Log book servicing details

[dubrav]

Hi all
I need your opinion on a Log book servicing and maybe not the right section. At around 99000 km cylinder head need replacement on my Passat 07 my08 125 TDI due to the coolant loss. "Dealer"advised that they would replace a timing belt which i was going to asked them to as well and i did and they assured me that it will be done(i expected to pay for parts and a little bit for labour as well). When i picked the car up I asked the "dealer" to stamp a log book for me and he did and "toothed belt changed" was ticked ass well but invoice itself only mentioned "timing cover" and when i asked about it he said thats a kit which includes timing belt as well. Now car has 117000km on the clock and as we all know timing belt is due at 120000, and i did a bit of research on the net regarding timing belt cover and thats exactly what it is a cover no belt included.I've sent an email to the "dealer" and it took more then a week for them to respond and they said that it was not replaced, I've been lied to and i'am not happy about it at all. I dont want to mentioned their name yet as i'm still waiting for an answer from them (i asked where do we go from here).
What do you guys think i should do or what would you do, also does anybody knows where i can lodge a complaint regarding dealer stamping a book and not carrying work out.
Also is the Log Book a legal document?

[kleung]

"Dealer"advised that they would replace a timing belt which i was going to asked them to as well and i did and they assured me that it will be done(i expected to pay for parts and a little bit for labour as well). When i picked the car up I asked the "dealer" to stamp a log book for me and he did and "toothed belt changed" was ticked ass well but invoice itself only mentioned "timing cover" and when i asked about it he said thats a kit which includes timing belt as well.

Every time I've had a dealer service, the work to be done has been set out on a form that I've had to sign before work would commence. Can you remember if there was such a form, and if so, what was written on this form? It sounds like the 99k service was done a while ago, so you may not be able to remember.

What do you guys think i should do or what would you do,

Unless you have something in writing (like that statement of work form) from the service centre stating that the timing belt was to be changed, it will be your word against theirs.

What I would do is essentially what you have done start by approaching/contacting the manager of the service centre with the facts:

• you were told at the 99k service that the timing belt would be changed, and that you were advised that the timing belt was bundled with the 'timing cover' part that was replaced (the name of the person who told you this might be handy)
• your logbook was stamped at the time of the 99k service and a note made that the timing belt was changed
• you are now being told that the belt is not part of the 'timing cover' replacement
• there was no mention of the timing belt as a separate part on invoice for the 99k service
• based on this new information, you are now concerned that the belt was not actually changed at the 99k service, despite your having requested and confirmed that it would be.

If you're not happy with the response from the service manager, go to the dealer principal.

[dubrav]

Every time I've had a dealer service, the work to be done has been set out on a form that I've had to sign before work would commence. Can you remember if there was such a form, and if so, what was written on this form? It sounds like the 99k service was done a while ago, so you may not be able to remember.

thanks for your reply
the problem here is that there was a coolant loss and they had no clue what the problem was(it took them 4-5 weeks to get it properly diagnosed and for the part arrival) so the form probably stated "coolant loss"

Unless you have something in writing (like that statement of work form) from the service centre stating that the timing belt was to be changed, it will be your word against theirs.

the only thing i have is the log book, i just dont undertand why would they stamp it if it wasnt done , can you imagine buying a car with a log book saying that timng belt was done and then after 10 or 20 k you blew up the engine ...very scary, so looks like when you are buying a 2nd hand car and someone shows you a cars log book stating that all those thing were done at the end it means nothing you can wipe your ... with it.

"What I would do is essentially what you have done start by approaching/contacting the manager of the service centre with the facts:

• you were told at the 99k service that the timing belt would be changed, and that you were advised that the timing belt was bundled with the 'timing cover' part that was replaced (the name of the person who told you this might be handy)
• your logbook was stamped at the time of the 99k service and a note made that the timing belt was changed
• you are now being told that the belt is not part of the 'timing cover' replacement
• there was no mention of the timing belt as a separate part on invoice for the 99k service
• based on this new information, you are now concerned that the belt was not actually changed at the 99k service, despite your having requested and confirmed that it would be.

If you're not happy with the response from the service manager, go to the dealer principal.

I haven't received reply today so tomorrow I'll send another email and I'll take it from there. It's not about money it really pisses me off when someone lies to me and this time i'll take it all the way to the top till someone gets his ass kicked(either them or me)

[kleung]

the only thing i have is the log book, i just dont undertand why would they stamp it if it wasnt done , can you imagine buying a car with a log book saying that timng belt was done and then after 10 or 20 k you blew up the engine ...very scary, so looks like when you are buying a 2nd hand car and someone shows you a cars log book stating that all those thing were done at the end it means nothing you can wipe your ... with it.

If it was a private sale, you'd pretty much be boned. If it was a dealership then there might be some form of warranty. For something important and potentially catastrophic like that, I'd probably ask the seller for a copy of the invoice stating that the work had been done.

I haven't received reply today so tomorrow I'll send another email and I'll take it from there. It's not about money it really pisses me off when someone lies to me and this time i'll take it all the way to the top till someone gets his ass kicked(either them or me)

Good luck. Make sure you give each person you contact a deadline for a response. Emails can be too easy to ignore, so you may need to be persistent or send a snail mail letter. Try not to get too snarky with them. There's still a chance that when they crack open your engine they'll find that the belt was in fact replaced, and that they simply forgot to charge you for it.

Don't forget to get everything in writing as well...

[dubrav]

Hi all
Dealer admitted that they've stuffed it up and agreed to replace timing belt and water pump at no labour cost to me, all up $610