Hi Everyone and Tale of Woe
Discussion
Hi Everyone! I've owned a Monaro for about six months now, a Black 2005 CV8, and I live in the Richmond area.
I've been reading the forums for a while and they're great and a great bunch of people here. Anyway, I thought I'd share with you my tale of woe...
Some weeks ago the car was reversed into by a nice lady who came and found me and admitted everything. The damage was a quite minor scratch on the front bumper and a scratched headlight. The quote I was given was for £323 plus parts which were some clips and a new headlight. This also involved removing, respraying and refitting the bumper.
The claim went through the insurance and I asked that the car be repaired by Vauxhall so as not to impair the bodywork warranty on the car (it was new in March 05).
I dropped the car off on Monday 09th January with Lance Owen Heathrow. I was told the repair would take 2-3 days. They don't have a bodyshop on site but they told me to leave it with them and they would liaise with their bodyshop and sort everything out.
On Wednesday I didn't hear anything so on Thursday I rang but was told no-one could tell me about my car and that they would ring me the next day with an update after 9am. I waited until midday before ringing and was told my car was there, the last few minor checks were being made and it would be ready later.
I was called at around 4:15pm to be told it was all ready. I arrived at 5:40pm to collect the car, went in to the dealership, paid my excess (300 pounds) and went to get the car. Upon inspecting the car in the dimly lit forecourt I could see there was still masking tape attached to the bumper and headlight and the headlight had not been repaired at all. I pointed this out to the dealership staff who were very polite and apologetic, removed the tape and checked the headlight was in fact securely fitted and the lights worked properly, which they did. I agreed to take the car and they would take the bodyshop manager to task for the job and arrange for the headlight to be replaced ASAP.
From there it only got worse. Immediately I left the dealership I could feel the steering was very, very light with little feeling, This was clearly wrong. I can only think that the tyres are way over inflated but why this is and if this is the only problem with the steering I just don't know. I then noticed the speaker cover in the driver's door was smudged, possible scraped, and dirty and the car was very badly washed and grimy. The odometer had increased by up to 100 miles and the petrol tank was almost empty, certainly not how I had left it.
The best was yet to come however. On the way home I noticed a loud creaking noise from the underside of the car when travelling at low speeds. It sounds to me as if it might be coming from the suspension. Best of all, when I inspected the car with a powerful torch at home, the bumper had clearly not been resprayed. The area with the scratch had been polished to get rid of it, but it had been done really badly as if with very fine grade sandpaper. It looks just awful.
I was so angry I phoned the dealer straight away but all the service staff had left so a lone salesman had to bear my wrath. Basically they had my car for a week, did 20 mins work on the car which was awful, used up my fuel, added to my odometer and for some unknown reason pumped up the tyres so the steering is much too light and I would say dangerous. I have no doubt the car has been driven badly whilst with them for most of the week and they may well have damaged the suspension or something else under the car.
I'm so mad it's a weekend and that I'll have to wait until Monday to deal with them. I am just in disbelief - I wish I had used the suggested repairer from the insurance company now.
I'm not sure how to play it, i.e. whether to ask for my money back or get them to fix it (if they are capable).
I've been reading the forums for a while and they're great and a great bunch of people here. Anyway, I thought I'd share with you my tale of woe...
Some weeks ago the car was reversed into by a nice lady who came and found me and admitted everything. The damage was a quite minor scratch on the front bumper and a scratched headlight. The quote I was given was for £323 plus parts which were some clips and a new headlight. This also involved removing, respraying and refitting the bumper.
The claim went through the insurance and I asked that the car be repaired by Vauxhall so as not to impair the bodywork warranty on the car (it was new in March 05).
I dropped the car off on Monday 09th January with Lance Owen Heathrow. I was told the repair would take 2-3 days. They don't have a bodyshop on site but they told me to leave it with them and they would liaise with their bodyshop and sort everything out.
On Wednesday I didn't hear anything so on Thursday I rang but was told no-one could tell me about my car and that they would ring me the next day with an update after 9am. I waited until midday before ringing and was told my car was there, the last few minor checks were being made and it would be ready later.
I was called at around 4:15pm to be told it was all ready. I arrived at 5:40pm to collect the car, went in to the dealership, paid my excess (300 pounds) and went to get the car. Upon inspecting the car in the dimly lit forecourt I could see there was still masking tape attached to the bumper and headlight and the headlight had not been repaired at all. I pointed this out to the dealership staff who were very polite and apologetic, removed the tape and checked the headlight was in fact securely fitted and the lights worked properly, which they did. I agreed to take the car and they would take the bodyshop manager to task for the job and arrange for the headlight to be replaced ASAP.
