VW Dealership caused damage to my brand new Golf

enki

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Joined
Feb 27, 2011
Location
Bradenton, FL
TDI
2011 VW Golf TDI
So I bought my brand new 2011 Golf TDI about three weeks ago. Part of the purchase agreement included the chrome exhaust pipes that they had to order. A few days ago I brought my car in to get them installed. They look great, and I thought they did an excellent job installing them.

I was wrong.

I was walking back from the supermarket with my wife today and saw a huge dent on the underside of my car. Obviously I was extremely upset and originally thought it was from some kind of road debris or something. Upon further inspection, I found four dents and a gouge on all four sides of the car (front and back on left and right side). They were clean dents and didn't look like I could have hit something. I looked even more carefully and saw that they were lined up on both sides, exactly where the car was lifted when they put on the exhaust pipes.

I am fuming right now that my VW dealership's repair shop could have caused such damage on a simple job. I can't see how this was caused by anything other then sheer negligence on their part.

I just sent them an email with attached pictures showing them the damage and making it clear that I expect them to fix it immediately and put it back in the like new condition.

Since the car is so new, it's only been to the shop once, and the damage is clearly from the car lift, I assume they will not try to argue the matter with me.

Has anyone else had this problem before? The part that is damaged looks like it's attached to the side panels. Is it going to be a major body shop repair to fix, or can they do it without removing anything?

(Extremely large pictures removed since they were distorting the page size, and based on the comments below and follow-up information showed that most were not 'damage')

ARGH!!!!!:mad::mad::mad:
 
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enki

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Bradenton, FL
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2011 VW Golf TDI
Sorry for the REALLY large picture sizes. I wanted to get as much detail as possible, so I took them at high res.
 

Ryephile

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Metro Detroit
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MkVI Golf
Those are the 4 arrows stamped into the rocker panels [2 on each side] to show you where to lift on the crush rail. The dealership didn't do anything.
 
I

ihatespeed

Guest
the small arrow shaped dents are there on purpose, if there is other damage then by all means lace up your a** kickin boots..
 

Ideliver

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farmington ny
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2010 sportwagon
I think all VW's have these dents ,I thought the dealer damaged mine to but checked other cars on lot and they had same 4 dents also.
 

timwagon

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Hauppauge, NY
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2010 Jetta Sportwagen Stick
I also wouldn't consider them "huge dents". I had trouble finding them when I rotated my tires the other day. "Barely noticeable indentations" would be a better description.
 

enki

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Joined
Feb 27, 2011
Location
Bradenton, FL
TDI
2011 VW Golf TDI
Those are the 4 arrows stamped into the rocker panels [2 on each side] to show you where to lift on the crush rail. The dealership didn't do anything.
I agree. The owner's manual will even show those "dents" as how to locate the jack points.
the small arrow shaped dents are there on purpose, if there is other damage then by all means lace up your a** kickin boots..
Those are supposed to be there. It is where you place a jackstand on the pinch weld.
I think all VW's have these dents ,I thought the dealer damaged mine to but checked other cars on lot and they had same 4 dents also.
Wow, that does make me feel a little better. I just checked out my wife's 2006 Jetta and she has them too. Her's aren't as noticeable since the car has 5 years of wear on it too.

While that does explain 3 out of 4 of the 'dents', I still think that one was damaged in excess of the factory arrow dents. I've attached a closer (and smaller) picture showing what I mean. There is a flat gouge on the left side of the arrow, and a circular dent on the right side. None of the other three have that. It makes it very noticeable, and is what originally drew me to thinking my car was damaged. You can even see it when standing next to the car. So it looks like while they caused some damage, it wasn't as bad as I originally thought.



Fortunately I didn't send my email yet, as we had to run out to a party. I'll change it to mention only the extra damage. Does everyone agree that those additional dents are damage? Should they be easy to remove?

Thanks for everyones help!!!
 

enki

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Location
Bradenton, FL
TDI
2011 VW Golf TDI
Here are three other pictures showing the damage to the one spot from three other points of view.
 

BMLO13

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Oct 22, 2010
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Pa
TDI
2010 Sportwagon
It looks like the "cups" on the kift arms hit your rocker panels. Bad mechanic, bad!! I have seen some pretty bad things happen on car lifts. I hope the dealer has no problem with fixing it.
 

enki

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2011
Location
Bradenton, FL
TDI
2011 VW Golf TDI
It looks like the "cups" on the kift arms hit your rocker panels. Bad mechanic, bad!! I have seen some pretty bad things happen on car lifts. I hope the dealer has no problem with fixing it.
Do you think it would be easy to fix? I have no idea about body work, and I would hope they could do it without tearing apart the car. I really don't want to have to worry about them accidentally putting it back together wrong or causing even more damage in the process.
 

