Contract/towbar query

[johnandrew70]

If I could just steer this back to the original post..........here's an update!

We should've collected the new Yeti yesterday but the computer system that allows dealers to tax the car online was down so we went today. (Tuesday.)

I wasn't surprised to find that the towbar was NOT as per a factory fit. A rectangular panel had been cut out of the bumper and a detatchable tow bar had been fitted, but not a Wesphalia. When the towbar is removed there is a hole in the bumper with no cover for it. We had a frank exchange of views and the outcome is that they have ordered a new bumper and will be refitting the whole thing, including a Westphalia tow bar, ASAP.

When I got home I connected up to the van and was again not surprised to find that the car had not been remapped. Although the ecectrics on the van all worked OK, the rear parking sensors are not deactivated and the car alarm does not sound if the van is unplugged. (There are probably other things that should happen, but I haven't found those yet.)

The salesman also admitted that he had not ordered the factory fit towbar, hence the retro-fit.

I'm hoping it will all be sorted out next week, but I'm not holding my breath. It's a shame because the car itself is fabulous.

Your dealer sounds like a shower of SH*T, I said in my previous posting that he had probably forgot to order it, also you said you paid £420 for factory fit bar? its only £400. as for bodging the rear bumper well thats just criminal.
I guess they paid for the cheapest removable bar as the westfalia with dedicated wiring is more that the £420 that you paid once the fitter fits it all.
Hopefully you will get it all sorted
John
I

 

[RogerL]

I'm hoping it will all be sorted out next week, but I'm not holding my breath. It's a shame because the car itself is fabulous.

It's a sad reflection on car dealers that this outcome was entirely predictable. The problem is that you can't buy a car without involving a salesman !
Hope it all works out in the end for you.

 

[hortimech]

Have you checked how they have connected the towbar wiring to the cars electrics? From the shambles you are describing, it just might be an idea to do so.

 

[jaffasdad]

I would if I knew how to! Any suggestions?
You are all quite right; the dealer buying experience has been awful and I now wish I had used an internet firm.

 

[johnandrew70]

I would if I knew how to! Any suggestions?
You are all quite right; the dealer buying experience has been awful and I now wish I had used an internet firm.

Not all dealers are the same

, Some of us care about our customers and the business they bring to us.

 

[hortimech]

Take the vehicle back to the dealer, tell them put it on their ramp and then get them to show you how the towbar wiring is connected to the vehicle. In this day and age it should be plugged in, if there are any wiring mods or scotch locks then I would advise you to tell them that you are rejecting the vehicle on the grounds that it is not what you ordered.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Just in case anyone is interested, I have had my Passat back today. The garage found that the retaining bolt for the cam belt tensioner had sheared. So having replaced the tensioner and refitted the cam belt, the engine fired up with no nasty sounds or smoke etc. It runs a smoothly as before and pulls as previously. Thank heavens, as normally a broken cam belt normally means smashed valves and damaged piston crowns.

I have to conclude that despite the lack of tension on the cambelt, it retained enough engagement with both the main crank shaft and the cam shafts to keep the valve roughly timed thus avoiding valve and piston collisions.

 

[MichaelE]

It will be very difficult to reject the car now as you have taken it away, in cases like this if you are not happy dont accept the car, leave it with them.
By accepting you are giving them a chance to rectify, but if you are not happy its very difficult to reject.

 

[johnandrew70]

Just in case anyone is interested, I have had my Passat back today. The garage found that the retaining bolt for the cam belt tensioner had sheared. So having replaced the tensioner and refitted the cam belt, the engine fired up with no nasty sounds or smoke etc. It runs a smoothly as before and pulls as previously. Thank heavens, as normally a broken cam belt normally means smashed valves and damaged piston crowns.

I have to conclude that despite the lack of tension on the cambelt, it retained enough engagement with both the main crank shaft and the cam shafts to keep the valve roughly timed thus avoiding valve and piston collisions.

Hi Prof
Did you get the Water pump changed at the same time??

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hi Prof
Did you get the Water pump changed at the same time??

I have to assume the water pump was not changed, as it hasn't been mentioned. However I know I have bought a second hand car and unless the water pump was showing signs of wear or making noises there was no reason to change it. If I had tried to insist on having it replaced, it would have complicated the issue regarding getting the tensioner replaced under SoGA.

Of course I am disappointed that the car let me down, but I have to say that the independent supplying dealers response has been first class. He arranged to collect the car, get it repaired and returned to me with the absolute minimum of fuss, and exemplar of how it should be done. He has also been very helpful in another matter.

Being realistic about such matters, no second hand car dealer can possibly guarantee that a second hand car they source and supply will not break down. The best one can hope for is the dealer will respond effectively if such a breakdown occurs. Mine did and this dealer came out of the processes smelling of roses. Well Done

 

[johnandrew70]

Hi Prof
Did you get the Water pump changed at the same time??

