• Guest would you be interested in CUPRA or SEAT valve caps? let us know in the poll

  • Welcome to our new sponsor Lecatona, a brand dedicated to enhancing performance for VAG group sports cars, including SEAT, Audi, Volkswagen and Škoda. Specializing in High Pressure Fuel Pump (HPFP) upgrades.

Dealership put too much oil in...

Seriously?

Active Member
Apr 20, 2018
1,321
903
First point of call is the person you paid to do the job and ask for an explanation or a rectification.
Exactly. In my case, the service manager and dealer principle were left in no doubt that I wasn't a happy bunny. The boss even offered a free service in recompense. Maybe I was being unreasonable, but I told him I wouldn't trust his 'technicians' to hang an air freshener in my car.:thumbd:
 

Astrix92

Active Member
Aug 30, 2018
10
2
One thing to the OP, did you use the same method as the SEAT dealership to check your oil level, ie "with a fully warmed up engine, switch, wait X minutes and then remove dip stick, wipe clean, reinsert and remove immediately and read off level" - I'm not saying that is the method I would use, but then as a DIYer I am not working to a tight time slot.
Yea both hot and cold, didn't really find a discernible difference to be honest
 

RUM4MO

Active Member
Jun 4, 2008
7,964
1,058
South Scotland
Fair enough, I've normally there is a difference that tended to put a nearly "max" reading well over "max" after maybe a day sitting unused.
 

Polly

Active Member
Jan 16, 2019
291
60
I am sorry I was not trying to dish any techies on here. I loved it on the Megan site as there was a guy who was foreman on they're from the dealership. Fantastic service.
However had some really poor quality servicing in the past. Had a new fuel pump. The old one was still on there covered in oil dirt and grease. Oh the techie had dirty hands sir. The Could not find the old one. I did get a new one a week later. As op old plugs left in. The cam cover should have been removed to adjust valve clearance. Nothing touched.
Girl friends BMW was not ready to collect and had to wait until 6pm. On way home service light and low oil light came on. Sump full of old dirty oil on the stick.
She went back. They had FORGOT to even service it AT ALL. So what was All the waiting about for.
So except for one SEAT crasher and my old Renno dealers lost confidence

Cheers Andy
 
Last edited:

RUM4MO

Active Member
Jun 4, 2008
7,964
1,058
South Scotland
Don't worry I agree with you, I've flipped flopped on main dealerships, been gutted at times after giving them the benefit of the doubt, my car - my wallet, I do my best for my company when I was young enough to work, really the minimum you should be aiming for.

Audi gave me MOT advisories 2 years ago wrt rubber bonded bushes, okay they were a typical failure point on cars of that age that had run many miles, but my car had not, and its suspension bonded bushes are like new due to very low mileage - I left them as far as MOTs were concerned after that, once mistreated/cheated twice smarter, another lost customer and who does not hold back when advising other local Audi owners. Customers treated fairly can be your best source of new customers, mess some of them up, and you will pay the price.

Edit:-I would hope, in an ideal world, any good mechanic or tech, finding that he/she was being mis-used by his employer, could find his/her way out to an Indie who relied on word of mouth for customers.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Woody_72 and Polly

Polly

Active Member
Jan 16, 2019
291
60
Many years ago we serviced an old V8 that required a plug change, mechanic found the awkward plug was marked and asked what to do, so he was told to mark the new plug and leave the old set at the service desk, sure enough two days after collection the customer returned complaining loudly, he was presented the old set of plugs and told that since he didn’t trust us to service his car correctly he should go to someone he did trust and was told to leave.
No garage I seen takes the same time and care with oil changes as we do at home, they don’t have the time, but yes there are some who are less than honest, whilst there are others who do try to be the best at what they do, no point complaining here if you don’t confront the garage, they might not be aware of what the mechanic is doing, I have seen mechanics dismissed for poor practices, it takes a long time for business to build a good reputation and only one poor job to damage that, not happy? First point of call is the person you paid to do the job and ask for an explanation or a rectification.

