Bought new Pagid rear disks and pads for €80, fitting will be the same again next week.

 

Somewhat better than the €360 Skoda wanted, and even if they had price matched I wouldn't want their OEM disks near the car!

Washed and dried

Applied AG Magma Fallout remover

Washed again.

 

Amazing to see the car was covered in iron particles, very impressive product. One bottle will do a car.

 

Getting the ceramic coated next week do wanted to ensure this was done prior. 

Gave it a good wash with snow foam + 2 bucket method 🤩

Matching car, washer and buckets is just showing off! 😀

 

 Nice work 

38 minutes ago, penguin17 said:

Matching car, washer and buckets is just showing off! 😀

Exactly what I was going to say 😂

Wash, polish and wax over the past three days, then today went around the car with touch up paint. The three black scars that were added to the left corner of my Corrida Red bumper by a kind neighbour were hard to mask. Still, you can't see any damage from five feet away, and have to get up close to see the brush strokes. I can relax for a while now.

 

The Meguiar's polish I used was really difficult to get off. Dunno if it has a shelf life. I can't remember it being that difficult six months ago. The Bilt Hamber Double-speed Wax still works great. Easy on, easy off.

 

I would post a photo, but it looks exactly like the shots I posted 2.5 years ago. Beautiful.

 

@plantpowered  Ignore those pesky boys. I have a black bucket and a Corrida red bucket. They probably have dingy shades-of-grey buckets...

@unclerichy @penguin17 didn't even occur to me! The car is of course "Dragon Green", though my phone cam always makes it look very yellow. Most people say it's yellow when they see it - you have to be squinting in a very particular light to see any green! My 4yo calls it "yellowy-greeny car", so that's what it's affectionately known as in our house 🙂

Second service today. I'm delighted (not!) to say that after a brief flirtation with competence at the service desk last year, my local dealers have spectacularly re-discovered their previous levels of cluelessness. Why does a service-based organisation invest so little time, money or effort in selecting, training and retaining their public face? Grab the popcorn - I'll give you just a few of the highlights...

 

I dropped off the car at 8.00 with a clear instruction not to wash it (more of this later) - all would be sorted by 12. No problem - any time today is good for me. At 10.40 I get a call saying "everything is fine, but it has an advisory against the air-con. Do you want us to service it?" No thanks says I. "Ok - we'll give it a wash and it will be ready for 12". No wash sign, remember? Please don't wash it. "Ok". 

 

Up I trundle at 12, and the documents are waiting for me, with the service desk lady ready to take me through them (rapidly - she's already told me she's off to lunch soon).

 

"We've done the 20,000 mile service". I hope not - the car has done 28,000 and is on variable servicing. "Oh that's right - it's just a typing error". So can you change it for me, as this documentation shows a 20k (by implication fixed) service, done 8,000 miles in arrears, when I'm paying for a variable to be done bang on time. "No problem - I'll just cross it out and hand-write 'variable' instead".  No - I want the computerised record to show what was actually done. "Don't worry, the service book will show that." There isn't one - you stopped doing them two years ago. Can you get me the work-sheet to show what oil has been put in? The manager has  come over by this point. I get the sense he wants me out as quickly as possible. I might be disturbing the precisely zero customers in the showroom. Either that or he wants to go to lunch too.

 

This all passes off peacefully enough, and I am now comfortable that the right service has actually been done. The manager disappears, happy that I am about to leave. Back to the invoice. Apparently it's now my fault the invoice is wrong, as I chose the 20,000 mile service when I booked it online. I didn't - the on-line booking system only allows you to choose "second service" against my registration number and I confirmed when they called back it is on a variable regime. I'm pretty sure it was the same woman I spoke to who now regaled me with the error of my ways. Apparently I've also cheated them since the variable service is more expensive than the fixed one I booked in error, but they will stick to £249 as that is what I was quoted. I promise you I am not making this up.

 

 

 

I let all this slide. Can you change the invoice for me? "No - once it's printed, that's it." I don't think so - it needs sorting. "I'll speak to my manager". Apparently it can be sorted, but only by raising a credit note against the original invoice, then raising a new one. If this really is true then the person who put their finance system in needs shooting. I think there is more than a little fibbing going on. But let's be charitable...

A deep breath is taken on both sides as we move to the health-check. 

 

This amber advisory against the air-conditioning. Can you tell me what test the tech did to give it an amber? "I'm not a tech." So can you go and ask the tech? Because my understanding is there is no test for aircon undertaken as part of an oil service. While you're at it, can you ask him what would constitute a red advisory?

