Faulkner Volkswagen

Review: Took my 2004 Volkswagen Toureg to Faulkner Volkswagen(formerly know as Cumberland Valley Motors) on 5/14/14 for an inspection. Was told it needed a catalytic converter and given an estimate of a little over $1,600. My husband had to point out to the service department manager that the low beam head light did not work and the front tires may need replaced. No mention of the headlight or tires was on the original estimate. At one point on that visit after my spouse walked away from the counter the service counter, the manager made a subtle remark about having a customer who was "forgetful old woman". My husband and I have done business with this Volkswagen dealership since December 2009 and subtle but snide remarks have made on several occassions by the service personnel. We authorized the replacement of the catalytic converter and later the headlight because I was told the catalytic converter would cost $1200. After reviewing the receipt, I realized I had been charged $1,755.64 for the right front catalytic converter and the headlight had not fixed! When I called and spoke the service manger, he told me that because the check engine light was still on it may not pass the emissions test. The light may go out after it was driven "a couple of cycles". If not, it may need oxygen sensors. Also the car had "electrical issues". The entire electical assembly may need replaced for the low beam headlight to work. An estimate of $744.93 was quoted for a headlight control unit. I have to wonder why the oxygen sensors weren't checked before the catalytic converter was replaced. Now I have a car that still is not inspected and no low beam headlight which means I could be fined if pulled over by a police officer! Today I was told I was given a price break on the labor because they only charged me $90 an hour. My research show the average rate in our area is $60-$90. A complaint has been filed with Volkswagen's Customer Service Advocate(case#[redacted]). Extremely angry with this dealership.Desired Settlement: I want Faulkner Volkswagen to pay for an automotive repair station of my chosing so I can have ce the oxygen sensor(s) and headlight assembly fixed so the car can pass inspection. In the event it turns out to be some other issue I expect Faulker to reimburse the cost of the catalytic converter as my internet research shows the part only cost a little under $300 and the replacement of a frong catalytic converter should take approximately 3.5 hours.

Business

Response:

Ms.

[redacted], had her 2004 Volkswagen Touareg Vin# [redacted] with 146,887

miles, in for service on May 23, 2014 Repair order number [redacted]. There were a

few service concerns that needed attention:

1) Check engine light on.

2) Left front headlamp not working.

3) Pennsylvania annual Safety Inspection

4) Pennsylvania annual Emission Test.

The technician performed at system

diagnostic test and found, fault code #P0421 Catalytic Convertor failure bank

1. This component had failed and would not allow the vehicle to pass emissions.

The repair cost was given to the owner of $1684.06 + tax. We also advised that

upon replacing the convertor there may still exist an additional problem with

the oxygen sensor, this is not uncommon with the extreme temperatures produced

by a malfunctioning emissions system with the age and mileage on the vehicle.

Upon completion of the exhaust converter and resetting the readiness monitors,

an additional code for Bank 1 sensor heater circuit appeared. We explained that

further diagnosis would be necessary. We provide a free multi-point inspection

with every service visit and the technician had checked the vehicle for the

other safety items, brakes, tires etc. The technician also inspected the

inoperative headlight, to find a malfunction with the headlight control

electronic unit. We didn’t charge any additional labor time to diagnosis this

fault however we provided a repair estimate on the lights $744.93 + tax. Ms.

[redacted] was upset with the outcome and decided that there was no additional work

to be performed at this time.

Ms.

[redacted] had contacted me a few days after her visit. She wanted to make me aware

of the treatment she had received form the Volkswagen service advisor. I

apologized to her and explained that the conversation and response from our

service advisor was not acceptable and that I would speak to him

immediately. We also reviewed her

service visit and discussed the convertor repair and the headlight control unit

that was needed to repair the headlights. I offered her a 20% discount on the

headlight repair, however the repair cost was not in her budget at that time.

She said that she would get back with me Tuesday June 10th and was exploring

other options with her church assist group.

Mr

and Mrs. [redacted] arrived at the dealership the following Monday June 9th

and wanted to discuss all of the previous repairs to her vehicle. I explained

to her that the Faulkner group had just gone through a Buy / Sell from CVM

automotive on May 1, 2014 and that we didn’t have details records from the

previous owner. I invited the technician to explain the process and procedures

he had taken to repair this vehicle and what steps were necessary to complete

the repairs. We all came to an agreement and we ordered the necessary parts to

complete the job.

Ms.

