Southgate Volkswagen

* Note this review is a couple years old (apparently I wrote it on a different site originally), but my anger towards Southgate VW is still hot.*
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I brought my 2003 VW Golf here for a complete inspection and tire change in the beginning of November. I brought it in around 8am and was told that it would be done within 3 hours. After calling back 5 hours later, I was told it wasn’t even in the shop yet. Ultimately, it was done around 6pm. At least say it might be until the end of the day. Don’t lie and say it will be done in 3 hours.
Had no problems with the tire change.
The inspection, on the other hand, has proven to be a nightmare. Despite the fact that I could get a free 35 point inspection, I opted to pay for the complete inspection with fluid re-​fills. One of the re-​fills was oil. I am under the impression that when you fill oil, you take the old crap out and fill it with new oil. Not so at Southgate VW. They just topped up the oil gross oil. Okay, whatever. Maybe I just misunderstood. The inspection ended up coming back with no major problems whatsoever except for poor oil condition. I thought this was strange since I assumed that they had changed the oil when they topped it up.
My major problem came about 3 weeks later when my oil pressure sensor came on. I ended up bringing to a different dealer where it was determined I was getting super low oil pressure. Turns out, my engine (a TDI and supposedly indestructible, unless driven without oil. which the previous owner apparently did.) is pretty much blown.
Awesome. Thanks for letting that get through the inspection, Southgate VW!
In conclusion, don’t get your inspections done here — the service department is a nightmare.

I just purchased my first ‘new’, year-​old vehicle from Dan Heller at Southgate Volkswagen. I had visited Norden VW, North Hyundai, and a GoAuto location, but I really felt the leechy salesman environment in all of them. I didn’t expect any different with Southgate, but was so pleasantly surprised by Dan’s honest and sincere nature. I test drove the vehicle I had enquired about, but then saw the exact same model in a different colour and instantly fell in love. Dan and I agreed on a price that same day, I put a deposit down, and I picked up my 2014 Jetta Trendline Plus three days later. Kathy in finances is an absolute pleasure. It was a bit of a lengthier process because she is newer, and even though there were a couple of signatures missed that needed to be dealt with after the fact, she was very knowledgable and friendly. It can be a frustrating, nerve-​wracking experience to buy from a dealership. Personally, this is my first dealership purchase and I am 100% sold on Southgate Volkswagen. Will definitely do my servicing and my next vehicle purchase there!

It may have taken Dan 3 years to sell me a car but he did it finally. The manager actually came out to sit down and negotiate with me (side note: he originally thought my mom, who was along for the ride, was the one buying the car. Poor assumption!) which is something no other manager has done for me. I also appreciated the pizza!
The location is close to home but there is an awful curve that is hard to see around so I always feel like someone will hit me as I leave.
Unlike my experience at Norden, usually people here are great. I do, however, find it hard to book an appointment and now will only stop in to book my appointments but overall I like it here and the lady in the café upstairs makes the best egg salad sandwiches!

My experience is primarily on the service side here. Don’t let the frustrating phone service deter you (you will rarely get someone to talk to you on the phone unless you get a call back), in person, they are impeccable. Kind, efficient, and helpful. Service is pricy, but they are willing to help out where they can. I recently had my radio deck in my vw go out and they did something I never have seen… They told me to go to a different location, Visions, to get a better radio at stock prices because I’m a vw customer. Thank you, vw, for taking care of me by keeping my finances in mind!

I stopped by unannounced for some help resetting a low tire pressure warning light while in town for business. Certified Master Service Consultant Bil Benson was amazing. He was understaffed but went above and beyond to see to it that I could be on my way, safely. Much appreciated Bil!

Apparently I spoke too soon.
On two separate occasions this spring, we had tried to get the vehicle in for a 30-​point inspection, and their service department was so backed up that the ONLY service writer that was bothered to be doing their job was slammed busy.
Add to this that their parts department wasn’t open on the Saturday of the August long weekend (when we needed it), and you have a very underwhelming experience.
We’ll be driving up to Norden for future business.

This review is for the purchasing of a 2010 Tiguan, 2 years ago. While some of the staff involved may no longer work there, I feel its a handy cautionary tale useful for anyone looking at buying a car.
We love our VW and are happy customers of Norden VW.
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My wife really wanted a new compact SUV as the old Mazda hatchback wasn’t really serving so well in the coldest of Edmonton winters. Her heart set on a Subaru, I insisted she try out the new Tiguan based solely on the Consumer Reports review putting it as best in class for 2010.
She really didn’t want to. She said some mean things about Volkswagen owners. I told her I wasn’t comfortable with this major purchase until she tried it out.
3 minutes into the test drive, she was sold. She wanted it now.
I told the salesperson I wasn’t ready to sign, but I’d come back later in the week, which I did.
What followed was mostly a typical negotiation experience.
When buying new (protip: don’t), I really don’t like to get anything less than 10% in discount or bonuses. I’m still paying an awful lot, but I find that it’s a nice attainable goal and you usually get some sweet floor mats out of the deal.
The salesman showed a ton of reluctance to move on anything, so I focused on getting a free roof rack as the Tiguan is light on trunk space, and free stuff is usually an easier move than price. I got a lot of bluster about the parts department being closed, and how he wasn’t authorized to make this kind of deal, and how he’d have to talk to the manager, and oh-wasn’t-I-lucky that the manager just came in to pick something up. The best I was going to get was wholesale on the rack. Anything more was «impossible».
When you negotiate on a car, you fill out a little worksheet with numbers along the side that indicated what each item is costing, and this is the sheet that the salesman will take to the sales manager to review each step of the negotiation. I always try to snag a covert photo of this, so I can digest in a stress free environment later. This worksheet is part of the high pressure sales tactics, so you don’t get to keep a copy of it.
This is where the one star comes from. On one of the trips to the sales manager, the worksheet changed. They had added items (a sport package of sorts) without my permission or notification to make it appear like I was getting a better deal, closer to what I was asking for in terms of percentage. I did a double take on this, asked point blank about it, and was lied to my face. I then stalled for time and said I’d be back the next day, and left to check my covert photo to confirm my suspicion.
I’m ok with the inherent unpleasantness that is negotiating a sale, its part of life. What they did was unconscionable, and an unethical business practice. I could never do business here.
So I went home, and my wife insisted I buy the car anyway because she wanted it.
The next day I drove across town to Norden, and in 5 minutes purchased the vehicle. I told them what had happened at their sister dealership, and that if they gave me the price I wanted and a free Thule roof rack I would sign immediately.
They did. Love the car, love Norden.

My boyfriend and I went here to look at some VW’s and we a little worried that we would be hassled by the sales people, because we were JUST looking.
When we first walked in, a sales person walked up and asked if we needed any help. We told him we were looking and we not serious about buying at this time. He was really friendly and just said that was «no problem» and if we needed help or had questions that we just had to ask.
He made the experience much more comfortable and I would feel great about going here when we are ready to purchase.