ComplaintsforVolkswagen of Duluth

• Initial Complaint

  06/03/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Deceptive Practices and Misrepresentation by Dealership I purchased a used vehicle from this dealership believing it was in good condition, only to discover undisclosed starting issues soon after the purchase. Despite my attempts to address the problem, the dealership was uncooperative and unable to fix the issue. They repurchased the vehicle likely to avoid legal action, leaving me with about $1500 in expenses.The dealership's unethical behavior and failure to disclose known issues are concerning. I advise caution to others considering buying from this dealership to prevent similar experiences.Key Points:-Sold a vehicle with a known starting problem that went unaddressed -Re-listed the problematic vehicle for sale after repurchasing it -Lack of transparency and failure to uphold basic standards

  

  Business response

  06/03/2024

  ************* purchased a vehicle on or about January 20, 2024.  Based on the vehicle being 16 years old with ****** miles we are required to sell the vehicle AS-IS with no dealer warranty.  Any vehicle over the age of 8 model years and/or ***** miles is required to be sold AS-IS seeing as how a dealer can not be held responsible for previous use and maintenance.  The vehicle had been inspected prior to sale.  We invested $2935.88 in reconditioning of the vehicle which included new tires, brakes, two light bulbs, wiper arm, blower motor, and the third brake light.  There was a note from previous customer of intermittently not starting.  Technician attempted ******************************** an attempt to replicate any potential issue.  25 cycles of starting the vehicle and all started the vehicle successfully.    On or about March 27, 2024, we chose to purchase the vehicle back from ************** for the same amount she had paid for it.  There was sales tax, title, and registration fees paid to the state of MN which was not reimbursed by the state as a sale of real property had taken place.  The cost of trying to diagnose/repair a fault on a vehicle which could not be duplicated and weeks of alternate transportation provided far exceeded those dollars paid to the State.  ************** was satisfied when we agreed to look at the vehicle at no charge, provide no cost transportation in a new vehicle for weeks, and at the end we would still be willing to purchase it back if she was not satisfied.  We followed through on all of those.

• Initial Complaint

  08/28/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I went to the business to buy a used vehicle and found a 2011 VW Jetta sport wagon with ****** miles on it for around 1*****$ they said everything worked great everything was fixed and on the vehicle and I would not need to worry about any repairs for awhile and it would be a reliable vehicle. I bought it in February 2023 I have had it for 6 months in this time the radio has gone out and needed to be replaced it was 600 dollars, then a few weeks later as I was driving the turbo blew another ***** dollar fix, then they said everything was working correctly when I bought it in the winter so when I tried the air conditioning it worked, well when it started to get hot I realized they lied and the ** in fact did not work that was a **** dollar fix, also the timing belt needed to be replaced before I bought it which they did not do and that was a ***** dollar fix, now the alternator just went out and stranded me in the side of the road and is expected to be a ************************************************************************************************************************************************ as easy prey to sell a car that they knew was a piece of c*** I brought in to my mechanic and he said that all of this should have been fixed before being sold to me and that they have done this before

  

  Business response

  08/28/2023

  Hello,
  
  Prior to ************** purchasing the Jetta from our dealership, it was thoroughly inspected and we spent $2,489.95 on items that needed replaced, including the turbo. If she would have contacted us when this issue arose, the turbo would have been covered under a parts warranty. The radio, A/C and alternator are all items that can stop working at any time without providing any warning signs.Our records indicate that ************** was also offered an extended warranty on the vehicle to cover unsuspected mechanical issues, and she declined that coverage. The timing belt was likely changed prematurely by her mechanic, as it is recommended to change at 120k miles along with the water pump. Outside of this review, we have not heard from ************** regarding any of these issues and had no opportunity to assist.
  

• Initial Complaint

  10/04/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We purchased a vehicle around 8/30/21. We have had the car for about 3 weeks when we noticed oil on the ground. We take it to a mechanic to learn there is an oil leak as well as a leak in the engine pinion. Shortly after, we ended up with a flat tire that couldn't be patched because of bubbles (we hadn't driven on it flat). When we were told about the tire, we were also informed that the brakes were metal on metal. We questioned the mechanic if we could have gotten them that bad in the amount of time we had the car. We were told the only way we would have caused that much damage was if we had been driving full speed with our foot on the brake the entire time we had the car. When we purchased the car, we made it known it would be the primary transportation for our 4 and 5 year old to and from school. We told them we needed something that was safe. This car is currently not safe at all. From what mechanics have told us, it wasn't safe when we first had it either.

  

  Business response

  10/15/2021

  We asked the customer to bring the vehicle to us so we could further inspect the vehicle.  Customer stated they were not comfortable driving the vehicle.  our staff went and picked up the vehicle and brought it here.  upon inspection of the brakes, they were in the same condition as our first inspection.  we took video of the inspection so the customer could see there was more sufficient brake pad life and it is safe.  as far as the tires, it was clear there was something wrong with the right rear tire.  so as the customer would not have to pursue the tire company for restitution, we elected to replace the tires and pursue the tire manufacturer ourselves.

  Customer response

  10/22/2021

   I am rejecting this response because: We took the vehicle to a mechanic to be looked over upon getting it back. The mechanic informed us that the brake pads looked relatively new and that the rotors had not been replaced (which has now caused MORE issues with the brakes). I called and spoke to the service department which informed me they had not done anything with the brakes but HAD changed the oil. Upon checking the oil, it is obvious the oil is not freshly changed (and the oil change light came on shortly after conversation). The video that was sent to me showed three of the brakes being checked. When the back brake was checked, the person moved the camera so we could not see the brake being measured. I pointes this out to the sales manager (Nick?) and was told that a new video of the last brake would be sent to me. That video was never sent. Attached is a picture showing the brakes prior to being picked up and the brakes once we got the vehicle back. Still not happy at all as we were 100% lied to regarding a major safety feature of a vehicle that was meant to drive our 4 and 5 year old daily.That is not happening as I do NOT trust this vehicle and we will be investigating taking further action regarding this issue.
  
  
  

  

  Business response

  10/26/2021

  After continued good will for the customer since they purchased vehicle and took ownership, the vehicle expectations were still not met.  We have decided to purchase the vehicle back from the customer.

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