Glenmore Audi in a bit of hot water

[Stonewall]

Re: Glenmore Audi in a bit of hot water

I've had nothing but great experiences with Glenmore, but I only go to the satellite service center and deal directly with Chris, as the service advisors aren't great. Also comforting knowing Dave is the service manager there.

Knowing Dave if I had a new audi I wouldn't be taking it anywhere else.

If it wasn't documented who had the car how would insurance work? If he got in an accident and was killed during the weekend as he had to run out for milk was he still on the job? What if he hits someone and takes off on foot? The owner is then leaft with many questions to answer when the police come knocking on his door. What if he got multiple photo radar tickets that would then be sent to the owner ages later. The dealership is leaving themselves open to massive legal liability by not having it documented correctly. I understand a techs end as they don't get paid by the hour so there is no way they can diagnose something like that during work hours but man they should be covering their asses better than that.

[Mitcheh]

Re: Glenmore Audi in a bit of hot water

i have a little bit to add to this as my wife and i talked about it earlier.

i have taken a customers car home, with their permission.

put bluntly, as a flat rate tech, you have to hustle and sell work, and there is no way you are getting paid fully for your time to drive a car around. warranty or CP. as a scenario, i might put some diag time into it and recommend taking it home so i can make some money throughout the rest of the day and since i have to drive home anyway, it's not a bad trade off. like it or not, i have bills to pay too.

also, the amount of audi's an audi tech works on throughout the week means that taking home an s4 really has no appeal. they just become cars that you make money off of. lastly, service writers talk to customers, not techs. that is the number one communication breakdown at the dealership. again, like it or not, i'm there to fix the car, not pamper you. it sucks, but it also works both ways, like when a service writer communicates poorly to the tech about your problem, or tells you i'm going to fix something for you for free without my consent. personally, i would never want to talk to you at the front desk because i don't care about you. i just want you to agree to the work i've drummed up on your car so i can hammer it out and move on to the next gravy job. there is a mix of workers ranging from grumpy old techs like me, to new young guns, perhaps hyped about what tricked out ride they get to drive to the wash bay.

i'm not taking sides with glenmore audi, or the pissed off guy. i didn't read or watch the story because i don't really care. (i does sound like a massive communication breakdown on the dealer side though.) i'm not trying to get into it with anyone here and if you think this sucks, good for you. i won't bother arguing. i don't really care because it's a reality in the automotive world. i just thought i'd shed some light about the tech/service writer/customer relationship that i've seen and experienced during the time i spent on the dealer circuit, as well as the 20+ years i've spent as a grease monkey.

This makes a lot of sense. I would not be opposed to a senior tech taking my car home, if I really believed it needed more diagnosis. Also, Glenmore Audi gives very nice loaner cars, so going without the car for a night/weekend is almost a bonus

[bydesign]

Re: Glenmore Audi in a bit of hot water

personally, i would never want to talk to you at the front desk because i don't care about you. i just want you to agree to the work i've drummed up on your car so i can hammer it out and move on to the next gravy job.

So this is why we get trumped up, baloney quotes at dealerships for repairs!?!?!

I finally get it now.

I always wondered why I was quoted $79 to re-torque one bolt? Thank you for the insight vagitarian.

[theedge111]

Re: Glenmore Audi in a bit of hot water

i have a little bit to add to this as my wife and i talked about it earlier.

i have taken a customers car home, with their permission.

put bluntly, as a flat rate tech, you have to hustle and sell work, and there is no way you are getting paid fully for your time to drive a car around. warranty or CP. as a scenario, i might put some diag time into it and recommend taking it home so i can make some money throughout the rest of the day and since i have to drive home anyway, it's not a bad trade off. like it or not, i have bills to pay too.

also, the amount of audi's an audi tech works on throughout the week means that taking home an s4 really has no appeal. they just become cars that you make money off of. lastly, service writers talk to customers, not techs. that is the number one communication breakdown at the dealership. again, like it or not, i'm there to fix the car, not pamper you. it sucks, but it also works both ways, like when a service writer communicates poorly to the tech about your problem, or tells you i'm going to fix something for you for free without my consent. personally, i would never want to talk to you at the front desk because i don't care about you. i just want you to agree to the work i've drummed up on your car so i can hammer it out and move on to the next gravy job. there is a mix of workers ranging from grumpy old techs like me, to new young guns, perhaps hyped about what tricked out ride they get to drive to the wash bay.

i'm not taking sides with glenmore audi, or the pissed off guy. i didn't read or watch the story because i don't really care. (i does sound like a massive communication breakdown on the dealer side though.) i'm not trying to get into it with anyone here and if you think this sucks, good for you. i won't bother arguing. i don't really care because it's a reality in the automotive world. i just thought i'd shed some light about the tech/service writer/customer relationship that i've seen and experienced during the time i spent on the dealer circuit, as well as the 20+ years i've spent as a grease monkey.

