Service actions.How do you know that the car requires a visit to the ASO?

By drzwioknarzeszow18/01/2023570 Views

In 1989, the Lexus limousine, the LS400, hit the American and Japanese markets. This car is known to this day for the high working culture of the engine and suspension. The manufacturer visualized them in the advertisement, placing the vehicle on rollers, and arranging a tower of glasses on its hood, and then accelerated the car to 250 km/h. Not a glass was broken. This model is also associated with an unusual service action. In the autumn of 1989, the owners of the brand decided to intervene immediately after two owners informed about defects in their cars. In just three weeks, 8,000 were repaired. It was about problems with a faulty cruise control lever and an overheating third brake light. Everything was taken care of by the manufacturer, who did not require vehicle owners to visit authorized service stations. Cars were picked up from their homes and parked there, washed and refueled. In addition, as compensation, customers were provided with courtesy cars, and some repairs were made directly in the owner's driveway.

Invitation to ASO

Today, in the event of a defect caused by the manufacturer's oversight or a defective component delivered by a cooperating party, the customer learns about these problems for two reasons. The first is to take care of the brand's reputation. The second is a legal obligation under which the automotive concern is forced by law to report defects that threaten the health and life of users. In our country, this obligation is enforced by the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection, and it is its website that publishes data on defective vehicles, including brands and models, and the form of contact with the customer. In 2016, 83 reports were published about the need to carry out necessary repairs. They concerned over 100 vehicle models from 26 manufacturers - from Dacia to Maserati. (table below). And things are not trivial at all, because there is a possibility of ignition of the vehicle as a result of a failure of the starter motor, a sharp drop in tire pressure while driving as a result of valve failure or an automatic explosion of the driver's airbag.

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"Our customers are informed about a possible service action directly by the authorized dealer from whom they purchased their car. The service makes an appointment for the customer, during which the necessary elements are checked and, if necessary, the necessary repairs are made. Information about the service action carried out is recorded in the electronic system,” says Wojciech Osoś, PR director of the Opel brand. BMW treats its customers similarly. As Monika Wyrwicka, representing the brand from Bavaria, informed us, in the case of organizing a service action, BMW representatives choose the method of communication for a specific case, informing the owner by correspondence or during a visit to the service center. "Moreover, the owner can check the open shares in his vehicle at any time at any authorized BMW service center" - adds Monika Wyrwicka, pointing out that the action has a different course - some require servicing, and others only check if everything is in order. He also points out that all repair activities are free of charge to the extent provided by the manufacturer.

The question remains, however, whether people who bought a car abroad, including those who are not the first owners of the vehicle, have a chance to learn about the service campaign. According to BMW Polska, “Information about open service campaigns can be obtained from all BMW dealerships and the brand hotline. On February 1, BMW Polska launched a contact form through which the customer obtains information about open shares in his vehicle. On the other hand, Opel owners, in order to be up to date, should set up an account on the MyOpel portal, where you can track all information about the car. After logging in, you can see the service history, notifications about periodic inspections, as well as information about service campaigns. This applies to both users who bought a car in Poland and abroad, as well as those who are not their first owners. In the case of other brands, it is worth contacting an authorized dealer or using the brand's hotline.

Theory and practice

How the service action looks like in practice (58D2-door from the inside) and how the visit to the Dealership looks like, we could see for ourselves on the example of Skoda Octavia 1.4 TSI. A letter of invitation to an authorized service has been sent to the company. "In order to inform car users about the campaign, traditional mail, active communication conducted by partners on the occasion of visiting the service, www search engines or hotline are used" - Hubert Niedzielski from Skoda Auto Polska notes in an interview with Motofakty. During a telephone conversation with the nearest service center, the date of the visit was set and it was assured that the modification would take about 30 minutes. To our surprise, it turned out that the ASO employees arranged three other vehicles for the same hour, which extended the waiting time for the completion of the work to 1.5 hours. Finally, the defect was fixed, as evidenced by the sticker in the trunk. This is a standard in the case of Audi-Volkswagen shares, which are recorded not only in the central database, car service book, and take the form of the aforementioned sticker.

Service actions. requires a visit to the dealership?