Autobarn Volkswagen of Countryside

Final Consumer Response / [redacted] (450, 9, 2014/02/24) */ The consumer indicated ONLINE that the business responded to this complaint to his/her satisfactionHe/she also stated:

We are extremely sorry for this inconvenience that Mr [redacted] has been through We have sent Mr [redacted] his refund check and we have verified that check [redacted] have cleared our bank account If you should have any further issues, please don't hesitate to give us a call Thank You

Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 9, 2014/07/16) */ Contact Name and Title: [redacted] -Managing Partner To whom it may concern, Mr***'s wife brought their VW Passat [redacted] for service on the 28th of JuneOur Service Advisor [redacted] greeted [redacted] in the Service Drive, did a walk-around of the car with her, and told her the price of a non-synthetic oil changeShe stated that they also had some concerns about the engine's coolant system and the tires on the vehicle [redacted] explained to her that any additional diagnostic work to find a potential coolant leak on their car would result in a diagnostic fee which is usually waived if the work is then performedAt that moment, she declined the diagnostic work to be done and we went ahead with the oil changeWe also recommended we replace some other things on the vehicle and check the warning lights but that was also declinedThey were concerned of their tires needing to be replaced and we told Ms [redacted] it was only one tire that was low on tread and the rest were fine but she did not want to replace it at the timeWe would be happy to quote them on just one tire or a whole set Our customers are always handed a receipt from their form of payment and also a copy of the Repair Order to show the work performedWe also sent Mr [redacted] a copy of the Walk Around Sheet via mail to show what we recommended and the fact that it was declinedWe believe there was a misunderstanding with what he believed to have happened and would love the opportunity to perform the desired work on their vehicleWe would even offer a discounted diagnostic fee and help them in any way we canPlease let us know if there is anything else we can do Respectfully Submitted, [redacted] Partner The Autobarn Countryside Initial Consumer Rebuttal / [redacted] (3000, 11, 2014/07/17) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) I understand Mr [redacted] **addressed the following points in his response: 1) they changed non-synthetic oil for my car (he mentioned [redacted] told the non-synthetic oil price to her); 2) they told my wife that there was a charge for diagnosis for coolant leak and warning lights and my wife declined this diagnosis service; 3) they told my wife one tire needed to be replace but the recommendation was declined by my wife; 4) they provided a receipt and a copy of Repair Order to my wife and mailed the check worksheet to me His statement is partially true and some points are totally not the truth at allHere is the truth 1) This car does need a synthetic oil rather than non-synthetic oil, which is clearly pointed out in the user's manualI did request a synthetic oil change and actually we brought a synthetic oil change coupon printed out from the dealer's website (see Page in the attached file)There should be a marebate for this service but they did not mentioned this to my wife at allI do not think we can receive the rebate without fill out some forms 2)The statement on the diagnostic charge for potential coolant leak and warning lights are correctI remember they wrote down $100+ for each diagnosis and $200+ in totalI checked with PUGI VW dealer and was told it check would cost $ONLY IF some special tools need to be used 3)My wife requested a quote for the whole set of tires but was told she would be charged for $for the quote for tiresI was shocked and really mad when I saw this price on the sheet (I will try to find it.) where all the diagnostic charges were listedI finally get free quote from Discount Tires and replaced the whole set there 4) As I mentioned in my first report, my wife only received a receipt charged from my credit card (See Page 3)From the receipt I doubted if they really changed oil for my carI called the customer service in the afternoon when I saw the receipt and was told "it does not mean we did not provide you just because you do not see it!"I was feeling that I was fooling by that personI then request to send me another copy of receipt but they only mailed me a copy of check worksheet(see page 4)In my experience, a dealer should always provide their customer a copy of invoice clearly showing what work has done to the car and what parts have been used, receipt, and check list before the customer leave the shopI have a feeling, especially after I called them, they did not provide my wife all these documents on purposeI attached an example file for my last service I received from another VW dealer (see page and 8) 5) As I mentioned in the comments one day right after I submitted the original report to Revdex.comI do not know why it did no show up in this web systemThe bottom shield just partially dropped onto the ground when I was driving itI had to stop and get under the car to fix it temporarilyThis happened again to my wife on her way sending my kids to summer schoolThis time it dropped totally and she and my kids were really scaredShe finally drove it to a shop nearby and had it fix (See the receipt on Page and pictures on the last two pages)I reserve the right for further action on this matter Overall it was the worst service