26 Jul, 2016 → by ClaimboUser146845
Worst Possible Service Experince

1

I brought a 2008 GTI in for service last year when the check engine light came on and had a very disappointing experience from start to finish. The service consultant, Roxie, was friendly and checked in the vehicle. However, she informed me that there weren't any loaner vehicles available even though I called in ahead of time (about 30 minutes before stopping by) and was ensured there were plenty of loaner vehicles. After I mentioned that I called ahead and was told that there were plenty of loaner vehicles, Roxie looked like a deer in headlights and said she would be right back. Roxie then magically returned with keys to a loaner vehicle in less than a minute. The GTI was in for a few days and I received a call saying to come in and pick it up, the fault had been resolved, the car was fully fixed and tested. I went in, payed a ton of money, and picked up the car. Upon pulling out of the parking lot, the check engine light came back on. I promptly turned the car around and explained that the problem I brought it in for wasn't fixed. The service staff then told me to wait as they ran diagnostics which took over an hour. I was then told that the techs missed something and needed to keep the car longer. I'm just speculating here, but I have a strong hunch that the diagnostics weren't actually performed before calling me and saying the car was ready. A few days later, I received another call saying that the car was definitely fixed and the problem has been resolved. Once again, I drove over and got in the GTI. I turned the engine on, and instantly there it was...the check engine light. I went back inside, explained that the problem I paid to fix still hasn't been fixed. The techs took the car back for more "diagnostics" again and this time came up with a laundry list of parts to replace. I trusted that this would fix the problem so I paid for the parts and repairs to be performed and left them to work on the car, again. More days elapse and I'm called to come in to pick the GTI up again. Hopeful that the additional parts I paid for to be replaced would fixed the issue, I went to pick up the GTI and drove away. Within a mile of my drive, the check engine light comes right back on. At this point I'm beyond frustrated with the service team and have zero faith in their technical ability. I call the dealership when I get home and ask for a refund, which of course they declined to provide and asked that I bring the car in again. Back I went looking for some type of compensation for the inability to fix the issue I brought the car in for. The service manager, Jon Labbe, comes out and feeds me a sob story about how the dealership was in the middle of moving locations and they can't refund my money because they spent time working on the car and need to pay their poor techs. He offers to look at the GTI again for another diagnostic and personally oversee his master tech perform the work. I agree figuring it can't hurt at this point. Jon and his master tech disappear for almost 2 hours and then return saying that they can't figure out what is wrong. Thinking to myself, "If these guys can't even figure out what is wrong, why the heck did the dealership keep telling me the car is fixed and ready for pickup?" Jon then fed me a ton of garbage excuses saying how the problem could be "carbon buildup" and that they could take a crack at fixing it, for more money. Kind of funny how he was proposing a "solution" despite telling me they couldn't even figure out what is wrong less than a minute earlier. As Jon kept trying to sell me more and more illegitimate services I realized that you can't talk rationally with an ***, so I decided to cut my losses and leave. The funny part is that I was just looking to get the GTI in mechanically sound shape so I could trade it in for a brand new GTI since I love the platform and have been a repeat GTI customer over the years. Due to this terrible experience with Volkswagen of Kirkland, I traded the GTI in at a different dealership and picked up a new car from a competing manufacturer. This dealership not only lost my business, but Volkswagen also lost a lifelong customer because of this dealerships shady and unqualified service department.
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