Review of Awesome Gti £117.00 Service

[bluevrs200]

Took the car to awsome and had the £117.00 service which included the plugs not bad ......

They did charge £25.00 for a pollen filter which was a little steep as most are around £10.00 on euro car parts .

They said that the brake fluid needed changing as it had 3% water in £49.99 to sort however was only changed 2 months ago .

I took it back to the garage who undertook the brakefluid change and they carried out a temperature test in front of me and it passed well exceeding the tolerences .Couldn't understand that one ??

I said that I wanted to remain on the variable servicing but awsome have put me on the fixed in my service book that potentially causes a problem with my aftermarket warranty should I exceed the time .However John at awsome has stated that he will rectify this by sending me a letter to specify that service was done to variable spec..... I usually service it anually but least it gives me the option .

Service indicator was not set and showed the same amount of time and mileage left before I took it in for the service .

Easy rectification with my vag com . WIth this though it took two attempts to reset so could be an issue with the car not mating up with the system first go .

On conclusion the staff were very helpful informative and the tech was very professional looking after my car in his hands and doing an excellent job , seems like the £117.00 offer is a good way to drum up business from non local people .

My local skoda dealer charges £99.00 for basic service and £149.00 for more comprehensive service for 3 year + cars . So i I feel that the £117.00 is pitched about right .

Loved the set up at awsome the viewing area sky tv etc and will probably use them next time unless the prices go back up .

Thanks Awsome !!

[Brimma]

Does the local dealer charge include parts though ?

[bluevrs200]

yes ....

£99.00 service is oil filter and the few usual checks

£149.00 service is oil air filters , check of pollen strip and clean brakes , tyres ,exhaust suspension checks but the caveat is that the car must be 3 years or older .

To be honest liked the set up at Awsome and would probably use them again as dealer labour charges would be far higher should the car need anything else .

[m0bov]

They did charge £25.00 for a pollen filter which was a little steep

They said that the brake fluid needed changing as it had 3% water in £49.99 to sort however was only changed 2 months ago .

I took it back to the garage who undertook the brakefluid change and they carried out a temperature test in front of me and it passed well exceeding the tolerences .Couldn't understand that one ??

I said that I wanted to remain on the variable servicing but awsome have put me on the fixed in my service book

Service indicator was not set

So your going back there! If it were me, I'd think I was being stitched up, did they use the right spec of oil? Did they actually DO anything?! Except for trying to flog you brake fluid.

[bluevrs200]

I hope they did just checked invoice and no mention of oil used was told that it would be quantum the same as vw use . Does anyone know about the 3%water content was I spun a yarn ? Seems like they wanted me to go on annual servicing though I thought variable was what it said dependant on driving style would adjust service times mileage etc .

[Nick P]

would probably use them again as dealer labour charges would be far higher should the car need anything else

Awesome charge £64.63 an hour labour which is actually more than some main dealers.

They did charge £25.00 for a pollen filter which was a little steep as most are around £10.00 on euro car parts .

Crazy. Hope it was the charcoal odour control one for that. I got a charcoal one for way less than that from a Skoda parts counter (about £15). The standard, non-charcoal one for a Mk2 Octy can be got for £8.55 inc vat from a Skoda parts counter without even asking for a discount.

I noticed Awesome sell Megs microfibre wash mitts for £20!!! Double what they are at Halfords even.

Edited 10 May, 2010 by wega3k

[bluevrs200]

Yes alright been ripped off on the pollen filter maybe a way to make up on the service charge . Charge 150% more for parts . They did initially tell me 15 pounds for the pollen filter and then charged me 25 . Rang back to question price and they said that 15 pounds was an estimate . Come on !! Now I know why awsome so against variable servicing more visits more money . Oh well learn't a lesson today .

[m0bov]

Maybe just find a good friendly local indy, and take your own parts along for the work Oil etc). Piece of mind, just pay for labour, maybe even watch them do the work. Think your just paying for the sky tv lol!

I do think general servicing is best left to dealers, they often pick up on software upgrades, recall/upgrade work from manfu which is FOC and the like.

[m0bov]

The pollen filter is about right, was quoted £25 to do my old Mazda's, £12 for the part and took 5 mins. So its the labour on it.