Thanks Guys.
Whilst my 5K mileage only car was in for 2nd service they techie videoed it. Basically telling me that was an exhaust mount, that was suspension, those are the brakes etc etc. [I was a mechanic many years ago] and he commented I am draining the old down now ready for the oil change [EXCEPT I could see in the background as he moved around, the pan on its stand. No oil going in and no sump tray removed.
BONKERS VID
Gave the benefit of doubt
 

Loadmaster748

Roll on summer.....
Aug 2, 2019
314
130
Surrey, UK
To be honest part of me would say that if I was on the receiving end of servicing a car with oil filter marked, I'd probably return the compliment and mark the new one!
What you do is take a photo with your phone of the position of the dipstick handle and oil filler cap (plus oil filter and/or housing) and see if they are different after the car is returned to you.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Polly

RUM4MO

Active Member
Jun 4, 2008
7,964
1,058
South Scotland
Things have got bad if it comes to that, I had trouble with my nearest Ford main dealer workshop, I handed my 1984 Ford Orion Ghia Injection in because it cabin heater leaked, they replaced it and soaked the carpets AND broke off part of the sealing face and so freezing air was driven in, and the broken part of the heater was left under the driver's seat, next I requested that they looked into why the corner of the cam cover had started to get its paint rubbed off due to it chaffing against the under bonnet sound proofing, this only started to happen after 6 months, their fix was to apply some silver paint to the cam cover, then they could not fix the rear wheel tracking under warranty, but they could do a month later outside warranty at service time, and charged me for it. That car was tricky to start after sitting for maybe 4 hours, the only way to start it quickly was to floor the accelerator pedal - owner's handbook said never do that, so I handed it in under warranty for them to sort out "not an issue, press the accelerator down when starting" I said that the owner's handbook said otherwise, they disagreed, so I went to my local Ford office with all my complaints, they arranged for another Ford dealership to sort out the injection system as it was known fault, they rebuilt with a factory provided service kit and it was only slightly better, it had been okay when new! In desperation I bought a new single injection valve (K Jetronic system), found the valve that leaked worst, swapped valves, problem vanished completely. Neither Ford workshop accepted or took on board that I had worked out that there was fuel leaking into 1 or 2 cylinder - I had removed the plugs to check after 4 hours sitting, and after that cracked the high pressure fuel line at the "warm-up" regulator as soon as I stopped the car, that dropped the line fuel pressure to the system - and that stopped that happening - owner knows zip all, garage mechanics are geniuses.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Polly

Yern

Active Member
Apr 25, 2019
643
322
Thanks Guys.
Whilst my 5K mileage only car was in for 2nd service they techie videoed it. Basically telling me that was an exhaust mount, that was suspension, those are the brakes etc etc. [I was a mechanic many years ago] and he commented I am draining the old down now ready for the oil change [EXCEPT I could see in the background as he moved around, the pan on its stand. No oil going in and no sump tray removed.
BONKERS VID
Gave the benefit of doubt
So annoying the videos taken by techs that 'sweep' the car pointing out vehicle components (not the condition) that the average person wouldn't have a clue. The only benefit (providing it starts/finishes with the registration plate) is that at least the customer can see its been in the workshop and on a ramp...not just had an expensive clean. :mad:
 
  • Like
Reactions: Polly

Mr Pig

Active Member
Jun 17, 2015
2,705
953
Dealerships are all about making money. Their mechanics, if hey are that, are given a set time to do a job and get moaned at if it takes longer. Anyone who's worked in a similar industry will tell you that's a recipe for shoddy work and corner cutting. The real problem is finding independent mechanics who are any better!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Polly and Jay5959

SuperV8

Active Member
May 30, 2019
1,544
685
You won't loose the warranty as long as the garage that does it uses oem parts
Under the EU Motor Vehicle Block Exemption Regulation 461/2010, manufacturers have a duty to honour the vehicle’s warranty when it is serviced outside of the dealer network, and non-OE parts fitted onto a vehicle is an insufficient reason for the warranty to be declared invalid.
 

Mr Pig

Active Member
Jun 17, 2015
2,705
953
Under the EU Motor Vehicle Block Exemption Regulation 461/2010, manufacturers have a duty to honour the vehicle’s warranty when it is serviced outside of the dealer network, and non-OE parts fitted onto a vehicle is an insufficient reason for the warranty to be declared invalid.

What is this Eee Ooo of which you speak?
 
  • Like
Reactions: SuperV8

RUM4MO

Active Member
Jun 4, 2008
7,964
1,058
South Scotland
What is this Eee Ooo of which you speak?

Well, once upon a time, in the mid 20th century, there was a big experiment - but some people got greedy and so soon us in UK (another curious term), had to start buying only stuff made in Britain, which is mainly unfortunate because the London based "office seat polishers" managed to close down most of British manufacturing - so now, like Cuba, we will need to start repairing things and eat basic foods.
 
Chris Knott Insurance - Competitive quotes for forum members