Yet Another HOLDEN dealer STUFF-UP, Ferntree Gully... very unhappy!!

[dannyz]

Just wanted to express my complete and utter disgust & dissatisfaction with
Ferntree Gully FTG Holden Service department.

It all started today when I took my CV8Z in for a scheduled service & correction of some VZ fuel calibration issue thingo this morning, I thought I was doing the right thing by taking in my baby to a big holden dealer. Boy was I wrong!! Lets just say this is the last time any pimple faced little sh#t mechanic touches my car...

Everything was great until I see my car off for its test drive, I thought fine
that's normal, untill I see two 'kids' in there taking it for a spin... exactly
15 min later I see the car come back with an avg fuel consumption increased from 12.5l/100km too 15l/100km!! So theres the proof they were thrashing the poor thing! I was pretty upset but I guess I just shut my mouth! Paid my bill & left!

Here comes the fun part, 10min later almost home I realise the fuse cover panel under the steering wheel was unclipped on one side, ratteling, and hanging down!
After some closer inspection I realise one of the plastic clips is completely
broken off so it obviously couldent be clipped back in place, it looks SO
obvious as its just hanging down now! So I do a quick U-turn and head back to FTG holden thinking all is good, no problem they will look after me & fix it! Ohhow nieve & wrong I was!!

I Go straight to the counter and calmly ask for the service manager... "he's
busy" so I tell the bloke what's up, he goes off and gets me to wait 5 min...
Comes back with another bloke (2nd in charge of the service dep) the bloke has a look at it, & then says "nup, wasn't us, the technictians that worked on my car claimed that's how it was and they had nothing to do with it!!"

After a bit of bitching on my behalf and stating that I know 100% that it wasn't like that before I droped it off because I know my car like the back of my hand, he begins treating me like a kid and says some1 else did it and there not gonna do anything about it at all a 'tuff shit mate' attitude! he even says that they didn't actually go anwhere near the fuse cover, but I know that they did because they put new software into the ECU for the VZ fuel calibration issue & checked for recall stickers or whatever which are normally under fuse cover (i think)...

At this point I was fumeing, not that it was broken, but that I was treated like
a child, I was made to feel like I was in the wrong, & them refusing to fix it! ESPECIALLY THAT I KNOW 110% THAT IT WAS PERFECT WHEN I HANDED THEM THE KEYS!!!!!!!! ILL bet my life on it! So I just left at that point and now I am vowing to do anything & everything to make my point!!

First step, letter too the service manager showing my disgust.

Second step, letter too dealer principal.

Third step, call too holden head office.

Forthly...?? Any ideas guys?? Need some help with this one...

I really couldn't give a crap bout a little plastic clip, its the service and
the porky pies I was told, & the fact 2 little shits took my car for a 15 min
joy ride!

Sorry for the long post but had to be said...

If there is any1 that can help me, let me know please!

And moral of story ... dont get you car serviced from holden!!!

Danny

[Milzy]

Fourthly... Never go to Holden for service, they are all little kids and half of them don't have licenses, make a friend with someone who services cars and gain his trust and keep going to him! i know alot of people who do that1

[dannyz]

Yes i realise that NOW!!! i vow never to go to holden again unless its warranty related!!!!

[KiWi]

bought my car at FTG Holden, and i will never buy another car off them ever again, ignored my problems, told me nothing was wrong with it, long story short, the dealer principal, said he had full faith in his staff, and declared not to fix my car, and its problems. Ended up goping to F1 Performance, who i was my chosen workshop at the time in 2003.

FTG Holden can suk my Kiwi nuts :)

[tlr1000]

I tell the dealer no one is to drive my car out of the workshop, i do the test drive myself.:cool:

[Whizza]

Fourthly... Never go to Holden for service, they are all little kids and half of them don't have licenses, make a friend with someone who services cars and gain his trust and keep going to him! i know alot of people who do that1


my car goes nowhere near holden . goes to a mechanic i have known for almost 10 years . i done some of my apprenticeship with him so i know the quality of work he does ( which is top notch , an car always comes back cleaner than when it went in :) ) also he is manager of a franchise so i can still get warenty ( if some fool hadnt modded the engine :nyuk: ) .

Whizza

[HSVJPL]

Must be some serious problems with FTG Holden.

I bought my VXII Clubby there a while ago and after a short time it developed a 'Check engine' warning light, after a few visits to the Dealer they could not not find the fault, claiming they were waiting for flash upgrades.

When I took the car to G&D for some mods they immediately picked up the fact that an oil seal in the valley had perished and was flooding the knock sensors, a half hour diagnosis.

I took the invoice to FTG Holden for re-imbursemsnt but they refused to pay, sighting various reasons.

Suffice to say Dealers will always look after their own interests.

[mavss]

You can't make the broad statement that all Holden dealers are crap based upon your experience with FTGH.

Send off your letter of complaint to both FTGH and Holden then look around your area to find a mechanic whom you are comfortable with.

My recommendation is either another Holden dealer (roll of the dice there) or one of the sponsors of this great forum.

[Tez82]

Most dealers are like this, problem is Holden pay very little money to the workshops working for them. I have heard some head mechanics are only on $33,000 a year or something silly like that... It's funny though, you read up on how car dealers opperate. They don't make much money on the cars themselves however on the servicing :p With poor service etc I don't see how they can make any profit. Lets face it, in case above a new fuse cover would cost them around $20 or so :p...

Mate good luck and let us know how you go..

Tez

[Pickles]

Shocking state of affairs-an absolute disgrace. I suggest you ring up Holden's head office at Fisherman's Bend & find out the name of the General Manager, Service, for the whole of Australia. DON'T BE PUT OFF-GET A NAME & WRITE TO HIM. Keep us informed. I'd reckon FTGH will hear about these posts & eventually look after you.
Cheers, Pickles.

[TUFFIE]

I had similar problems with other dealerships as well. I found that PENFOLD holden in richmond (melb) are extremely good the service manager there is a very fair and reasonable bloke. Had no problem getting a new motor (not reco) had to change engine numbers. The turnover was 1 day. when I had oil consumption issues.

