|
I'm sorry and frustrated for you on your experience here. I'd better not say too much about the dealer though, as someone out there is bound to come to their defence judging by recent posts !
|
To have had a crack somewhere, it must surley have had a serious knock that would have caused visible exterior damage. I can't see how a bumper would have not shown some damage.
What about the dealer you bought the car from, have you been in contact with them about the issue?
|
|
|
Hi everyone,
Thankyou for your comments so far.
The car was bought new.
As the car is damaged and there is nothing I can do about it, there is nothing I can achieve from trying to work out what happened. It could have happened while parked in a supermarket, it could have happened while it was in the VW car park? The repair bill is 4 digits, so it is an insurance job. The insurance company have agreed to pay for the repair. But the VW garage will not release the car until the £780 is paid. As previously stated the insurance company will not pay (I do agree fully with the insurance company) for work that has been done which is either nothing to do with the fault, or not necessary.
The problem is that VW are saying they are out of pocket for the time they have spent working on the car and they are charging for removing an refitting the dash and replacing carpet.
As previously stated, I asked for a quote not for them to do anything to the car. So thats argument point number one.
The second big point is that for a leak in the boot you would not remove the dash board to check the front windscreeen seals would you? Water travels down from the highest point (which is the boot) so how can they charge me for their incompetance? It is their fault that they assumed the leak was behind the dash board not mine. I did tell them there was water in the boot and it is on the job sheet that I signed.
What I need to know is what I can say to them which will sort this out once and for all. It does not matter how much I tell them that water cannot flow upwards, and that I am not paying for work that I neither asked for, nor should they have done if they looked at the problem with any degree of common sense. They are convinced that we pay or don't get the car back. The insurance company are waiting to pick the car up, I just need VW to drop the stupid act (and the stupid price)
Many Thanks
|
|
If it is in the VW car park, can you not just drive it away using your spare key?! (i appreciate this will not resolve the situation, and may antagonise the dealer, but at least you will have your car back!)
|
|
|
jigsaw. You find yourself in a bad situation through no fault of your own. Remember there is a difference between 'the dealership' and 'VW'. Put everything in writing to the dealer, state you did not authorise them to remove the dashboard and you consider the work unecessary and you therefore have no intention to pay. If they dispute this, they must provide proof you instructed them to do the work, and justify why they did it. Then also get in touch with VW UK and send them a copy of all correspondence, request their input, stating how disappointed you are with the level of service/attitude you have received from their representatives (the dealership). Request a swift conclusion to enable you to have the car repaired and back on the road quickly. Be firm, and do not give way. You are quite right about never being able to prove where and when the rear damage was done. Don't waste time getting stressed about it. DO NOT BE BOLSHY. Losing your temper will get you nowhere. No one reacts well to dealing with someone in a temper tantrum, they are more likely to put up more stumbling blocks. A friend of mine swears by throwing his toys out of his pram if ever anything goes wrong/breaks/gets poor service; with the adage 'it's the squeaking wheel that gets oiled'. This is true if you are calm and firm. If you go postal, I personally think 'it's the squeaking wheel that gets thrown away with the rubbish'.
Good luck.
--
let me be the last to let you down....
|
|
|
Everyone is missing the important part here.
If the car is damaged enough that seams have split, external damage would have been noticed by you. Is there any or has there been any?
You had the car from new.
SO
1/ It was damaged and badly repaired BEFORE you bought it new. It was not of satisfactory quality and EVERYTHING should be covered under warranty.
2/ Its been damaged BY THE GARAGE while in their care, so they should pay up.
3/ The water leak is a warranty item. If they removed the dashboard assembly in trying to resolve a warranty p[roblem whos fault and cost is that? Theirs.
------------------------------
TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
|
Everyone is missing the important part here. If the car is damaged enough that seams have split, external damage would have been noticed by you. Is there any or has there been any?
I didn't miss the point (see my post).
|
|
|
|
Jigsaw,
I apologise if I'm being dumb...
You bought the car new ? The amount of damage you are talking of is significant and presumably would have been visible by bodywork damage. So is the assumption that this accident happened and was repaired before you got the car ?
In which case, why on earth is your insurer repairing it since its got nothing to do with the period of insurance cover ?
If it supposedly happned during your term of ownership, then how on earth did you not notice the damage when you walked out of the supermarket or wherever ?
I may be being dense, but I don't get the whole insurance/accident/damage repair part of this.
|
If you didn't authorise the work that they have billed you for, just walk in to the dealer (assuming you cannot take the car with a spare key) and explain that you didn't authorise any work, ask for the keys and don't move until they hand them over. Then just drive away and forget about it, tell them to sue you for it! When they try to call you about this, just explain that you will not pay for work that you did not authorise. Tell them you will see them in court and have the whole thing out in the open.
I can't see why you are allowing yourself to be held to ransom like this...unless you did authorise the work in which case you must pay. You could also ask them to prove that you did.
Regarding the damage, this car could have been damaged anywhere between the end of the production line and the place where the damage was first spotted.
If you really are sure that the damage didn't happen whilst the car was in your possession then you must be able to point the finger at anyone else that has had the car, starting which the last person who had it before the leak.
You could try a HPI check or whatever and also contact your insurance company to see if the vehicle has ever been involved in an accident.
|
|
|
|
|
One thing missing so far is a picture of the damage, unless I've misread the thread. Where is it? Is it something recent? Is it something that has occurred in the dealers hands, or even before the dealer got it? For example, if the boot area had been distorted, and cosmetic remedial paintwork and a new bumper fitted, it may have been there all along. An impact whilst in your hands would not have gone unnoticed, surely? It might make a considerable difference to the outcome if you could find out the nature of the damage, and also when it happened. Insurance company have assessors: suggest you use them or an independent. But get legal advice first, including how to deal with getting the vehicle out of the VW dealers hands, for instance, by paying under protest. Then you can get a good look at the vehicle. We were intending to buy an Audi, until my wife asked a question about white marks under the wheel-arches. Lifted the boot carpets, and there was more of the white sealant bodge, plus rust, where the car had had a near side rear ender. Was going to be sold as Audi Approved! Salesman was quite good at acting surprised: fancy that he said.
|
Got a spare key? Just go to the garage, drive the car away as its legally yours, and as you didnt agree to the contract of 'the car wont be released until bill is paid' theres not a lot they can do there and then. Theres a good chance its just sat in a large yard at the back of the dealer.
Then watch as they try and start court proceedings.
Just remember to get another dealer to change the locks and keys if you take it back... ;-)
|
|
Did i not say that above?!
|
|
|
|
|
If you have no knowledge of bodywork damage and there was no apparent evidence of any before you handed the car over, then it must have been caused before you bought the car. This is what you should say to the dealer and to VW.
|
|
|
Jigsaw, Slighty ridiculous having to pay for new carpets if they're as wet and moldy as the originals - why did VW fit them without waiting for the leak to be fixed?
Also, note comments about considerable damage - I take it that this damage was unrepaired? I've seen some chunky rear end shunts where the car looks undamaged, but the floor pan is buckled. So it's entirely possible this happened while you had the car. I tend to doubt that the insurance would have paid up if they suspected the damage was done before you acquired the car.
As you say, the key thing is that the dealer is charging you for unauthorised work. Perhaps a word with your local trading standards may assist. Or you could pay the bill under duress and then take the dealer to the small claims court for redress. Still think it's worth trying a law helpline for advice / assistance.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
