Warranty Claim Volkswagen

choo choo man

Hi,

I have an automatic Arteon that i have had for just under a year and only put 9,000kms on the car in that time. I have noticed the coating is starting to come off the gear lever knob, minor as it is, i went to the dealer and he processed the claim with Volkswagen. The dealer subsequently contacted me to say that the damage was "wear and tear" and not covered under warranty. I contacted Volkswagen Ireland and explained i had the car for less than a year and only put 9,000 kms on the clock. Volkswagen came back stating that the dealer stated it was "wear and tear" but if i wanted to get an independant assessor (at my cost) to look at the car i could.

Do i have any recourse here? The gear lever knob is not even leather it looks to have an artificial coating on it. I do not use any products on my hands and do not rest my hand on the lever while. Ant input would be helpful.

Cookie_Monster

how old is the car actually though?

you bought a wagon new or a second hand liftback?

choo choo man

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123358722#Comment_123358722

The car is 232 and still under warranty.

choo choo man

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123358733#Comment_123358733

Believe it or not, the car was an ex Volkswagen Ireland car. Purchased with 400kms on the clock.

Exiled Rebel

Poor form from VW. Is the small claims court worth pursuing?

Stallingrad

The more I hear about VW warranty (as measly as it is) the less inclined I would be to consider the brand. Even if it was 'wear and tear', on such an often used touch point it is outrageous that it should start to fail so soon. We had flaking chrome on a Skoda Superb gear lever while under warranty, and it was replaced by Skoda after a bit if back and forth.

If VW are trying to fob you off I would escalate, the part is obviously not fit for purpose and you could attempt to go through the Small Claims Court.

Gumbo

VW, goodwill 😂

They are useless with a worse warranty compared to its competition.

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123358733#Comment_123358733

So its a 2 year old car then.. I don’t think worn out leather would ever be covered under warranty. The only brand I can think of who cover stuff like that is Tesla

Cookie_Monster

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123358853#Comment_123358853

At 2 years old wear and tear is not valid tbh. It has to be fit for purpose and lasting only 2 years is certainly not fit for purpose for any aspect of a vehicle apart from fluids.

choo choo man

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123358853#Comment_123358853

Its not leather unfortunately. It is a plastic gear knob with some sort of coating that is sprayed onto the surface of the gearknob. I wish it was leather!. Cheap sh**te unfortunately. It looks like the same coating that was on the door panels of the Passats and Golfs a number of years ago. That coating used to come off those panels too.

Gumbo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123358911#Comment_123358911

Could they blame it on you, rings, watches etc

Post a picture.

But what i will say, VW and Audi have been known for wear and tear on their switch gear for years. I've posted it many times on this forum. The switches just wear away and leave a white plastic base underneath.

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123358864#Comment_123358864

Its purpose is to change gears, not to look pretty. So therefore it is still fit for purpose.

pauly58

Now you know where you might stand with them if you are just out of warranty & want a bit of goodwill, zero I would say, as much as Nissan. Opel were pretty good in fairness, if a good customer had a problem we would ring Vauxhall Luton & they would always contribute.

sligopaul

what is the cost of the part, is it worth pursuing if the cost of a replacement is palatable

Stallingrad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123359063#Comment_123359063

You could get a job in VW's warranty department. :-).

If the paint came off on the door handle would you be saying the door handle still works, it's still fit for purpose? The coating on the gear lever is not fit for purpose if it can't last more than two years.

choo choo man

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123359085#Comment_123359085

Quoted €500 euro to replace which included labour. The car is automatic so i presume the knob might come with the lever mechanism hence the cost.

sligopaul

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123359254#Comment_123359254

ok understand why you are pursuing them !

choo choo man

For this to happen to a car i paid over €50,000 for i would expect better quality. I look after my cars very well and don't abuse them. The car is automatic so for the vast majority of the journey the gearstick is left in drive . I do expect wear of such components but not after 9,000 kms.

GavPJ

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123359281#Comment_123359281

And this is the reason I don't like VW. Over priced and over rated. A fine car you have there and

I would be disgusted too if they didn't cover it for you, especially as it was an ex VW Ireland car.

If it was a manual car, you can kind of get your head around it suffering from wear and tear but

not an auto. I think it is really **** for VW not to cover it.

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123359134#Comment_123359134

To be fair, there is a separate warranty for the paintwork, so that actually might be covered under warranty😂

JIdontknow

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123358983#Comment_123358983

Can you post a picture? Can they try fob it off as wrong cleaner or something used when valeting or something (Not saying it was the case btw).