IMAAaron

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PA
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2013 JSW - Third time's a charm
It's really going to come down to the body shop and you won't know until it's over if it was worth it, I think. Each body shop will 'blend' it differently. If they have to spray the damage, different shops blend to different trauma diameters.

Personally, I wouldn't be happy if they resprayed clear coat up the door or over sprayed the undercarriage. It's a new car. I personally might live with the damage in fear of shoddy body work.
 

mysql

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Location
United States
TDI
Jetta wagon
I as going to say that they indicate the jack points. My car has them too... but second look at the photos, and you have new dents that aren't normal. Bummer.
 

enki

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Location
Bradenton, FL
TDI
2011 VW Golf TDI
It's really going to come down to the body shop and you won't know until it's over if it was worth it, I think. Each body shop will 'blend' it differently. If they have to spray the damage, different shops blend to different trauma diameters.

Personally, I wouldn't be happy if they resprayed clear coat up the door or over sprayed the undercarriage. It's a new car. I personally might live with the damage in fear of shoddy body work.
True, but the fact that it's a new car makes me want to have it fixed all the more. But fixed properly where I can't even tell there was a problem. I've been very anal about keeping it clean and in new condition. Those dents are clearly visible, especially in parking lots. If I don't get them fixed, everytime I see them I will be royally pissed off. I know me, and I know I won't be able to just live with it.

I won't accept a mediocre repair job. If it takes me going to a different body shop and suing them for damages, so be it. Hopefully it won't come to that. But I won't be able to just let it go. Nor will I accept anything other than 100% for a three week old car.

According to the dealer's website, they are part of an auto group that uses their own body shop.

I sent out the email to the service advisor who dealt with me before. I expect to hear something back tomorrow morning, otherwise I'll call.
 

IMAAaron

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2013 JSW - Third time's a charm
True, but the fact that it's a new car makes me want to have it fixed all the more. But fixed properly where I can't even tell there was a problem. I've been very anal about keeping it clean and in new condition. Those dents are clearly visible, especially in parking lots. If I don't get them fixed, everytime I see them I will be royally pissed off. I know me, and I know I won't be able to just live with it...
Preaching to the choir brother. Imagine making it a year without so much as a ding or scratch and then bang - you're stranded with what you think is a blown motor and now an incomplete repair. I feel your pain. I'll trade though!!
 

enki

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Location
Bradenton, FL
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2011 VW Golf TDI
Preaching to the choir brother. Imagine making it a year without so much as a ding or scratch and then bang - you're stranded with what you think is a blown motor and now an incomplete repair. I feel your pain. I'll trade though!!
I appreciate it, but I think I'll have to pass on your offer for a trade :).

I knew eventually I would wind up getting some scratch/dent/ding/etc. due to either some road hazard or idiot in a parking lot, but I was hoping it wouldn't be for a long time. But having some incompetent mechanic at the dealer pop my new car cherry is horrible.

Again, I know nothing about body work, but I wonder if they can put a tiny hole in the middle of the big dent, stick something into it, and pull the metal back down so it's flush with the rest of the panel. Then all they would have to do is some light touch up work and seal the hole. Oh well, I guess I'll have to wait and see what the dealer says.
 

IMAAaron

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2013 JSW - Third time's a charm
I've had painless dent removal work done on a Mini before. It's an artform. If they have a guy he'll 'pry' the dent from the inside out. Because there's a slight crease it may be a tad more complicated. Then you still have the blemish in the paint, but I'd you're happy with the touch-up paint you'll be set. They can conceal the damage a bit. A perfect fix is going to need more labor, sanding, and paint. I'm not a body shop guy though, so who knows. Get the car back to where you're satisfied. If you figure out how to do so, share! I'll be tackling some similar issues with this concept myself this week.
 

PlaneJob

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Location
Wylie, TX
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2010 JSW TDI
Don't let them paint it. It's a new car and the mechanic was sloppy. he needs to be fired from the *new* car dealership and you need to be made whole. Let them do this for you by compensating you with cash, a cash refund, paper money, folding money, scratch, bills, bones, Franklins, presidents, greenbacks, c-notes, coin, or anything of the sort.

But whatever you do, don't let a body shop put paint on your car unless you have to. Mines been smashed into twice now and I think I have 3 different colors on my car when the sun hits it just right. When they offer to fix it say, "No thanks, I'd like to be compensated with cash."

Be sure to name your price- it does no good to just wait and see what they will offer.
 

111R

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Out There
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2010 Golf - Bought Back by VW

I have seen some pretty bad things happen on car lifts.
To really appreciate this pic, you need to know that the shop where this happened was run by the Elise owner's father-in-law.

That's right...keep it in the family.

It was a great thread on Elisetalk.
 