 

It has to be said that our employee of the month is now looking a little red in the face and, to my shame, I'm now just doing it out of badness. Off she toddles once again to the workshop. A few minutes later, confirmation comes through that it isn't an advisory as such, just a manufacturer's recommendation. There are no tests undertaken on the aircon at the oil service. At this point, relating the tale that they advised an aircon service on my previous Mk2 just eight months after previously re-gassing it would have been pretty poor of me, I'm sure you would agree. So I did. It wasn't well-received I think. Oh well...

 

Back once again to the invoice. She wants me to pay it - she will sort out the replacement this afternoon. There is a potential problem here, but I suspect she doesn't know what it is. She's already told me that this invoice has to be credited and a new one raised. But she can't do that now because apparently only the manager can approve the credit note and he isn't around - I guess he went to lunch after all. I'll be really interested to see what happens to the card payment I made when they credit the invoice... I'll give them until the middle of the week to get me the revised invoice and if it doesn't materialise I'll take it up with the dealer principal.

 

Now all that remains is to get the car back. "We've washed it for you." Really? "Actually no, we haven't." 

 

To be fair (and one of my main character flaws is fairness), the techs do seem to know what they are doing. The variable service was completed as requested, using the right oil and they sent me the video of the tyre check again (fairly pointless, but I think a good bit of almost costless PR). The job was done on-time and for the price quoted. But because of the hopeless lack of attention to customer service, thousands of Briskodians - their target market - hear a tale of woe worthy of the Ancient Mariner. I have three pieces of advice for the management.

 

1. Employ people in the front of house roles who want to work front of house and have general skills in customer service. Maybe even have an interest in cars?

2. Train them and keep them up to date. It really isn't rocket science to understand the general contents of an oil-change service. Stick them in the workshop for a couple of hours with one of the techs while he does the job. And tell them when you phase out the service book.

3. Make sure they don't lie. Especially when the lie is so easily exposed. It ruins your credibility.

 

Apologies for the ramble. Even more so if your car is being serviced in the next few weeks. Especially if you live in Bristol...

@BriskodaJeff at 1203 today 

 

 

I had my 2nd service (variable) done a couple of weeks ago - £249. 

 

I used to share your pain, but the Service Advisor at my local (Beadles Southend) does seem on the ball with matters.

@BriskodaJeff I couldn't help but chuckle reading that! It sounds unbelievable, but at the same time, very believable! My local VW received zero business from me after, what I would say, was a generous number of attempts. I ended up driving an hour to a more competent dealer after becoming exasperated 

 

Well, today I managed the latest nav update, the easy entry and throttle position tweaks via VCDS. Both are excellent. Thanks to @Gizmo and others for the VCDS thread. 

42 minutes ago, penguin17 said:

@BriskodaJeff at 1203 today 

 

 

The first time I read that I thought Michael Douglas was advertising Online Dating.

@BriskodaJeff

 

They are correct im saying to alter the wording/text they have to credit it and reinvoice it. However that wont affect your card payment, they are seperate.  Most dealers now use a dms kerridge system.  

 

All these issues that were created by this service advisor shouldnt have happened in my experience as an ex service supervisor and assistant service manager.   She should have just creditted it and altered the text when she reinvoiced it. Then explained to the manager later why she did it without his approval due to it being a text issue rather than a monetary value which is where issues arrise with accounts dept. 

 

Too many useless service advisors! Which ruin dealerships as they are the face of the aftersales dept. 

Changed the reverse bulbs to LED ones today, hoping for "more light" when reversing in the dark......

 

 

 

 

 

Edited 4 June, 20197 yr by JR RS

JR RS, looks the goods mate!

 

Any chance you could post a pic during day light hours, of what the rear light housing looks like now from the side (close up and from a distance)?

Does the multi LED bulb stand out like Dog B#@ls, or is it unnoticeable?

 

Are you looking to do the Indicators also?

 

Easy enough to remove the rear light clusters?

 

54 minutes ago, ope126 said:

JR RS, looks the goods mate!

 

Any chance you could post a pic during day light hours, of what the rear light housing looks like now from the side (close up and from a distance)?

Does the multi LED bulb stand out like Dog B#@ls, or is it unnoticeable?

 

Are you looking to do the Indicators also?

 

Easy enough to remove the rear light clusters?

 

 

Here is close up.  It's un-noticeable, unless u look really close up.

 

 

At this stage, not looking at changing the indicators.  I like that soft Amber glow

 

yes, very easy to change - just a few minutes per side.

