Open letter to VWOA (long)

[deecee@exit109.com]

I challenge any VW/Audi Corporate Executives to debate me on the
>following questions.
>
>First some background info on me.  I am a Master VW/Audi technician
>working in a VW/Audi/Porsche dealership. I began an apprenticeship working
on Volkswagens in 1974. I moved up to the dealership level in 1976 and have
been there ever since.  I also am a Master ASE Technician also twice
Re-Certified. (Because my OTS said it was required to maintain my Master
status.)
>
>The problems that need to be addressed don’t happen in my dealership they
happen in All VW/Audi dealerships.  

The constant undertow of maintaining a high CSI rating, and making VW/Audi
move higher up on the J.D.Power poll is becoming more difficult with ever
model year.  The main reason is due to the lack of Technical support from
VWOA and ultimately VAG.
>
> It is quite apparent that VWOA and VAG main concerns are
> getting the new products to the customer. Once it's delivered who cares
"The VW/Audi dealer has to fix it" That’s fine, but however once
>the customer has picked up their new VW/Audi they have virtually no
>contact with their salesperson. The Service Department is who they will
>becoming to for warranty repairs and hopefully once the warranty has
expired will continue to patronize the Service Department until they
purchase a new car "Hopefully another VW/Audi."

It’s my opinion that the Service Department will either make the customer
buy another VW/Audi because of quality work or the customer will decide
their VW/Audi is a piece of junk and once the warranty expires trade for a
different brand. 
>
>Here are just a few problems that I want to bring to your attention.
  A year ago you sent All VW/Audi dealers the VAS 1984 Electrical tackle
box at a cost of over $2000.00 and made it minimum tool requirement. 
>No problem. However what good is it!   We were told that wiring
>harnesses must be repaired instead of replaced under warranty. That’s
fine! However the wiring diagrams that are provided are lousy. How am I
ever going to find a connection point in a harness when the location is
unknown? The soldered connection in the diagram is shown but that's it.
Don't you think that there should be a supplement that show's the exact
location?


Several years ago I had a problem in an Audi 90 that was in the instrument
>cluster wiring. I called tech line. They faxed me an engineering diagram
>that had measurements from various points to show the exact location of a
>weld point. With their help repairs were easy. 
>
>Here is another case of poor support. Last week I was troubleshooting a
>constant electrical draw on a 1998 A4 2.8 with 1514 miles. The wiring
>schematic in the Audi electrical book was incorrect. The wiring schematic
for the battery and fuse box was not what was in the car. It was totally
wrong! Since we are also a VW dealers I used the wiring diagram from a 1998
Passat to fix the problem. Is this my fault?
>
>Several years ago again you sent all VW/Audi dealers the VAG 1946 to check
relays. This was a great diagnostic tool. However VWOA /VAG stopped
supporting this special tool after 1993. 
>
>The push is on to make all VW/Audi dealers jump on the “Electronic
>Superhighway” with the purchase of repair manuals on CD-ROM.  
This is a fabulous tool that will get better in the future. However right
now it is useless. This past week I had a diagnose two problem cars. Both
cars had fault codes for the Evaporative system.  The first car was a 1998
A4 1.8T. After discovering nothing but a very brief description of checking
the LDP I placed a call to Audi tech line. I was told that Audi was aware
of the limited information on diagnosing the Evaporative system on the
CD-ROM. Because of this they had developed a flow chart in a Regional Test
Center in California. They promptly faxed it to me. The flow chart was 8
pages and very informative. 

The second evaporative problem car was our flagship 1998 A8 with 7,552
miles. Again I called Tech line and again since the car is so new nothing
has been developed to use to check the system.

How do you expect the VW/Audi technicians to maintain a high CSI rating
when the tools we rely on and provided by VWOA/VAG are useless or they are
incomplete?
>
 After watching the launch of the NewBeetle it would be nice to use some of
>this money and put it where your return will be greater Better technical
>information for your Technicians! I can't wait to see how much money is
spent on the TT launch.

 If not all the money you are making with high car sales will be put to
good use in Buy Backs under Lemon Law. 

>Please don’t insult my intelligence by telling me that you have worked on
>these cars. Because you don’t. Maybe one time you did when the wiring
>diagram was on one page and there were only 8 fuses. 

 I make a living to support my family every day servicing these cars. Take
a survey of your VW/Audi dealerships and find out how many cannot find
Trained VW/Audi technicians? You might be surprised. 

>Again I offer the challenge to anyone in Corporate Headquarters to come to
my dealership and work with me. 

Maybe it’s time to stop listening to all the OTS’s and listen to us. The
technicians who you depend on to keep the VW/Audi products performing the
way they are intended to.
>
>I am sure this letter is not going to go anywhere, ans ultimately I will
not receive any response from VWOA or VAG, but I had to write it to
get everything off my chest.
>
In closing VWOA/VAG do not pay our salaries it is our valued customer.
Let's give them the product they have paid good money for and not let them
done. I have made my commitment now it's up to you to help me.

>Donald E. Collett
>Cherry Hill Imports
>Route 70 
>Cherry Hill, New Jersey 
>
>VW 408/278
>Audi 408-B19