's doesn't have much difference.

[clevermax]

Originally Posted by clevermax

This is to help out one of my friends who happen to own a Vento TDI highline.

Last day he got his car from EVM motors after the first service and the bill came to a whopping INR 14,500/- . No issues were present in the car at the time of service and it was just the regular first service.
...
...

UPDATE:

Today, my friend called up EVM and spoke to the service engineer who carried out the jobs.

He asked the rationale behind charging each and every labor item twice (you can see the quantity is being marked as 2 for every item). The response he got was quite interesting:-

"That is time units saaar...!"

My friend asked how can it be two time units for every job item including trivial ones like "Dipstick removal and re-install", then the response was even more incredible:-

"Saar, since it is Vento, it is charged as 2 time units. Had the car been Jetta, some items would have been charged 3 times, saar..."

[If this has to make sense, Jetta should be having a much longer dipstick and the time for removing and re-installing it should take 1.5 times of how many seconds it took for carrying out this procedure on Vento..! ]

At this point, my friend gave up further argument. The service guy seemed really prepared for justifying the cost of the service and was not at all trying to accept any mistake at all, let alone being apologetic. The tone of the conversation was becoming slightly intimidating towards the end.

When asked about the bill having minutest detail of every small steps carried out during the service, he said that he could have given a consolidated bill, but the amount would have been just be the same.

An e-mail has been sent to customer care -mail address of VW, with a copy to EVM. In this he has attached the scanned bill copy and asked for an explanation. Some of the jobs done are outside the scope of first service (as mentioned in the manual) and they didn't care to get his consent before carrying out such jobs.

If any of you know an official contact id of any VW corporate officials, please PM me the details. Any help is highly appreciated!

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by clevermax

UPDATE:

Today, my friend called up EVM and spoke to the service engineer who carried out the jobs.

Err, IMO discussions/arguments on wrong billing is never going to be fruitful on the phone. He should have gone down to the workshop and asked him to explain why the bill differs from other service records.

Do note - a one-on-one comparison would have deflated the 2 time units argument.


OT : People, does it makes sense to take half a day off and drop/pickup the car at the workshop or instead use the pick&drop facility? For the first servicing I went to the workshop, so need feedback on the 2nd option.

[TopSpeeder]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

OT : People, does it makes sense to take half a day off and drop/pickup the car at the workshop or instead use the pick&drop facility? For the first servicing I went to the workshop, so need feedback on the 2nd option.

I have used pick&drop service for my 2nd service, during clutch pipe replacement and fuel filter replacement. It's easy and time saver. Initially it was free, Now Iin Bangalore they started charging ~ Rs 100 I guess.

OT: Its 42k+ in my Apollo tyres, I feel the brake becomes light now. It might be brake pad/ tyre issue ?
I will try rotating the tyres.

[shashank.nk]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

OT : People, does it makes sense to take half a day off and drop/pickup the car at the workshop or instead use the pick&drop facility? For the first servicing I went to the workshop, so need feedback on the 2nd option.

If you can,I'd say take a half day's leave and go to the workshop. The convenience of having someone come pick up and drop it off is great but these drivers will handle and drive your car very carelessly.

[ventoman]

Originally Posted by shashank.nk

If you can,I'd say take a half day's leave and go to the workshop. The convenience of having someone come pick up and drop it off is great but these drivers will handle and drive your car very carelessly.

Moreover, if you have any complaints you can test drive and get it fixed, if not resolved during the service.

[newtonMeter]

Need help!


Recently observed that when I switch on the ignition there is a minute hum ( glow plug getting warned up) and then settling. But now the issue is , when I crank the engine the hum returns and is continuous till the engine is running. I compared the same procedure with a black light latest vento 2012, it had absolutely no humming :(

[noopster]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Aiyyo! Whaaat saar - all fine with the 4 wheeler? I thought you were a satisfied kaastomer!

I am satisfied with the product, no two ways about that.

But anything service-related with VW, be it the pre-sales process, or getting the car serviced, or getting anything changed under warranty, is akin to pulling teeth. I thought it was a dealer-specific issue at first (Vidyut Motors is not the sharpest shooter on the block) but turns out that is universal. Ajmat has had a crazy experience with his Jetta being the shop for two months just to replace a broken alloy wheel. Someone's Polo got taken for a joyride and smashed up, another person's Jetta likewise. It's all on the forums- just search!

VW car owners are now in the peculiar and unenviable position of being happy as long as their car is working fine and in terminal depression every time something goes wrong with it!

[clevermax]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

OT : People, does it makes sense to take half a day off and drop/pickup the car at the workshop or instead use the pick&drop facility? For the first servicing I went to the workshop, so need feedback on the 2nd option.

I never let the service guys drive my car for a pick up and drop. I have seen how they drive customer's cars while they are not around (Be it any brand). They simply rip them off, most of the guys most of the time. There is a maruti yard near my house where they stock new cars. You should see how they rip those cold MJD engines in the morning while they drive them off to PDI!

[samarjitdhar]

Originally Posted by clevermax

UPDATE:
then the response was even more incredible:-

I suggest that your friend upload the scanned copy of the invoice on VW's FB page and haul them over the coals. Highlight all the utterly ridiculous charges and ask for an explanation. It works much faster as VW is more sensitive about reports made on their FB page since it grabs more eyeballs. Make sure no punches are pulled while blasting them. Mild language doesn't do the trick. I generally love kicking around their German engineering ego when they screw up.

[Crank]

After my last post I went ahead and booked the Vento. A.S.S. was still a question mark. Yet I went on booking it. Now I see a lot of negative comments on the A.S.S. Is it the same all over India? What about ABRA/Sundaram in Chennai?

[noopster]

Originally Posted by Crank

After my last post I went ahead and booked the Vento. A.S.S. was still a question mark. Yet I went on booking it. Now I see a lot of negative comments on the A.S.S. Is it the same all over India? What about ABRA/Sundaram in Chennai?

Hard to tell. For example, BU Bhandari in Pune has a reputation for being a better dealer than Vidyut. In Mumbai Downtown VW has a pretty good reputation as well. You need to check with folks locally.

Originally Posted by samarjitdhar

I suggest that your friend upload the scanned copy of the invoice on VW's FB page and haul them over the coals.

I hope they don't charge 99/- per post on their Facebook page as well.