Afternoon,

 

Just wanted to post this up to see what you guys think about where I stand.

 

Bought a Mk1 Fabia VRS back in February, car had just been in for a minor service at a main dealer and has only ever been serviced at Skoda main dealers.

 

Fast forward 10000 miles, and I've decided for the first time to use a Skoda main dealer to keep up with the stamps in the book for resale etc.

 

Get a call 3 hours later saying that the thread is knackered in the sump and they can't get the plug back in without it leaking, therefore whoever serviced the car previously has either over torqued the plug or has crossthreaded it on refitting.

 

Needless to say, they quote me a terrible price for the part and fitting, and sort of have me over a barrel as I can't then drive the car home to swap the sump myself or helicoil the original without losing all the new oil.

 

This is a different dealership to the one that serviced the vehicle, am I in any position to complain that due to Skoda ruining the thread in the sump, why should I stump up the hefty bill to replace it? It's hardly an item you would expect to replace during a service. Do the dealerships act as one company or is it fair enough to say that it wasn't them that did the damage so not their problem?

 

Regardless of this, they've ordered the wrong sump (they've ordered one with a level sensor hole) in so it doesn't look like i'm going to get my car back before the weekend anyway.

 

Not ranting, just curious to see what other people think.

 

Thanks,

1) It's a alloy sump, so not the most robust of things to mut a steel plug into.

2) Try and get a new oil pickup out of them as compensation for the inconvenience since they ordered the wrong part and you'll be withotu the car over the weekend.

Welcome to the forum.

 

Before you blame the last person that did the Minor Service, you need to be sure they did a Sump Plug draining Oil change and did not actually pump the oil out.

 

There are also Owners that do Oil Changes themselves between services.

(Owners working on cars tend not to have Service Book entries or keep records of what they do.

often they bodge a job and then punt the vehicle.)

Some even buy cars, do a job like an Oil Change themselves, Cross thread the sump plug, so then put the car into a Dealership and try to blame them, that is so common.

Not saying that what you are doing, but it happens.

 

So you do not really know who to blame.

What age and mileage of car?

 

george

Don't all the sumps now come with a level sensor hole in them and you also have to order the blanking plate and bolts?

Don't all the sumps now come with a level sensor hole in them and you also have to order the blanking plate and bolts?

 

I hadn't realised this was the case, I would expect a Skoda dealer to know this though but nevermind!

 

Welcome to the forum.

 

Before you blame the last person that did the Minor Service, you need to be sure they did a Sump Plug draining Oil change and did not actually pump the oil out.

 

There are also Owners that do Oil Changes themselves between services.

(Owners working on cars tend not to have Service Book entries or keep records of what they do.

often they bodge a job and then punt the vehicle.)

Some even buy cars, do a job like an Oil Change themselves, Cross thread the sump plug, so then put the car into a Dealership and try to blame them, that is so common.

Not saying that what you are doing, but it happens.

 

So you do not really know who to blame.

What age and mileage of car?

 

george

 

Car is 2005, 110,000 miles only ever serviced at Skoda main dealer every 10,000 miles with stamps to prove. I guess someone else could have done this at some point but I'm not sure why they would have needed to but it is a possibility.

 

Either way, the last person to service it was a main dealer but like you say, they might have pumped the oil out instead and not noticed the damaged threads.

 

I picked the car up the week it had been serviced at main dealer and haven't touched the sump plug myself.

 

I think I've just had my fingers burnt with dealership prices and service, I should have just done it myself, I've always serviced my own cars in the past but just wanted to keep the dealer history with this car.

 

Nevermind!

 

I was over at the Skoda factory in Mlada Boleslav last week, I could have tried to blag a new sump from their old stock!

dealer stamps will have NO influence on the value of this car whatsoever. Best bet a decent back street garage or VAG specialist.

Why should Skoda foot the bill. They have not been near it since it left the factory.

The main dealer is not Skoda.

Dealer stamps do influence the value of a vehicle. It is a well known fact that a car with a main dealer service history is more desirable than one without. A more desirable car will sell quicker and demand a premium.

 

Whilst Skoda UK are well within their rights to wash their hands of this issue my experience of Skoda customer services has been nothing but positive. They may say that you need to take it up with the dealers but then they also may ofer a goodwill gesture towards the cost of the repair.