Unclip black cover next to tail light, remove 2x torx screws, pull taillight out, unclip harness, twist & remove bulb.  Swap bulbs, and then reverse.

very easy.

 

if ur interested - these r the ones I got.  Local supplier.  Free postage. Quick delivery.

https://www.stedi.com.au/2-pack-ba15s-20smd-3030.html

Edited 4 June, 20197 yr by JR RS

Jeff you are a credit to the cause. I enjoyed reading what I display often; I story that is a complaint but by the time you get to the end the recipient is just about waking up to what is happening.

It is a polite way of getting the message across without directly offending anyone. My wife goes crazy when I do this court of stuff.

I agree about the car wash, mine in now 5 years old and has not seen a car wash. Therefore, no swirls or scratches; just a grumpy old man with two buckets and clean cloths.

23 hours ago, BriskodaJeff said:

Second service today. I'm delighted (not!) to say that after a brief flirtation with competence at the service desk last year, my local dealers have spectacularly re-discovered their previous levels of cluelessness. Why does a service-based organisation invest so little time, money or effort in selecting, training and retaining their public face? Grab the popcorn - I'll give you just a few of the highlights...

 

I dropped off the car at 8.00 with a clear instruction not to wash it (more of this later) - all would be sorted by 12. No problem - any time today is good for me. At 10.40 I get a call saying "everything is fine, but it has an advisory against the air-con. Do you want us to service it?" No thanks says I. "Ok - we'll give it a wash and it will be ready for 12". No wash sign, remember? Please don't wash it. "Ok". 

 

Up I trundle at 12, and the documents are waiting for me, with the service desk lady ready to take me through them (rapidly - she's already told me she's off to lunch soon).

 

"We've done the 20,000 mile service". I hope not - the car has done 28,000 and is on variable servicing. "Oh that's right - it's just a typing error". So can you change it for me, as this documentation shows a 20k (by implication fixed) service, done 8,000 miles in arrears, when I'm paying for a variable to be done bang on time. "No problem - I'll just cross it out and hand-write 'variable' instead".  No - I want the computerised record to show what was actually done. "Don't worry, the service book will show that." There isn't one - you stopped doing them two years ago. Can you get me the work-sheet to show what oil has been put in? The manager has  come over by this point. I get the sense he wants me out as quickly as possible. I might be disturbing the precisely zero customers in the showroom. Either that or he wants to go to lunch too.

 

This all passes off peacefully enough, and I am now comfortable that the right service has actually been done. The manager disappears, happy that I am about to leave. Back to the invoice. Apparently it's now my fault the invoice is wrong, as I chose the 20,000 mile service when I booked it online. I didn't - the on-line booking system only allows you to choose "second service" against my registration number and I confirmed when they called back it is on a variable regime. I'm pretty sure it was the same woman I spoke to who now regaled me with the error of my ways. Apparently I've also cheated them since the variable service is more expensive than the fixed one I booked in error, but they will stick to £249 as that is what I was quoted. I promise you I am not making this up.

 

 

 

I let all this slide. Can you change the invoice for me? "No - once it's printed, that's it." I don't think so - it needs sorting. "I'll speak to my manager". Apparently it can be sorted, but only by raising a credit note against the original invoice, then raising a new one. If this really is true then the person who put their finance system in needs shooting. I think there is more than a little fibbing going on. But let's be charitable...

A deep breath is taken on both sides as we move to the health-check. 

 

This amber advisory against the air-conditioning. Can you tell me what test the tech did to give it an amber? "I'm not a tech." So can you go and ask the tech? Because my understanding is there is no test for aircon undertaken as part of an oil service. While you're at it, can you ask him what would constitute a red advisory?

 

It has to be said that our employee of the month is now looking a little red in the face and, to my shame, I'm now just doing it out of badness. Off she toddles once again to the workshop. A few minutes later, confirmation comes through that it isn't an advisory as such, just a manufacturer's recommendation. There are no tests undertaken on the aircon at the oil service. At this point, relating the tale that they advised an aircon service on my previous Mk2 just eight months after previously re-gassing it would have been pretty poor of me, I'm sure you would agree. So I did. It wasn't well-received I think. Oh well...

 

Back once again to the invoice. She wants me to pay it - she will sort out the replacement this afternoon. There is a potential problem here, but I suspect she doesn't know what it is. She's already told me that this invoice has to be credited and a new one raised. But she can't do that now because apparently only the manager can approve the credit note and he isn't around - I guess he went to lunch after all. I'll be really interested to see what happens to the card payment I made when they credit the invoice... I'll give them until the middle of the week to get me the revised invoice and if it doesn't materialise I'll take it up with the dealer principal.