From there it only got worse. Immediately I left the dealership I could feel the steering was very, very light with little feeling, This was clearly wrong. I can only think that the tyres are way over inflated but why this is and if this is the only problem with the steering I just don't know. I then noticed the speaker cover in the driver's door was smudged, possible scraped, and dirty and the car was very badly washed and grimy. The odometer had increased by up to 100 miles and the petrol tank was almost empty, certainly not how I had left it.
The best was yet to come however. On the way home I noticed a loud creaking noise from the underside of the car when travelling at low speeds. It sounds to me as if it might be coming from the suspension. Best of all, when I inspected the car with a powerful torch at home, the bumper had clearly not been resprayed. The area with the scratch had been polished to get rid of it, but it had been done really badly as if with very fine grade sandpaper. It looks just awful.
I was so angry I phoned the dealer straight away but all the service staff had left so a lone salesman had to bear my wrath. Basically they had my car for a week, did 20 mins work on the car which was awful, used up my fuel, added to my odometer and for some unknown reason pumped up the tyres so the steering is much too light and I would say dangerous. I have no doubt the car has been driven badly whilst with them for most of the week and they may well have damaged the suspension or something else under the car.
I'm so mad it's a weekend and that I'll have to wait until Monday to deal with them. I am just in disbelief - I wish I had used the suggested repairer from the insurance company now.
I'm not sure how to play it, i.e. whether to ask for my money back or get them to fix it (if they are capable).
Lance Owen should sort out all the mechanical issues and Id get the refund and take it elsewhere.
Certainly sounds like the Valet mode would be good for quite a few of us. Im going to get it fitted and let you guys know how it goes. Would stop all these wild racers taking off for joyrides in our cars! 20mph max speed and 2000rpm controlled by a hidden switch.
Certainly sounds like the Valet mode would be good for quite a few of us. Im going to get it fitted and let you guys know how it goes. Would stop all these wild racers taking off for joyrides in our cars! 20mph max speed and 2000rpm controlled by a hidden switch.
Man.. that's an absolute shocker! I feel so bad for you.. it's always a fear of mine when u drop off a car that's a bit rare & got "drive me" written all over it. I'd be demanding to see the MD of the garage 1st thing Monday & give him an absolute bollocking - how are you supposed to know what other longer term damage they may of done? Good luck mate - luckily they are built pretty tough.
I make a point of saying to any dealer that I do not want my car driven on a public road, if it comes back with more mileage on it, you can call the Police and report an offence of taking without consent. You could probably try that anyway as you have not directly given the garage permission to drive your car on the public highway.
That's outrageous!!
Like Lotus_Carlton, I make a point of telling the garage that I've taken a note of the mileage & fuel and do not expect it to be driven off site. I emphasise the point by leaving the details on a piece of paper on the passenger seat (I keep a copy with me). That just let's the mechanics know that I'll be alerted if they 'test drive' my car.
A friend of mine with a BMW Z4 and distinctive private plates got her local BMW dealership to collect & return the vehicle from her work place. Just 10mins after it was picked up the car was spotted by her friends outside a local bakers parked very badly on double-yellows. Later that day it was spotted in two other places it shouldn't have been, including been driven at tremendous speed down the M4. It turns out the person collecting the vehicle had stopped off to collect the breakfast for the garage. Apart from being p155ed off, the icing on the cake was that when the vehicle was returned it had marks on the carpet where the butter had leaked from the butties.
Needless to say she complained and got a huge apology from the garage manager, the carpets cleaned, and the service free.
I suggest you do the same.
Like Lotus_Carlton, I make a point of telling the garage that I've taken a note of the mileage & fuel and do not expect it to be driven off site. I emphasise the point by leaving the details on a piece of paper on the passenger seat (I keep a copy with me). That just let's the mechanics know that I'll be alerted if they 'test drive' my car.
A friend of mine with a BMW Z4 and distinctive private plates got her local BMW dealership to collect & return the vehicle from her work place. Just 10mins after it was picked up the car was spotted by her friends outside a local bakers parked very badly on double-yellows. Later that day it was spotted in two other places it shouldn't have been, including been driven at tremendous speed down the M4. It turns out the person collecting the vehicle had stopped off to collect the breakfast for the garage. Apart from being p155ed off, the icing on the cake was that when the vehicle was returned it had marks on the carpet where the butter had leaked from the butties.
