Volkswagen of Olympia Damaged new car Olympia, Washington
On May 23, 2018, we bought a new car from Volkswagen of Olympia as a gift for my wife. During sale negotiations, we emphatically insisted, and it was agreed by the parties, that the vehicle be delivered to our home about 100 miles from the dealership by flatbed transport, as opposed to having it driven there; that there be no holes drilled in the bumpers for license plates or dealer advertising. These demands were restated and emphasized numerous times before and after the sale was finalized, and they were agreed to an equal number of times by the dealer’s agent. Additionally, we called the day before the vehicle was delivered and were assured no license plate frame had been installed.
When the vehicle was delivered, we were stunned by the presence of a dealer advertising license frame screwed onto the rear bumper. To add insult to abject disappointment, it was off center by two inches, jammed up against the bumper valance, rendering correct installation of a license frame/plate impossible without body work. It was equally disappointing, and difficult to believe, the vehicle had also been driven 30 miles to a sister dealership and that we had not been told the truth the day before. It is incredible the dealership had plenty of time to do things they promised not to do but no time to remove adhesive and excess rustproofing from the vehicle’s exterior.
In consideration of our extreme dissatisfaction, we received a phony “credit” for $250 in parts. This so-called credit referenced a different vehicle and was apparently an ill-advised attempt to temporarily shut us up. It is good to remember this only sets the dealership back about $100 or less, given the usual markup. My wife has stated what she would have paid several thousand dollars extra to avoid the stress and disappointment she endured. Though we finally got a negotiable credit voucher, which took a week and interminable correspondence far exceeding $250 in nuisance value, what can I do with it at this dealership, when I can’t trust them with the vehicle?
Unfortunately, it gets worse. While cleaning the oil-based wax rustproofing from the rocker panels ourselves, we discovered the vehicle’s underbody lift/jack points had been seriously damaged during the dealership’s installation of plastic mud flaps, a so-called dealer “upgrade” of $40 in plastic parts charged to the customer at $220. While we knew they were on the vehicle we did not know the vehicle’s undercoating and underbody pinch welds had been compromised to the extent the sheet metal was prized apart, distorted, and folded up, and on one side the rocker panel itself was torn, leaving a hole. The severity of this condition is found in the manufacturer’s corrosion warranty and attention to rust prevention on the underbody pans. Lifting a unibody vehicle for service is not rocket science; our Subaru has the same type underbody lift points and has not been damaged or suffered even a tiny scratch in numerous trips to the dealer’s service department. Perhaps we should have crawled under the vehicle for inspection before signing off, or specified in the contract the undercarriage not be damaged?
What was supposed to be a happy event was transformed into a stress-filled nightmare that is currently unabated, due entirely to unremitting careless indifference, or worse. So we do not have a new car but a damaged, used car, before we drove it a mile, which is not what we paid for, which is not the gift my wife expected. The repairs are pending, and we have not driven the vehicle. And what are we to do now? Be satisfied with a lip-service apology? Trust this dealership that has proven itself irredeemably incompetent, irresponsible, and untruthful to perform repairs? At the risk of yet more damage? Nor do we care to further discuss the matter with the blame-shifting sales department “closer.”
This complaint was sent to Volkswagen of Olympia Principal Heidi Pehl. A principal without principles, it turns out. No response was received until the dealership was contacted by Volkswagen Customer Service, who relayed their answer: They didn’t do it. So who does that leave? Me? This is a terrific follow-on to VW’s diesel emissions scandal. I know I wouldn’t buy another VW.