[BadMac]

Just to balance the ledger a little.

I have always had my car serviced by Holden and have had nothing but good service. They listen, they ring if they find unexpected issues, they explain what they have done and walk me through anything to watch. They have handled a warrenty issue without me getting involved ie they found it, made the arrangements, when I picked up the car they told me what had been done.

Therefore, don't tar all Holden dealers with your brush. Some (my experience the maajority) are good, some are bad, much like any other type of service/ section of society.

[dannyz]

i agree with that im not saying ALL dealers are bad!! i know there are great ones, im just frustrated what FTGH did to me!!!! :flamin:


and something so small could be easily fixed, not asking for much here, i think im pretty reasonable!!

[BadMac]

i agree with that im not saying ALL dealers are bad!! i know there are great ones, im just frustrated what FTGH did to me!!!! :flamin:


and something so small could be easily fixed, not asking for much here, i think im pretty reasonable!!

Yes, sorry I forgot the last line (my wife came if to complain about me being "on the forum" again).

What has happened to you is not right and the dealer needs to put it right, otherwise he/they should go out of business, replaced by somebody who can provide service (its not about THE sale, its about all the SALES, ie a customer for life).

[Drewie]

Just to balance the ledger a little.

I have always had my car serviced by Holden and have had nothing but good service. They listen, they ring if they find unexpected issues, they explain what they have done and walk me through anything to watch. They have handled a warrenty issue without me getting involved ie they found it, made the arrangements, when I picked up the car they told me what had been done.

Therefore, don't tar all Holden dealers with your brush. Some (my experience the maajority) are good, some are bad, much like any other type of service/ section of society.

Same here, I have been going to the same Holden dealer for 12 years and never had any issues, always been good.

[joffaa]

I've had my last 3 cars serviced at Holden Ferntree Gully and I have found that the service was first class. I have had problems (My mums Astra) in the past with one other local dealer but Ferntree Gully Holden is the complete opposite. I will always take my car to Ferntree Gully Holden and have 100% faith in them. (Because a mechanic may look 'young' does not mean he is a 'kid' or not qualified !! Example: Rick Kelly he looks young doesn't mean he can't drive !) Also having two mechanics in a car is better than one I would of thought.

I'm also wondering 'dannyz' over how many kilometres did your average fuel consumption test occur and the increase in fuel consumption. Could the car have been idling in the dealership at some stage ! -because that will surely affect your average fuel consumption. - You have not mentioned that !

You have stated that they were gone for 'exactly' 15 minutes. So they probably did about 6 - 7 kilometres at the most in that time. (ferntree gully is in the metro area with plenty of traffic lights around.) For you to make an 'allegation ' that they were thrashing the car seems to be unsubstaniated and has you assuming things - to enhance your argument.

Being a former policeman I can tell you that any good defence attorney would have at least two of your assumptions kicked out of any court ! (That's even if the judge would allow your 'expert' opinion in to evidence in the first place.)

[clubbieboy]

[QUOTE=joffaa]I've had my last 3 cars serviced at Holden Ferntree Gully and I have found that the service was first class. I have had problems (My mums Astra) in the past with one other local dealer but Ferntree Gully Holden is the complete opposite. I will always take my car to Ferntree Gully Holden and have 100% faith in them. (Because a mechanic may look 'young' does not mean he is a 'kid' or not qualified !!) Also having two mechanics in a car is better than one I would of thought.

Well that settles that then doesn't it?????????????? I'm mean c'mon guys this bloke travels all the way from Moscow to get his car serviced there they must be perfect :lmao: :confused: :eek:

[dannyz]

I've had my last 3 cars serviced at Holden Ferntree Gully and I have found that the service was first class. I have had problems (My mums Astra) in the past with one other local dealer but Ferntree Gully Holden is the complete opposite. I will always take my car to Ferntree Gully Holden and have 100% faith in them. (Because a mechanic may look 'young' does not mean he is a 'kid' or not qualified !! Example: Rick Kelly he looks young doesn't mean he can't drive !) Also having two mechanics in a car is better than one I would of thought.

I'm also wondering 'dannyz' over how many kilometres did your average fuel consumption test occur and the increase in fuel consumption. Could the car have been idling in the dealership at some stage ! -because that will surely affect your average fuel consumption. - You have not mentioned that !

You have stated that they were gone for 'exactly' 15 minutes. So they probably did about 6 - 7 kilometres at the most in that time. (ferntree gully is in the metro area with plenty of traffic lights around.) For you to make an 'allegation ' that they were thrashing the car seems to be unsubstaniated and has you assuming things - to enhance your argument.

Being a former policeman I can tell you that any good defence attorney would have at least two of your assumptions kicked out of any court ! (That's even if the judge would allow your 'expert' opinion in to evidence in the first place.)


Joffaa, firstly i am quite intelligent i know that if i had just recently reset my fuel guage it would not be accurate, but i had about 90-100kms on the clock!!! & to increase the average substatially it takes some constant hard reving... Yes they were gone for exactly 15min... i timed them once io saw them leave.

however i really am not that annoyed bout that... its the fact that they were gone 4 15min, two blokes went for a drive, one driver one passenger... I am however annoyed that they are refusing to fix what THEY caused!!! i know that for a fact! no assumptions there, thats my gripe!!!!!

im not here to have a debate about the integrity of FTG... but make my experience known, and state my concerns regarding their service i EXPERIENCED!!!! which was very poor!!!!!!!!!!!

[forcedindction]

Yep, even the most reputable dealers can have their off days. Sometimes they are rushed, people make mistakes, accidents can happen !! How I rate a dealer is how they react when something goes wrong. Recently I had my car serviced and when I picked it up it had a hit in the rear bumper that wasn't there before. The service manager asked his workers if they had done it, of course no one admitted anything (it could have happened unoticed to them) and he then offered to have the car repaired free of charge. Now that gains my respect and loyalty !!!