Needless to say she complained and got a huge apology from the garage manager, the carpets cleaned, and the service free.
I suggest you do the same.
This has got me worried now. We all know there aren't that many approved Vauxhall dealers authorised to sell or work on Monaros, Lance Owen Heathrow is the closest to me (Windsor), and my 10,000 mile service is due in 1500 miles time.
Do you use the authorised dealer to service it & maintain the warranty or take it to someone you can trust to do the work properly & respect the car?
Any recommendations?
Do you use the authorised dealer to service it & maintain the warranty or take it to someone you can trust to do the work properly & respect the car?
Any recommendations?
my cars just back from the insurance recommended repairer and when I collected it they had added 14 miles to the clock. Had it been much more I'd certainly have taken it further. However as my car had been in a sideways slide into a tree I expected them to take it out to check the handling so I'll let it go this time, especially as its exactly the right mileage for driving down and back the local dual carriageway. A very simple and much more useful way of proving the mileage is to use the camera in your phone to take a copy of the current odometer reading - the camera automatically adds date and timestamp info to images. Dont simply rely on a piece of paper. If the dealer wished to deny that was the reading you'd never be able to prove it from a note. Otherwise I'm sure they'd get punters going back claiming someones emptied their tank all the time and demanding free fuel or refunds.
Thanks for all the help and support guys. It looks a little better in the daylight (I used a high powered torch last night). It's still completely unacceptable of course. Basically they've defrauded me and my insurance company by charging for work they didn't carry out.
I'll be at Lance Owen Heathrow first thing Monday morning and use some or perhaps all of your suggestions. I've just got to pop out to buy a baseball bat. I think I'll use a wooden one rather than aluminium, much better feel to it!
I just wanted to add that the service reception staff at Lance Owen Heathrow have always been very good to me and were as shocked to see the car as I was (only thought headlight had been missed at that point). I have no problem with their mechanical work as long as it's done by their Monaro guy who is called Anthony. I did take it their once unknowingly when he was on holiday (the chap on the phone told me had had been taken to hospital?!?!) and nothing got fixed and it picked up a scrape on the NS door sill (noticed far too late to take redress). When he returned (which is when he told me about being on holiday) he drove in the car with me a fixed everything that day.
Apologies for the looong posts. I like to talk a lot.
I'll be at Lance Owen Heathrow first thing Monday morning and use some or perhaps all of your suggestions. I've just got to pop out to buy a baseball bat. I think I'll use a wooden one rather than aluminium, much better feel to it!
I just wanted to add that the service reception staff at Lance Owen Heathrow have always been very good to me and were as shocked to see the car as I was (only thought headlight had been missed at that point). I have no problem with their mechanical work as long as it's done by their Monaro guy who is called Anthony. I did take it their once unknowingly when he was on holiday (the chap on the phone told me had had been taken to hospital?!?!) and nothing got fixed and it picked up a scrape on the NS door sill (noticed far too late to take redress). When he returned (which is when he told me about being on holiday) he drove in the car with me a fixed everything that day.
Apologies for the looong posts. I like to talk a lot.
Well I went to the dealers today spoiling for a fight and the manager there took away my fire by apologising profusely, teeling me the work was completely unacceptable, lending me his own car until mine was fixed and promising to make my car as good as new. We'll wait and see. Only problem is he drives an Astra.
I found out what the noise was I thought was coming from the chassis - they gave it back to me in the dark with an almost flat tyre! Had to pump it up at a petrol station on the way to the dealer.
I'll let you know how the car comes back and if my understanding of 'As good as new' is the same as theirs.
I found out what the noise was I thought was coming from the chassis - they gave it back to me in the dark with an almost flat tyre! Had to pump it up at a petrol station on the way to the dealer.
I'll let you know how the car comes back and if my understanding of 'As good as new' is the same as theirs.
Hello bacv8,
Sorry to hear about your tale of woe, I have had some different unsatifactory dealings with lance owen in the past, its was resolved in the end and a replacement service manager,put things right, but it meant taking my car to a Vauxhall body shop for some panel gaps to be ajusted,He suggested Monorep (norwood green)which did a great job, I have meet the technicians at Lance owen and they are very enthusiastic about the car and would trust them to do the work well, but my biggest concern about Lance owen is the congetion on the site, hearing that your car was damaged there only enforces that worry, it is very poorly laid out for any customer car let alone Vauxhall's premium performance product,I have had to reverse back on to the A30 before because it is so full you could not get in,it is for this reason that i will not have the car serviced there because although they will take car of it the other people visiting the site are not so careful. I think Vauxhall should have taken this into account when allocating Monaro dealerships,I know that space is a premium at any dealership,but I think the site has been over developed and it does not show any any Vauxhall product in a good light.
