Wanting to buy an Amarok - dealership issues...

[brad]

I think you under-rate your own abilities & don't realise how many f__k-knuckles are out there.

[kryten2001]

I think you under-rate your own abilities & don't realise how many f__k-knuckles are out there.

LOL you might be right brad... Plenty of f-knuckles out there, sadly some of them are 'trained', working in dealerships getting paid to do this work...

Not having a go at dealerships, but I prefer to do what I can myself - and the rest I get a specialist to do... My comments about Ultratune stand, as long as you get a good one - you will be fine. The OP should have nothing to fear getting his Amarok serviced outside of the dealership structure, just so long as he finds a good mechanic.

VW's are great to work on, even if you do scratch your head every now and again at why things are done the way they are... The recent example of plastic oil sumps & drain plugs is a good one, but I'm sure the Germans know what they're doing.

I will say that working on a VW is a joy compared to most japanese cars, at least the ones I've owned - they are generally very service friendly.

[zed]

- but I'd also suggest that most dealerships are not filled with great mechanics. .

I'd agree with that, case in point my leaking wiper washer tank. I took it to VW as it was too tricky and time consuming for me to remove it (had to remove bumper, quarter panel etc). It only leaked when I used it i.e you could fill it up and leave it to sit there and it wouldn't leak indicating it wasn't the tank but perhaps a gasket or pump. So I wrote out in plain English on a piece of A4 what I was experiencing and handed it to them when I dropped it off. Anyway I had it returned a day later with them claiming there was no leak. They obviously hadn't read my wonderfully descriptive essay.. car went back in a week later (each visit involved me dropping it at the dealership then riding 30kms to work on my pushy and 30km back to get car). They had the car for 3 days, said they'd be replacing the tank, plus other parts. They then told me on the Friday they'd ordered the wrong parts. Picked car up again and dropped it back the following Wednesday. Picked it up, was told tank was replaced no leak. Tested it out on the way home and it was still leaking. Involved Service delivery manager and returned car the next Wednesday. This was the only time during the whole month long debacle that they actually attempted to locate the source of the leak as opposed to blindly replacing parts and hoping for the best. They found the leak was coming from the pump, which I initially suspected and detailed in my notes. 4 visits, $550 and a lot of extra bike riding!

[kryten2001]

I'd agree with that, case in point my leaking wiper washer tank. I took it to VW as it was too tricky and time consuming for me to remove it (had to remove bumper, quarter panel etc). It only leaked when I used it i.e you could fill it up and leave it to sit there and it wouldn't leak indicating it wasn't the tank but perhaps a gasket or pump. So I wrote out in plain English on a piece of A4 what I was experiencing and handed it to them when I dropped it off. Anyway I had it returned a day later with them claiming there was no leak. They obviously hadn't read my wonderfully descriptive essay.. car went back in a week later (each visit involved me dropping it at the dealership then riding 30kms to work on my pushy and 30km back to get car). They had the car for 3 days, said they'd be replacing the tank, plus other parts. They then told me on the Friday they'd ordered the wrong parts. Picked car up again and dropped it back the following Wednesday. Picked it up, was told tank was replaced no leak. Tested it out on the way home and it was still leaking. Involved Service delivery manager and returned car the next Wednesday. This was the only time during the whole month long debacle that they actually attempted to locate the source of the leak as opposed to blindly replacing parts and hoping for the best. They found the leak was coming from the pump, which I initially suspected and detailed in my notes. 4 visits, $550 and a lot of extra bike riding!

Speaking of wiper washer pumps, the Amarok has the most powerful wiper washer pump I've ever owned... It must be able to empty the tank in under a minute.. Crazy.... Made to clear baked on mud, obviously. It's louder than the engine when it's doing its thing....