Volkswagen Dealer Refusing to Repair Defect under Warranty

iatnuy on 13/01/2021 - 13:33
Last edited 13/01/2021 - 14:12 by 1 other user

I purchased a brand new Volkswagen Tiguan SUV about a little over 2 year ago from Leichhardt Volkswagen with a 5 year warranty for about $66k. About a year ago, I realized the car's fuel lid does not close all the way in like it's supposed to (there is a plastic knob that is not fitted flush against a particular hole it's supposed to go into). As it's not a big issue and the car isn't driven a lot (the car only has 7000km done on it since it was bought) I did not raise this issue with the dealership straight away.

However, a week ago as I was opening the fuel lid at a petrol station, the outer plastic piece of the fuel lid came off and I had to bring the car in for it to be repaired under warranty. When I brought the car in I alerted the Volkswagen staff about the problem with the fuel lid not closing flush to which they said they would get it sorted.

They have just returned the car and they've reattached the plastic fuel lid back onto the hinge, however they are absolutely refusing to fix the issue with the door not closing properly which is obviously a manufacturing defect that should be covered under warranty. They are saying I should've reported this earlier and the fact that I reported it a year later means they're not going to cover it under warranty. This smells like complete bs.

Car has never been in an accident or bumped in anyway. Given that I've only driven the car 7000km, I've probably used the fuel lid maximum 20 times.

Pictures

What's the best way to resolve this and get them to fix this under warranty? If you guys have experience please help me out. I want the best case scenario to be that I get this fixed under warranty but if not, I would be pissed and I'd want to make life as miserable as possible for this dealership. Cheers

PS. Overall, the car has been a pain to deal with given it's only been 2 years:
- Issue where the sunroof couldn't close properly because the rubber seal around it became deformed, and to fix that I had to wait a month for a whole new panoramic sunroof to be shipped from Germany. For some reason they couldn't just replace the rubber seal, they had to replace the whole thing. German engineering.
- Issue where using the indicators would sometimes cause the song I'm currently playing in the car to repeat. This is a bit hard to prove as it only happens about 1 in 20 times I use the indicator so this hasn't been fixed.

Automotive Volkswagen

Related Stores

leichhardtvolkswagen.com.au
leichhardtvolkswagen.com.au

Comments

  • meiztom on 13/01/2021 - 13:37
    +5

    Try VW Australia but they may palm you back to dealer. If so, lodge a case in NCAT under Australian Consumer Law - product not fit for purpose. The legal paperwork should give them a nudge.

  • petry on 13/01/2021 - 13:38
    +1

    ' from Leichhardt Volkswagen - refusing to fix the issue with the door not closing properly which is obviously a manufacturing defect that should be covered under warranty. '

    every one should just keep posting that and german Volkswagen Tiguan SUV and 'had to wait a month for a whole new panoramic sunroof to be shipped from Germany. For some reason they couldn't just replace the rubber seal, they had to replace the whole thing. German engineering.'

    then after a couple of pages contact Volkswagen direct and ask them what their warranty does cover….

    for 70 grand reckon you have been nice long enough…

  • thatonethere on 13/01/2021 - 13:42
    +3

    Could try another dealership. I did that as we have 2 in town. Second dealer was "yeah no worries".

    Both dealerships are dicks btw

  • GG57 on 13/01/2021 - 14:16

    Was this not detected at the time of vehicle purchase?

    • petry on 13/01/2021 - 14:24

      apparently the dealer failed to inspect the vehicle properly….

      • DashCam AKA Rolts on 13/01/2021 - 14:28
        +9

        apparently the dealer and buyer failed to inspect the vehicle properly….

        • The-Kremlin on 13/01/2021 - 16:20
          -1

          Maybe you've never bought a new car before? It's the dealership's responsibility.

          • GG57 on 13/01/2021 - 16:38

            @The-Kremlin: So the buyer just gets in it and drives away, with complete faith in the dealership's inspection, without bothering to have a look themselves?
            From the photos, it should have been noticeable from just walking around the car.

            • The-Kremlin on 13/01/2021 - 16:51

              @GG57: What I'm saying is regardless of taking a look at the car with a glance or a magnifying glass makes no difference as to who's responsibility it is.