 

My Octavia had it's rear number plate screwed directly into the body work when it was new. By the time I bought the car (well out of warranty) and discovered the botch the boot lid was badly corroded. Skoda UK paid 100% of the repair costs. 

 

Why did they do this? Because I was polite on the phone, my previous car was a Skoda but most importantly it had a full main dealer service history.

 

Try your luck, ring them on 08457 745745, option 4.

 

If this doesn't work I'd be ringing up the garage that last serviced the car and explain the problem.

 

Be firm but fair, if you don't ask you don't get!

Edited 4 October, 201312 yr by silver1011

110k, even if the dealer stamps did at any value I doubt it'll add enough to cover the extra it'll have cost in dealer rates. 

I would have thought at 110K and at over 8 years old a main dealer service history would add little if no value to the car. I remember when i had my E46 there were people with 10 year old beemers with 150K+ on and wanted to maintain their full BMWSH?? All that on a 1-2K car!

 

As for your problem, try contacting SKODA cutomer services and see what happens, even look up the email adresses of several senior people and fire off an email or 3. I'd be surprised if they didnt help out. This IMO, is the only benefit of a main dealer SH on a (non premium) car over 3 years old.

I wouldn't pay more for a car with a full dealer history. But two cars at the same price the one with full dealer history is more desireable.

In response to the question in the first post, all main dealerships do not act as on company and errors caused by one certainly can't be charge against another.

That would be a bit like taking a faulty fridge back to Curry's that you bought in John Lewis - just because they sell the same brand does not mean they are connected

That said there will be occasions when one dealership runs showrooms in different locations.these are usually, but not always branded with the same name

'Full Dealer Service History' 'FDSH' sounds good.

 

'Full History of Dealers doing an Oil and Filter Change every second service and looking over a car and never even removing wheels or changing brake fluid unless asked and paid to.'  

Maybe not so good.

 

'BMW Services' over 100,000 miles where all the Bulbs and Fluids and Belts get changed and that service costs over £1,000 is why so many BMW's are available cheaply at 4 and 5 year old.

Owners have FDSH until that biggie is due to be done.

 

Probably Why the Warranty Companies have the highest percentage of Claims for Engine Failures with German Cars.

People buy cars they can afford used, but they can maybe not afford the Maintenance their design requires to ensure reliability and longevity.

Often they just have no idea about the Oil or Fluids required, Engine, Gearbox, Diffs, Coolant, Brakes, even Washer Fluid.

 

george

I'd say it's more likely this garage cross threaded it as it would have been leaking before now

I'd say it's more likely this garage cross threaded it as it would have been leaking before now

I'd disagree. I've taken many sump plugs out that wind the thread out with them. Tbf though it's normally because they have been over tightened. 30 Nm really isn't a lot and is often passed.

I wouldn't pay more for a car with a full dealer history. But two cars at the same price the one with full dealer history is more desireable.

 

...which means the car without the stamps won't sell as long as there are cars out there with more stamps.

 

A cars price is determined by what people are prepared to pay. Therefore a more desirable car and a more expensive car is the same thing.

 

People pay more for things that are more desirable to them, hence the car with more stamps is worth more than one without.

 

We drive Skoda's, depending on where you live its quite easy to get a main dealer service history for the same or less than reputable independants.

We are talking here about an 8 year old car with 110,000 miles on it.

 

Probable value between £2,000 - £3,000 depending on condition.

 

On a car that old and with that sort of value, FSH is going to make no difference at all.

And do you trust a main dealer to do what is scheduled? How many pollen filters are changed when they should be? Rarely I guess. Correct oil provided? No I am suspect of generic bulk oil being supplied regardless of engine type.

A good pile of well organised receipts from a known garage, not fast fit types would convince me more.

Any car out of warranty not worth going to main dealer IMHO.

Looking at this kinda car/age car, I'd rather a file of receipts from a good indi than a dealer personally. After seeing some atrocious work from my local Skoda dealer I'd never take my car near there. So if I were to want to keep full dealer history I'd be needing to make a 45min drive to the next nearest, then pay a huge mark up over what I pay Unit 18 for the same service. As I said, all that extra cost isnt going to be recovered on a £3000 car just by having a dealer stamp even IF it added a bit of value.