Gumbo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123359822#Comment_123359822

Yes of course. Some products can be corrosive or can eat away at the material, loosening the glue adhesive etc

bazz26

I'm surprised they didn't use the chemicals in hand sanitizer as a possible reason for it to prematurely wear. That was used a bit post covid on a variety of poor quality products.

pjdarcy

Is this what you're looking for OP?

Ebay VOLKSWAGEN ARTEON gear knob

You might also like to invest in some Alan Partridge style driving gloves :-)

Cookie_Monster

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123359542#Comment_123359542

Good luck ever getting anything covered by that paintwork warranty.… I had to get paint thickness testing done on a vehicle one time as part of the process and was rejected based on that alone. Never saw any paintwork covered in my 7 years working at a vw dealer.

pale rider

VW have shown you zero respect as a customer that purchased an expensive car.

Don’t buy another, lesson to others here, if any manufacturer messes you about don’t support that brand.

I speak as a former repeat BMW owner from the days of chain stretching, they got none of my hard earned since.

BrianD3

I have low expectations for the motor trade in general and VW in particular. They've been giving poor customer service for years and yet people line up to buy their overpriced cars.

Given the way things are, wear and tear is a plausible excuse for VW in this case. Just because you say you didn't leave your hand resting on the lever or regularly spill hot fluids on it doesn't mean that you didn't. Even if it is a matter for the CCPC, you'll waste time and energy on it and they're probably underresourced and inefficient like every other state agency. E.g. last year I reported a clear and quite serious breach of GDPR to the DPC and was fobbed off, advised to take it up with the company etc. Wasted my time.

I've learned to expect the worst from other people, nobody gives a sh1t. The way you protect yourself from flaking gear knobs on 50k cars is don't buy a 50k car. If you had bought a 20k Dacia and had the same issue, it probably wouldn't bother you.

beachhead

VW cars are and always have been overpriced for what get.Some feel driving empty tin cans with plastic surrounds in a seperate can.It's outrageuos that they can tell you to get lost on a 50,000 car.Don't buy again.If me I would make them sick of hearing from me.

bazz26

One last option might be to bring it to their direct attention on their social media platforms. These companies dislike negative experiences being posted on platforms such as X, Instagram, etc where they are promoting their brand.

Be careful and thoughtful how you post it though. Don't come across as having a rant or being abusive as it gives them an excuse to delete or remove you. Just give an honest review of your experience of the matter. Tag both the dealer and VW Ireland.

You never know, they might reach out with a different attitude to resolving it in the public domain. Worst case your no worse off than you are now.

pauly58

I would think small claims court is the way to go, I would think they'll settle when the court papers arrive.

briangriffin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123359281#Comment_123359281

You absolutely would expect this cars gear stick to be in pristine condition after paying a premium price of 50k.

Your limited warranty does not supersede your statutory rights as a consumer under the sale of goods and supply of services act. You have 6 years to make a claim. Goods must be of 1. Of merchantable quality 2. Fit for purpose and 3. As described.

At a cost of replacement of €500 the garage and or volswagen should be paying for the faulty part because its not of merchantable quality or fit for its purpose especially given the cost and the fact that the milage is so low and the gearstick through its regular use should last far far longer i would suggest the duration of the cars lifetime given the price paid. Its outrageous for the garage to suggest that you should pay for a faulty cover given you paid 50k and the car is barely 2 years old, its clearly not a wear and tear issue.

Quote the sale of goods act contact cpcc the competition and consumer protection commission and get some free independent legal advice.

I would do the following in your scenario

1. Contact CPCC get their advice, write down what they tell you for use with the dealer.
2. Contact the garage and tell them it is not a wear and tear issue. It most definitely is not its ordinary use and should last much much longer than it has. Quote the sale of goods and services act. Tell them its the small claims court if they don't pay.
3. Pay if you have to and then submit a claim to the small claims court it costs 25 quid for any claim under 2k and I can't guarantee you will win but from dealing with them and with garages through them I'd say you'd have a excellent chance of winning. If not you are only down 25 quid.
4. Do not under any circumstances settle for a lesser sum. You have paid enough already the law is meant to protect you in this exact situation.
5. Mess around with grok or chat gpt input your issue and reference the sale of goods and you might get some helpful info for your phonecall to the dealer.