              • GG57 on 13/01/2021 - 16:55

                @The-Kremlin: Sure, but if OP had walked around the car before driving from the dealership, they could have asked the question before accepting delivery, had it acknowledged by the dealership, and scheduled it in for rectification.
                Two years later….no wonder the dealership is not that interested.

          • DashCam AKA Rolts on 13/01/2021 - 20:39
            +1

            @The-Kremlin: I bought a couple of new vehicles for myself and helped my parents with delivery of one of their new vehicles.

            My couple of new Subarus passed my checks on delivery, but I rejected the Ford my parents were buying due to a faulty headlight, paint defects on the boot and a small indentation on a rear quarter panel.

            Although they took took the vehicle on the day, it was only after we had documented the issues, and had an appointment confirmed for rectification work. The salesman wasn't happy and stated I was picky. My reply was a new car needed to be both roadworthy and needed to be in a condition expected of a new vehicle.

            I believe that if you're purchasing a new vehicle and don't check it thoroughly before driving off the lot, you are a fool and actually prejudice your chances of having minor cosmetic issues addressed. Once it's off the lot, the dealer can claim the damage was caused by you and is not a warranty issue.

            • petry on 14/01/2021 - 13:19

              @DashCam AKA Rolts: You pushing the buyers responsibility as outweighing the legal obligations of the seller.

              they are not the same and you are well aware of it.

              • GG57 on 14/01/2021 - 13:38

                @petry: I don't think anyone is ignoring that the legal responsibility is with the seller.

                But, as a buyer, why would you not do an inspection yourself? And doing it at the time of vehicle collection removes all the potential arguments later about how it was damaged or faulty etc.

                • petry on 14/01/2021 - 13:41

                  @GG57: some people are 2 nice, some people are actually ill at collection - many reasons why people make mistakes including stress but no argument doing your best at the time of collection is the way to go.

              • DashCam AKA Rolts on 14/01/2021 - 18:41

                @petry: Not at all. But, I think it is commonsense to check the condition of anything you are purchasing before accepting it.
                It doesn't remove any obligation of the seller to comply with warranty responsibilities.
                If a problem is identified at handover, it is very clear where the responsibility lies.
                Once it leaves the dealer/seller's possession, damage becomes problematic - it's he said/she said scenario.

                • Boomstick on 14/01/2021 - 19:48

                  @DashCam AKA Rolts: You’re being personally uptight on something that’s legally clear. Your POV isn’t legal, it’s personal. Ever bought a packet of pasta and scrutinised if the label was worn? Unlikely. People are in their right to expect a new product to be ‘new’ at purchase without inspection and if something isn’t right later, have it rectified.

                  • DashCam AKA Rolts on 14/01/2021 - 23:43

                    @Boomstick: If that packet of pasta is torn or the pasta crushed, it stays on the shelf and I take one in better shape. Bet you do too.

                    • petry on 15/01/2021 - 00:12

                      @DashCam AKA Rolts: and later when you open it , and its full of weevils you think the store will argue about the weevils?

                      • DashCam AKA Rolts on 15/01/2021 - 09:24

                        @petry: Yep, that's a warranty claim. The clearly damaged pack is as well, but I'm not picking that up just so I can try to return it after purchase.

                      • DashCam AKA Rolts on 15/01/2021 - 09:26

                        @petry: Caveat emptor

    • iatnuy on 13/01/2021 - 14:25
      +1

      Unfortunately not. The fuel door is only raised by a bit which is hard to tell unless you're really looking at it side on.

  • rollin on 13/01/2021 - 14:39
    +3

    You can tell from the picture the lid is not flush like its meant to be. Try another VW garage like the OP above said. If not, get onto VW australia. Try and get this in writing rather than verbally too. If they dont do anything i would take it to the ombudsman and provide your communications with the company. For 70k i would expect better especially in warranty. Thats a lot of money. Maybe the knob is protruding out too far which is making the door jar out slightly.

  • Switchblade88 on 13/01/2021 - 14:52
    +1

    Your only mistake was telling them you noticed earlier and then ignored it. Still their problem, but you gave them an out that they pounced on.