A dealer fussing over a broken fuse box lid is a total waste of time and in the long run will cost them a loyal customer. Some people really don't understand customer service to their detriment :nopity:

[dannyz]

Yep, even the most reputable dealers can have their off days. Sometimes they are rushed, people make mistakes, accidents can happen !! How I rate a dealer is how they react when something goes wrong. Recently I had my car serviced and when I picked it up it had a hit in the rear bumper that wasn't there before. The service manager asked his workers if they had done it, of course no one admitted anything (it could have happened unoticed to them) and he then offered to have the car repaired free of charge. Now that gains my respect and loyalty !!!

A dealer fussing over a broken fuse box lid is a total waste of time and in the long run will cost them a loyal customer. Some people really don't understand customer service to their detriment :nopity:


Thankyou forcedindction, thats all i am trying to say!!!!!!!!!! :bravo: :bravo: :bravo: :bravo:

[dannyz]

does anyone know how much a fuse cover for cv8 costs anyway, RRP and how much it costs holden???

[Dacious]

Same here, I have been going to the same Holden dealer for 12 years and never had any issues, always been good.

+1. Three cars in 9 years at Booran - any minor issues we had have always been corrected without question. Broken clip on Astra tailgate (missus' fault) replaced without question. New nicads in keyfob when ignition lock barrel changed - nil charge. Howling diff in my car changed no question (may have avoided if I'd mentioned it at earlier service) - replacement is perfect after 10K.

I got my car serviced (32K, but 40K scheduled by month) two days ago.

Coincidently the morning before (pre-dawn cold start) the car idled at 300rpm until it warmed up, although it would rev just fine. I mentioned it thinking the c.2003 battery might be dying, and they'd sting me for a new one. Nope, load-tested and battery passed - nil charge.

They did clean the MAF wires/assembly and throttle body, reset idle which seems to have helped. It is all noticably cleaner - including inside MAF and butterfly (I took the MAF tube off to check). Charged $40 as it is not part of service. Reasonable.

Mechanics are obliged to roadtest a car they work on for duy of care. Mine had 5-6 km extra on it, and the economy guage av. went from 15.9 to 16.2, which considering it idled for a while and had fuel-related bits pulled off seems reasonable.

They reminded me of the 2-year old brake fluid, and did a flush of brakes/clutch for $40. Both are now firmer and more positive. Adjusted clutch freeplay to perfection, feels like the shifter has been tightened or lubed, too.

I asked them to rotate/balance, but they thought the rears a little too worn to put on the front. Still checked balance all 4 - nil charge.

Have to remember too, it is not Holden who services the car but Joe Blogg Pty Ltd. And the story is, if they don't do it right, complain, complain, complain again. Then take your business down the road to Fred Nerk & Assoc.

[joffaa]

'Dannyz' you still have not allowed for the idling in the workshop. Also you stated that the car was in for fuel re-calibration. I'm sure if they re-calibrate your settings in your trip computer that some of the trip computer displays would be changed. You cannot say 'beyond reasonable doubt' that they misused your car whilst driving it.
Also ,I guess we can all be guilty of pre-judging people on their appearances because if i was still a Policemen (6 years in the TOG) and I saw a 25 year old driving a Monaro (whether or not he had a pimply face) I would probably pull him over for a 'licence' check.

Your gripe is about a clip, but with one foul swoop you have tried to swipe about 5- 6 specific people and an entire organisation.

With your unsubstantiated allegations and discriminations you have lost all credibility and I am sure a magistrate would see it the same and a few forum members.

[clubbieboy]

[QUOTE=joffaa]
Also ,I guess we can all be guilty of pre-judging people on their appearances because if i was still a Policemen (6 years in the TOG) and I saw a 25 year old driving a Monaro (whether or not he had a pimply face) I would probably pull him over for a 'licence' check.

Awww geee, and I thought that all our wonderful brothers (and sisters) in blue didn't give "young" drivers a hard time :hide:

[JBonDSS]

Don't worry Dannyz, find some other shop (F1 is the closest forum sponar) to do the servicing. & only got FTGH for warranty item.
I had heaps of trouble with FTGH & getting stuff fixed 2nd time let alone 1st time.

There is a Southern Aust Customer service rep, based in fishermans bend, I had to take my case to her when my clutch failed(ripped the centre out), even tho I been in FTGH 3 or 4 time in the previous 2 months complaining of the clutch pedal getting stuck against the floor,

FTGH parts department - Fantastic, Always really helpful & fast.

[dannyz]

Yes fair enough joffaa i am making assumptions and i am not in the law field, im in the medical field so a wouldnt know if its substantial enough!

However your failing to see my point, i said it before... im not really that cheesed off with the fact they took my car for fifteen minutes, or bumped up the fuel guage readings, they are assumptions, educated assumptions yes, but still assumptions!! i didnt even mention it to the dealer when i paid my bill and left! its the fact they didnt care to make me happy and broke a cheapish? part that is replacable in 5 sec flat! and yes i am trying to tarnish those few people that i dealt with that basically treated me like a child and might as well have told me to f$%k off!!!

secondly idle does not increase fuel consumption per 100km substantially, and to put 11kms on the car in 15 min is a bit too much for me! Thats besides the point.... i really cant prove anything regarding that aspect!!!

Point noted, but im still having a say!!!

danny

[hottss350]

mmmmm i wouldnt trust that dealer either,my missus used to get our vt ss serviced there without rabbiting on always had susspicions that the oil wasnt getting changed when being serviced so the next time we took it there i delibratly dropped about 2 l of oil out,ta da wat do u know the oil was the same when she brought it home.(2) k@ n filter some how made its way to some little shits tool box.(3) replaced rear pads without letting us know $ 180 for it,well i made them take em back out they werent happy.moral of this story is i ripped the shit out of them and the asshole who took the filter and ive never been back there again.check of the basterds $500 for a svs yea rite.:cussing:

[BOSSONNOS]

Firstly, Thanks Whizza for talking it up, I do my best but unfortunately you can't please everyone no matter how hard you try.

Secondly - why did they need to test drive your car for a service, did you complain of any steering or suspension faults, I test drive cars only when necessary and that means only if i have been notified of any problems/noises with the vehicle, my apprentice is 3rd year and i still don't let him test drive vehicles.