experience not only due to the bad work performance done by them but also due to the bad service attitudeI herein request 1) a full refund and 2) a payment for the fix of the bottom shieldThanks Best wishes, [redacted] Final Business Response / [redacted] (4000, 15, 2014/07/29) */ To Whom It May Concern, We are not looking to argue or fight about the small details of the issue as we would rather find a solution to make the customer happy and enjoy his service hereWe believe that there was a misunderstanding about all of this because Mr***'s Wife was the one who came into service the vehicle and spoke with the advisor and not Mr [redacted] himselfNonetheless, we are determined to resolve this issue 1) We did in fact change Mr***'s oil with Castrol Edge Synthetic OilForgive me for stating the wrong type of oil previouslyThere is a Coupon through Castrol that gives the Customer Dollars off there oil change (which we discounted dollars off the labor which is normally dollars) and a dollar mail in rebate that you can use towards your next service at our DealershipWe will honor the mail in rebate if he would like next time he comes in 2) We charge a dollar Diagnostic Fee for all work that needs to be looked at on the car to find potential problemsNo matter how many issues, its only one charge and usually if the work is performed, the fee is waived 3) We have NEVER charged for a tire quoteThat would make no sense for us or the customer 4) We can provide whatever paperwork Mr [redacted] wants including the Repair OrderWe changed the oil with Castrol Synthetic Oil 5) At first, we were accused of not performing the oil change or any work on the car and now we are being accused of breaking the under tray of the car (the same one he believes we did not touch and just charged him money for nothing)We will be putting a copy of the Repair Order in the mail to Mr***We do not feel we are responsible for refunding anything at this time unless Mr [redacted] can prove to us that we did not change the oil or break his under tray Thank You [redacted] Consumer Response / [redacted] (4200, 22, 2014/08/12) */ Sorry for the late response; I have been traveling out of townMr[redacted] only responded to some of the points in the issue and my complaints 1) Whatever oil they changed for my car (I assume they changed oil for my car here), even if synthetic oil, they should provide me a work list including what parts/oil they usedBut, in fact, they did notWhat I got is only a receipt of my credit card payment and a mailed inspection worksheet several days after the service under my strong request over the phoneFor the coupon, I did neither received it from the dealer, nor enough paperwork, for example, the paperwork (including the work list)to claim the coupon from CastrolAs I mentioned, this probably the most ridiculous part of this service experienceAs I requested several times, Mr[redacted] has just trying to avoid responding to this matter directly 2)I have the quote they written down to my wife which shows clearly how they charge for the quoteUnlike what Mr[redacted] stated in his last response, $is only for the coolant leakingThey clearly wrote to my wife $for the ABS 3)I would request again to Mr[redacted] to provide the whole set of paperwork for this serviceAnd I would like to learn what the did to my car and what parts they used 4)Without any paperwork the dealer did to my car in this service, I doubt whether they really changed oil to my carAt first, they claimed that they did changed oil to my car and used non-synthetic oil in last responseNow Mr[redacted] stated that they used synthetic oil after I clearly pointed out in my last response that full synthetic oil is required to be used for my car in the user's manualThese conflict statements and the attitude of arbitrary changing what their words makes me really concern what they really did to my carI request one more time the paper work of this serviceI haven't received a receipt after one and a half months of the service 5)I have showed partial evidence that the dealer should be responsible for the bottom shieldDuring that period, the dealer was the only one who touched my car; otherwise how they could provide me the inspection worksheet 6) Again, the dealer NEVER provided me a receipt of the service other than the card card payment and an inspection worksheetBased on this fact, I doubt whether they changed the oil for meI wish Mr[redacted] can now understand my logic and stop taking about anything else irrelevantAlthough the advised on their website, a rebate coupon was available for this serviceBut I never received the coupon or any paperwork which I may use to claim to Castrol 7) I request a full refund for this service and a refund for the fix of the bottom shield Thanks! [redacted] Business Response / [redacted] (-10, 26, 2014/09/15) */ See Document Business Response / [redacted] (4000, 28, 2014/09/15) */ To Whom It May Concern, At this point, we do not believe there is anything we can do to make Mr [redacted] happy or understand where we are coming fromIn an effort to hopefully not ruin the relationship completely, we will honor refunding the cost of the oil change to Mr [redacted] (although we did properly change the oil in the first place)With that being said, we do not know when the under tray of the Passat broke or where it brokeThere are so many things that could have made that happen such as a bad pothole or big speed bumpOn top of that, we were never given the opportunity to fix that ourselves so we do not deem it fair to cover on our endHopefully this resolves the case Thank You

Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 5, 2014/08/29) */ Contact Name and Title: [redacted] - Manager Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX Contact Email: [redacted] @theautobarn.com We have contacted the customer and resolved her issueA refund (ck# XXXXX $641.36) for $+ tax was mailed to her on 8-28-which she should receive in a couple of daysWe have asked the customer to contact your office to verify that she has received the refund and is satisfied with the resolution

Went in to have the AC blower switch replaced and the van came back with no cold air blowingWas told a new AC Compressor was needed for $Went to *** *** in Brookfield and the issue was that the compressor wasn't plugged into the power source and only charged me $

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/06/21) */
Contact Name and Title: *** *** GSM
Contact Phone: XXXXXXXXXX
Contact Email: ***@theautobarn.com
The Subaru in question underwent a safety inspection on May 29, The customer purchased the vehicle on May 31, around
10:AM, after completing a test drive with her sales representative
The customer had driven the car for days, as stated in her complaintUnfortunately, there is no way to determine her driving habits during that timeher relative speed, whether or not she was driving the car too hard, etcShe brought the car into the service department and explained that it had suddenly lost power and started to run roughIn most cases, a blown engine is usually a direct result of running the motor too hard
The customer signed documentation stating AS IS/NO WARRANTYThe customer also signed our Used Vehicle Rider, which provided the opportunity for her to ask and receive answers to any questions she may have had about the vehicle and the transaction
The customer drove more than two hours, from Wisconsin, to purchase the Subaru WRXShe did so under her own free will, knowing the 170,000-mile vehicle was being sold AS IS, with no warrantyTherefore, there is no way we should be expected to pay for a new motor
We would, however, help to repair the WRX at a discounted rate, as an act of good faith, provided the customer have the vehicle towed to our location

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 8, 2014/10/14) */
Contact Name and Title: *** ***
Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX
Contact Email: ***@theautobarn.com
To Whom it May Concern,
Mr*** brought his car in to rotate his tires which is always recommended for optimizing tire wear
I spoke with *** yesterday and he is bringing his VW in on Wednesday so we can remedy this situationMoments after speaking with Mr***, I viewed a picture of his damaged wheel and I will agree with my Service Manager that there was nothing we could have really done to cause this damageThe damage to the wheel is a deep scuff on of the spokesOur car wash guide has a rubber strip to guard from scuffs on the wheel and on top of that, the scuff is on the opposite side where the wheel is completely free going through the washIf the damaged wheel were to hit our lift, it would of left yellow or blue paint marks on the wheel and not a deep scuffA torque wrench would have just nicked the wheel, not scuffed half of the wheelIf the wheel was dragged on the floor or dropped on the floor face first, it would have scuffed the entire wheel, not just halfWith all that being said, we did not do our diligence with our walk around sheet where we mark any damage to the cars when they come in for service leaving us with no proof of the damage not being done here at the dealerWith that being said, we are going to replace the wheel with a new one in hopes to remedy the problem and make Mr*** happy with his experience at The Autobarn Imports
Thank you
*** ***
Managing Partner at The Autobarn Imports

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID *** and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me
Sincerely,
*** ***

