Crash repaired Scirocco
Discussion
In October we purchased a beautiful Candy White 2012 (12 plate) VW Scirocco from a main VW dealer in Surrey. It was supplied with fully clear HPI/Experian checks and only 2,025 miles.
After a couple of washes we noticed that the front bumper was actually a badly resprayed Viper Green one as the white paint could be just wiped off the inside surface visible in the wheel arches.
This got us thinking and we discovered the following issues (remember this was sold as a 'nearly new' car)
Headlights were set too low - MOT failure in fact
Battery had been replaced with a Ford one.
Engine headshield was loose
Fuse box mounting was cracked leaving it 'floating'
Dashboard mounting screws were loose
We also had the radio shutdown for 30 minutes and then come back on its own. On another occasion the front wipers refused to come on for 20 minutes !
So, back the car went to the dealer who sorted all the mechanical issues and made this comment "the car has had a light front end repair, however the actual repair carried out was of a Volkswagen Standard".
So, I managed to contact the original owner who was a bit amazed that the car was even on the road as it had been in a serious front end collision in June. He even supplied me with photographs of the car.
VW have confirmed that second hand parts and Ford batteries do not constitute a repair to their standards and are currently trying to resolve the issue. The dealer has offered us our money back, but that isn't good enough as we would be left trying to locate a similar vehicle without a car as they had it as a trade-in.
When you look at the picture you will see that this vehicle should have been written off and marked as Cat C or Cat D, both airbags had been deployed and the doors were jammed, but some how it managed to get badly repaired and into a VW dealer.
The motto to this tale is be warned, a clear HPI/Experian check does not mean that the car has not actually been seriously damaged - even if it appears to be 'nearly new' and supplied by an approved dealer.
After a couple of washes we noticed that the front bumper was actually a badly resprayed Viper Green one as the white paint could be just wiped off the inside surface visible in the wheel arches.
This got us thinking and we discovered the following issues (remember this was sold as a 'nearly new' car)
Headlights were set too low - MOT failure in fact
Battery had been replaced with a Ford one.
Engine headshield was loose
Fuse box mounting was cracked leaving it 'floating'
Dashboard mounting screws were loose
We also had the radio shutdown for 30 minutes and then come back on its own. On another occasion the front wipers refused to come on for 20 minutes !
So, back the car went to the dealer who sorted all the mechanical issues and made this comment "the car has had a light front end repair, however the actual repair carried out was of a Volkswagen Standard".
So, I managed to contact the original owner who was a bit amazed that the car was even on the road as it had been in a serious front end collision in June. He even supplied me with photographs of the car.
VW have confirmed that second hand parts and Ford batteries do not constitute a repair to their standards and are currently trying to resolve the issue. The dealer has offered us our money back, but that isn't good enough as we would be left trying to locate a similar vehicle without a car as they had it as a trade-in.
When you look at the picture you will see that this vehicle should have been written off and marked as Cat C or Cat D, both airbags had been deployed and the doors were jammed, but some how it managed to get badly repaired and into a VW dealer.
The motto to this tale is be warned, a clear HPI/Experian check does not mean that the car has not actually been seriously damaged - even if it appears to be 'nearly new' and supplied by an approved dealer.
illmonkey - my thoughts exactly - but at least they hadn't been refitted.
DG - they say they have no suitable vehicles in their 'group' and can only offer a full refund. Bearing in mind the low trade-in price we accepted for an 08 plate Seat Ibiza we would be well out of pocket accepting that. We also want to ensure that it does not get back on any other forecourt as 'nearly new' with clear checks.
Alan
DG - they say they have no suitable vehicles in their 'group' and can only offer a full refund. Bearing in mind the low trade-in price we accepted for an 08 plate Seat Ibiza we would be well out of pocket accepting that. We also want to ensure that it does not get back on any other forecourt as 'nearly new' with clear checks.
Alan
You need to get in touch with VW UK Customer Services, write strongly worded letters, go mental, threaten trading standards, Watchdog etc etc basically kick up a huge fuss. I suspect they will want this to go away so either offer you compo or magically source a replacement identical car, thats not been crashed. Shocking!
zedx19 said:
You need to get in touch with VW UK Customer Services, write strongly worded letters, go mental, threaten trading standards, Watchdog etc etc basically kick up a huge fuss. I suspect they will want this to go away so either offer you compo or magically source a replacement identical car, thats not been crashed. Shocking!
