Lakeland Volkswagen - Service Center

Dealership resolved issues part 2 Lucky me! Because my issues were technically two visits and not just one, I get to rate the service department twice. Please see my first review below Lucky me! Because my issues were technically two visits and not just one, I get to rate the service department twice. Please see my first review below for my initial impression. This is my expanded review! After reading through some of the reviews here, I'm not going to be unfair and throw this service department under the bus for stupid reasons like they don't wine and dine me when I'm in the waiting room, or I had to wait an extra half hour for an oil change. I'm nothing if not fair. My car was towed in because no amount of jimmying could get the key in the ignition. I was told by Brian it was taken apart and fixed, I received the running car back, and then was stranded a half-hour later with the exact same problem. I should have tested it before driving away! Compound it with the fact that the car was nose-in a parking space, and we couldn't get the key in the ignition, so we could not put it in neutral to pull it out backwards, causing a three-hour delay to get the proper type of tow truck from Bartow to Kissimmee. It ruined a family get together with in-laws we never get to see. I was told by Brian that the ignition switch had been taken out and repaired, but was later told by Jonathan that nothing had been done to the ignition switch, and they simply did the maintenance on the car. Did they think I had the car towed in for no good reason? They even waived the deductible on my warranty so I'd tow it the extra 35 miles to Lakeland. I'll never understand how the problem just went away, so they considered it settled without further investigation. Speaking of maintenance, it was explained to me by Jonathan that the car needed to come in at 40,000 miles for a transmission flush. That was the whole purpose of the 40,000 mile check. When I picked up the car, they didn't flush the transmission, and explained that I needed to have requested it. Even my non-authorized VW mechanic knew it was supposed to get a transmission flush at 40,000 miles. They also hadn't topped off the AdBlue. I will never have maintenance done by a VW dealer without first going over a checklist of things to do. I was basically charged $400 for fluid changes. I could go on. How much time do you have? Maybe I can set a record for word count. At any rate, the first visit was a disaster. The second visit, the subject of this review, went much smoother. They fixed the problem, and even washed the car (though there are foot smudges on the door threshold and a black fingerprint on the light tan driver's door panel). While I'm happy with the results, the communication was not good. It was always one way -- us to them. More positives -- we like our "sales consultant" Brad (though he dropped the ball on trying to get us those dealership posters), and we really liked the parts guys, who helped us secure our gear. They also stepped up to give us deals to help make up for the setback, which was going above and beyond. My wife and I are true VW enthusiasts. If you cut us we bleed Volkswagen blue. We have a garage full of vintage VWs, including an oval window bug and a split bus. We're the new customers this dealership needs, and we will think long and hard before returning (though the reviews here of other dealerships don't offer much of an alternative in our area) And for all of those who have taken the time to read this, thanks for reading. Enjoy your VWs! We enjoy ours. More

#1 friendly. No BS dealing with me and I truly appreciate NOT being treated like a brain dead consumer. Really like the service writers as they ar very professional and courteous. They are open in sharing th NOT being treated like a brain dead consumer. Really like the service writers as they ar very professional and courteous. They are open in sharing the “actual” items that are issues and the real steps to correction. Great place. More

I have purchased 4 vehicles from Lakeland Volkswagen in the past 10 years, but after this last service visit, I will never go there again for any reason. You have lost a customer. the past 10 years, but after this last service visit, I will never go there again for any reason. You have lost a customer. More