Tom Campher Motors
3|24 reviews
DJ
Darrel J
1 reviews | Active since Member
04 Feb 2025, 12:45
TCM takes more than two and half months to fix car
On 20 November 2024 we had our car towed to TCM because our car was overheating. This was the third time that this happened and we were not going to take back the car like the did the previous times.
We heard nothing from them until 06 December 2024. No explanation was given for the delay, but we just assumed that they had many other cars who had been booked prior to our car were being serviced.
At first (06 Dec) we were told that they were checking things like the thermostat, but that nothing else seems to be a problem. Again we receive no communication from the dealership or its technician unless my wife who is the owner of our car contacted them and even then would get shunted around when she did get through.
On 13 December she was informed that the technician had one more test that they wanted to try. Then there was radio silence until 08 January. Their technician had gone on leave for almost a month and we were not even informed that no one would be working on our car while he was away.
On 08 Jan 2025, we get a WhatsApp message from the technician explaining that we will need to replace our gasket - which he had told us was fine on 06 Dec 2024 - for which we would need to cough up +R30 000 of which +R14 000 was for 12 hours of labour.
When were queried, because of their earlier assessment given to us that the gasket was fine, they stopped attending to our car. It was only once we contacted Volvo Customer Care that we heard from then again. After another week, they decided that they were going to get in senior technicians and that they would redo the diagnostics on our car.
After another week of not getting any news from them, I reached out to Customer Care again only to be informed by the person there, that they were still busy with diagnostics as she could see that they had logged the results from other tests that they had done.
Eventually, the owner contacted me to explain that they are sorry for the delay with getting our car fixed, but that they are baffled by our car, as they can find no reason for the car overheating.
This week, they finally through in the towel and sent off our car to individual auto shop (Silverton Radiators) who is not a Volvo technician and is not affiliated to Volvo, to see if they could identify why our car was overheating. Surprise, surprise that business reported that the problem with our car is that the gasket is blown!
Tom Campher Motors keeps being nominated and then winning the title of Volvo Dealer of the Year Award, Volvo Service Dealer of the Year Award, as well as Volvo Sales Dealer of the Year Award and yet, this is what I have experienced there. I still have not yet heard from TCM about my car, although I am assuming that I will hear from them soon, with an invoice not only for the gasket that needs to be replaced, but also for all the other "extra" things that they had to do for us.
For two and a half month, they have had our car and all we get from them is we apologise for the inconvenience, but we are still working on getting your car fixed. Is this what the best service looks like? Is that what we call a top-notch dealership.
Not once did they consider that while we are waiting for them to play Nancy Drew with this case, we have not felt that they gave one thought to the fact that we have had to use Uber's and Bolts for transport. A good gesture would have been to at least offer a curtesy car while they are trying to solve our problem.
Their lack of communication, poor service and bad customer relations has left such a bitter taste in our mouths, that I am sure that they, like us, will be glad that we will never be their client again.
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Replies (53)DJ
Darrel J's updateReviewer Update
06 Feb 2025, 12:39Wow, it just keeps getting better and better,
After waiting two months to find out why our car was overheating, they initially sent us a quote to have our head gasket fixed and when we queried it, they had someone else take a look, since all their diagnostics couldn't determine why our car was overheating.
Today we were sent three quotes! One to strip the whole engine to more accurately see where the leak is, since they don't know what the cause of the leakage in our car is. A second invoice is to have the cylinder head replaced and a third for a complete engine replacement.
We were sent these quotes so that we can give them the go ahead to find what is causing the leak and once they have found it, then we will be consulted AGAIN, to get our go ahead on the repairs.
Isn't it the responsibility of the dealership to identify the issue with your car BEFORE they send you a quote for the repairs? It seems that according to them, the ball is now in our court and it is up to us whether they will do anything on our car.
In essence they are telling us that if we will let them, then they will strip down the car and only then will they look at the next steps. To top it off, if the engine is cracked, then we will need to replace it at the amazing, discount price of +R169 000!
