I am not a happy bunny :(

My RS is in for a service after the indicator came on in the speedo at 8400 miles. I had been told that my car was on variable servicing and thought I must have driven it really hard to get this to happen. Well not according to the service guy whose bright idea it is to reset the service indicator and tell me to come back at 20000 miles!!!!!

This is all after having problems getting the bloody thing booked in anyway. My wife and I went through to Sedgefield to have a spot of lunch and arrange the service. This is the short conversation I had with a woman who looks like she doesn't want to be there on a Saturday.

Me: I'd like to book my car in for a service please

Woman: Certainly Sir. What model of Ford is it? :eek:

Me: Errr, it's a SKODA Octavia RS :screwy:

Woman: Oh, sorry sir, we can only book Fords in on a weekend; the SKODA lady isn't here.

Me: OK, I'll ring up on Monday

So, that's what I did. I rang up on Monday and said I wanted to book in my car for service as the service indicator had appeared in the speedo.

Woman on phone: So a light has appeared on the dash telling you that you need a service, Sir?

Me: No, the word Service has appeared above Miles in the speedo.

Woman on phone: I don't think our cars do that, Sir!

Me: Well, tell you what, just for a giggle, let's book it in anyway!

I then mentioned something about it being on Variable Servicing and how surprised I was that it needed a service so soon and she told me she had to go and talk to someone and would call me back.

I had already given all of mine and Nutty's details and was, therefore, a bit taken aback when she rang me and said, "Where did you buy the car from?" :screwy:

When I told her from that I bought it just six months earlier from her garage, she seemed a bit confused as if there were no records of me or my car (cue Twilight Zone music). But never mind, she duly booked it in and I watched the service miles indicator count down to zero which happened yesterday as I was driving over to drop the car off.

This little drive was a bit of a pig for two reasons. One - the fog. Two - the bloody puncture

So I got over there for 9.15am and waited while the "woman on the phone" got hold of the service manager. He came out to the car and went through the list of things I had sent over by FAX on Friday. This included a bit of rattling and the fact that one of the rear speakers had blown. He agreed with everything on the list except that the windscreen washers weren't misaligned (they hit the underside of the bonnet) saying that "They all do that. It's supposed to happen". I took his word for it and was OK with that until I read a post on Vortex or Briskoda to the contrary. I also had a windscreen wiper that has never cleared the screen properly and was expecting that to be changed, but "woman on the phone" was quoting chapter and verse about 6 months or 6000 miles and wants me to pay

Panrix, seems to me like you need to name and shame these miserable plonkers. If nothing else a) U feel better The rest of us can avoid them like the plauge c) They can get shown up for the prats they are

If we all do this when we get poor service it might make a few of them sit up and take notice. I guarantee U that many of them will know about this site and probably look at it in secret!!

Shame the buggers I say!!

Can I wait 'til I get Nutty back first :twisted:

I wouldn't want to have them do "something extra" now, would I?

Aren't Fabia's amazing... amazingly underspecced, amazingly slow and amazingly ****E at handling :(

Surely the service indicator is either set for variable or fixed service interval, based on whether the car has QG1 listed in the vehicle data (see inside front page of your Service Schedule booklet)? If it is reset now to variable servicing - without a service being done - then by my understanding it will assume that a service has in fact been done and work out when the next service is due on the basis of 'your individual driving conditions and your own personal style of driving.' That could be up to 30,000 km of driving - which is a nonsense because the car would then have done more than 26,000 miles without a service! Of course if you didn't reach that mileage in 2 years, the car would be due an inspection at that point.

The correct answer in your case is to have the car serviced now, and then to have it changed to variable service interval - assuming that it was filled with spec VW 503 00 from the factory and that you have used that oil exclusively from new.

See page 6 of your Service Schedule, and pages 128 and 129 of your Owner's Manual, for more information on variable service interval.

You could always argue with your dealer that the car is having an unnecessary service now due to the service indicator not being set as they indicated it had been. They might offer a free service or to reduce the price of the service. Why not give it a try?

at my dealer, i am remembered by name by nearly all the staff there, even though i had reason to visit it only once( 8 months after buying the RS ) and had little dealing with them. its a small point, but it makes a real difference to how you feel treated. i for one would be really hacked off with the service you received at that dealer because of

- their inability to remember you or your car

- their seeming, worrying lack of knowledge

- their general crap attitude. it sucks big time.

if there's one nearby, i'd go to another dealer, explain from the start your unhappiness at the original place and hope they had the nous to realise that they had a potential long term customer on their hands, and welcome you with open arms.

also, when my pride and joy goes in, i NEVER talk with anyone other than the service manager, even booking it in. ian and myself just happen to be lucky that our local dealer's service manager is a diamond geeza and we've got no complaints at all.

Absolutely, rang Gary last week to book in my car for it's service, said "Hi it's Ian" and he replied with my numberplate - that's service!

(tho I have been in once or twice)

The issue is not that things go wrong (I've had a few) but that they deal with them with minimal fuss, seeing every job as an opportunity to impress.

The issue is not that things go wrong (I've had a few) but that they deal with them with minimal fuss, seeing every job as an opportunity to impress.[/quote:b88875de88]

couldn't agree more. on the point of servicing, mine is on regular as ijust don't like the idea of my car running around with the same oil for 20,000. i know it can handle it, i just prefer regular changes. the cleaner the oil, the longer the engine will last. ( although i'm not planning to keep it forever, but you get my drift)

Agreed, I like my car up on the ramps every 10k, just for them to take a look at it and spot anything. Peace of mind really.

Isn't your car already up on ramps at home every weekend?

God no, it's usually ferrying around the cooke clan, getting very mucky and used as a shopping trolley.