wippells.com.au
There is evidence to support the events detailed i...
There is evidence to support the events detailed in this review.
We purchased a Skoda Yeti (7sp DSG) from Wippells in 2015. Soon after it began randomly losing drive when accelerating through a right hand turn. I told Wippells about it at its first service; nothing was found. Each time it lost drive after that it would usually end up there while they interrogated the computer for any faults; none were ever there.
After escalation to Volkswagen Group Australia the mechatronics unit was replaced. After this it still randomly lost drive in a right hand turn but also began shuddering in first gear and randomly losing drive at low speed with no warning. Back again and again to Wippells until the gearbox and ABS module were changed.
The brakes were not bled properly having to go back several times for re-bleeding. They had previously been firm but are now spongy and often grab at low speed. The Yeti still randomly loses drive through a right hand turn, randomly loses drive at low speed, shudders in first gear, but now has variable delayed throttle response.
I told VGA that these safety hazards were unacceptable estimating that it had spent more than 3 months off the road. They said everything that was happening is normal. These hazards are deliberately engineered into the design and that this affects all DSG vehicles. As our Yeti is apparently operating within manufacturers specifications have refused to discuss it further.
I sent Wippells Dealer Principal a letter asking for a replacement or refund (Consumer Law) citing the safety hazards. He refused stating that there was nothing wrong with our car. With Wippells refusing to comply with Consumer Law I affixed a safety label to the Yeti warning other road users to remain clear at low speed.
The Yeti went to Wippells for a service late last year and the General Manager had the rear Wippells Autos Skoda number plate surround removed without my knowledge or permission. I later spoke to the General Manager who refused to return it; claiming it belonged to him. During our meeting he showed no concern for the safety hazards that the Yeti presents; his only concern seemed to be for his business. Even when the Toowoomba police contacted him and told him that it belonged to me, he refused to return it.
The matter of the number plate surround has now been to court and found in favour of us. Wippells General Manager Mr Brett Buckley stated that I had failed to advise the court that I had involved the Office of Fair Trade (OFT) and that they had found that Wippells had no case to answer. He also stated that our vehicle wasn t doing what I said it was. I then presented evidence form OFT demonstrating that Wippells were in breach of Consumer Law and evidence from Jana Hleis of VGA stating that our car was doing what we said it was and that these operations were by design. We won and eventually received a few dollars plus court costs from Wippells.
So what is the problem? The buying experience is awesome, our salesman was warm, friendly and knowledgeable about the vehicle. The issue is when something goes wrong with your new pride and joy. Each time I returned with a problem they did the same thing and got the same lack of results. When, after approximately 2 years of issues, they were approached with a request to comply with Consumer Law they refused to do so and went as far as removing our property from the vehicle to try to reduce negative impact on their business from my safety sign.
Is it an issue of systemic poor culture at Wippells Senior Management? The Dealer Principal and General Manager are aware of the hazards that the vehicle regularly presents during normal operation. They are aware that VGA has stated that this is by design and yet they still continue to sell DSG equipped vehicles with the knowledge that VW have deliberately engineered this hazardous operation into the design. Is it simply a case of valuing market domination and profit over safety and customer satisfaction?