Why don't they just say that they don't want to fix our car and that they want us to but something else? Clearly they do not want to fix our car and are making it impossible for us to get our car fixed. (Unless of course, we have R170 000 lying about to get this one fixed like most people in South Africa!)
After waiting two months to find out why our car was overheating, they initially sent us a quote to have our head gasket fixed and when we queried it, they had someone else take a look, since all their diagnostics couldn't determine why our car was overheating.
Today we were sent three quotes! One to strip the whole engine to more accurately see where the leak is, since they don't know what the cause of the leakage in our car is. A second invoice is to have the cylinder head replaced and a third for a complete engine replacement.
We were sent these quotes so that we can give them the go ahead to find what is causing the leak and once they have found it, then we will be consulted AGAIN, to get our go ahead on the repairs.
Isn't it the responsibility of the dealership to identify the issue with your car BEFORE they send you a quote for the repairs? It seems that according to them, the ball is now in our court and it is up to us whether they will do anything on our car.
In essence they are telling us that if we will let them, then they will strip down the car and only then will they look at the next steps. To top it off, if the engine is cracked, then we will need to replace it at the amazing, discount price of +R169 000!
Why don't they just say that they don't want to fix our car and that they want us to but something else? Clearly they do not want to fix our car and are making it impossible for us to get our car fixed. (Unless of course, we have R170 000 lying about to get this one fixed like most people in South Africa!)
DJ
Darrel J's update06 Feb 2025, 12:39
Reviewer Update
Wow, it just keeps getting better and better,
After waiting two months to find out why our car was overheating, they initially sent us a quote to have our head gasket fixed and when we queried it, they had someone else take a look, since all their diagnostics couldn't determine why our car was overheating.
Today we were sent three quotes! One to strip the whole engine to more accurately see where the leak is, since they don't know what the cause of the leakage in our car is. A second invoice is to have the cylinder head replaced and a third for a complete engine replacement.
We were sent these quotes so that we can give them the go ahead to find what is causing the leak and once they have found it, then we will be consulted AGAIN, to get our go ahead on the repairs.
Isn't it the responsibility of the dealership to identify the issue with your car BEFORE they send you a quote for the repairs? It seems that according to them, the ball is now in our court and it is up to us whether they will do anything on our car.
In essence they are telling us that if we will let them, then they will strip down the car and only then will they look at the next steps. To top it off, if the engine is cracked, then we will need to replace it at the amazing, discount price of +R169 000!
Why don't they just say that they don't want to fix our car and that they want us to but something else? Clearly they do not want to fix our car and are making it impossible for us to get our car fixed. (Unless of course, we have R170 000 lying about to get this one fixed like most people in South Africa!)
After waiting two months to find out why our car was overheating, they initially sent us a quote to have our head gasket fixed and when we queried it, they had someone else take a look, since all their diagnostics couldn't determine why our car was overheating.
Today we were sent three quotes! One to strip the whole engine to more accurately see where the leak is, since they don't know what the cause of the leakage in our car is. A second invoice is to have the cylinder head replaced and a third for a complete engine replacement.
We were sent these quotes so that we can give them the go ahead to find what is causing the leak and once they have found it, then we will be consulted AGAIN, to get our go ahead on the repairs.
Isn't it the responsibility of the dealership to identify the issue with your car BEFORE they send you a quote for the repairs? It seems that according to them, the ball is now in our court and it is up to us whether they will do anything on our car.
In essence they are telling us that if we will let them, then they will strip down the car and only then will they look at the next steps. To top it off, if the engine is cracked, then we will need to replace it at the amazing, discount price of +R169 000!
Why don't they just say that they don't want to fix our car and that they want us to but something else? Clearly they do not want to fix our car and are making it impossible for us to get our car fixed. (Unless of course, we have R170 000 lying about to get this one fixed like most people in South Africa!)