[PRCo] Volkswagen of America

[Schneider Fred]

With apologies to those on the list not interested ...

One of the three other Freds on this list commented privately to me  
last week on this subject and I cannot ... in my "declining years"  
remember which one.   Delete if you do not want to read.    His  
comment was that he had heard some very good things recently about  
Volkswagen.

My 2010 Passat was laid up because the transmission heat sensor was  
defective and it told me to stop ... transmission overheating.    
Volkswagen dealers do not stock that part because it is only replace  
under warranty with approval from Volkswagen of America.   Someone at  
VOA blew it and the car sat at the local dealer for two weeks while I  
was putting a thousand miles (including a trip to Pittsburgh) on a  
free loaner.    It wasn't the dealer who was guilty, it was some fool  
in corporate parts or corporate warranty who failed to insure that  
the part was shipped.

Well eventually you have to get the mule's attention with a 2x4 and I  
made a call to corporate.   That was all it took.   The dealer called  
at 6:30 the next morning to tell me, "The part's here!!!!!!!"   But I  
informed the dealer's write up man, "Sorry Mark.   I'm going in the  
hospital to have a hernia sewn up.   Can't pick it up today."  His  
response was. "VOA is paying for the car.   They screwed it up this  
long.   It's their problem.   You get better."  I picked my car up  
the next day.

The total cost to V. O. A. has run over $1,300 for a simple $500  
warranty repair but once awakened, V. O. A. has kept on it.

What is the keep Fred happy amount?   Well, it was about $500 for the  
courtesy car for two weeks.   And this morning corporate called and  
asked if I had financed the car and would I let them make a one month  
car payment as a gesture of apology for their screwing up.   That  
comes to about $328.  (I wish now that I had financed it for the  
amount I am really paying them.)     I guess I just got a 0% loan or  
less if I pay it off soon enough.   (I only owed about 40% of the  
value when I took it home.)

They obviously do not want to become another Chrysler or General  
Motors.