740GLE

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Aug 19, 2009
Location
NH
TDI
2015 Passat SEL, 2017 Alltrack SE; BB 2010 Sedan Man; 2012 Passat,
Don't let them paint it. It's a new car and the mechanic was sloppy. he needs to be fired from the *new* car dealership and you need to be made whole. Let them do this for you by compensating you with cash, a cash refund, paper money, folding money, scratch, bills, bones, Franklins, presidents, greenbacks, c-notes, coin, or anything of the sort.

But whatever you do, don't let a body shop put paint on your car unless you have to. Mines been smashed into twice now and I think I have 3 different colors on my car when the sun hits it just right. When they offer to fix it say, "No thanks, I'd like to be compensated with cash."

Be sure to name your price- it does no good to just wait and see what they will offer.

PFFFttt!! demand a new car, cash can't compensate this horrible damage!

To the OP, if you're so anal about your car, why didn't you do a walk around of the car before signing for service? Isn't that the most common thing? What if they dented your door and didn't notice for a week, you think they'll gladly repair the door?

For all the dealers knows or can assume, you took it some place else/or did it yourself and did the damage and want them to fix it.

Hopefully they can make you happy, I wish them the best luck.
 
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enki

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Location
Bradenton, FL
TDI
2011 VW Golf TDI
PFFFttt!! demand a new car, cash can't compensate this horrible damage!

To the OP, if you're so anal about your car, why didn't you do a walk around of the car before signing for service? Isn't that the most common thing? What if they dented your door and didn't notice for a week, you think they'll gladly repair the door?

For all the dealers knows or can assume, you took it some place else/or did it yourself and did the damage and want them to fix it.

Hopefully they can make you happy, I wish them the best luck.

I did walk around the car and everything looked fine. I didn't however get on my hands and knees to see if the bottom panel was smushed in. While it is visible standing up, you have to be at a certain angle or distance to see it normally, which I wasn't.

I don't see how the dealer has a leg to stand on. The car is three weeks old and has only been to the shop once (their's). There are ~700 miles on it, and there is no other damage whatsoever. Not a scratch. There is no conceivable way that the damage present could have been caused in any other way. Any impact from road debris would have caused a scrape, not a 'clean' dent. This was pushed in by something.

I didn't hear back from my earlier email, so I called them about an hour ago. Apparently the Service Manager is the only one who can do anything about it and he is out until tomorrow morning. So I guess I'll be stopping by on my way to work ("on my way" being relative, since it's about 30 minutes past my work). We'll see what he says. If he refuses, I'll bring it to a body shop, get a quote, and head over to the court house (which would be on my way to work) to file a small claims suit against them. Hopefully they will do the right thing and it won't come to that.
 

740GLE

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2015 Passat SEL, 2017 Alltrack SE; BB 2010 Sedan Man; 2012 Passat,

PlaneJob

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Wylie, TX
TDI
2010 JSW TDI
I think 740 GLE is saying that you cannot prove that it has only been in their shop.

Hell, you can't even prove it to yourself. Did you notice the damage when you picked up the car? NO. So, the damage was not there; the dealer will say it was not there, and you didn't notice it being there so you cannot even claim it was there. You noticed the damage when you came out of the store. SO perhaps somebody jacked up the car in the parking lot and did the damage.

DEMAND CASH. tell you you want 20,000 dollars. Do NOT let them paint the car.
 

enki

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Feb 27, 2011
Location
Bradenton, FL
TDI
2011 VW Golf TDI
You do raise a couple valid points, but are incorrect about two things.

First, I know for a fact that the damage was not there when I purchased the car or on the Sunday prior to me bringing the car in. For the former, I went over it with a fine tooth comb and would have definitely noticed the dents. To the latter, again when I detailed the car I would have noticed the damage. I am 100% positive of this.

This means the damage had to have occurred between last Sunday evening and this Sunday afternoon.

Based on the damage, it is clear to me that it was not an 'accident' on the road, or caused by road hazards, flying debris, someone banging into the car, etc. It had to have been caused by the car lift. Since it's only been on one lift in it's life, that narrows it down considerably.

So while there is no doubt in my mind that the dealership's service department is at fault, you are correct that I can't necessarily "prove" it to them. I can tell them the truth and supply them with the evidence, but in the end it's my word.

Yes, they can argue the matter and make hypothetical claims as to where it came from. But none of them would have much merit. I doubt some random guy in the parking lot is going to try and jack my car up. And there is no justifiable reason for me to bring it into any other service shop. It's not due for 9,230 miles. So if they are reasonable and think logically, they will agree that the damage occurred there, and fix it.

If not, well that will definitely tell me something about the dealership. And good to know it now before I need any major service work done. But this is America, so regardless of whether I can "prove" anything to them, I can still make it more expensive for them to fight it then fix it.

And no, I'm not going to ask for $20k. But based on the feedback here, I will probably tell them not to paint it, simply even out the dent so it isn't as noticeable.
 
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