[Resolved]  Volkswagen India — Misleading information, attempt to dupe customer

To Concerned,

I own a VW Polo Highline bought in July 2014. I also have extended warranty from VW covering the car until July 2018. I had my car transported to my family in Delhi. In very unfortunate circumstances, my father-in-law, who was collecting the car on delivery found that the car would not start.

The car was then towed to the closest VW service centre - VW Gurugram. On arrival (8th March 2017), the service centre execs promised to take a look and report the problems to us. From here on all our dialogue with the VW Service Centre (VWSC) execs happened on the phone as Gurugram is quite far from Ghaziabad (our place of address).

On initial report, we were told that the radiator was cracked – possible mis-handling by the Transport company – and it will have to be replaced and would cost to the tune of INR 30K. We agreed to go ahead with repair. Then followed another conversation a couple of days later in which we were told that the car’s engine had overheated due to loss of coolant and eventually seized the Engine. The VWSC reps promised to check if this can be covered under the extended warranty. They also explained that it might have damaged the pistons and the head. We feared this was going to become a costly affair. After another 5 days that included a weekend and a national holiday, they broke the news to us that the whole Engine unit will need to be replaced. Reason they provided was that a Petrol engine is never repaired by VW (in cases like ours) and strangely a Diesel engine can get repaired. This didn’t sound right to me. We asked for an estimate from VW. This was going to be a massive hit money-wise and we decided to lodge a formal complaint against the Transport company for all the issues they have caused. The estimate was sent out (attached) which stated the cost to be nearly INR 3.8 lacs. At this point we thought best to find out from other sources if we can a) claim insurance for total loss or b) get it repaired elsewhere.

The insurance idea fell flat as we were suggested that the Insurance wouldn’t cover engine problems without physical damage but did get options of good external service stations. We decided to get the car repaired outside and went to the VWSC to get back the car on the 25th March. When VWSC reps learnt our intention, shockingly we were told a few things and as a loyal customer of VW service, I demand to understand how these conclusions/decisions were made.

1. The VWSC hadn’t opened the head yet and said that they can open the head and check if the problem is not that grave and they can repair it easily. How did they even decide that the WHOLE engine has to be replaced without checking these details?

2. The VWSC rep then claimed that they repair the car within INR 60k, fix all the engine problems and also give us a warranty of 6 months on the Engine. This is atrocious! How can they first quote a phenomenal 4Lac figure and later guarantee a repair within 60k with a warranty. This however they did not give us in any form of writing. I feel this is very unprofessional. Please explain

3. On collection, we found that even the dirt on the bolts was intact which is proof that the car was never even opened properly to diagnose the problem. How is it possible that they just stated so many problems without any physical inspection of the car?

4. Diagnostic report provided says that the first overheating alert was detected on 1st March when meter read 27538 kms and the next one was only on the 7th March at reading of 27557 kms. At this point the engine apparently seized. If the car just travelled only 19 kms (which would be the usual distance to a Service Station) in 7 days and this stalled the engine completely, why cannot it be covered under the warranty? This looks very much like a car problem than driver negligence or pre-meditated attempt to destroy the engine.

I currently live outside India and having to deal with such problems and organise assistance is a challenge. Putting a mask over my eyes into paying more money to repair my car and lack of transparency by a registered Volkswagen group service centre would have been the last thing I wanted to experience. I am not sure whom to believe. Definitely the Transport company was at fault to begin with, but the failure of VW to reinstate any faith in their mode of assistance or ‘service’ is a shame. Can this be circulated to the right regional representatives and can action be taken to provide justification of what unfolded and a suitable solution to the whole problem.
Looking forward to open dialogue.

Regards,
Jaideep
Jaideepnaidu.[protected]@gmail.com