[m0bov]

I'd take the car back, get them to re service it, reset the light and get it changed back to variable as you did'nt ask for that. Its your car and they had no right to fiddle with it. Sounds like a rather shady setup tbh. If they cound'nt get a quote for a simple pollen filter change then that would have started the alarm bells going.

[wardth]

I know Awsome post here so how about a response guys?

To be honest the tale thats been told would put me off using you.

[cheezemonkhai]

Awesome charge £64.63 an hour labour which is actually more than some main dealers.

Crazy. Hope it was the charcoal odour control one for that. I got a charcoal one for way less than that from a Skoda parts counter (about £15). The standard, non-charcoal one for a Mk2 Octy can be got for £8.55 inc vat from a Skoda parts counter without even asking for a discount.

I noticed Awesome sell Megs microfibre wash mitts for £20!!! Double what they are at Halfords even.

I agree you can get the charcoal pollen filter for about £10 from a dealer.

I've been shot down in flames before, as I've stated that I think a lot of the specialist tuners are very expensive and charge a lot more than dealers for some work.

In terms of the OP's brake fluid comment, I had a dealer tell me my brake fluid was at 1% and they should change it.

I asked why and the mechanic said that it was probably fine for another 9 months as you don't typically change until 2%.

The explanation was that basically it would likely hit 2% before my next service and so they have to point it out.

He did say that as I do keep an eye on the car and do things when needed anyway it was nothing to worry about yet.

I have to say, if it was me, I'd never be taking my car there and would right now be feeling a bit fleeced and concerned about the brake fluid things.

The pollen filter is about right, was quoted £25 to do my old Mazda's, £12 for the part and took 5 mins. So its the labour on it..

I have to say that on the Octy II, the pollen filter is a very simple and quick change.

Undo two thumb bolts, pull a foam cover down and slide a plate across, drop the old filter out and put a new one in and refit the other bits.

Job done and takes me about 2 minutes to change them myself.

Edited 10 May, 2010 by cheezemonkhai

[Nick P]

I have to say that on the Octy II, the pollen filter is a very simple and quick change.

takes me about 2 minutes to change them myself.

Yup, it's trivial. So is the air filter. Oil filter is slightly fiddly on the PD170 due to a stupid layout.

[AdamR]

I know Awsome post here so how about a response guys?

To be honest the tale thats been told would put me off using you.

+1...

[fraserpants]

+1...

+2

[Nick P]

I'd be very interested to hear people's take on my experience with Awesome.

Here are the PMs from when I left some suspension components there and they threw them away after a week without telling me they were going to. Sorry for the lengthy post.

To put this in context, I had been really happy with the service I had received before this and had written them a glowing review. I haven't posted anything about this before, but I realised I am still really annoyed about it. If their policy and attitude towards goodwill is fair, then it shouldn't be a problem for other people to see it on a public forum. Al and Sarah will probably think I'm a **** for posting this and that I'm being unreasonable - sorry guys. :(

Hi guys. When you fitted my AP coil-overs last month (19th of March?), your man put my old struts / springs and the C-spanner in the box the coilovers came in (or another box?). Just now, out of the blue, it's just hit me that I didn't take them with me.

I've just checked my shed, loft and all round the house and I've 100% definitely not got them. Your man put my long wheel bolts and spacers in my boot, I've got those, just nothing else. I think I got distracted, choosing a t-shirt when I was paying and just left the box. PLEASE tell me you've not thrown them out! I'm really worried as you've not been in touch to tell me I've forgotten them. It's a full set of OEM suspension with only 30k on so I really don't want to have lost it.

Thanks,

Nick

Hi Nick,

I've had a good look around all the Old suspension kits and can't find anything at all for an Octavia Mk2.

We do normally have a policy that if a kit has been left with us for over a week (although we usually let it go upto two weeks) that it gets Scrapped.

Sorry about that mate,

Kind regards, Al.

Awesome GTI Store.

Hi Sarah. Al got back to me and said they must have been scrapped.

I'm pretty annoyed about it to be honest. I totally accept it was ridiculous that it took me 5 weeks to realise I'd not got them, but I've had a lot on and just been distracted. When I phoned up on Saturday, someone actually remembered seeing them sat on top of a wheelie bin or something for a week or so., before being moved and presumably scrapped. All it would have taken would have been for someone to take a couple of minutes to look up the job sheet, get my number and give me a call / leave me a voice mail to say if you want them let us know and come and get them, otherwise we want to get rid of them. It's not like there was any misunderstanding about whether I wanted them or not - They were put in a box because I wanted them and I said I was going to pick them up and put them in my boot when I went back in to pay.