FTG must have been trained the same day as the Holden dealer in Kalgoorlie,
I don't have to spend loads of money on advertising as they generate work for me by doing a crappy job and giving by the sounds of it the same service as FTG.

The service manager at Kalgoorlie Holden dealer tried to pick a fight with me in the car park because he didn't do his job properly and I let him know.

Dealers suck full stop no matter which one it is, smaller workshops usally give better service.

[German Statesman]

An increase of fuel consumption that you noted is not unusual for a different driver in a recalibrated VZ-type vehicle - you recalibrate the gauge, the trip computer settings change, simple as that. If you want to put it into context, the maximum l/100km reading from memory when reset is 40l/100km on wide open throttle, so the half-a-fly's-johnson increase you are talking about is not worth the whinge.

Point taken about the clip - I'd suggest that he's an old school manager who jacks up at having to spend 2c. Keep at him about that, and mention its pettiness when you write.

If there were two techs in the car, there is a possibility that one was 'snap-shotting' the readings off Tech 2 while the other one was driving - pretty common.

Cheers

[Speedy Gonzales]

DannyZ - Its like any other business that gets squeezed, you are short on time to do the job, the workers get paid squat and the customer expects tip top service for their dollars.

And you get arseholes who come into any workshop who think they know more than you when you have applied and certified corp training, and telling you how to do your job when you can say: "Hey farkhead, if you know so much, go do the job yourself, here are my tools, be my guest, otherwise get the fark out of the workshop and let me continue to do my job properly. Go back and sit in customer lounge."

Ive also lost count of the number of arseholes who rock up, get work done, and come back later saying their car has been damaged in one way or another, when its already been that way when it first arrived, and want to claim freebies. You get arseholes like this ALL THE TIME when you are in business.

Not to say that that happens often, but the majority of customers are happy and you get the minority who are not.

Your case sounds genuine but Im showing the other side of the coin, there are arseholes out there who dont play fairly when it comes to business, so that is why the heavy hand.

I wonder how the forum sponsors do it, say you take your car into a sponsor to get work done, put it on the dyno for a base run, and bam, motor blows up. Whos responsible?

The person who is working on the car? Or the owner who drives it daily? What if incorrect fuel was used? What if regular checkups and servicing was not done? Can of worms either way you look at it.

[MNR-0]

Ralph D'Silva Holden looks after me for all warranty repairs. I get my car serviced independantly though as I choose my own oil, own service items and for the premium they charge can get better value elsewhere.

RDS have proven more than willing to assist me with any and all issues. Squeaks, rattles, paint chips, broken centre consoles, they even relined my door trims with floor underlay because I asked them too. Can't speak highly enough about their service department.

[RIDE:42]

and let you check out there tunes

[SS_Fury]

i actually have my warranty with a ford dealer (2nd hand car, premium car care ford warranty) and they have been pretty good actually. Fix all sorts of perishables, even fog light globes heehee. I here alot of bad stories from ford dealers as well as holden dealers on what happens to peoples cars. I guess ya just have to find the right one or get it done by someone you trust and still be able to keep your warranty.

[jhiggo]

I have bought my last 6 cars from Fermtree Gully Holden,The last 4 being HSV s and have always found them to be fantastic.I have never had a problem of any kind with the service department,in fact I always recomend them to people.Most of our Company cars are also serviced by them even though we are based in Dandenong.We have tried many Dealers over the years and found Ferntree Gulley to be the best and most professional.

[Y2kGoofball]

happens with any dealer really especially warranty stuff because dealers just arent payed enough really to do the job.

When your only getting $100 to replace $20 000 worth of parts and have to take a technician off the floor for 3 days you really need to ask yourself, was it worth doing the job in the first place?

I think dealers know once theyve reached their target they stay open, plus theyve got the added bonus of the brand attached. The smaller mechanics know that their business is mostly positive word of mouth and they cant afford to shaft people otherwise they'll feel it in their pockets.

eitherway a dealer service manager has money in his pocket and if the business closes then he just moves onto the next dealership. A smaller mechanic has more then likely put alot of his own money and time into his business and it would be devastating if he had to close both financially and physically!

[GHZ28]

Well I got my Adventra back this week, after a week at a dealer in Brisbane.

It went in for corroded roof racks, second set, and so they had to remove the hood lining....being a wagon, it is big, and an off white colour....it came back with dirty finger marks all over it, so they just finished replacing the hood lining with a new one for the second time....last time was after fixing a rattle in the sun roof, and finger marks again.

Although I am pissed that they still managed to get finger marks all over the interior, at least they have accepted responsibility and replaced, not cleaned, the hood lining twice.

I hope some worker got the riot act read to them.....really can not see how they care so little for what is a major investment for owners. The amount of greasy residue left on the door sills makes me shudder, I guess it reflects on the cleanliness of the workshop floor...

gh

[LimoLS1]

Whether the car is serviced by a Holden Dealer, by a forum sponsor or a qualified mechanic at a workshop. Care has to be taken!!! Nobody knows a car better than it's owner and if someone who drives a car day in day out notices something not quite right after someone else has been driving it only makes sense that they can ask questions.

When these questions are asked by a "consumer" a "supplier" should treat this person with due respect. In this example the "supplier" could have made an effort to placate the situation and address the customers concerns with integrity. I don't think that dannyz is having a go at the dealer, it seems to me that he is sharing his experiences. It might be a bit of a task proving that the dealership is at fault and caused the break in the fuse box cover however if you feel hard done by which many of us here probably would if the same thing happened to us I am pretty sure that you too would want to share the pain.

And as for those of you that are turning this into a legal argument!!! Lighten up it's a public forum and people are on here to share opinions, experiences (good & bad) and knowledge.:soap:

And just for the record I am in business for myself and realise that the reason I can put food on the table is my customers and if that means taking the good with the bad from them well it's my job and I have to deal with it. So it doesn't matter if dealer workshops don't get paid enough to fix warranty items a customer surely paid more than enough to buy the item and it should be working the way it is suposed to.

[tenfold]

some dealers are shoddy some dealers are good the same goes for servicing and mechanics...i use my local holden dealer quite alot and they do a great job and often go out of their way to ensure you are looked after!