We are extremely sorry for this inconvenience that Mr [redacted] has been through.  We have sent Mr [redacted] his refund check and we have verified that check [redacted] have cleared our bank account.  If you should have any further issues, please don't hesitate to give us a call.  Thank You.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 9, 2014/07/16) */
Contact Name and Title: [redacted]-Managing Partner
To whom it may concern,
Mr. [redacted]'s wife brought their 2005 VW Passat ** for service on the 28th of June. Our Service Advisor [redacted] greeted [redacted] in the Service Drive, did a...

walk-around of the car with her, and told her the price of a non-synthetic oil change. She stated that they also had some concerns about the engine's coolant system and the tires on the vehicle. [redacted] explained to her that any additional diagnostic work to find a potential coolant leak on their car would result in a diagnostic fee which is usually waived if the work is then performed. At that moment, she declined the diagnostic work to be done and we went ahead with the oil change. We also recommended we replace some other things on the vehicle and check the warning lights but that was also declined. They were concerned of their tires needing to be replaced and we told Ms. [redacted] it was only one tire that was low on tread and the rest were fine but she did not want to replace it at the time. We would be happy to quote them on just one tire or a whole set.
Our customers are always handed a receipt from their form of payment and also a copy of the Repair Order to show the work performed. We also sent Mr. [redacted] a copy of the Walk Around Sheet via mail to show what we recommended and the fact that it was declined. We believe there was a misunderstanding with what he believed to have happened and would love the opportunity to perform the desired work on their vehicle. We would even offer a discounted diagnostic fee and help them in any way we can. Please let us know if there is anything else we can do.
Respectfully Submitted,
[redacted]
[redacted] Partner
The Autobarn Countryside
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 11, 2014/07/17) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
I understand Mr. [redacted]. addressed the following points in his response:
1) they changed non-synthetic oil for my car (he mentioned [redacted] told the non-synthetic oil price to her);
2) they told my wife that there was a charge for diagnosis for coolant leak and warning lights and my wife declined this diagnosis service;
3) they told my wife one tire needed to be replace but the recommendation was declined by my wife;
4) they provided a receipt and a copy of Repair Order to my wife and mailed the check worksheet to me.
His statement is partially true and some points are totally not the truth at all. Here is the truth.
1) This car does need a synthetic oil rather than non-synthetic oil, which is clearly pointed out in the user's manual. I did request a synthetic oil change and actually we brought a synthetic oil change coupon printed out from the dealer's website (see Page 5 in the attached file). There should be a mail-in rebate for this service but they did not mentioned this to my wife at all. I do not think we can receive the rebate without fill out some forms.
2)The statement on the diagnostic charge for potential coolant leak and warning lights are correct. I remember they wrote down $100+ for each diagnosis and $200+ in total. I checked with PUGI VW dealer and was told it check would cost $68 ONLY IF some special tools need to be used.
3)My wife requested a quote for the whole set of tires but was told she would be charged for $140 for the quote for tires. I was shocked and really mad when I saw this price on the sheet (I will try to find it.) where all the diagnostic charges were listed. I finally get free quote from Discount Tires and replaced the whole set there.
4) As I mentioned in my first report, my wife only received a receipt charged from my credit card (See Page 3). From the receipt I doubted if they really changed oil for my car. I called the customer service in the afternoon when I saw the receipt and was told "it does not mean we did not provide you just because you do not see it!". I was feeling that I was fooling by that person. I then request to send me another copy of receipt but they only mailed me a copy of check worksheet(see page 4). In my experience, a dealer should always provide their customer a copy of invoice clearly showing what work has done to the car and what parts have been used, receipt, and check list before the customer leave the shop. I have a feeling, especially after I called them, they did not provide my wife all these documents on purpose. I attached an example file for my last service I received from another VW dealer (see page 7 and 8).
5) As I mentioned in the comments one day right after I submitted the original report to Revdex.com. I do not know why it did no show up in this web system. The bottom shield just partially dropped onto the ground when I was driving it. I had to stop and get under the car to fix it temporarily. This happened again to my wife on her way sending my kids to summer school. This time it dropped totally and she and my kids were really scared. She finally drove it to a shop nearby and had it fix (See the receipt on Page 6 and pictures on the last two pages). I reserve the right for further action on this matter.
Overall it was the worst service experience not only due to the bad work performance done by them but also due to the bad service attitude. I herein request 1) a full refund and 2) a payment for the fix of the bottom shield. Thanks.
