Peterborough Volkswagen Ltd

WORST DEALERSHIP EVER!!!! STAY AWAY!!!!! To say that WORST DEALERSHIP EVER!!!! STAY AWAY!!!!! To say that my experiences at the Peterborough VW facility have been 10 out of 10 thus far would be a gros WORST DEALERSHIP EVER!!!! STAY AWAY!!!!! To say that my experiences at the Peterborough VW facility have been 10 out of 10 thus far would be a gross exaggeration. I have been very disappointed with the level of service that I have received in all of my visits. The level of repair service, miss management and thoroughness of vehicle inspections is deplorable. The whole reason I purchased a VW was for the product support network, reliability and that fact that it was to be a premium product. I have listed below the issues that I have run into thus far at your facility. 1. After I received my first oil change I got into the car to drive away and noticed instantly that check engine light was on. Went back into the facility and was quickly looked after by the front end staff (good). Not so good was that they had broken off the cam position sensor after performing the oil change and what I can only assume was the inspection of the air filter (Not good). Coming from the service world and being both a licensed technician as well as having held a Service Managers position, I view this event as example of a non-thorough inspection. I am not upset at the fact that the position sensor was broken (these things happen), more at the fact that the car made it to me with no one noticing that the check engine lamp was on. Once arriving home I opened the hood to notice that the engine cover was not installed properly in which I had to reinstall. In addition I needed to add 2L of the Castrol Edge full synthetic (VW approved oil) 3 weeks later. On a side note my next oil changed was performed by another facility. 2. My second visit was to have my winter tires and rims installed on the car (which I purchased from Peterborough VW). I phoned 2 weeks in advanced to set up an appointment and to order the rims and tires. I also informed the staff that I needed a dust shield for the rear brake disc as it was broken. I had mentioned that if it was warranty, then awesome but if not to get the part coming anyways and I would pay for it as well as the installation when the tires were installed if not covered under warranty. I was told that everything would be ordered and available to be installed during my appointment in two weeks. In two weeks I dropped of the car and was greeted by the staff at the front counter. I left my cell phone number and told them to give me a call as soon as it was done as I had my two young kids with me and would be overwhelmed with keeping them busy. 2 ½ hours later I received a call saying that my tires and rims did not show up as well the dust shield needed to be ordered. Please tell me why it took 2 ½ hours to determine that none of these items were at the shop and why they were not ordered two weeks in advanced as requested? In addition for myself to come to your facility means that I have to make a special trip in as I live in Bobcaygeon which is 45 minutes away. I also had ordered a starter bolt for my father’s beetle from the parts department, which turned out to be the wrong size. 3. My third time in was to have the tires and the dust shield installed that was supposed to be done a week prior. This time I dropped off the car and left it for the day. When I picked up the car I got in and drove 10 minutes down the road before realizing that the summer rims and tire were not in the car. I then turned around and picked them up. When I picked them up, they were not washed and were covered in salt and dirt which is unacceptable. I also finally got the right starter bolt for the beetle. I will say however the individual at the parts counter was very accommodating and polite about the whole matter. He also explained the situation of why the wrong size bolt was ordered, which was greatly appreciated. 4. My fourth visit was for an oil change, which did not go to badly for a change. At the end of the service I was presented a list of deficiencies that were found with the car. What was disappointing about this was a lot of these items are things that do not just fail overnight, meaning, why were these not picked up a couple of months ago when the tires and dust shield were installed? I was also informed that my warranty had just expired and that none of these items would be covered (which is fine, warranty always has an expiry date). What would have been nice is to be informed by the dealer on my last visit that my warranty was coming up soon and that: a. You had asked if there was any issues with the car that needed to be addressed b. A free inspection on the vehicle to find any deficiencies c. At least presented me the option to pay for an inspection 5. After sending an email to the service manager and sales manager of the facility, I received a received a response from Colin. He informed me that they had made a mistake in regards to the warranty and that there was still a few Km’s left to go. This meant that they would cover the repairs to some of the deficiencies found on the last visit. As much as it was going to be nice to have these items repaired, I question if I would have been contacted by someone in regards to their error if I had not emailed the service manager. Once I had made my appointment I took the car in to have the CV joint repaired, on my way in I noticed that the dust shield on the other side of the car was rusted out and vibrating. I told them to cut it off as they did on the other side and to order the parts in for (I would pay for it willingly if it was not covered under warranty). Four hours later I picked up the car and asked the staff if they had remembered to cut off the dust shield. I was assured that the dust shield was cut off and that it would be arrive in a couple of days (warranty to my surprise). I thanked them and got into the car and within 25 feet I heard a grinding sound. I drove back in and looked at the dust shield, big surprise it was still on the car. I went back in to explain the situation where I was told that “I must be wrong as it was taken off”. The tech was brought to the front and proceeded to come outside and take a look. As we looked at the damaged dust shield, he muttered a few things under his breath and walked past me and right inside. By the time I got inside the service staff told me that they could not cut it off today, because they were short staffed. I went to the sales manager (Dean) to talk to him about the experience that I had as the service manager was not there. He was busy with customers so I asked him to give me a call. I have never heard from him. 6. The final visit that I made was to trade in my car to purchase a new one, so that I would not have to worry about it being serviced by their incompetent service department as a new car would be under warranty. I phoned Dean a week in advanced and set up an appraisal of the car and to sit down and talk numbers. I arrived on time and after an hour of waiting for him I left and went back to work. I left my card with instructions for Dean to call me to discuss his absence from our meeting. At 5:45 that night I received a call from another salesman saying that he was calling on behalf of Dean and would like to help me with the purchase of a new car as Dean was too busy. THIS PLACE IS A JOKE. *** I am sure any other dealership would be happy to take my money. *** More

I brought my car to the dealership because the engine filled with diesel fuel and would not run. The service department told me that all it needed was a new fuel pump and if the engine started, it would filled with diesel fuel and would not run. The service department told me that all it needed was a new fuel pump and if the engine started, it would be fine. Since this was a $1000 repair, I was apprehensive, but I was assured the engine would be fine if it started. I was overjoyed when I got the call that they were able to start the engine. When I went to pick it up, they told me it would run rough until all the unspent fuel was burnt off and all I needed to do was drive it. Less than three weeks later while starting my car a build up of pressure blew an engine rod clear through the bottom of my engine and oil pan, blowing a hole through the engine. When I went back to tell them about it, Colin the Service Manager said that there was damage within the engine that caused it. When I asked if they knew about it, they said there was a chance, but they never checked it out. I feel that that was negligent of them, since they knew about that there was a chance the engine could blow, but never told me about it when they suggested the pump replacement. Colin essentially blamed me saying that I drove the car while the engine was full of fuel which caused the problem. I was upset and gave them a chance to offer a solution. I have been dealing with Mike Eatson, the General Manager for over a month now, and I constantly have to call him because he does not seem to be initiating any action on this. He finally sent me an email detailing his decision that Peterborogh VW was not at fault because the fuel pump did not cause the engine to blow, even though that totally misses the point that they never informed me of the possbile damage when they told me the $1000 repair woudl solve my problem. More