If they were really old / leaking I wouldn't mind, but they were only two years old with just over 30k on and would have been really useful to have to put the car back to standard if I come to trade it in at a main-dealer, or if I sold the car on the APs, I could have got some money for them, selling them on the forum as an upgrade to a non-vrs octavia owner. Either way, it's my property that has a decent value to me, somebody at Awesome has decided to get rid of it without my knowledge and I'm left out of pocket. Al said you have a policy that things left there are scrapped after a week or two. How is a customer supposed to know that though? And even then, that's only fair if the item is clearly rubbish and not wanted or if the customer definitely knows it's there and is wilfully not bothering to retrieve it from you in a timely manner.

Nick

Oooh Nick

Wow , now to be fair , within reason I agree with what you have said

But if we leave items out like that for customers to pick up , and they dont get picked up , we dont know if you have changed your mind or not?

But we have a strict policy really to hold items for a week , no more than 2 as we would be up to our eyeballs and full of seceond hand parts

We have looked all over to see if we can see them , but second hand suspension really is not something that we tend to keep

I am sorry

We can get you the C spanner if you like for the kit , but we can not get the suspension kit back I am afraid

Sorry

Sarah

Hi Sarah, thanks for getting back to me.

if we leave items out like that for customers to pick up , and they dont get picked up , we dont know if you have changed your mind or not?

Like I said, two mins for a phone call. :(

Can I suggest a fair goodwill gesture to smooth this over, which wouldn't really cost Awesome and I'd appreciate? An offer of a couple of hours labour on the house. That would help get rid of the bad taste I've been left with over this (and get back to evangelising left right and centre about Awesome like I had been doing ever since having the work done! ) and makes sure I come back soon to spend more money on upgrades.

We can get you the C spanner if you like for the kit

Sarah

Yes, please can you stick it in a jiffy bag and post it.

Thanks,

Nick

Hello Nick

I am sorry , that does sound a tad ott to me anyway

We put the kit out there for you

You drove off without it

We do not know who`s kit it is

I have not even approached the bosses in regards that offer as I myself think it is OTT

Yes , I can organise a C spanner for you

£110 + VAT for 2 hours labour

I am sorry , I can`t see why I sould give that away

It is going to cost us for a C spanner

Sarah

[fluffmeister]

Alex Lawrie in Liverpool where the cheapest for a service for me on all my previous Skoda's with a 10% loyalty discount applied. Never had any reason for a complaint with them at all.

I had the vRoomster supension done at Awesome, and can only really comment from when Mark was there, but they did a superb job of it and Mark was fantastic with it all getting a quality job done. They had problems getting it to go in a straight line and again it was Mark that got this sorted out for me, worst thing they ever did was let him go imho!!

The flipside is that I had an oil change done on the vRoomster by Awesome before I set off for Germany in it on holiday with the family, done on the day of leaving for the holiday which was not the wisest move. Whoever did the oil change spilt oil all over the rocker cover etc and when cruising down the M62 heading to Hull for the ferry the car stunk of warm / burnt oil. I did mention this to Sarah at the time who apologised. Only one bad experience, but several very positive ones from my perspective, that said though, I have not been back since.

Alex Lawrie Skoda did an oil service on my old Superb V6 TDi for £70 iirc including parts (I posted a review somewhere)

Edited 11 May, 2010 by fluffmeister

[bluevrs200]

Ummmmm ....

£11.11 for a genuine air filter from Skoda main dealer . Now that decides it for me charge £117 for a service and double the price on oem extras . Try and take £50.00 for a brake fluid service that was done 2 months prior. Specify long life service and stamp in service book that service is due in 12 months , sticker in car 12 months 10000 miles . Explicitly stated variable . Awsome did state that vw latest guidelines were against the variable for less than 20000 miles pa . Spoke to Skoda today customer services and explained that I do 12000 miles pa and they stated that variable was fine . Awsome stated that they were draining oil with lumps out of it on variable . Awsome cut the bull as the work is first class no need for the constant sales pitch . A refund for the overpriced air filter wouldn't go a miss you have my card details and phone number . I will keep u all posted .