[O5BRKY]

Girlfriend is taking her new Astra CDX coupe there for a 3000km service/check up, might need to take a few photos first, in case?

[vt350phantom]

I have had some interesting experiences with holden myself, twice they scratched my car and twice they fixed it. Don't let up mate, make those f*%kers fix what they broke. It took me a long time to get my way, but I suceeded. Persistence is the key!

[VZSS250]

I reckon we should start up a lobby group that monitors service standards at holden dealerships.

All we'd have to do is for someone to forward all these threads about service to the relevant dealer via email and say that the whole group is keeping an eye on that particular dealership.

Honestly, service standards are out of control and we need to do something otherwise all our cars are going to be stuffed by the time they've had a few services with these jokers.

[monarocv8r]

Hows it going mate... i guessing not too well.
Okay i didnt know too much about what happened with the Holden service side of things until last weekend when i went to sydney, me and my brother in law went out with one of our friends that works for the holden service department side of things, he goes around to see the performance of holden service departments in nsw and keeps them inline, he said the best thing to do about service departments not performing is to make a formal complaint to Holdens head office and if there is enough complaints Holden keep a close eye on what is going on with the shop and if mistakes are made it can get messy for the dealer, so just keep writing in and calling up Holdens head office and something will be done and dont forget to tell them that 2 little bastards were joyriding in your car... i know if they did that to mine i would NOT be silent about it!!

[dannyz]

Does anybody know what the number is for complaints? or should i just call general enquiries holden??

[clubbieboy]

Should be in your owners manual Dannyz - I think it's called CAS or something?
Hope that helps
Cheers,
Clubbieboy

[Pickles]

Does anybody know what the number is for complaints? or should i just call general enquiries holden??
If you've read my previous post, you'll see that I've already suggested you ring up Holden Fishermans Bend. DON'T use the customer service number. Ring on the normal Holden number(look in the phone book)Ask for the name of the Zone service Manager for the region, & speak to him. BE PERSISTANT- GET HIS NAME & RING HIM--don't lose your cool!
As far as the other post is concerned about keeping records of bad (& good) Holden Dealer Service matters, I reckon that it would be a very good idea indeed-some of the incidents I've read about on this site are amazing.
Cheers, Pickles

[bambam]

I had a problem with Summit holden in brghton i think it was. Took car in for service and whe ni picked it up, i noticed the bottom of the front bar was scratched to hell on both sides. I know it wasnt there before cos i only had the car for a week and knew every mark and scratch on it. It was very obvious that the mechanic had bottomed it out on their driveway and taken out the front bar.

I complained on the spot when i saw the damage and got nowhere. I was civil about it and even called them the next day when I had calmed down even more. They still maintained that they didnt do it and were not going to fix it.

I then wrote an email to the dealer principle...


To The Dealer Principle,

On Wednesday the 12th October, I took my car ( REG - TDW299 ) into your dealership for a routine service and also for a few repairs to be carried out under warranty. Now I am a very meticulous owner and take great pride in caring for my car. A few days prior I had a detailer come to my house and polish and detail my car and one comment he made was that he was very impressed that the front bumper had no scratches on it and that the wheels werent scraped in any way. As I said before, I take great pride and even more care when driving my car. To the point that I don't even park the car in my driveway at home due to the fact that the car would scrape on the ground if I did. I take my chances on the street at night.

Now I'm sure you could imagine my dissapointment when collecting my car from your service department, to find that the front bumper has been scraped on both sides. Im sure you can imagine my frustration when your service department denies doing any damage. I know for a fact that my car had no damage on it when I took it into the dealer. The car detailer I used can verify this for me. At the end of the day, your service guys can deny doing any damage to my car but can they prove that they didn't? As far as I know, a service manager should do a walk around the car when it's being dropped off and collected to check for damage such as this. In my case, this was not done.

The damage is not major but to me it's the principle. I go out of my way to make sure things like this don't happen to my car and I find it very frustrating to take it to a certified holden dealer, only to have this sort of thing happen anyway. I would like the damage repaired. I am prepared to take the matter further if I have to but hopefully this won't be the case. Summit Holden is very convenient for me to have all my servicing done and would like to remain a customer there.

I will be awaiting your reply.

Regards,




Next day they called and said that they will repaint my bumper, free of charge, as a good will gesture. They still maintain they did no wrong but at the end of the day, it still worked out for me.

My advice, be civil, talk to them calmly and results will follow. Usually.

[AM BULLDOG]

Colin Watson Holden in Traralgon have to be the worst of them all.
PRICKS!!!!!!!!!!!:vpo:

[monarocv8r]

That is a very well thaught out letter, the main thing is to stay calm and dont get all fired up and they will listen, stuff like this is the zone managers job and if he doesnt do his job then his boss starts asking question.... its good knowing that if someone stuffs you around in Holden that they have a boss aswell :yup:

[cossmo]

Hey Kiwi I completely sympthise as i had similar problems with my honda dealer (but an out control middle aged ricer in an RX8 took care of that prized posession didn't).

Anyway i have had almost great service from Summit Holden (please God dont let this jinx me) and they even resprayed the damage done to my side skirt when i took it back to them (it was obvoiusly done by the swing arm on the hydraulic lift but they repaired no probs except the actual hassle).

So maybe try Summit Holden - not close to Ferntree Gully but .........

oh yeah and i did buy the car form them and wonder if this helps .....

Good luck.

[dannyz]

Thanks guys, thnaks for all the suggestion and for the idea of the letter....

heres what will be sent!!!



1st July 2006.

Attention: Dealer Pricipal

RE: Service of Monaro (XXX-XXX) on Wednesday 28th of June 2006.


Dear Dealer Principal,

On the 28th of last week I got my 2005 Monaro CV8Z serviced at FTG Holden. It was just a standard 20,000km scheduled service and a warranty issue regarding the fuel gauge calibration, which I understand is quite common on this model.

Now the reason I formally write this letter is to make apparent my concerns regarding the very poor level of customer service I experienced.

