Mugged off by dealership?
Discussion
Hey guys this is my first post on the forum so go easy on me!
I've got an 09 scirocco which had an air bag fault. This all occurred when driving on a dual carriage way when I was cut up by some stupid women which nearly sent me in to the crash barrier, obviously I gave her a mouthful and hit my horn quite hard a few times. 2 minutes later I notice the air bag light on.
I took it to the dealers as its under warranty. after arguing and refusing to pay the £119 diagnostic charge they agreed to look at it. They came to the decision that the wiring from the air bag to the slip ring was faulty. I questioned them massively on how pressing the horn could damage wiring? They said it was the connector onto the slip ring, which I argued and told them was component rather than wiring so it shouldn't be chargeable. They changed their mind and then told me that they was just going to repair the single faulty wire. I thought this was ridiculous and asked how could they know its the wire and not the connector and they quickly decided to replace the whole loom even though the girl 5 minutes ago said they've never replaced the whole loom in the 8 years she has been there. I think I worried them a little as I knew what they were talking about, argued with what they were saying and showed knowledge which is also why I think they changed their minds on what they were going to change a few times. As MOT was coming up end of the month I had to bite the bullet let them do the work and clear the air bag fault.
I refused to pay them unless I had the old wiring loom back. I would in no way say I was a mechanic and I only have basic knowledge about cars. BUT I do repair boilers for a living, can do electrical tests, use a multimeter and work with wiring looms quite a bit. I've inspected it for physical damage, checked continuity all the way through it which is ok, is there anything else I can check? It's just a simple wiring loom which carries current to components, how much could go wrong with it except a break in a wire or a broken connector?
Do any of you guys think I have the right to complain? Does it sound like they just mugged me off 200 quid to replace it? Are they able to just reset the airbag light with their computers? I seriously don't trust dealerships, I've got a friend who works for a main dealer and he has told me all the things they try to get money out of repairs.
Any help would be great. thanks!!!
I've got an 09 scirocco which had an air bag fault. This all occurred when driving on a dual carriage way when I was cut up by some stupid women which nearly sent me in to the crash barrier, obviously I gave her a mouthful and hit my horn quite hard a few times. 2 minutes later I notice the air bag light on.
I took it to the dealers as its under warranty. after arguing and refusing to pay the £119 diagnostic charge they agreed to look at it. They came to the decision that the wiring from the air bag to the slip ring was faulty. I questioned them massively on how pressing the horn could damage wiring? They said it was the connector onto the slip ring, which I argued and told them was component rather than wiring so it shouldn't be chargeable. They changed their mind and then told me that they was just going to repair the single faulty wire. I thought this was ridiculous and asked how could they know its the wire and not the connector and they quickly decided to replace the whole loom even though the girl 5 minutes ago said they've never replaced the whole loom in the 8 years she has been there. I think I worried them a little as I knew what they were talking about, argued with what they were saying and showed knowledge which is also why I think they changed their minds on what they were going to change a few times. As MOT was coming up end of the month I had to bite the bullet let them do the work and clear the air bag fault.
I refused to pay them unless I had the old wiring loom back. I would in no way say I was a mechanic and I only have basic knowledge about cars. BUT I do repair boilers for a living, can do electrical tests, use a multimeter and work with wiring looms quite a bit. I've inspected it for physical damage, checked continuity all the way through it which is ok, is there anything else I can check? It's just a simple wiring loom which carries current to components, how much could go wrong with it except a break in a wire or a broken connector?
Do any of you guys think I have the right to complain? Does it sound like they just mugged me off 200 quid to replace it? Are they able to just reset the airbag light with their computers? I seriously don't trust dealerships, I've got a friend who works for a main dealer and he has told me all the things they try to get money out of repairs.
Any help would be great. thanks!!!
OK, without testing the car, it's impossible to say if it's the wiring etc..... However, I've done a few VW's that has broken the so called spiral cable in the steering wheel. Clearly the wiring is fixed, and the steering wheel goes around. Inside the steering wheel there is a spring mechanism, with a cable, that works in a similar way to the recoil starter on a lawn mower. It's almost certainly the cable bit that has broken.
The cable carries the horn signal too - and may have broken due to enthusiastic pressing of said horn
Does the horn still work? It won't normally if the spiral cable is broken (though not a definitive test).
Be careful if you decide to have a go yourself - the battery must be disconnected to stop the airbag going off.
