Daylight Robbery at Barons VW Woodmead
I have been a Volkswagen owner for over twenty years now, from a second hand Polo Playa, to a brand new Polo Hatch, then a brand new Polo Vivo, and a brand new Polo Sedan.
Barons VW Woodmead
Photo Credits Ziyaad Plaatjes
Since moving to Johannesburg for the past probably fifteen years I have been taking my cars to be serviced at Barons VW Woodmead. My last new car was purchased from them in 2014.
On Tuesday, 4 March 2025, I found that my coolant was leaking, and I immediately took my vehicle straight to Barons Woodmead.
I booked the car in with the receptionist Kopano at approximately 14:40.
I filled in the usual paper work, asked how much it would be, to which Kopano advised me that the service team would check my car the next day, and that Shanaaz would be my service advisor.
On Wednesday 5 March 2025, at 12h45, the service advisor Shanaaz Smith called me to give me a telephonic quote.
The amounts she quoted were extremely high for the replacement of the radiator and a minor service which I mentioned telephonically, so I asked her to email the quotation, as maybe I had misheard the amounts.
I received the quotation via email shortly after and Shanaaz advised me that she would be able to give me a discount based on the work that I would authorise.
I replied to her asking what type of discount I would receive, to which she responded only a R500 discount if I only have the radiator done which was quoted at R14000+ and a R2000 discount if I did the whole job which was quoted at R26000+.
To put things into perspective, the vehicle is now almost 11 years old, with over 90 000km. Which means the work to be carried out could possibly be 20% of the cars value at the moment.
I then replied to Shanaaz to say that I would not be able to afford the work to be done, and would need transport to pick my car up today, 7 March 2025.
To which she responded "please note a R2875.00 decline fees will apply. This will still be deducted from the quote once you return and can also serve as a deposit."
In over 20 years I have never come across a decline fee from Barons Woodmead or any other VW dealership. I was Not advised of this before leaving my vehicle at the dealership, Nor was I advised about it when I spoke to the service advisor when she gave me the estimated costs telephonically.
In the last response from Shanaaz Smith, I am told that I would not be liable for the decline fee if I do the service.
Basically, Barons VW Woodmead is Forcing me to do a service on a car which I Cannot drive, because one of the most important parts in the car - And the reason why I took the car to them - the radiator will still need to be fixed, but I should rather waste R3000+ on a service to get my vehicle back so I wont be liable for R2875.
I have been referring people to Barons Woodmead for many years now, but reading recent reviews and after this awful experience from Volkswagen (VW), I think it's about time to switch to another vehicle brand.
Ziyaad Plaatjes is the Co-Founder of iloveza.com & Let's Torque ZA, the Founder of the After Fajr Grind Academy, a Radio Host for the longest running award-winning Motoring show in South Africa - Bumper2Bumper on Cii Radio, and a Brand South Africa Play Your Part Ambassador, who was named one of Mail & Guardian's Top 200 Young South Africans in the Arts, Entertainment, Film & Media Category.
He is a Bachelor of Commerce Honours graduate and has been running businesses since the age of 13. Ziyaad is a social media fundi and content creator, but has taken on many roles in various industries over the years. With his entrepreneurial skills and vast knowledge he assists individuals and businesses to grow and achieve their goals.
Find him at: Instagram: @ziyaad_86 / @ilovezacom / @letstorqueza / @b2bcii X: @ziyaad86 / @ilovezacom / @letstorqueza / @b2bcii Facebook: iloveza.com / Let's Torque ZA LinkedIn: Ziyaad Plaatjes / iloveza.com YouTube: iloveza.com SoundCloud: iloveza.com TikTok: @ilovezacom / @b2bcii Threads: @ilovezacom iono.fm: Bumper2Bumper Hashtags: #AfterFajrGrind #iloveza❤️🇿🇦 #LetsTorqueZA #B2BCii #WheresDaddyZA E-mail: ziyaad@iloveza.com