Best wishes,
[redacted]
Final Business Response /* (4000, 15, 2014/07/29) */
To Whom It May Concern,
We are not looking to argue or fight about the small details of the issue as we would rather find a solution to make the customer happy and enjoy his service here. We believe that there was a misunderstanding about all of this because Mr. [redacted]'s Wife was the one who came into service the vehicle and spoke with the advisor and not Mr. [redacted] himself. Nonetheless, we are determined to resolve this issue.
1) We did in fact change Mr. [redacted]'s oil with Castrol Edge Synthetic Oil. Forgive me for stating the wrong type of oil previously. There is a Coupon through Castrol that gives the Customer 5 Dollars off there oil change (which we discounted 5 dollars off the labor which is normally 20 dollars) and a 20 dollar mail in rebate that you can use towards your next service at our Dealership. We will honor the mail in rebate if he would like next time he comes in.
2) We charge a 140 dollar Diagnostic Fee for all work that needs to be looked at on the car to find potential problems. No matter how many issues, its only one charge and usually if the work is performed, the fee is waived.
3) We have NEVER charged for a tire quote. That would make no sense for us or the customer.
4) We can provide whatever paperwork Mr. [redacted] wants including the Repair Order. We changed the oil with Castrol Synthetic Oil
5) At first, we were accused of not performing the oil change or any work on the car and now we are being accused of breaking the under tray of the car (the same one he believes we did not touch and just charged him money for nothing). We will be putting a copy of the Repair Order in the mail to Mr. [redacted]. We do not feel we are responsible for refunding anything at this time unless Mr. [redacted] can prove to us that we did not change the oil or break his under tray.
Thank You
[redacted]
Consumer Response /* (4200, 22, 2014/08/12) */
Sorry for the late response; I have been traveling out of town. Mr.[redacted] only responded to some of the points in the issue and my complaints.
1) Whatever oil they changed for my car (I assume they changed oil for my car here), even if synthetic oil, they should provide me a work list including what parts/oil they used. But, in fact, they did not. What I got is only a receipt of my credit card payment and a mailed inspection worksheet several days after the service under my strong request over the phone. For the coupon, I did neither received it from the dealer, nor enough paperwork, for example, the paperwork (including the work list)to claim the coupon from Castrol. As I mentioned, this probably the most ridiculous part of this service experience. As I requested several times, Mr.[redacted] has just trying to avoid responding to this matter directly.
2)I have the quote they written down to my wife which shows clearly how they charge for the quote. Unlike what Mr.[redacted] stated in his last response, $140 is only for the coolant leaking. They clearly wrote to my wife $129 for the ABS.
3)I would request again to Mr.[redacted] to provide the whole set of paperwork for this service. And I would like to learn what the did to my car and what parts they used.
4)Without any paperwork the dealer did to my car in this service, I doubt whether they really changed oil to my car. At first, they claimed that they did changed oil to my car and used non-synthetic oil in last response. Now Mr.[redacted] stated that they used synthetic oil after I clearly pointed out in my last response that full synthetic oil is required to be used for my car in the user's manual. These conflict statements and the attitude of arbitrary changing what their words makes me really concern what they really did to my car. I request one more time the paper work of this service. I haven't received a receipt after one and a half months of the service.
5)I have showed partial evidence that the dealer should be responsible for the bottom shield. During that period, the dealer was the only one who touched my car; otherwise how they could provide me the inspection worksheet.
6) Again, the dealer NEVER provided me a receipt of the service other than the card card payment and an inspection worksheet. Based on this fact, I doubt whether they changed the oil for me. I wish Mr.[redacted] can now understand my logic and stop taking about anything else irrelevant. Although the advised on their website, a rebate coupon was available for this service. But I never received the coupon or any paperwork which I may use to claim to Castrol.
7) I request a full refund for this service and a refund for the fix of the bottom shield.
Thanks!
[redacted]
Business Response /* (-10, 26, 2014/09/15) */
See Document
Business Response /* (4000, 28, 2014/09/15) */
To Whom It May Concern,

At this point, we do not believe there is anything we can do to make Mr. [redacted] happy or understand where we are coming from. In an effort to hopefully not ruin the relationship completely, we will honor refunding the cost of the oil change to Mr. [redacted] (although we did properly change the oil in the first place). With that being said, we do not know when the under tray of the Passat broke or where it broke. There are so many things that could have made that happen such as a bad pothole or big speed bump. On top of that, we were never given the opportunity to fix that ourselves so we do not deem it fair to cover on our end. Hopefully this resolves the case.