I have to assume the water pump was not changed, as it hasn't been mentioned. However I know I have bought a second hand car and unless the water pump was showing signs of wear or making noises there was no reason to change it. If I had tried to insist on having it replaced, it would have complicated the issue regarding getting the tensioner replaced under SoGA.

Of course I am disappointed that the car let me down, but I have to say that the independent supplying dealers response has been first class. He arranged to collect the car, get it repaired and returned to me with the absolute minimum of fuss, and exemplar of how it should be done. He has also been very helpful in another matter.

Being realistic about such matters, no second hand car dealer can possibly guarantee that a second hand car they source and supply will not break down. The best one can hope for is the dealer will respond effectively if such a breakdown occurs. Mine did and this dealer came out of the processes smelling of roses. Well Done

When i bought mine i was told that things can get expensive if they go wrong, dual mass flywheel is over a grand to put right, turbo again looking at a grand again, and the passat does suffer with handbrake problems and at £250 a wheel i decided to take out VW's extended warranty for peace of mind after the first 12 months warranty was up, Lokk into it as it could save you a small fortune in future.

John

 

[Dustydog]

Hi Prof
Did you get the Water pump changed at the same time??

I have to assume the water pump was not changed, as it hasn't been mentioned. However I know I have bought a second hand car and unless the water pump was showing signs of wear or making noises there was no reason to change it. If I had tried to insist on having it replaced, it would have complicated the issue regarding getting the tensioner replaced under SoGA.

Of course I am disappointed that the car let me down, but I have to say that the independent supplying dealers response has been first class. He arranged to collect the car, get it repaired and returned to me with the absolute minimum of fuss, and exemplar of how it should be done. He has also been very helpful in another matter.

Being realistic about such matters, no second hand car dealer can possibly guarantee that a second hand car they source and supply will not break down. The best one can hope for is the dealer will respond effectively if such a breakdown occurs. Mine did and this dealer came out of the processes smelling of roses. Well Done

VW Audi know their products and IMO will always err on the side of caution ,hence their recommendation about changing puulrys water pump etc.

A non franchised garage IMO only has to repair or replace the broken item. Preventative care from their point of view will be at the expense of the car owner.
I'm pleased you're happy John. All that power! More than my 4x4 tug.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Thank you John for the advice,

As my independnat dealer is not connected to VW, I cannot take advantage of the VW scheme, I do however have an insurance cover for breakdowns from another sorce. Incidentally I did not invoke the cover for the tensioner failure as that was a straight forward SoGA issue.
As for costs, sadly almost every car you buy these has parts that have some horendous costs to replace. I've seen nothing that set VWs significantly apart from other makes. My last car a Saab was begining to cost me an arm and leg without getting to teh route cause of its starting problems, Almost anything that might fix it (and there was no certanty about a cure) were beginig to cost more than the car was worth, and they were basically GM parts
Regardless of which make of car you go for Diesel injectors and pumps, turbo's and DMF's DPF's all cost a considerable amount to It's one of the risks you have to accept when buying secondhand at around 70K miles. Incidentally very few insurances will cover things that simply wear out, usually its only those items that fail suddenly and well before their expected life has been used up.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Dusty,
Power without control is pretty useless, so even though the Passat has much more than enough PSIs and NMs it down to the computer behind the wheel to use it sensibly. I do not drive peddle to the metal, and I don't consously speed using cruise control where ever possible. but it is nice to find more than enough grunt available to get up to speed or complete manouvers safely.
Incidenatally my outgoing Saab 2.2 diesel 115bhp is usually rated to give 45mpg, but I struggled to get it to 40, but by comparison the Passat 2.0 170bhp is rated to do 42mpg and I'm getting 47mpg with no real hassle, and its an automatic. Makes me wonder if someething else was adrift with my Saab.
I do wish GM hadn't closed Saab and it would have been nice if either VW or Honda had been able to buy it.

 

[ProfJohnL]

It will be very difficult to reject the car now as you have taken it away, in cases like this if you are not happy dont accept the car, leave it with them.
By accepting you are giving them a chance to rectify, but if you are not happy its very difficult to reject.

I'm not sure what your point is Michael, You seem to have misunderstood or not read my post.:- The car seems fine, why should I want to reject it?

 

[RogerL]

I do wish GM hadn't closed Saab and it would have been nice if either VW or Honda had been able to buy it.

Saab was a strange company, never designing an engine of their own, but using their own developments of other manufacturers - DKW, Ford, Triumph and Opel/Vauxhall. Their clock was ticking from the era when forced to join the Type 4 development with Fiat, Lancia and Alfa in the 1980s to create the 9000 and still had no funds to redevelop the 1970's 900.
Saab was a basket-case, financially, when GM took full control in 2000 - and given GM's lack of strategic planning with their own brands, Saab was always doomed to failure from then on.
The only good thing to come out of it was that GM Detroit was so focussed on Saab's problems that it stopped them closing Opel/Vauxhall - although some will say that's a shame!

 

[MichaelE]

It will be very difficult to reject the car now as you have taken it away, in cases like this if you are not happy dont accept the car, leave it with them.
By accepting you are giving them a chance to rectify, but if you are not happy its very difficult to reject.

I'm not sure what your point is Michael, You seem to have misunderstood or not read my post.:- The car seems fine, why should I want to reject it?

Sorry i was referring to the OP

 

[johnandrew70]

Thank you John for the advice,

As my independnat dealer is not connected to VW, I cannot take advantage of the VW scheme, I do however have an insurance cover for breakdowns from another sorce. Incidentally I did not invoke the cover for the tensioner failure as that was a straight forward SoGA issue.
As for costs, sadly almost every car you buy these has parts that have some horendous costs to replace. I've seen nothing that set VWs significantly apart from other makes. My last car a Saab was begining to cost me an arm and leg without getting to teh route cause of its starting problems, Almost anything that might fix it (and there was no certanty about a cure) were beginig to cost more than the car was worth, and they were basically GM parts
Regardless of which make of car you go for Diesel injectors and pumps, turbo's and DMF's DPF's all cost a considerable amount to It's one of the risks you have to accept when buying secondhand at around 70K miles. Incidentally very few insurances will cover things that simply wear out, usually its only those items that fail suddenly and well before their expected life has been used up.

Yes you are right things can be expensive.
Before i got the Passat i had a Nissan Xtrail well what can i say, In the 12 months i owned it i dont think a day where there was nothing wrong with it, Intercooler, Turbo, Brake Calipers, Boost Sensors, EGR valve, Fuel Pump and rear Silencer. my wife said i may as well have given my wallet and pin number to a complete stranger as said help yourself thats what its like owning an Xtrail.

Before that i owned a Mercedes C Class 2.0 Kompressor lovely car only had 1 problem with it in 5 years, well put together and a pleasure to drive, I suppose what i am saying is you get what you pay for, the Merc was an expensive car but its the price you pay for a quality product, its just a shame it was a tad thirsty or was that my right foots fault

Anyway i am happy with my Passat it returns 50+ mpg has bags of power and its reliable.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello John,

I'm conscious this thread has veered away from its original intention, so I am redirecting the car aspect of this to a new thread in the Chit-chat section. "Car Woes"

http://www.practicalcaravan.com/forum/chit-chat/car-woes-general-area-0

 

[jaffasdad]

Another brief update.......
The car is booked in next week to have the towbar and bumper removed and the 'correct' ones fitted. The firm has also offered to give me (or the car to be more precise) the Auto Glym bodywork and uphostery treatment FOC as compensation for my frustration and inconvenience which I have accepted.
I'm hoping that this will be the end of it, so no further news will be good news!

 

[johnandrew70]

Another brief update.......
The car is booked in next week to have the towbar and bumper removed and the 'correct' ones fitted. The firm has also offered to give me (or the car to be more precise) the Auto Glym bodywork and uphostery treatment FOC as compensation for my frustration and inconvenience which I have accepted.
I'm hoping that this will be the end of it, so no further news will be good news!

AutoGlym LifeShine??
Thats nice of them are they going to give you the full kit also? or is it a treatment you are getting??
I use this stuff everyday and usually have some left over after doing customers cars so it gets used when trying to sweeten up a customer but they will not get the retail bag with the goodies in.
If you are getting the full kit you will get a green AutoGlym bag with polishes etc worth around £70 to buy from AutoGlym but if you buy it at your dealer you will pay £300, They could argue that the Valetor has to apply it to your car but the valetor has to clean your car anyway weather its with LifeShine or a PDI polish, And 9 times out of 10 the service washer will wash the protection off your car with a strong traffic film remover the next time you have your car serviced.
Sorry to sound negative, Make sure you get the customers pack when you pick the car up as to my mind that whats worth the money.check out the link to see what you should get.
http://www.carcleaned.com/paint-protection.html

 

[jaffasdad]

I'm assuming that's it's the full thing - as offered to me when I purchased the car - but will let you know. The chances of my ever actually using a polishing kit are fairly remote anyway.
To be quite honest I just want to draw a line under the whole business and enjoy the car. So far I find it a joy to drive but I haven't towed yet as I want to put a few hundred miles on it first. I'm booked to go away next weekend.
Thanks again for everyone's comments.