[AwesomeSarah]

Took the car to awsome and had the £117.00 service which included the plugs not bad ......

They did charge £25.00 for a pollen filter which was a little steep as most are around £10.00 on euro car parts .

They said that the brake fluid needed changing as it had 3% water in £49.99 to sort however was only changed 2 months ago .

I took it back to the garage who undertook the brakefluid change and they carried out a temperature test in front of me and it passed well exceeding the tolerences .Couldn't understand that one ??

I said that I wanted to remain on the variable servicing but awsome have put me on the fixed in my service book that potentially causes a problem with my aftermarket warranty should I exceed the time .However John at awsome has stated that he will rectify this by sending me a letter to specify that service was done to variable spec..... I usually service it anually but least it gives me the option .

Service indicator was not set and showed the same amount of time and mileage left before I took it in for the service .

Easy rectification with my vag com . WIth this though it took two attempts to reset so could be an issue with the car not mating up with the system first go .

On conclusion the staff were very helpful informative and the tech was very professional looking after my car in his hands and doing an excellent job , seems like the £117.00 offer is a good way to drum up business from non local people .

My local skoda dealer charges £99.00 for basic service and £149.00 for more comprehensive service for 3 year + cars . So i I feel that the £117.00 is pitched about right .

Loved the set up at awsome the viewing area sky tv etc and will probably use them next time unless the prices go back up .

Thanks Awsome !!

Hello

I am sorry , to be fair , I can not comment on what happened , as I do not work on the service counter anymore

I am doing emails and online orders , with the forums when I find time

I have had a word with John , and then let you know what`s happened

Sarah

[AwesomeAl]

So your going back there! If it were me, I'd think I was being stitched up, did they use the right spec of oil? Did they actually DO anything?! Except for trying to flog you brake fluid.

We do Indeed use the correct Specification of oil.

We actually buy in our oil from Volkswagen TPS themselves. We use Quantum - 5/30 Fully Synthetic PD (VW504.00 VW507.00)

If you are suggesting that we may not have even worked on the car, You will be happy to know that our waiting area is a viewing bay INTO the workshop and at a point, the customer was actually taken into the workshop whilst the car was being worked on.

I noticed Awesome sell Megs microfibre wash mitts for £20!!! Double what they are at Halfords even.

Our Meguiars Microfibre wash mitts have NEVER been £20.

See here: http://www.awesome-gti.co.uk/product.php?xProd=14063

Awesome - £10.21

Halfords - £10.99

Awesome charge £64.63 an hour labour which is actually more than some main dealers.

Our local VW Dealer charge around £75 + VAT, our local Audi Dealer are charging £99 + VAT per hour.

Now I know why awsome so against variable servicing more visits more money . Oh well learn't a lesson today .

I'm sorry, but you are now jumping to conclusions!

Please see this Link on the VW Website and you will see why we don't normally recommend long life servicing:

LongLife Service Regime

We recommend this service if you are likely to drive more than 25 miles a day and if you tend to drive in the following way:

•Regular long distance driving

•Driving at a constant speed with minimum vehicle and engine loading, and minimal towing

•Economical driving

This LongLife regime has been made possible due to the development of new Volkswagen engines with the latest technically advanced longlife oil. These engines use built-in sensors that continually monitor the oil quality, making it possible to enjoy reliable and confident motoring for up to a maximum of 18,000* miles or 24 months (whichever occurs first).

Extract taken from: http://www.volkswagen.co.uk/owners/servicing/regimes

Ummmmm ....

£11.11 for a genuine air filter from Skoda main dealer . Now that decides it for me charge £117 for a service and double the price on oem extras . Try and take £50.00 for a brake fluid service that was done 2 months prior. Specify long life service and stamp in service book that service is due in 12 months , sticker in car 12 months 10000 miles . Explicitly stated variable . Awsome did state that vw latest guidelines were against the variable for less than 20000 miles pa . Spoke to Skoda today customer services and explained that I do 12000 miles pa and they stated that variable was fine . Awsome stated that they were draining oil with lumps out of it on variable . Awsome cut the bull as the work is first class no need for the constant sales pitch . A refund for the overpriced air filter wouldn't go a miss you have my card details and phone number . I will keep u all posted .