All the best
The cable carries the horn signal too - and may have broken due to enthusiastic pressing of said horn
Does the horn still work? It won't normally if the spiral cable is broken (though not a definitive test).
Be careful if you decide to have a go yourself - the battery must be disconnected to stop the airbag going off.
All the best
Thanks for the quick reply bearman68! The horn did still work after and it has already been fixed by them. This is what was replaced. 
To me it all looks in good condition, no broken connectors or anything. Where abouts do they normally break? I've checked continuity through it and it seems ok. I really don't want a big dealership thinking they can take money off a 22 year old for no reason without a fight lol.
To me it all looks in good condition, no broken connectors or anything. Where abouts do they normally break? I've checked continuity through it and it seems ok. I really don't want a big dealership thinking they can take money off a 22 year old for no reason without a fight lol.
but now you'll never knowThat's what I thought at first! How can you argue that though? Is it common for it just to need resetting? My knowledge of fault systems and diagnostics is pretty much zero. I may go down there on a busy Saturday throwing my arms around loudly at the service manager, I'm not afraid to create a scene lol
depends where you are but if someone local has vcds you can normally bung em a tenner to read and clear your fault codes, look for a scirroco or vag forum as they all use vcds and when I used to be on mkivs forum for mk4 golf many people had the lead and software. That way in this situation you could clear the codes, and only then if it comes back go to official dealer for further investigation.
Now I'm annoyed at myself for not asking on here before I went in there! I'm still going to go down the VW garage Saturday and create a really big scene. I work for a large energy company, in my time there I've learnt that if you make enough noise to the right people they just give you what you want and I'm sure VW may do the same lol. Plus the girl on the service desk was really rude to me ahaa. To be honest if I take that wire down there and get them to prove to me that it's faulty then I'll be happy. That wire must be broken in some way for them to change so they could somehow prove it right?
CoolHands said:
depends where you are but if someone local has vcds you can normally bung em a tenner to read and clear your fault codes, look for a scirroco or vag forum as they all use vcds and when I used to be on mkivs forum for mk4 golf many people had the lead and software. That way in this situation you could clear the codes, and only then if it comes back go to official dealer for further investigation.
on the idea of codes- Briskoda.net has a group of posters who have VAGCOM/ VCDS and are willing to help . They have a post dedicated to this. Additionally, you'll find a lot of VAG techs on there who will give an opinion /help on what caused the problem. If it's the spiral contact at fault then it could well have an open circuit intermittently as it rotates, in which case you may well see continuity with a multimeter still. Also be aware that the srs system light will stay on even if it only sees the fault once, it stays stored in the ecu. Those fail quite often in many makes of vehicle, it doesn't sound like you were ripped off...
Scottr1992 said:
Sorry for my lack of knowledge but which contact on that photo is the spiral contact?
The yellow connector in the picture goes on to the slip ring/spiral/clock spring or whatever people call it these days, the purple connector goes into the airbag and the bare connectors are for the horn. The small black connector I'm assuming you have steering wheel controls fitted/ cruise control.I've had the exact same thing happen to me hit the horn and the airbag light came on a polo I had, turned out after checking the codes and getting a open circuit dtc for the drivers airbag the connector for it had jumped out simply pushed it back together and cleared the dtc's.
Is this not symptomatic of most car main dealers nowadays you see it when sitting collecting you car from a service Audi or other wise
The few people who frequent forums or have car knowledge land up arguing the point ask questions and refuse to toe the stealer line
I have seen it with my Audi when in the edifices of glass and chrome , the acolytes sit there listen to all the nonsense then bend over and get royally done with the rough end of a pineapple and love it . Can't wait for next service last time pads worn 20% @ 22000k now next time at mid 40k miles I should expect 40% worn ( yes I am light on brakes ) but I bet you pads are worn out and discs need replacing , can't wait for that one we will have to be shown in the workshop the wear on pads and discs and an explanation as to how first 20k 20% 2nd 20k 80% wear. My last Fiesta did 65k on 50% pad wear .
I sit there get the,cost of the warranty work that was FOC removed from the bill and argue the toss over oil costs , the acolytes look agast at thought that Audi or whatever would not be straight and honest.
