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- Dec 17, 2006
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This is about my Mk 4 Golf GTI 1.8T that I have owned since new in 1998.
This car has featured a couple of times recently in VW Driver. I have always had it serviced annually at a VW dealer so it has FVWSH.
Last Thursday took it in for an oil service and a new wing mirror that some **** smashed in a car park.
Everything seemed OK on the way home. I provide my own oil as it runs very well on Castrol Edge.
Next morning I checked it over and found the oil level about 1.5 cm over max. So I rang them up and they said bring it back and they would drain some out. Luckily, as you will see, I agreed rather than sorting it myself.
Not a big deal as I had some spare time so I sat in the car showroom drinking coffee and reading some magazines.
After about 20 mins the service receptionist asked me to come to her desk and she told me that they could not stop the sump plug from leaking. She said that she was not technically minded so I asked to see my car.
The car was on the ramp with a very uncomfortable looking young mechanic trying to catch my "new" oil in a tank ready for reuse. I think he had also worked on the car the day before.
The threads in the sump drain hole were sitting there looking like a tangled mass of aluminium shavings. First thing I said was that oil is not going back into my car as it had been drained out though the bits.
The work shop foreman said not to worry as they would foot the bill for a replacement sump and some more of my oil. The deduction was that the mechanic the day before had either cross threaded the sump plug or over tightened it stripping the threads in the process.
I took the opportunity to ask to pay for a new oil pick up and strainer as it has never been changed. They said that will be done FOC too!!
As far as I know there are no really good independents locally. The last local one I used to fit new rear calipers left me with a low brake pedal that had to be fixed by the main dealer who had to do a complete fluid flush.
Last year my wife's TT went to the local Audi centre. They had a good deal on tyres at the time but they gouged holes in the rim of every wheel when fitting 4 new ones. They had to pay for a wheel refurb on wheels that had otherwise been perfect.
So the car will be fixed but this sort of rubbish should never be happening in the first place and it is making having anything done on the car a very tense business.
I do lots of jobs on our cars not only to save cash but to make sure they are done carefully. I can do an oil change easily but for some reason like to have the stamp in the book.
You can save mega money doing some jobs your self.
We have 2x TTs both having the dodgy parcel shelf plastic mounting that break very easily allowing the parcel shelf to fall into the boot. Total cost to fit 3 replacements at Audi was going to be £525 due to the labour involved.
DIY price to fix using plasterboard fixings from B & Q less than £5.00 plus a couple of hours to do some careful drilling and refitting.
This car has featured a couple of times recently in VW Driver. I have always had it serviced annually at a VW dealer so it has FVWSH.
Last Thursday took it in for an oil service and a new wing mirror that some **** smashed in a car park.
Everything seemed OK on the way home. I provide my own oil as it runs very well on Castrol Edge.
Next morning I checked it over and found the oil level about 1.5 cm over max. So I rang them up and they said bring it back and they would drain some out. Luckily, as you will see, I agreed rather than sorting it myself.
Not a big deal as I had some spare time so I sat in the car showroom drinking coffee and reading some magazines.
After about 20 mins the service receptionist asked me to come to her desk and she told me that they could not stop the sump plug from leaking. She said that she was not technically minded so I asked to see my car.
The car was on the ramp with a very uncomfortable looking young mechanic trying to catch my "new" oil in a tank ready for reuse. I think he had also worked on the car the day before.
The threads in the sump drain hole were sitting there looking like a tangled mass of aluminium shavings. First thing I said was that oil is not going back into my car as it had been drained out though the bits.
The work shop foreman said not to worry as they would foot the bill for a replacement sump and some more of my oil. The deduction was that the mechanic the day before had either cross threaded the sump plug or over tightened it stripping the threads in the process.
I took the opportunity to ask to pay for a new oil pick up and strainer as it has never been changed. They said that will be done FOC too!!
As far as I know there are no really good independents locally. The last local one I used to fit new rear calipers left me with a low brake pedal that had to be fixed by the main dealer who had to do a complete fluid flush.
Last year my wife's TT went to the local Audi centre. They had a good deal on tyres at the time but they gouged holes in the rim of every wheel when fitting 4 new ones. They had to pay for a wheel refurb on wheels that had otherwise been perfect.
So the car will be fixed but this sort of rubbish should never be happening in the first place and it is making having anything done on the car a very tense business.
I do lots of jobs on our cars not only to save cash but to make sure they are done carefully. I can do an oil change easily but for some reason like to have the stamp in the book.
You can save mega money doing some jobs your self.
We have 2x TTs both having the dodgy parcel shelf plastic mounting that break very easily allowing the parcel shelf to fall into the boot. Total cost to fit 3 replacements at Audi was going to be £525 due to the labour involved.
DIY price to fix using plasterboard fixings from B & Q less than £5.00 plus a couple of hours to do some careful drilling and refitting.
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