 

Now all that remains is to get the car back. "We've washed it for you." Really? "Actually no, we haven't." 

 

To be fair (and one of my main character flaws is fairness), the techs do seem to know what they are doing. The variable service was completed as requested, using the right oil and they sent me the video of the tyre check again (fairly pointless, but I think a good bit of almost costless PR). The job was done on-time and for the price quoted. But because of the hopeless lack of attention to customer service, thousands of Briskodians - their target market - hear a tale of woe worthy of the Ancient Mariner. I have three pieces of advice for the management.

 

1. Employ people in the front of house roles who want to work front of house and have general skills in customer service. Maybe even have an interest in cars?

2. Train them and keep them up to date. It really isn't rocket science to understand the general contents of an oil-change service. Stick them in the workshop for a couple of hours with one of the techs while he does the job. And tell them when you phase out the service book.

3. Make sure they don't lie. Especially when the lie is so easily exposed. It ruins your credibility.

 

Apologies for the ramble. Even more so if your car is being serviced in the next few weeks. Especially if you live in Bristol...

 

Jeff you are a credit to the cause. I enjoyed reading what I display often; I story that is a complaint but by the time you get to the end the recipient is just about waking up to what is happening.

It is a polite way of getting the message across without directly offending anyone. My wife goes crazy when I do this court of stuff.

I agree about the car wash, mine in now 5 years old and has not seen a car wash. Therefore, no swirls or scratches; just a grumpy old man with two buckets and clean cloths.

 

Following my uniquely successful second service visit yesterday, I've just received the "how did we do?" email. So I have a question for the Briskoda faithful. 

 

Should I cut and paste my post into the reply, or just send them @penguin17's meme...

 

 

Just now, BriskodaJeff said:

Following my uniquely successful second service visit yesterday, I've just received the "how did we do?" email. So I have a question for the Briskoda faithful. 

 

Should I cut and paste my post into the reply, or just send them @penguin17's meme...

 

 

Defo Penguin's.

14 minutes ago, BriskodaJeff said:

Following my uniquely successful second service visit yesterday, I've just received the "how did we do?" email. So I have a question for the Briskoda faithful. 

 

Should I cut and paste my post into the reply, or just send them @penguin17's meme...

 

 

Oh I'll modifying the meme for my own use....3hrs to swap alloys and fit 4 new tyres.  😡

 

...and this was a 'while you wait' appointment! 

Edited 4 June, 20197 yr by penguin17

Just now, penguin17 said:

Oh I'll modifying the meme for my own use....3hrs to swap alloys and fit 4 new tyres.  😡

Were u booked in as a waiting appointment for the alloys? Tyre fitting is irrelevant as tyres have to be removed and refitted anyway?  

1 hour ago, Adrian55555 said:

Were u booked in as a waiting appointment for the alloys? Tyre fitting is irrelevant as tyres have to be removed and refitted anyway?  

Yes I was booked in for the alloys (warranty job) and the dealer said they'd also fit some new tyres, but they would have had to remove and refit tyres regardless of whether or not I was supplying new ones. 

 

Went into the dealers at 1240, left at 1535; a bit of a wee wee take IMHO.  I can only surmise that they tore the backside out of it so they can bill Skoda for a few hours labour. 

 

Sorry i meant if u were just booked in then u kinda join the queue due to other customers being specifically booked in as a "waiting" appointment.  At a busy dealership u could see up to around 70-80 cars a day between 10-12 technicians.   If you are wanting to wait whilst they do something next time, mention you are wanting a waiting appointment.  They usually have specified time slots. Usually 1st thing in the morning and after lunch break

3 minutes ago, Adrian55555 said:

Sorry i meant if u were just booked in then u kinda join the queue due to other customers being specifically booked in as a "waiting" appointment.  At a busy dealership u could see up to around 70-80 cars a day between 10-12 technicians.   If you are wanting to wait whilst they do something next time, mention you are wanting a waiting appointment.  They usually have specified time slots. Usually 1st thing in the morning and after lunch break

Appointment made the day before for a waiting appt from 1300.  The car was on the ramp within 10 mins of me arriving. 

 

I could have had a courtesy car and all-day 'slot' but was told it shouldn't take long to do the swap if I wanted to wait. 

Edited 4 June, 20197 yr by penguin17