Where do you work...I want to make sure myself and everyone I know avoids your shop lol

[witchcraftz]

Re: Glenmore Audi in a bit of hot water

Alright, getting out of line folks.

[100%VAGitarian]

Re: Glenmore Audi in a bit of hot water

i find it hilarious when people who have no idea how the industry works, finds out lol

so you bring your car in for an oil change, i tell the service writer what i've found on the zillion point inspection, he sells it to you. it's not rocket science. it's not even regular science. it's called fishing for work, and you bought it. hook, line, and sinker. and it's why i drive an audi too haha

you guys are implying that i sold you new brakes on the car you just did a brake job on yesterday, when in fact, i told the advisor about the cracked timing belt you have, while although only at 85000kms, still needs replacing. your welcome. i could have not said anything and i would have sold you an engine down the road. i'm in the business of maintenance, not catastrophic failures.

and you got charged door rate for your bolt re-torque because the shop had to fit it in, in between all the other busy jobs on the go, because not me, the service writer, and certainly not the dealer owner is going to do that for you for free. so talk sh!t to me all you guys want. maybe take your new found knowledge and ask the right questions before your next service.

[theedge111]

Re: Glenmore Audi in a bit of hot water

Wow now the owner is saying the tech put on 500kms (testing the nav) wtf?

http://www.autoblog.com/2014/08/13/a...-home-weekend/

[Lars]

Re: Glenmore Audi in a bit of hot water

Tech-service writer-customer- That's the way the communication goes . There was obviously a breakdown somewhere .

A vehicle is a vehicle to any tech and a S4 is nice but I sure it's not that sought after by a tech and for him to put 500 km on that's a little much there has to be more to the story then we are hearing!

I worked at a dealer and while not flat rate ( truck dealership ) there's three types of repairs 1. Annual 2. Preventive. 3. Breakdown, all depends on the customer and what they want .. Do they want something worry free or something that won't make it a block. And most dealerships have there own insurance to cover them on road tests etc.

[stefan]

Re: Glenmore Audi in a bit of hot water

Wow now the owner is saying the tech put on 500kms (testing the nav) wtf?

http://www.autoblog.com/2014/08/13/a...-home-weekend/

Guess there really was an issue with the nav if getting home and back to work took the mech 500km.

[morris400]

Re: Glenmore Audi in a bit of hot water

You bring your car to the shop to have it fixed or repaired....not for the tech to take it home over the weekend. And no tech is gonna work on a customers car on his own time at his own house with his own tools while not being paid. This was a ******* taking a car he cant afford for the weekend cause he thought he could getaway with it. Hope he gets fired!

[ToXicXxX]

Re: Glenmore Audi in a bit of hot water

Guess there really was an issue with the nav if getting home and back to work took the mech 500km.

[JW]

Re: Glenmore Audi in a bit of hot water

lol^

[bydesign]

Re: Glenmore Audi in a bit of hot water

I wasn't trying to rip on you vagitarian, I was being sincere. I wish the entire dealer service industry was more open and honest. I believe the systemic failure is with the service writers, not the techs. I truly wish techs got paid a higher percentage of the labour rates customers pay.

and you got charged door rate for your bolt re-torque because the shop had to fit it in

if that were the situation, then absolutely there should be a charge for the vehicle to go into the shop. However, in my situation, I just moved here and was having an out of province inspection done (2hrs?) and pre-authorized an extra one hour of diagnosis to give it a thorough inspection. I took it to glenmore audi simply to acquaint myself with my local dealer. When the obscene quote came back, the re-torque quote was buried on there and I asked, "why didn't the tech simply tighten the loose fastener when they noticed it, they were already into the job for three hours?"

I never did get a straight answer on that? the service writer wouldn't even tell me which one or where it was (maybe she didn't know)? maybe there was some justification for it due to where it was?

I asked if I have if I have 10 days and then said put the car back together, I'll fix it myself. I put in a new battery, a new shifter and a two dollar o-ring and passed my OOPI for the cost of a few hundred dollers, despite Glenmore's $4500+ quote.

[dwvw]

Re: Glenmore Audi in a bit of hot water

There would need to be some very special circumstances required for me to approve a tech taking my car home for a weekend. I don't think any nav related problems would qualify. That's a 15 minute test drive at the most. I wonder if they were going to charge him for every hour the car sat in the techs driveway, or for the time he took getting groceries or whatever the heck else he did for 500km?!

[Canadian Turbo]

Re: Glenmore Audi in a bit of hot water

Well removing all the issues with service and where the breakdown in communications occurred the real issue is here is that Glenmore has made a massive mistake in not informing the customer of his car being taken home by a service tech and an even bigger mistake in how they have handled the situation as well.