The service book will probably have a tick next to the 'Longlife Oil Used'. This is because we use the Longlife oil in both Fixed services and Longlife services as we believe it is the better oil.

As per the recommendations from VW Themselves, we don't recommend leaving the car for 18,000 miels or anywhere near two years if the vehicle is driven in any kind of sporting manner whatsoever!

As for the Brake fluid, We use a 'Bluepoint' brake fluid tester which measures the water content. This is different to the way that your other workshop have measured the quality.

As for the Oversight on the pricing of the Pollen filter, Our system has them showing up as £25.00 retail at a dealer. As this issue has brought up, we now know that this is incorrect. After checking the retail prices from the dealer we have now altered the prices to be correct.

The Oil not being booked on the invoice is a genuine mistake from Andy, who created the invoice for you.

Our parts Manager doesn't add the oil to the invoice, The member of Staff doing the invoice does. Unfortunately on this, an oversight was made, however This doesn't make any difference as the prices are calculated to be correct.

If you could please contact us with your card details, I would be more than happy to credit the difference to your account no problems. However, we do not have your Card details as any card details we use during mail order transactions are Shreaded to protect all our customers.

Edited 11 May, 2010 by AwesomeAl

[matt_theforce]

I have used Awesome for servicing for the past 3 years and have had severval mods carried out there and have never had a bad experience.

Having just purchased another Octavia, I will be using Awesome for all its servicing and modding needs.

Look forward to seeing all at Awesome soon

[VRS Mike]

Sounds like a fair explanation from Al Shame you were left with so much doubt after your service though I have recently had some work done on my car by Unit18 automotive and although a small out fit was surprised by the level of service they offer, one of the mounting brackets from my exhaust had broken off and they welded it back on FOC, little things like this that only take 15 mins go along way in my eyes and as a result of this and the quality of service my car won't be going anywhere else.

[Nick P]

Our Meguiars Microfibre wash mitts have NEVER been £20.

See here: http://www.awesome-gti.co.uk/product.php?xProd=14063

Awesome - £10.21

Halfords - £10.99

That's more like it. Must have been a mis-price on the one in the in-store display.

[bluevrs200]

Awsome Al ,

Yes I do more than 25 Miles a day and my driving is a combination of all sorts of driving and have been on Variable for previous 4 years even though I usually get service done around 12 months leaves it as my choice . As you can see I have no issues around the quality of your workmanship this has been first class , all credit to the tech and certainly wouldn't suggest that the work wasn't carried out . The Car was left clean spotless and I can tell the difference with the new set of plugs .

The issues I have identified and will cause me a problem if I have a warranty claim is that Fixed service has been plastered in my service book , on my window and I expressly said to keep on variable .

I don't dipsute that you have used longlife oil but at this present time I have nothing in writing in the service book or on the invoice to state what oild has been used . I envisage that should I have to make an warranty claim and go over the 12 months service shedule or the specified 10000 miles that the warranty company company would :

a) ask for a copy of the service book

ask for the invoice .

And should I exceed the stated times or mileage reject the claim .I understand that advice can be given to customers but why have you gone against my wishes when I said variable on 4 or 5 occasions .

You can rectify this by sending out confirmation that it was a long life service , the oil that was used and a new service remainder sticker .

The pollen filter that I was quoted £15.00 and charged £25.00 please just send me a cheque for the difference with the service confirmation .

Brake fluid boiling test was 210 degrees on checking in front of me so like I said was done 2 months ago so can't understand why it would have 3% water in and would need changing .

The service indicator wasn't set but I have rectified this with my vag com .

Kind regards

Dave

[matt_theforce]

The service indicator wasn't set but I have rectified this with my vag com .

I do hope your a VAT registered Car Mechanic? Surely using your own VagCom to change anything on a car under warranty yourself could in-validate any future claim you have as you aren't a registered mechanic or even properly trained todo this? Skoda UK DO monitor this forum and you may have done yourself out of a warranty with the above statement.

I appreciate its a simple change to make but you harping on about what oil is used/variable service against fixed and how it could affect your warranty is small fry compared to what you have just done!

I am by NO means taking any side and don't know both sides to the story, just stating my opinion.

I hope it is all resolved soon

Matthew

Edited 11 May, 2010 by matt@theforce