Complaint Review: West Houston Volkswagen

I live in Montana and have been looking for a VW Jetta Sportswagen for a while.   I came across a West Houston Volkswagen ad for a 2009 Jetta SportWagen.

I initially contacted the dealer by email and Mr. Russ Aliresponded.  I told him about my intent to buy the Jetta and then
drive it home to Montana, so I needed a reliable and safe car.  I inquired about several items, starting with the maintenance of the car.  He responded that the car was "in great condition" and even sent a form from the maintenance department stating that "we just did the 80k service as well as transmission service" .  He also reassured me multiple times over the phone that I was working with a VW dealership and if there were any problems with the car they would have been fixed by certified VW mechanics.

I then asked about the headlights, which were unusual looking.  I was assured the headlights were "Jetta" headlights.  When I asked specifically if they were after-market headlights the dealer responded that they were "Add Ons" which lead me to believe the original owner purchased them as a separate option when buying the car.

Satisfied with Mr Ali's responses I bought a plane ticket to Houston the next day, put a $1000 hold on the car via credit card and wired the remaining balance to the dealership with the understanding that I would purchase the car if it passed a pre-purchase inspection with an independent certified VW mechanic.

The pre-purchase inspection found many problems, including: cupped original rear tires with wear and a quarter-sized puncture hole in the rear right tire, brake fluid not flushed and extremely low (showed a quick red on indicator), rear shocks and front struts in need of replacement, undercarriage damaged from animal carcass that was still partially attached with fur, black soot in exhaust, 80k mile transmission service due, broken intercooler tabs, after market
items poorly installed or not functioning (navigation), and interior air filter not changed.

When I returned to the dealership their first response was to tell me that the mechanic was a liar.  When I insisted that they look at the brake fluid, rear tires, intercooler, and the other items listed on the report they agreed there were some problems after all.   They offered to replace the tires with four used tires, flush the brake fluid, and were able to locate all of the original VW parts that the original owner had included when he traded in his car.  However, the dealership stated that the black soot in the exhaust was normal.   They also said that the intercooler's function and stability would
not be affected by the broken tabs so they refused to replace or repair it as well.   Obviously I requested they refund my money and flew home the next day.

I am very troubled that West Houston Volkswagen tried to sell me a car with tires that had over 80,000 of wear and brake fluid that needed to be changed.  A tire failure or brake problem at highway speeds can be life threatening.  They also appear to have lied about the 80k inspection and transmission service.  Even if they felt that black exhaust soot and broken intercooler tabs were acceptable they still should have disclosed them, in addition to thoroughly cleaning the road-kill off the car in keeping with their statements that this was a "clean car" .  Finally, I suspect that West Houston Volkswagen was hoping to make a few extra bucks off the OEM equipment that the original owner had provided with the car by letting me drive off with a car full of cheap after-market parts. 

Had I not had the car checked by an independent mechanic I would have embarked on a 1,663 mile journey home with a punctured tire, unserviced transmission and dangerously low brake fluid being reassured that they "fixed any problems" and that I was safe buying a VW from a Volkswagen dealership.

I waited over three weeks for them to reimburse me.  I waited over a month to receive a response to my formal complaint filed with VW Headquarters and never received one.   I would never recommend buying any vehicle (new or used) from this dealership.  Profit is their bottom line, not customer care and satisfaction.