MelbourneVW.com

Service manager Lewis tried to deceive me not just once, but three times. First, he told me that the price for a spare key was $250 plus programming, but this was incorrect. The actual cost was $191 plus programming. Next, after he had been programming the key for over an hour and a half, he returned to me claiming that I needed to pay an additional $150 for a battery replacement, or he couldn't finish the programming. I told him I would return another day with a new battery already installed. Then he insisted that if I replaced the battery myself or elsewhere, I would have to pay for the programming twice: once for his unsuccessful attempt today, and again when I came back.

I was shocked and questioned him, "Really, you charge people for services that you didn't actually provide?" He replied that this was their normal practice. I pressed further, "Do you really expect me to pay for something you didn't do?" He left and came back shortly after, saying they had used a different power source to finish the programming. Interestingly, it only took another 10 minutes. It seemed to me that once he realized he couldn't trick me any further, the service was completed quickly and correctly.

I have decided I will never return to that place. I also strongly advise others to avoid it if you value honesty and integrity from your dealership. ComplaintsBoard.com should have a record of this incident.

I bought two new vehicles from this dealership and both had problems. The newer car is worse than the first one. I traded my Honda Pilot for a new Tiguan. I had issues with the fuel door twice and engine light problems. One day, I had to jump start the car and called Prestige for an appointment. The next day, I had to jump start it again to drive to the dealership. The car broke down at a busy intersection with my small children inside. We waited two hours for a tow truck to take my car to the dealership. I felt unsafe in the car, so I traded it for a new Atlas.

The Atlas had its sway bar completely replaced twice. The sway bar is important for stability, especially in a larger SUV like mine. There was a grinding noise in the steering wheel, which they said was a "defective clock spring". Later, the same noise was called a "steering wheel gear defect". There was also a loud, screeching noise from the windshield wiper. I recorded videos of multiple engine error messages while driving. There was a loud alarm at stop signs and lights, and the second row driver's side window would lower by itself.

I filed a complaint with VW of America, but they denied my Lemon Law complaint because each issue was categorized as electrical or mechanical. I contacted the GM/Owner of Prestige, Mr. D, with an email detailing the issues, and he replied saying the Service Manager would contact me. But the Service Manager can't buy back my car. The Prestige Volkswagen website says they want to make customers happy, but after two new cars and many trips to the Service Department, this doesn't seem true. As I told Mr. D, customers don't buy new cars to spend time at the dealership for repairs. My Honda Pilot was trouble-free, which I traded in after 100,000 miles. It seems Volkswagen has lowered their warranty guarantee, and I'm very unhappy with my purchases at Prestige. Volkswagen is a big company and should be able to make their customers happy. I spent around $80,000 on these cars.