Firstly, after my car had been serviced, inspected and software in my ECU was upgraded, I noticed something that caused me significant level of concern. I am still bewildered why it should take two people over 15 minutes and over 10kms to test drive or should I say ‘joy ride’ my car?

Secondly and by far most importantly, the fuse panel cover underneath the steering wheel was damaged (left hand side broken plastic clip, now unable to be pushed back in place) as a result of the work been done at FTG Holden, and when I returned only to have the issue resolved after exactly 20 minutes I was directed to the second in charge of the workshop.

He explained that they had ‘NO’ reason to go close to the area, and that two technicians actually said they did not do that and it was like that prior. He then contradicted himself as he explained that the technicians actually noticed it was broken and mentioned it after I complained, and also something regarding checking for recall stickers/lists underneath the fuse panel. He also continued to complicate matters by treating me like I was at fault, and offering NO assistance whatsoever in rectifying this easily rectifiable issue on his part.

I don’t appreciate being spoken to in the manner I was addressed to on Wednesday nor should you accept the way your staff talk to your customers.

I expect nothing less than this matter to be dealt with accordingly and my fuse cover to be replaced with a new and genuine part at your earliest convenience.

I am also taking this up with Holden head office as well as being advised by consumer affairs, if I don’t hear from you within 2 days of receipt of this letter. A copy of this letter has been sent to the Service manager.

Please contact myself on 041######, or work on 9796-#### to discuss the matter further.

Regards,


XX. XXXXX XXXXX

[bambam]

Thats all you usually have to do mate. Be firm but reasonable. They usually respect that. Good luck with it all.

Scott

[monarocv8r]

you have to change it from "on the 28th of last week" to the "28th of last month" i think....

[VRIIClubby]

When they did the work on your car, they would have taken the + off the batt??? Doesnt this reset your trip etc?? So 15 L/1000 would be pretty good!??

[Wonky]

Danny,

I notice you have a 9796 (Narre Nth??) phone number, same as me. I have found Barry Bourke Holden in Berwick to be excellent all round for sales and service (have bought last 3 LS1s from them). Why don't you give them a try? They do evening servicing too.

Gary

[GASDRX]

I purchased a used vxclubby from them and i am disgusted with them:flamin:

Servicing is a disgrace, payed for new wiperblades which were not fitted, payed for manual gearoil but mine is auto, i complained about rattle in door and they said all fixed but still there, i mentioned the diff was noisy and they charged me $90 for an oil additive. :flamin:

It came with a 3year Holden used car warranty and because i bought it off them they said i have to keep going there for servicing or the warranty is void:flamin:
Anyone know how to get out of this?

[clarkey62]

It came with a 3year Holden used car warranty and because i bought it off them they said i have to keep going there for servicing or the warranty is void:flamin:
Anyone know how to get out of this?

You basically have signed a contract knowing the service conditions beforehand. You can obviously go to another tuner etc. but it will void your warranty

[Swordie]

On a lighter a side your incident reminds me of the movie “Ferris Bueller's Day Off “. It’s the scene where the two car park attendants take the classic Ferrari for out for a spin.

[huggies]

FTG Holden’s :p

Let’s see

Our old VXII Calais went in for a service came back with 80km on the clock please Explain? And they had no answer

a cretin MAD Ute back in the day went in for I think warrantee item on interior and I sore the owner go inside and the Ute went skating threw the work shop (19's & factory slippery floor makes the Ute skate)

Don’t worry about complain to the service manger
Threes a cork board out the back with all the written complaints to him & his service department

They did a rebuild on a SS started the motor the next morning and it completely shit itself they ordered a crate motor sorry mate theres been some delays with the car come back in 3days or so

and a certen fourm meber not me
had a resonator in the boot that went missing:idea:


Spare Parts Department are always good
And sales department are usually pretty good with pricing

[vzmonaro34]

i have used 4 holden dealers untill i found one i could trust and they do a fantastic job all the time

[BarneyG]

Just wanted to express my complete and utter disgust & dissatisfaction with
Ferntree Gully FTG Holden Service department.

It all started today when I took my CV8Z in for a scheduled service & correction of some VZ fuel calibration issue thingo this morning, I thought I was doing the right thing by taking in my baby to a big holden dealer. Boy was I wrong!! Lets just say this is the last time any pimple faced little sh#t mechanic touches my car...

Everything was great until I see my car off for its test drive, I thought fine
that's normal, untill I see two 'kids' in there taking it for a spin... exactly
15 min later I see the car come back with an avg fuel consumption increased from 12.5l/100km too 15l/100km!! So theres the proof they were thrashing the poor thing! I was pretty upset but I guess I just shut my mouth! Paid my bill & left!

Here comes the fun part, 10min later almost home I realise the fuse cover panel under the steering wheel was unclipped on one side, ratteling, and hanging down!
After some closer inspection I realise one of the plastic clips is completely
broken off so it obviously couldent be clipped back in place, it looks SO
obvious as its just hanging down now! So I do a quick U-turn and head back to FTG holden thinking all is good, no problem they will look after me & fix it! Ohhow nieve & wrong I was!!

I Go straight to the counter and calmly ask for the service manager... "he's
busy" so I tell the bloke what's up, he goes off and gets me to wait 5 min...
Comes back with another bloke (2nd in charge of the service dep) the bloke has a look at it, & then says "nup, wasn't us, the technictians that worked on my car claimed that's how it was and they had nothing to do with it!!"

After a bit of bitching on my behalf and stating that I know 100% that it wasn't like that before I droped it off because I know my car like the back of my hand, he begins treating me like a kid and says some1 else did it and there not gonna do anything about it at all a 'tuff shit mate' attitude! he even says that they didn't actually go anwhere near the fuse cover, but I know that they did because they put new software into the ECU for the VZ fuel calibration issue & checked for recall stickers or whatever which are normally under fuse cover (i think)...

At this point I was fumeing, not that it was broken, but that I was treated like
a child, I was made to feel like I was in the wrong, & them refusing to fix it! ESPECIALLY THAT I KNOW 110% THAT IT WAS PERFECT WHEN I HANDED THEM THE KEYS!!!!!!!! ILL bet my life on it! So I just left at that point and now I am vowing to do anything & everything to make my point!!