Thank You

Final Consumer Response /* (450, 9, 2014/02/24) */
The consumer indicated ONLINE that the business responded to this complaint to his/her satisfaction. He/she also stated:

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 8, 2014/07/28) */
Contact Name and Title: [redacted] DEALER
Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX
Mr. [redacted] purchased a 2010 Volkswagen CC from The Autobarn Countryside on March 3, 2013. Prior to the sale, the vehicle was put through a...

Volkswagen-approved multi-point inspection by a Certification technician, [redacted] Please note, the tires were measured at 4/32"depth for the front tires and 6/32" depth for the rear tires, contrary to Mr. [redacted]'s assertion that the tires were "bald" (See Document 1).
On March 1, 2013 Mr. [redacted] had called the dealership and spoke with [redacted] in our call center at 7:02 p.m., having seen the vehicle online (see Document 2). Mr. [redacted] arrived at the dealership at 8:24pm and was greeted by [redacted] a sales consultant. It is customary that our customers work directly with a sales consultant once they come into the store, rather than working with the person they spoke with in the call center. That being said, both [redacted] and [redacted] were at the store that night past 9:00 p.m. Mr. [redacted] viewed the vehicle and was able to test drive the CC. Mr. [redacted] was in possession of a [redacted] but was informed that the dealership could secure a better rate with Volkswagen Credit. Attached, please find a Credit Status report which indicates Mr. [redacted]'s application was submitted on March 1, 2013 at 9:16pm. Volkswagen Credit's decision was processed March 2, 2013 at 7:52am (see Document 3).
I've also attached for your review a copy of the Buyers Guide and We Owe slips, indicating that nothing was due to Mr. [redacted] at the time that he purchased the vehicle, contrary to the various repairs he cites in his complaint (see Document 4).
Mr. [redacted]'s first complaint on May 10, 2013 had no mention of the hood latch or temperature sensor being in need of repair. At that time, he brought his car into The Autobarn Evanston for service. The technician in Evanston noted on the repair order #XXXXXX that the hood latch and spring were broken and had physical damage, and that the temperature sensor holder was missing and sensor was misplaced. At that time, he declined to have the hood latch and temperature sensor repaired. Please note, 9 months and 8,089 miles had passed since Mr. [redacted] purchased his vehicle. I can't address the appointment process or the Service Manager's comments at the Evanston location. I have enclosed a copy of the [redacted] report (Document 5), which indicates no accidents but, as noted in Mr. [redacted]'s complaint, he was involved in an accident a week after purchasing the vehicle (see Document 6).
The average person drives 12,000 miles per year; Mr. [redacted] has driven 15,105 miles in 16 months, indicating that his vehicle hasn't had much down time. In addition to that, it is unclear whether he had the required maintenance performed on his vehicle during that time. His records indicate his vehicle has cost him $100 and that all of his concerns have been addressed. Unfortunately, the only maintenance performed on the vehicle was the replacement of his two front tires at the expense of The Autobarn Countryside, after he'd driven 9,792 miles. I am uncertain how Mr. [redacted] maintained his vehicle during this winter's Polar Vortex; there are no records of any required maintenance performed. My management team has attempted to help Mr. [redacted] with no resolve. Please advise how you'd like me to proceed.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/08/29) */
Contact Name and Title: [redacted] - Manager
Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX
Contact Email: [redacted]@theautobarn.com
We have contacted the customer and resolved her issue. A refund (ck# XXXXX $641.36) for $598 + tax was mailed to her on...

8-28-14 which she should receive in a couple of days. We have asked the customer to contact your office to verify that she has received the refund and is satisfied with the resolution.