I see from your profile that you are south of the airport, I am north from it,nice to know of another one close bye will the car be back in time for the Ace meet on sunday.
Sorry to hear about your tale of woe, I have had some different unsatifactory dealings with lance owen in the past, its was resolved in the end and a replacement service manager,put things right, but it meant taking my car to a Vauxhall body shop for some panel gaps to be ajusted,He suggested Monorep (norwood green)which did a great job, I have meet the technicians at Lance owen and they are very enthusiastic about the car and would trust them to do the work well, but my biggest concern about Lance owen is the congetion on the site, hearing that your car was damaged there only enforces that worry, it is very poorly laid out for any customer car let alone Vauxhall's premium performance product,I have had to reverse back on to the A30 before because it is so full you could not get in,it is for this reason that i will not have the car serviced there because although they will take car of it the other people visiting the site are not so careful. I think Vauxhall should have taken this into account when allocating Monaro dealerships,I know that space is a premium at any dealership,but I think the site has been over developed and it does not show any any Vauxhall product in a good light.
I see from your profile that you are south of the airport, I am north from it,nice to know of another one close bye will the car be back in time for the Ace meet on sunday.
Hi P7VXR. You are so right about the parking situation. The problem for me is that I drive right past the dealership on the way to work so it's really convenient. That doesn't mean I'm ruling out the next nearest Monaro authorised dealer which I think for me is Picador Southampton (and they do Wortec upgrades :-))
I'd love to come to the Ace Cafe meet this Sunday and meet people but I don't know if I'll get my car back in time (and I don't normally get up on the weekends until about midday as I'm a lazy b*gger).
The dealer phoned me today to say that he had sent the car back to the bodyshop to be resprayed properly. It had been returned to him yesterday (Tuesday) but the paintwork wasn't good enough! So he has removed the front bumper and sent it back for another respray on it's own. I'm getting worried my bumper is going to be too big to fit back on with all the layers of paint on it (or maybe it'll make up for the layers sanded off in the first place)!!
I'd love to come to the Ace Cafe meet this Sunday and meet people but I don't know if I'll get my car back in time (and I don't normally get up on the weekends until about midday as I'm a lazy b*gger).
The dealer phoned me today to say that he had sent the car back to the bodyshop to be resprayed properly. It had been returned to him yesterday (Tuesday) but the paintwork wasn't good enough! So he has removed the front bumper and sent it back for another respray on it's own. I'm getting worried my bumper is going to be too big to fit back on with all the layers of paint on it (or maybe it'll make up for the layers sanded off in the first place)!!
When I worked for a BMW dealer in the south (shall remain nameless), we sometimes used a repairer that was about 10 miles away for jobs we wanted a particularly good job done on so odos would creep up and if Im honest, tyre wear might creep up(!) If we werent that fussed, we just sent it 1/2 mile up the road. The trouble is, these dealers employ people who dont need to be paid much for their cleaning/driving/delivering stuff so theyre not always very mature/old/sensible/ethical/bright. One of our cleaner/deliverers was due to take a customers M3 back to them after a service, but picked up his mate in it instead and went to do laps of the town. Wet roads and an inexperienced right foot led to the cleaner and his mate backing the M3 through the front window of a furniture shop before it ever got back to its owner!
My advice would be to negotiate a "choice of repairer" option with your insurer and I would NEVER take mine to be done via a dealership. In my experience dealerships use repairers who can offer a "satisfactory" job and a quick turnaround. If they are a spray shop that does alot of insurance work, the emphasis will be on a quick turnaround. They get regular work, quick payment etc etc so it becomes like a conveyor belt without the same care taken.
PB
My advice would be to negotiate a "choice of repairer" option with your insurer and I would NEVER take mine to be done via a dealership. In my experience dealerships use repairers who can offer a "satisfactory" job and a quick turnaround. If they are a spray shop that does alot of insurance work, the emphasis will be on a quick turnaround. They get regular work, quick payment etc etc so it becomes like a conveyor belt without the same care taken.
PB
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