First step, letter too the service manager showing my disgust.

Second step, letter too dealer principal.

Third step, call too holden head office.

Forthly...?? Any ideas guys?? Need some help with this one...

I really couldn't give a crap bout a little plastic clip, its the service and
the porky pies I was told, & the fact 2 little shits took my car for a 15 min
joy ride!

Sorry for the long post but had to be said...

If there is any1 that can help me, let me know please!

And moral of story ... dont get you car serviced from holden!!!

Danny


I would have steam coming out my ears:demon: You actually sounded quite controlled. Its really a hit and miss with Holden dealers and the buck stops with the Service Manager off the dealership.

I wouldnt touch these Holden Service Centres with a barge pole:
South City Holden Melbourne:weirdo:
Watson Holden Bundoora Melbourne:weirdo:

A great Holden dealer:
Summit Holden King St CBD.:cool:

[VZSS250]

Summit Holden King Street (Melbourne CBD) took my pristine VZ SS, drove it in the wet, caked it in mud, and then someone rubbed themselves against the whole length of the drivers door when the mud had dried, leaving nice long buff-like scratches everywhere.

These places are all a joke.

[dannyz]

Thanks guys will get back to you on what happens.... i got a voice mail message reagrdinmg the incident from the service manager, byut i was away in daylesford with the missus so i didnt get it untill this morning... called back no answer yet..

wonky, i will try berwick cause as your powers of observation are vary accurate, i work in berwick on high st, so i will try them next!!

looks like alot of ppl are having problems with many holden dealers!!! something should be done!!

[BarneyG]

Summit Holden King Street (Melbourne CBD) took my pristine VZ SS, drove it in the wet, caked it in mud, and then someone rubbed themselves against the whole length of the drivers door when the mud had dried, leaving nice long buff-like scratches everywhere.

These places are all a joke.

Oooh man I would be p!ssed off, but this dealship have been good to me, maybe luck off the draw in regards to tech.

[O5BRKY]

Girlfriend is taking her new Astra CDX coupe there for a 3000km service/check up, might need to take a few photos first, in case?
Yeah I know it's only a Astra, but she had it serviced @ FTG, and all was good, even washed the car and put tyre shine on the wheels. No compliants here.

[dannyz]

Hey guys just wanted to let you know that FTG holden, has rectified the problem immediatly when they recived the letter i sent. The service manager rang me and asked i come in for a replacemnt part, he aologised for the way i was treated, however still admits that they did not break it! and that two blokes taking a car for 15 min is the norm!!! i cant argue w that! he made me happy, dont think i will ever go back but i am happyier now!!!


cheers!

[VT_5l]

when i get my munro serviced at holden i watch the whole thing...i dont let any one drive it around for a 'test' and the furthest it goes is in and out of the workshop. I stya there for the whole service and i tell them why. once the warranty is over i know plenty of mechanics i can leave the car with, yet i cant trust holden...the irony lol

[Azimuth]

Holden dealers in sydney are absolutely incompetent too. I was baffled how 2 different dealers could bollocks a service on 3 continuous occasions + rego. I've always repaired my own vehicles but while it was under and just after warranty I'd thought i'd trust holden to a VXss. Wasn't i stupid.
1st-They couldn't tighten a radiator hose, leaked all the way home. 2nd time- forgot to do brake fluid change, returned car to have it spilt on duco and car backed into pole. Car needed bumper replaced /resprayed.
3rd time- left out auto dipstick and left gearbox half full, topped battery cells to lid plus left caps loose so water poored out driving down hills. Not happy with dealer at all.
4th time rego- 2 months after a full $900 Holden service. Holden tried to claim wiper blades smeared screen and sway bay pivot joints were deteriated. When asked if joints not noisy or rubber boots not splitted or cracked, could mechanic explain why are they then defective. Holden was advised car was prechecked before going there. Vehicle was then passed after dealer was threatened to stop trying to con me.:flipoff:
They've had years of experience at palming of customers with second rate servicing and covering up mistakes with it wasn't us attitude. Your one car not coming back doesn't affect their profit margin.

[blackbettyhsv]

danny Ive had my vx clubby nearly 6 years now, brought & always servised at colin watson traralgon. never had a problem with them, only hsv mechanic works on car & at my request left out back safe from any possible scratch or door knocks. maybe you should come to the country for services & some good old country air. make your requests to them, they should respect that, considering we spend a lot of money on our pride & joys, good luck!!!

[KingClifton]

Back to the original post - jeez, if I see any posts like this, it's going to put me off buying a Holden.

I've had 4 Audis and never had a problem with dealer servicing. I would expect that level of service from whatever dealer I bought a HSV/SS-v from.

FWIW, City Holden in Adelaide have a dedicated HSV service centre which is actually separate from their normal service centre. Only 3 mechanics are authorised to work on and drive HSVs. That's the sort of service I'd expect.

I'm told (by someone who used to work there) that if you took your Typhoon or`GT Falcon to Stillwell Ford, it invariably got a thrashing by the apprentice mechanics.

[GMMAD]

was taking my vxss to get serviced at local dealer pulled in the drive way one of the double gates where half open so i went to drive around it as i went around gate swung open and hit side of my car went in fuming:flamin: principal dealer went and looked at ctv footage and comes back and says it not there fault, i should have opened the gate

[fastestls7]

You basically have signed a contract knowing the service conditions beforehand. You can obviously go to another tuner etc. but it will void your warranty

firstly burn the green rx3 15 second slug and then go by a fast mustang and you 2 will be king of the roads

[Ausmartin1]

FTGH Spares deparment is the best.
as for service I don't know as I don't use any Holden dealers anymore.

I used to go to the Ringwood one and the teens in the workshop scratched the engine cover with the filler nozzle (Wonder if they have the same issues with their girfriends!) and the final straw was an oil change where they overfilled it by heaps. Little Wanker didn't dial up the correct dose.

Can you believe they don't even check the dipstick after. Imagine if there was an issue with the dispensing equipment !