ThisCould be very embarassing for them
Lunablack - the car was originally a Motability car, the registered keeper got a new Scirocco from them. We have yet to discover the exact route that the car took - although we already know it went to a car auction company but the auction was cancelled and the car was returned at the end of June to either Motability or RSA Motability (the insurer), not sure which.
So the issue of full payout is very muddy at this point.
An interesting issue is that the VW dealer told us the reason the car was for sale was that Motability no longer allowed 3 door cars - a fact we now know is untrue.
The car was re-taxed as a normal vehicle before we collected it.
So the issue of full payout is very muddy at this point.
An interesting issue is that the VW dealer told us the reason the car was for sale was that Motability no longer allowed 3 door cars - a fact we now know is untrue.
The car was re-taxed as a normal vehicle before we collected it.
alanSC said:
Lunablack - yes still on BJ12 NGX - I was going to add that later to ensure it gets searchable on Google etc.
Well I hope you get it sorted Alan...... Don't be fobbed off, you went to a main dealer for a nearly new car...... And that's what you should end up with, and not be inconvenienced any more than necessary or be out of pocket....alanSC said:
Lunablack - the car was originally a Motability car, the registered keeper got a new Scirocco from them. We have yet to discover the exact route that the car took - although we already know it went to a car auction company but the auction was cancelled and the car was returned at the end of June to either Motability or RSA Motability (the insurer), not sure which.
So the issue of full payout is very muddy at this point.
An interesting issue is that the VW dealer told us the reason the car was for sale was that Motability no longer allowed 3 door cars - a fact we now know is untrue.
The car was re-taxed as a normal vehicle before we collected it.
Mmmm.... Something smells fishy...... Either way, its none of your making.... You went to a main VW dealer to get the service and backup you'd expect.....make sure they see you rightSo the issue of full payout is very muddy at this point.
An interesting issue is that the VW dealer told us the reason the car was for sale was that Motability no longer allowed 3 door cars - a fact we now know is untrue.
The car was re-taxed as a normal vehicle before we collected it.
ReaperCushions said:
zedx19 said:
You need to get in touch with VW UK Customer Services, write strongly worded letters, go mental, threaten trading standards, Watchdog etc etc basically kick up a huge fuss. I suspect they will want this to go away so either offer you compo or magically source a replacement identical car, thats not been crashed. Shocking!
ThisCould be very embarassing for them
VW should be sending the OP a brand new Scirocco pronto IMO and sending this one to the scrap yard.
Lol main dealers are the worst kind! And rarey ever get caught out! From clocking to selling damaged repaired off
And if the car was under 6 months old at the time of damage iirc you can reject the reguardless,this may have happened in this case
Sounds like a real shoddy repair though if obvious things like A ford battery was fitted etc and screws missing things you see when someone's selling a pile of s
te they have picked up off blue cycle etc to make a quick few quid on
Defiantly persue them got compensation,if you are happy with the car make them put everything right and you want the difference back asif you were buying it as a damaged car
Sounds like there could be more to come so personally I would walk away from it
And if the car was under 6 months old at the time of damage iirc you can reject the reguardless,this may have happened in this case
Sounds like a real shoddy repair though if obvious things like A ford battery was fitted etc and screws missing things you see when someone's selling a pile of s
te they have picked up off blue cycle etc to make a quick few quid on Defiantly persue them got compensation,if you are happy with the car make them put everything right and you want the difference back asif you were buying it as a damaged car
Sounds like there could be more to come so personally I would walk away from it
D_G said:
I'd be amazed if they will even consider giving you a new car, a full refund and temporary transport would be my guess. I'd also guess the car will end up at an auction very soon after you hand it back.
Yea I agree. Although what they have done is very shoddy they are still not obliged to give you anything extra. Surely cars are sold as seen no matter who you buy it from.You just need to threaten them with bad press and hopefully they'll sort you out. Don't know whether you have anything to stand on legally.
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