Dealership Performed Work Without Divulging What They Did

[AJ15]

"The dealership took the time to properly identify and fix an issue after misdiagnosing it, and did so while only being charged for the lesser incorrect diagnosis. Should I be upset with them?"

And I have no paper trail of parts replaced on my car that weren't needed. If, unfortunately, something goes wrong, there isn't a paper trail of what was replaced/done to my car in order for the 12mo/12k mile warranty period. The invoice has every nut and bolt replaced for the ball joint, thermostat, oil change, VAQ fluid, etc.

 

[tigeo]

And I have no paper trail of parts replaced on my car that weren't needed. If, unfortunately, something goes wrong, there isn't a paper trail of what was replaced/done to my car in order for the 12mo/12k mile warranty period. The invoice has every nut and bolt replaced for the ball joint, thermostat, oil change, VAQ fluid, etc.

Have you just askk them for a revised invoice showing what was replaced for warranty purposes?

 

[Sarhog]

You may want to consider the legal ramifications of recording the audio and video of conversations of people that have not provided consent prior to attempting to use it. Was this dealership in Maryland?

 

[68 lost souls]

So you recorded these people on their place of work without their permission? Sounds like they have more to be upset about than you do

 

[Branman]

And I have no paper trail of parts replaced on my car that weren't needed. If, unfortunately, something goes wrong, there isn't a paper trail of what was replaced/done to my car in order for the 12mo/12k mile warranty period. The invoice has every nut and bolt replaced for the ball joint, thermostat, oil change, VAQ fluid, etc.

So you mean the parts you didn’t pay for won’t be covered under a 12m/12k mile warranty? You didn’t pay for them anyway and your car is out of warranty. I’m not sure the point of this?! Maybe just give them a call and ask if anything else was replaced. You can just make something up and say you were cleaning your car and noticed some parts that looked new. If they fixed your car and didn’t even charge you for the mistake that they made diagnosing it. You really think they need to warranty a part potentially a year from when they installed it for free????

 

[GTIfan99]

So you mean the parts you didn’t pay for won’t be covered under a 12m/12k mile warranty? You didn’t pay for them anyway and your car is out of warranty. I’m not sure the point of this?! Maybe just give them a call and ask if anything else was replaced. You can just make something up and say you were cleaning your car and noticed some parts that looked new. If they fixed your car and didn’t even charge you for the mistake that they made diagnosing it. You really think they need to warranty a part potentially a year from when they installed it for free????

That's flawed logic. They replaced parts that didn't need to be replaced. New parts can have defects or they could be installed wrong. That's why there's a 12 month/12,000 mile warranty on them.

Also, the dealership is required by law to get your authorization to complete work on your car.

 

[tigeo]

So you mean the parts you didn’t pay for won’t be covered under a 12m/12k mile warranty? You didn’t pay for them anyway and your car is out of warranty. I’m not sure the point of this?! Maybe just give them a call and ask if anything else was replaced. You can just make something up and say you were cleaning your car and noticed some parts that looked new. If they fixed your car and didn’t even charge you for the mistake that they made diagnosing it. You really think they need to warranty a part potentially a year from when they installed it for free????

Yep.

 

[StorableComa]

I'd expect them to as well. Would you care if when you took your car in for some simple work, the mechanic did some other things and didn't mention it? Then that unmentioned work caused a bigger issue a month or two down the road? New parts do fail and dealers can make mistakes when doing installs - it may not be something that happens often, but it does happen.

 

[jimlloyd40]

Just tell them that you didn't realize you left the dash cam on and you know that they replaced the other parts also and would like a record of it for future potential warranty purposes.

 

[Cuzoe]

Just thought I'd chime in about wheel bearings. At my 30k service the dealer replaced my passenger side hub/bearing assembly. They did not tell me, and they did not charge me. I do have VW Care through the 90k service or some non-sense, and also have the long TDI warranty but I wouldn't expect either of those to cover wheel bearings. I didn't know of or report any problems when I dropped the car off. I only know they changed it because I saw it on my invoice when I picked up the car... at no charge. No dashcam but the odometer was up less than 3 miles when I got the car back so I assume they found (and fixed) the bearing issue while doing their multi-point inspection. Then again, if it is known that VW Care covers wear items that would explain it.

 

[dequardo]

Some people......

 

[Branman]

That's flawed logic. They replaced parts that didn't need to be replaced. New parts can have defects or they could be installed wrong. That's why there's a 12 month/12,000 mile warranty on them.

Also, the dealership is required by law to get your authorization to complete work on your car.

No it’s not flawed. The dealership made a mistake it seems in diagnosing the issue. Happens all the time you have humans working on cars it’s just how it is. That is very true new parts can have defects which is why I suggested to try and ask the dealer if extra work was done to get the correct info and maybe even some documentation.

I also agree they need authorization to do work. But let’a be honest if your dealer calls you and said we made a mistake in diagnosing your car but we did however find the issue and replaced those parts free of charge.....who would say no?



The dealer made a mistake and in the end the car is fixed and didn’t relay that extra cost to the customer. Trust me when I tell you not all dealers would do that. They could have easily made up a story and told the customer we found more problems and forced the extra cost on the customer. I still think the dealer should have said all the parts that were replaced but who knows the full story of any of this anyway.

 

[Strange Mud]

below is a problem

https://www.golfmk7.com/forums/index.php?threads/missing-oil-filler-cap-how-could-it-happen.377934/


I would be happy with your dealer rather than annoyed. End result was a win. Personally I would think they just gave you the good bit and didn't mention their mistakes. Not out of malice just sometimes it takes a few tries to get things right and majority of customers don't care about details they just want car fixed.

 

[GTIfan99]

No it’s not flawed. The dealership made a mistake it seems in diagnosing the issue. Happens all the time you have humans working on cars it’s just how it is. That is very true new parts can have defects which is why I suggested to try and ask the dealer if extra work was done to get the correct info and maybe even some documentation.

I also agree they need authorization to do work. But let’a be honest if your dealer calls you and said we made a mistake in diagnosing your car but we did however find the issue and replaced those parts free of charge.....who would say no?



The dealer made a mistake and in the end the car is fixed and didn’t relay that extra cost to the customer. Trust me when I tell you not all dealers would do that. They could have easily made up a story and told the customer we found more problems and forced the extra cost on the customer. I still think the dealer should have said all the parts that were replaced but who knows the full story of any of this anyway.

The issue isn't the mistake or the additional work they did for free. The issue is the lack of documentation that puts the owner out if there is a defect. It doesn't matter if no one would say no to being informed about additional work, what matters is they didn't follow the law that requires them notify him.

 

[wasbaggedonce]

You're dreaming if you think a wheel bearing will be covered under warranty, ever. Add to that your car is in fact out of warranty so you're double dreaming...

I crushed a pot hole once and the wheel bearing went. I took it in to the dealership, didn't mention the pothole part, and the wheel bearing was covered under warranty. $50 deductible later and it was fixed.