Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2007 17:51:17 -0500
Reply-To: John Rodgers <inua@CHARTER.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: John Rodgers <inua@CHARTER.NET>
Subject: Re: What a real VW mech @ the dealer has to says about vanagons
In-Reply-To: <007c01c7f3d4$ec93bd30$970c9804@gpa207joel>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
We have a dearth of Vanagons in this area. It's rare to see one on the
road - except mine - which is my daily driver. Dealerships? Harrumph! My
experience with the two VW dealerships in the Greater Birmingham area
has been pee-poor, with one the service shop simply didn;'t know what it
was doing, and expected to learn on my vehicle, and their parts
department didn't have a clue either. The other dealership - they did
such a crappy job on a factory recall that I decided that I wasn't going
back there, regardless of the problem. I would find some one else. And I
have.
My procedure nowadays is to find a mechanic who doesn't mind working
with me. I know more about my vehicle than anyone else, and I make it
clear. If the guy wants to listen, we both go for it. I tell what I
think, I give him my books - Bentley and Haynes, plus he uses his
resources, and we talk. And it has always gone smoothly. I'm pretty
happy with that strategy. The mechanic seems appreciative of the input.
The job gets well done, he gets paid, I drive away happy to take it back
the next time. He has a new loyal customer. To bad dealerships don't
work that way.
Regards,
John Rodgers
88 GL Driver
joel walker wrote:
>> I quote
>>
>> I am a mechanic at a VW dealership, TRUST ME. you do not want a
>> vanagon, we
>> will not even take them in to work on!! I heartily recommend either
>> buying
>> an asian or domestic van, or holding out until "Project M"- our new
>> minivan
>> arrives next year as a 2008.
>
>
> my question is, with appologies in advance to any real dealership
> mechanics on the list, is ...
>
> would you, as a vanagon owner, believe ANYthing that a dealership
> service department personnel tells you?
>
> i've been driving (and fiddling/working/tinkering on) vw buses now for
> 37 years ... since i got out of the army in 1970. vanagons for 28 of
> those years or whatever math it makes from december 1979. :)
>
> and quite frankly, i've yet to run across a vw dealership person who
> knew ANYthing about vanagons, much less how to fix them.
>
> just because someone is a vw dealership mechanic does NOT mean he
> knows how to fix ANYthing. he could be the lowest totem on the pole,
> and get all the oil changes dumped on him (cause the more senior
> mechanics grab all the high-paying jobs so they can maintain their
> lifestyles).
>
> and if the dealerships had known anything about vanagons, we wouldn't
> have needed to create this mailing list!!!
>
> in my damnably humble opinion!
> unca joel
>
>
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