1-1/2 - 2 hrs worth of waiting for 15min's actual work?

PS mine never got test driven, but all the hot ones got a work out in the stalls the teens were all over them. Sadly really, glad I have a plain Jane.

Don't think this is just a Holden issue, I'm sure many other brands have the same dealership issues where their trying to maximise the service deparments profits = more teens & less supervision = increased profits.

I'm for training kids - but where is that level of supervion or the fact the service manager that used to double check everything and be one doing test drives?
Why not bring it back? you might have happier customers as they've already paid well for it don't you think with the dam overhead built into the service charges?

[fourstar82]

Its very hard to find decent and courtious service anywhere these days. People need to learn respect for personal and other people's property. Just a personal opinon here, but I don't think parents drill it into their kids anymore and its a shame.

Andy

[xplosv57]

Oh dear i just bought my car from FTG with the certified warranty, im gonna stuff the warranty and service it myself!!!!!

Ive also had shocking service from Mantello Holden in Fawkner with my last car, picked it up, was filthy, had receipts, a hair comb and hair clips inside it and they hadn't fixed or even diagnosed serious items i asked them to check eg. gearbox noisy, gearbox ended up breaking. Coolant leak, investigated it myself, ended up being from head gasket.

All this under the certified used car warranty and not one thing fixed!!!!

Honestly if you can service it yourself, do it, otherwise like mentioned here before, the local mechanic workshop or even LS1/2 tuning shop will better take care of your car!!!!!

[Pickles]

Its very hard to find decent and courtious service anywhere these days. People need to learn respect for personal and other people's property. Just a personal opinon here, but I don't think parents drill it into their kids anymore and its a shame.

Andy
I agree with you--In many cases, but not all, irresponsible parents are to
blame for many of their kid's "issues" these days.
Cheers, Pickles.

[crtx]

Stay away from holden dealerships if your having problems. iv taken my car twice to FTG no probs.

[fourstar82]

I agree with you--In many cases, but not all, irresponsible parents are to
blame for many of their kid's "issues" these days.
Cheers, Pickles.

I almost did say that too, but it is a combination of many factors that contribute to it! I'm glad I was brought up the way I was, and when I'm a parent I plan to bring up my kids up in the same manner. The old man is ex-military, so that partly explains it!

Andy

[chook]

Example: Rick Kelly he looks young doesn't mean he can't drive ! No but he's still a d1ckhead!

[O5BRKY]

Stay away from holden dealerships if your having problems. iv taken my car twice to FTG no probs.

Same here, fixed the problem with the other half's Astra the other day, and seemed to have carried out the service OK as well.

[Drewie]

I have been going to the same dealer now for close on 13 years first with company cars now with my own, never had any problems can't understand how some of you guys have so many problems. Seems like there are more problems with the Sydney dealers reading all the gripes on here. Maybe I have just been lucky.

[moose]

No but he's still a d1ckhead!

How can you argue with logic like that. :rolleyes:

[relic400]

Thanks for that Danny! Was just about to book my PRIZED Monaro into this dealer for it's 40,000 km service. Obviously won't be doing that now!!!
Just wanted to express my complete and utter disgust & dissatisfaction with
Ferntree Gully FTG Holden Service department.

It all started today when I took my CV8Z in for a scheduled service & correction of some VZ fuel calibration issue thingo this morning, I thought I was doing the right thing by taking in my baby to a big holden dealer. Boy was I wrong!! Lets just say this is the last time any pimple faced little sh#t mechanic touches my car...

Everything was great until I see my car off for its test drive, I thought fine
that's normal, untill I see two 'kids' in there taking it for a spin... exactly
15 min later I see the car come back with an avg fuel consumption increased from 12.5l/100km too 15l/100km!! So theres the proof they were thrashing the poor thing! I was pretty upset but I guess I just shut my mouth! Paid my bill & left!

Here comes the fun part, 10min later almost home I realise the fuse cover panel under the steering wheel was unclipped on one side, ratteling, and hanging down!
After some closer inspection I realise one of the plastic clips is completely
broken off so it obviously couldent be clipped back in place, it looks SO
obvious as its just hanging down now! So I do a quick U-turn and head back to FTG holden thinking all is good, no problem they will look after me & fix it! Ohhow nieve & wrong I was!!

I Go straight to the counter and calmly ask for the service manager... "he's
busy" so I tell the bloke what's up, he goes off and gets me to wait 5 min...
Comes back with another bloke (2nd in charge of the service dep) the bloke has a look at it, & then says "nup, wasn't us, the technictians that worked on my car claimed that's how it was and they had nothing to do with it!!"

After a bit of bitching on my behalf and stating that I know 100% that it wasn't like that before I droped it off because I know my car like the back of my hand, he begins treating me like a kid and says some1 else did it and there not gonna do anything about it at all a 'tuff shit mate' attitude! he even says that they didn't actually go anwhere near the fuse cover, but I know that they did because they put new software into the ECU for the VZ fuel calibration issue & checked for recall stickers or whatever which are normally under fuse cover (i think)...

At this point I was fumeing, not that it was broken, but that I was treated like
a child, I was made to feel like I was in the wrong, & them refusing to fix it! ESPECIALLY THAT I KNOW 110% THAT IT WAS PERFECT WHEN I HANDED THEM THE KEYS!!!!!!!! ILL bet my life on it! So I just left at that point and now I am vowing to do anything & everything to make my point!!

First step, letter too the service manager showing my disgust.

Second step, letter too dealer principal.

Third step, call too holden head office.

Forthly...?? Any ideas guys?? Need some help with this one...

I really couldn't give a crap bout a little plastic clip, its the service and
the porky pies I was told, & the fact 2 little shits took my car for a 15 min
joy ride!

Sorry for the long post but had to be said...

If there is any1 that can help me, let me know please!

And moral of story ... dont get you car serviced from holden!!!

Danny

[whitels1ss]

Thanks for that Danny! Was just about to book my PRIZED Monaro into this dealer for it's 40,000 km service. Obviously won't be doing that now!!!

This thread and that post was done over 6 years ago mate.

Edit... Actually it is closer to 7 years than 6.