DIY Vento repair stuck as parts unavailable, dealer wont sell parts OTC

As the car is old and out of warranty, I decided to DIY the repair process and did the front brakes earlier myself.

BHPian Whiteburner recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hello Team BHP,

Our car: Vento TDI DSG (MY 14-15) clocked 1,95,000 kms. It is still running on stock setup as far as I remember. Now the time has come to change the shocks - both front and back. Our car was serviced regularly at PPS Motors Suchitra Circle, Hyderabad. As the car is old and out of warranty, I decided to DIY the process and did the front brakes earlier myself by sourcing parts on Boodmo.

However, I couldn't find some particular nuts and bolts and buffers and dealership is refusing to sell parts, citing company policy. I contacted VW customer care and have confirmed with them about the same.

The customer care executive said an amicable solution will be found for us and parts are sold only in case of emergency and at dealer discretion.

What the dealer does not understand is they lost their earning on brakes by not selling the parts and the profit went to Boodmo. Would not hesitate to place the order on Boodmo except for lack of stock (17 days time to delivery).

Is it fair to hold the customer ransom by both Volkswagen group and dealership forcing me to pay exorbitant amounts of labour charges. Would be happy to have the opinions of the forum members.

Have ordered Sachs front struts. Could not get the rear ones. Any solution to weak rear springs is also welcome.

Here's what BHPian vishy76 had to say on the matter:

OTC sale of parts is always a gamble. Sometimes it works, sometimes it just doesn't. It's like opting for insurance from a dealer when you purchase a car. Theoretically, you can buy insurance on your own if you find it economically viable, practically, there are several cases where dealers force you to buy insurance from them, try several tactics until you finally buckle.

I don't rely on OTC part sales due to the following reasons:

• Part prices are high as compared to the same part being sold by an OE vendor in the aftermarket. An OTC part anyways won't have warranty. Why am I even paying the extra then? I can get the same part of the same quality in the aftermarket.
• Wait times are obnoxiously high. Again, it's a waste of time. Aftermarket vendors have parts (especially running repair components) available in stock. Even if they need to be ordered, the lead time on such parts is a lot less as compared to ASCs (especially Volkswagen).
• Some dealers even charge you the labour amount on the part while selling it to you OTC. Again, absolute BS IMO.

You have sourced Sachs dampers which are better than the stock Gabriel dampers that came with your car. Just have them fitted at a good FNG and put an end to this. Dealers are not worth the hassle when it comes to OTC part sales in my opinion.

Additionally, find a good parts supplier down South (I know a few in Bangalore). A good parts supplier is a far better resource than any ASC or even boodmo. Change the rear dampers as well. Don't worry about ASCs. OTC part sales are a grey area.

The new dampers will transform your car. You will absolutely enjoy driving it.

Here's what BHPian ninjatalli had to say on the matter:

Look for other workshops (/FNGs) specializing in VAG cars. There are good examples of such workshops across Chennai, Mumbai and other cities on & off the forum (e.g. Jai Prakash - Chennai) who will be able to source the necessary parts and at a much lesser labor/overall cost. Fellow VW/Volkswagen car owners in Hyderabad should be able to help you identify such a workshop/FNG.

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