Rembursement Claim
Here is a copy of the text in the correspondence I just sent back to VW about my issue.
To Who It May Concern,
I have received the initial refusal to provide reimbursement under the AdBlue heater warranty extension dated January 3, 2017. The refusal was based on an arbitrary requirement for additional items that were not described or identified in the warranty extension notification letter, Warranty Extension Reimbursement Request Form, or during multiple phone calls with your customer service center before I generated and sent the request. Volkswagen’s refusal to provide reimbursement is improper and contains ex post facto justifications for denial of my claim which are inappropriate.
SEQUENCE OF EVENTS:
In February of 2016 (approx. 53000 mi), the Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) was illuminated and prompted me to diagnose the car. I ran the diagnosis with my Windows-based VAG/VAS Emulator and discovered a “9655 – Control Circuit for Reductant Tank Heating” code P202A at 53326 mi.
My impression was that this issue would be covered under warranty for the emissions system, so I went to XXX Volkswagen in XXXXXX, XX, and requested service to fix the problem. I was told that the problem was not covered under the warranty. The quote for repair was well over $1,000. I decided to change the component myself, so I ordered a repair kit (PN 561-198-970-A).
As a formerly-certified ASE mechanic and currently-certified FAA Airframe and Powerplant mechanic, I was (and still am) professionally qualified and capable of performing this simple repair. The component was changed, and subsequent system scans showed that the fault was corrected.
In October of 2016, I received the official notification of the warranty extension and option for reimbursement. I carefully reviewed the requirements for reimbursement which are listed on the Warranty Extension Reimbursement Request Form and the notification letter (Attachments 1 & 2). I made an initial call to your customer service center at 800-893-5928, discussed my intent to process a claim, and asked for any specific instructions that differed from, or were not included on, the official form. Even though was seeking reimbursement for only the cost of the part (no labor), my concern was that there would be some propensity to deny my claim because I did the work myself. I prepared the documents as outlined per the written notifications and verbal guidance of the customer service representative. Prior to sending the reimbursement request package, I called the customer service center again and verbally went through all of the documents I had prepared. They verified that there were no discrepancies, so the documents were sent.
At no time prior to filing this initial claim for reimbursement was there conveyance (verbal or written) of any need to provide a diagnosis that the part’s failure was due to defect or to include the mileage of the vehicle. In early January, I received the response from VW Customer CARE (Attachment 4) levying these requirements.
The ex post facto requirement for this information reeks of an attempt by bean counters to obfuscate by asking for things that are both unnecessary and difficult to produce for many people. It does not present a positive image or generate goodwill and seems to be intentional.
CONCLUSION:
My local Volkswagen dealership refused to fix the car when it was malfunctioning because they claimed it wasn’t covered under warranty at the time. The warranty was extended after the repairs were completed and I am eligible for reimbursement for qualified expenses (Attachments 1, 2, and 3). Now Volkswagen is refusing to honor my request for reimbursement of reasonable expenses incurred for this issue. Denial for reimbursement is based on the fact that there was a failure to submit a “diagnosis showing that the part’s failure was due to defect”, and that the “vehicle’s mileage was not included to show that the repair was within the parameters of the warranty extension” (Attachment 4).
I have combed through the backup files of my old computer and found a vehicle diagnosis report displaying the fault code and mileage (Attachment 5). I sincerely hope this is enough to process my claim. Not including the time it took to generate this response, I have spent 8 hours on this issue.