    If you'd had made no mention of the history and feigned ignorance ("It's just happened! Not sure why") then they'd have no recourse except a warranty repair as you should expect.

    • iatnuy on 13/01/2021 - 14:53

      I agree

  • life is suffering on 13/01/2021 - 15:36

    were you waiting for it to self heal hehe

    Dealer need to fix it bruh

  • Cheeper on 13/01/2021 - 15:45
    +1

    "PS. Overall, the car has been a pain to deal with given it's only been 2 years:"
    It's a euro… that is how they are. Go Korean or Jap next time. For SUV.. Isuzu.
    Try another dealership. If no good, try another one. Any dealership can do warranty repairs, it is not restriced to the one you bought the car from.
    There is no evidence of accident damage or tampering so they are obliged to fix it. Not being reported within a certain time is just the dealership spitting in your face.

    • [Deactivated] on 15/01/2021 - 07:50

      Izusu is Thai.

  • yellowfever on 13/01/2021 - 15:55
    +7

    Why do you even mention to them the issue happened a year ago

    Just say it happened now and it needs to be fixed

    Go to another dealer

    If they can't fix, bring some tools and take one off a display model from the showroom
    Take some car mats while you're at it

  • mini2 on 13/01/2021 - 16:28

    Go to another dealer but VW dealers in general left a lot to be desired. Some of the best experiences:

    • A dealer in Mascot told me to go buy a Hyundai if I wanted a discount when I asked them about their corporate program.
    • A Parramatta dealer says there’s no noise from the dual mass flywheel even though the gurgling marbling noise is loud as.
  • [Deactivated] on 14/01/2021 - 11:32

    never going to buy a VW again

    bought a MK5 Golf R32 cheap , took it to Volkswagen Rockdale in NSW for a service + transmission fluid change and haldex fluid change. total bill off memory came to just shy of $800.

    i explicitly told the Service representative who booked my car in to tell the mechanics to give it a once over as well as i had just purchased the car and wanted to make sure the car was safe.

    Once i got the car back i checked the checklist and it had appeared they did their once-over and i was charged for it and thought nothing of it.

    A day later i took it for a drive and it didn't feel like it was 100% , i took it into Pedders to get it inspected. they chucked it on the hoist and showed me in person that

    A. gearbox mounts were (profanity)
    B. an engine mount was gone
    C. the shocks were pretty much gone
    D. few other small suspension items

    I went back to VW and they basically said "they trust their mechanics to do the right job" and to bring the car back so they could have a look at it , at that point i told them why would i bring the car back if you didn't even report the issue to me in the first place. i had the report from pedders and the old parts and pictures prior to the car being pulled apart and they basically said they would not reimburse me for anything.

    I could have chased it all the way up to high court if i wanted to but the reality is i didn't want to deal with all the stress and bullshit at the time and for the $1500+ i spent to make my car safer was money well spent but the principal of the matter for me was , VW Dealerships are scum. they charge a premium and deliver you a sub-par service..if they even deliver a service to you at all.

    First and last Volkswagen.

    • Boomstick on 14/01/2021 - 19:51

      Had similar service with family members and colleagues. Mazda and Jeep have otherwise been flawless and Ford has been hit n mis.

    • FocusRider on 15/01/2021 - 07:37

      Your first mistake was taking it to VW dealer..

      Only reason I take my VW to the dealer is the free servicing that came with my car when that is finished I'll go elsewhere.

  • SF3 on 14/01/2021 - 23:54

    German engineering.

    Well, it is VW, if we remember diesel-gate… oh yeah this is another VW too.

  • lachhelix on 15/01/2021 - 00:44

    Yeah I'd definitely try another dealer and don't give them a timeline.

    I've had crap experiences with a majority of VW dealers I've been to also - refused to unlock a car or organise a test drive until we 'sorted out finance' regardless of the fact we were trading a car that was worth 3 times as much as the one we were looking to test drive.
    Next dealer bent over backwards to help

  • unclekenz on 17/01/2021 - 23:34
    -1

    All euro brands -
    Money pit to buy and service.
    Too complicated leads to unreliability.
    Pathetic manufacturer and dealer customer support.
    Don't buy. Easy.
    Thought most people knew this. No? Seriously?

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