Skoda Service Damage

[HPRS230]

flamey088,
"Once my three years is up, my car will be going to somewhere else, within three years, it will go to Skoda to be serviced."

That was my thoughts, I'll give the dealership the 12 month services or updates/warranty updates.
But 6 month oil might be dad and dave place...

[Jondalar]

Another thing to consider is value at trade in time, Dealers put a premium on having a full dealer log book service history. It could also affect any potential claims just out of warranty, Daughter has a Golf bought 2nd hand, not full dealer service but completed log book, problems with the DSG just out of warranty and VW refused to come to the party. The dealer she dealt with said if it had have been full dealer service history it may have been different.

I've only had one service experience with the Brisbane dealer, but have to say I was quite pleased, they were friendly, explained everything and charged what they were supposed to.

[donweather]

The dealer she dealt with said if it had have been full dealer service history it may have been different.

And why would a dealer tell you anything different. At the end of the day, you're talking warranty claims that are like 2-3 mths tops out of warranty. Anything outside of this and the dealer will walk away irrespective of whether you've serviced your car with them or not.

At the end of the day, I want someone who knows what they're doing when they're servicing my car and doesn't just "service" the car at service time but instead provides a full comprehensive mechanical assessment at the time of servicing. Preventative maintenance will save you thousands in the long run and I personally don't believe any stealer service department goes above and beyond when it comes to servicing your car. They just tick and flick.

Of course I'm over generalising here. There are some good stealers....but there are also some VERY VERY bad ones......note the first post that started this thread as exhibit A!!!

[Jondalar]

Donweather it was VW Group Australia that declined warranty, not the dealer. I've had more than one instance where the value on trade in was higher due to completed dealer log book. I agree that dealers won't always provide as good service as some independent outlets, but staying within the system does have some benefits too.

[Umai Naa!!]

Are they Skoda approved, in terms of maintaining warranty, electronic logbook access & diagnostics, etc, etc?

Yes they are, and even better......they've been working in the industry on VAG cars for over 20 years, unlike the work experience kids you get at the stealers!!!

Only Skoda service departments are Skoda-approved. Same goes for pretty much all manufacturers.

[donweather]

Only Skoda service departments are Skoda-approved. Same goes for pretty much all manufacturers.

So you're saying my warranty is void because I get my car serviced at an independent and not the stealer. Hmmmm best I tell Jmac that then as he will be most upset all of his clients will be walking out the door tomorrow. I'm pretty sure they introduced laws in Aus to stop dealers voiding warranties if your car wasn't serviced at the dealer service department. Aren't you a VAG independent servicer yourself? So are you saying you're not Skoda or VAG approved?

[Umai Naa!!]

So you're saying my warranty is void because I get my car serviced at an independent and not the stealer. Hmmmm best I tell Jmac that then as he will be most upset all of his clients will be walking out the door tomorrow. I'm pretty sure they introduced laws in Aus to stop dealers voiding warranties if your car wasn't serviced at the dealer service department. Aren't you a VAG independent servicer yourself? So are you saying you're not Skoda or VAG approved?

You're getting lost in the terminology here.

Independant shops are not 'approved' by the manufacturers. They are licensed to trade by their state's department of fair trading. Therefore, manufacturers cannot void your warranty because you get your car maintained at an independant workshop.

[donweather]

You're getting lost in the terminology here.

Independant shops are not 'approved' by the manufacturers. They are licensed to trade by their state's department of fair trading. Therefore, manufacturers cannot void your warranty because you get your car maintained at an independant workshop.

Thanks for the clarification.

[paulie71]

Only Skoda service departments are Skoda-approved. Same goes for pretty much all manufacturers.

Under the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth), so long as the vehicle is serviced at the correct intervals, using the correct replacement parts and consumables, a dealer cannot make it a condition of a car warranty and/or deny a warranty claim if the fault was due to the workmanship and quality of the vehicle being manufactured. If a dealer tells you this, it is illegal and they can be prosecuted. If you have the vehicle serviced by another garage (ie non-dealer), they are responsible for the workmanship of the work they undertake on your car. Here's some information the RACQ publishes on the matter https://www.racq.com.au/cars-and-dri...aler-servicing . We had a Subaru before our Skoda for 14 years and it never saw the dealer except for warranty work. The garage we used in Brisbane was well known to dealers as being highly reputable, so all we ever did was hand over the invoice and report from our garage, and we drove out in a loan car. Never was a problem! On resale value of a service book with dealer stamps in it (not that they exist anymore), in my opinion the benefits are marginal with the rapid depreciation most cars these days. If you get to 5 years on any car and have 50% of the sale value intact, you are doing great!

[donweather]

Donweather it was VW Group Australia that declined warranty, not the dealer. I've had more than one instance where the value on trade in was higher due to completed dealer log book. I agree that dealers won't always provide as good service as some independent outlets, but staying within the system does have some benefits too.

Sorry I don't understand. You had two exactly identical vehicles with exactly the same mileage but one was dealer serviced and the other was independent serviced and you sold them at exactly the same day but got a higher trade in price for the car that was dealer serviced?