Wippells Volkswagen

Great car. Great service

I have purchased my last 4 cars from Wippells over a number of years and have always found their customer service to be excellent. I have also had these cars serviced here and this has also been very professional. From my many years of experience with this car dealership, I'd definitely recommend Wippells Autos.

We purchased a Skoda Yeti (7sp DSG) from Wippells in 2015. Soon after it began randomly losing drive when accelerating through a right hand turn. I told Wippells about it at its first service; nothing was found. Each time it lost drive after that it would usually end up there while they interrogated the computer for any faults; none were ever there. After escalation to Skoda/VW Australia the mechatronics unit was replaced. After this it still randomly lost drive in a right hand turn but also began shuddering in first gear and randomly losing drive at low speed with no warning. Back again and again to Wippells until the gearbox and ABS module were changed. The brakes were not bled properly having to go back several times for re-bleeding. They had previously been firm but are now spongy and often “grab” at low speed. The Yeti still randomly loses drive through a right hand turn, randomly loses drive at low speed, shudders in first gear, but now has variable delayed throttle response. I told Skoda / VW Australia that these safety hazards were unacceptable. I requested either a replacement vehicle or a refund (I estimate that it has spent more than 3 months off the road). They said everything that was happening is normal. These hazards are deliberately engineered into the design and that this affects all DSG vehicles. As our Yeti is operating within manufacturers specifications they refused to replace it or provide a refund. They have also refused to discuss it further. So I affixed a safety label to the Yeti warning other road users to remain clear at low speed. (so far the Yeti has rolled back with a vehicle or pedestrian behind it 37 times since initial mechatronics replacement). I sent Wippells Dealer Principal a letter asking for a replacement or refund (Consumer Law) citing the safety hazards. He stated that there was nothing wrong with our car. The Yeti went to Wippells for a service a few months ago and the General Manager had the rear “Wippells Autos Skoda” number plate surround removed without my knowledge or permission. The mechanic later told me that it had been thrown away and said that he was unable to provide me with replacement. I spoke to the General Manager who refused to return it; claiming it belonged to him. During our meeting he showed no concern for the safety hazards that the Yeti presents; his only concern seemed to be for his business. Even when the Toowoomba police contacted him and told him that it belonged to me, he still refused to return it. When we purchased the Yeti the sales guy was awesome and we were happy that we had made the right choice. Looking at the Wippells FB reviews (before the “review” page was removed on 05 Sep 17) the ratings were polarized. Everyone rated the buying experience as 5 star however the subsequent dealership support was lacking. The behavior of the Dealer Principal and General Manager seem to be at odds with the manner in which Frank Wippell is reported to have conducted business. Perhaps Wippells’ failure to meet customer expectations is a systemic issue of poor culture, stemming from Senior Management. Maybe they should seriously consider resetting their “moral compass” and begin actively demonstrating that they value safety and customer satisfaction above market domination and profit. The matter of the number plate surround has now been to court and found in favor of us. Wippells General Manager essentially “got torn a new one” by the court. Wippells Dealer Principal and General Manager are aware of the hazards that the vehicle regularly presents during normal operation and refuse to abide by their obligations under Australian Consumer Law. Additionally they still continue to sell DSG equipped vehicles with the knowledge that VW have deliberately engineered this hazardous operation into the design. So, they are awesome to purchase a vehicle from, however in our experience, if the vehicle has issues then the nightmare begins.

Bought a car from Subaru. Excellent service from Anton. Let the car sell itself. No high pressure sales pitch. Let us test drive till we were happy 😊

Great experience in purchasing a Skoda Superb. The whole process from trade-in, finance and exchange was faultless. Staff were friendly and prompt with communication. Would definitely purchase through Wippells again.