Brandon Volkswagen

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I have been in 3 seperate times with a pre approval in hand and ready to buy a car listed online for $11,200. I kept getting ridiculous quotes, twice I was quoted at $18,000 out the door. One guy told me the online price was for a lease only, when I was looking for a Certified Pre-Owned with 30,000 miles? I don’t think so. They treated my boyfriend and I like children as if we didn’t understand the buying process and just wanted to get as much money as they could from us, we were a piece of meat to them. I was hoping the third time would be the charm but I have completely given up on this VW Dealership. I will be sure to have my boyfriend tell everyone at McDill not to shop here as well as anyone I do business with at my Real Estate Office. Next time I’ll be sure to read the reviews, because apperantly this is a reaccuring theme

Part 1: My wife took her VW Jetta in to the Brandon Volkswagen Dealership to check out a taillight issue and have some simple recalls taken care of. I get a call from her that the car is on the lift and the estimated bill is $2500. I asked to speak to a mechanic, I ask him how much for the taillights? “We haven’t looked at the taillights yet.” My wife reads out the list of bogus charges: mysterious oil leaks, CV joint covers, bent tire rim, 4 new tires, and on and on. I tell the mechanic to take the car off the lift, fix the taillight and order a new rim (because we have noticed an odd vibration). I tell my wife to be ready for more classic high pressure gender-based sales tactics. Later she tells me that’s exactly what she experienced. The cost for 2 tires and a new wheel: $750+ dollars.



Part 2: I call my mechanic of 10 years (who hates VW’s) and ask him to order a wheel and two tires for the Jetta. He says he has to order them from the dealership. I don’t care, I want his business, not the shysters at VW. His cost for 2 tires and a new wheel: $350. I email VW Central about my wife’s experience with VW. VW rotated the tires (made a big point to tell my wife they did this as a free service). The car drives horribly now –there’s a thumping under the driver’s side tire –we assume they have moved the dented rim to the front and are feeling the effects.



Part2.1: I get a nice response from VW central about how they will look into it and they care very much. I get a bored call (on my answering machine) from the dealership that does not reference my wife’s unpleasant experience. I email VW Central saying I do not want to deal with the dealership –why would I? I want to deal with VW Central. I have not asked for anything at this point. I cancel the tire order at VW.



Part 3 (things start to get a little weird): I pull into my mechanics with the wife’s Jetta. While the car is in the parking lot my mechanic asks me why the spare is on. I have no idea. We didn’t put the spare on. Come to find out VW sends my mechanic the wrong wheel (wow), so we have to figure out just how bad the dent is (understand, that thumping we are feeling when we drive is SEVERE). Here’s where things gets weird: the tire VW put in the trunk (where the spare was) is fine, actually the best tire of the 4. (??), the tire with the dented rim is still in the rear –now on the other side. My mechanic tells me that the dent isn’t that bad, I shouldn’t be able to feel it when we drive. The driver’s side tire has a massive wear spot on it, as big as my hand and deep –my entire (large) hand fits into the depression of this wear spot. So, they took off a perfectly good tire, put on the spare, moved the bad tire that was ready to blow at any moment under the driver’s side –all, in my opinion, to give credit to the lie that we needed a new wheel, a wheel that we actually did not need.



Total cost in dollars: $250. VW’s estimated cost: $2500. Cost in frustration: still calculating.



Car runs fine (it has been over a week now)



Part 4: After the initial response from VW I have heard nothing from them. I sent another Customer Service request through their system referencing my first request. Nothing. Also keep in mind, I never asked for anything. Not once. Fine, I’ll get the message out about Brandon VW in other ways.

My brand new 2011 Jetta had several cosmetic defects from factory. Service at Brandon VW created additional problems like creaks and parts not put back properly. Inept and rude about it. Avoid Brandon VW.