[redacted] returned with the vehicle on June 12, 2014 Repair order # [redacted] with

147,534 miles, to have the repairs completed. I honored the 20% off the

headlight repair. We perform a system test on the vehicle and installed the new

oxygen sensor, completing the repairs to the emission system. Faulkner Volkswagen took care of the labor

cost to install the new sensor and the fees for inspection and emission needed

for customer satisfaction.

Please

review the attached documents.

Sincerely,

[redacted]

Komar

Faulkner

Volkswagen

Service

Manager

717-590-5280

Consumer

Response:

While the repairs were done as stated by Faulkner Volkswagen, it is the things they failed to mention that are the root of my complaints and reason for my discontent. According the Volkswagen official website the proper procedures were not followed by the technician at Faulkner Volkswagen. The test procedures clearly state in Step 3 "If the O2s fail, they need to be replace and corrected before continuing. Mike, who is a certified Volkswagen technician at Faulkner Volkswagen did the exact opposite. The explanation Mike gave for his decision to replace the catalytic converter before replacing the oxygen sensor was unsatisfactory and seems to contradict his own explanation.

In addition, I was advised on June 2, 2014 by [redacted] of Village Auto Center in Lemoyne, PA of the existence of a state law regarding an emissions control waiver if a certain amount of money was spend on repairs and the car still does not pass the emmissions inspection, a waiver can be issued. When I spoke with [redacted] of Faulkner Volkswagen via phone on June 5th about the possibility of a waiver I was told that "they didn't do that". Interesting, since they had no problem charging $1,280.19 for a catalytic converter that I may not have needed. On June 9, 2014 I called the Department of Pennsylvania Vehichle Emissions Division and spoke with Mr. [redacted]. Mr [redacted] confirmed my car was eligible for a emissions control waiver as the minimum amount spent on repairs exceeds $150.00. He also recommended I file a complaint with the Attorney General's office of the Consumer Protection Agency.

My third complaint is that although verbal permission was given to replace the headlight module on May 23, 2014 the work was not done. Furthermore, the car was not done by the end of the workday as promised even though they had it by 8:00 a.m.. This was particularly aggravating as it necessitated my needed make alternate arragements to get to work the next day on short notice.

Considering that Faulkner Volkswagen received a total of $1,755.64 on May 24 to replace the catalytic converter and an additional $862.88 on June 12, 2014 to replace the oxygen sensor and headlight module, this was without a doubt the worst experience I have had regarding getting a car inspected. Mr. [redacted] weak apology on June 12th that he "didn't know what went wrong" lacked sincerity in my opinion which is why I opted to report it to the Volkswagen Customer Service Advocacy Midwest Regional Manager [redacted] when he called to follow up to see if I was satisfied.

Thank you Revdex.com for allowing me to state the facts of the case as I experienced them. Also giving me the opportunity to warn others.

Regards,

Business

Response:

Dear Representative:

We are a specialized Volkswagen repair facility and have

quarterly technician training requirements from our manufacturer that are

maintained. We also have specialized tools and equipment to diagnosis our

vehicles, most of which are proprietary to Volkswagen exclusively.

This

is a follow-up response to Ms. [redacted]’s concerns.

Review: Faulkner Volkswagen is a very shady dealership. I purchased a used 2008 WRX from them, and made my first payment before I even drove it off the lot due to no title. Took 5 weeks to get title in hand. Dealership did not offer any Carfax report - after I asked for it. The car was sold to me with the fan hose disconnected, and the cable to the A/C disconnected, causing my car to overheat. I paid almost $200 to have this problem fixed. Also, found out that the car had been wrecked twice, the second time causing more than $4000 damage, and original Subaru parts not in the car, even though I was told that the owner worked for Subaru. I still would have purchased the vehicle, but feel that I was swindled and taken, and paid way over the value of the car. Customer service, minus the sales person, was amazingly rude and beyond difficult to work with. We took my boyfriends 2015 STI in for service, and was made to pay $465 for maf sensor that should have been covered under warranty. They also marked his car in the Subaru system, because he installed Hella horns and stereo system. We were also told that we are to have Subaru install all parts on our cars, due to warranty issues. This is against the law, and I have called Subaru of America to let them know of this issue as well. The service department, especially Doug, was very rude to me, and even though we will remain loyal to Subaru as a brand, we will NEVER buy, deal, or get any car serviced with ANY Faulkner location again because of all the issues we have encountered.Desired Settlement: I want other consumers to know that Faulkner is a shady business, and to be aware of what they are purchasing. Customer Service was beyond rude and has done nothing to help me in regards to my claims.