Seen this at Ford , Honda and Vauxhall in recent years
The few people who frequent forums or have car knowledge land up arguing the point ask questions and refuse to toe the stealer line
I have seen it with my Audi when in the edifices of glass and chrome , the acolytes sit there listen to all the nonsense then bend over and get royally done with the rough end of a pineapple and love it . Can't wait for next service last time pads worn 20% @ 22000k now next time at mid 40k miles I should expect 40% worn ( yes I am light on brakes ) but I bet you pads are worn out and discs need replacing , can't wait for that one we will have to be shown in the workshop the wear on pads and discs and an explanation as to how first 20k 20% 2nd 20k 80% wear. My last Fiesta did 65k on 50% pad wear .
I sit there get the,cost of the warranty work that was FOC removed from the bill and argue the toss over oil costs , the acolytes look agast at thought that Audi or whatever would not be straight and honest.
Seen this at Ford , Honda and Vauxhall in recent years
That sounds exactly like the same scenario, only VW probably plugged it into their diagnostics, saw the fault code and an open circuit and instead of investigating and simply plugging it back in they decide to charge me 180 quid and replace the wire which is fine!
Funny you say about the breaks because they also mentioned how mine are 80% worn and both pads and discs need replacing and gave me a big fat quote for that which I kindly rejected lol.
I'm glad I've come on here to ask now. I know the bare basic about cars but I'm an engineer and when they told me it was a wiring harness I instantly thought there was no chance it would be that! They could of at least told me it was something a bit more technically. Not a wiring harness which anyone with a multimeter and electrical knowledge can test!!
Funny you say about the breaks because they also mentioned how mine are 80% worn and both pads and discs need replacing and gave me a big fat quote for that which I kindly rejected lol.
I'm glad I've come on here to ask now. I know the bare basic about cars but I'm an engineer and when they told me it was a wiring harness I instantly thought there was no chance it would be that! They could of at least told me it was something a bit more technically. Not a wiring harness which anyone with a multimeter and electrical knowledge can test!!
Scottr1992 said:
That sounds exactly like the same scenario, only VW probably plugged it into their diagnostics, saw the fault code and an open circuit and instead of investigating and simply plugging it back in they decide to charge me 180 quid and replace the wire which is fine!
Funny you say about the breaks because they also mentioned how mine are 80% worn and both pads and discs need replacing and gave me a big fat quote for that which I kindly rejected lol.
I'm glad I've come on here to ask now. I know the bare basic about cars but I'm an engineer and when they told me it was a wiring harness I instantly thought there was no chance it would be that! They could of at least told me it was something a bit more technically. Not a wiring harness which anyone with a multimeter and electrical knowledge can test!!
You'd be suprised with the amount of harness issues I've seen over the years, normally its down to an exterior influence affecting the harness such as water ingress or contact but you do get the occasional its just a badly made component.Funny you say about the breaks because they also mentioned how mine are 80% worn and both pads and discs need replacing and gave me a big fat quote for that which I kindly rejected lol.
I'm glad I've come on here to ask now. I know the bare basic about cars but I'm an engineer and when they told me it was a wiring harness I instantly thought there was no chance it would be that! They could of at least told me it was something a bit more technically. Not a wiring harness which anyone with a multimeter and electrical knowledge can test!!
I'll also admit to being one of those that worked at an Audi dealer and advised disks and pads on 8 out of 10 services, in my defence I was young and naive at the time. What you will find is its not so much the guys in the workshop at fault its the service managers push you to say if the brake wear is predicted to not last to the next service which is done on a guestimated average of 1mm pad wear for every 1k mile then advise there replacement. Its an arse covering and profit making exercise really.
I don't quite get what you're trying to say with that comment. I'm a qualified gas engineer majority of my work is break down work. You have to use basic electrical tests to check components e.g wiring looms like that. I just thought that would be similar to what mechanics would do when they have an electrical. I asked the question because I'm not a mechanic and I thought I might of not seen something which a mechanic would of picked up on
It's down to the title engineer not being protected in the UK, unlike in Germany; your job is a technician really, but because anyone and their dog can call themselves an engineer(Sky dish installers I'm looking at you) without legal sanction they do just that. For some reason in the UK titles technician, fitter, mechanic, etc are looked down on, which is ridiculous as they are as essential as engineers are for industry and the wider economy. I'm guessing either your professional body(Gas Safe or whatever they're calling themselves this week) or your employer decided you would be better off being called an engineer than a technician.
Gassing Station | Audi, Seat, Skoda & VW | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff