Long-Distance Buyback Appointment?

Kiter

Member
Joined
Jul 19, 2016
Location
Iowa
TDI
2015 Golf S TDI
I have been considering the buyback for a while, and finally made the decision and got around to doing the paperwork in December. I was planning on scheduling a buyback appointment in early March (before I need to renew the registration). I just went online to schedule a buyback appointment at Lithia VW of Des Moines, Iowa, but the site said there are no appointments available at the dealer. Based on the layoffs of buyback agents, as well as the now-voluntary participation of dealers in the buyback process, my guess is Lithia got out while they could. The next closest dealer listed was 100 miles away. I'm absolutely astounded... and left wondering when I'll find time to take a day off work to make the drive and complete the buyback, as well as how in the hell I'm going to get home?

Has anyone else ran into a similar issue, or spoken to VW about there being no reasonably distanced dealers to turn a vehicle in at?
 

rambalu80

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 29, 2009
Location
Katy TX
TDI
2011 VW JSW TDI DSG
I have been considering the buyback for a while, and finally made the decision and got around to doing the paperwork in December. I was planning on scheduling a buyback appointment in early March (before I need to renew the registration). I just went online to schedule a buyback appointment at Lithia VW of Des Moines, Iowa, but the site said there are no appointments available at the dealer. Based on the layoffs of buyback agents, as well as the now-voluntary participation of dealers in the buyback process, my guess is Lithia got out while they could. The next closest dealer listed was 100 miles away. I'm absolutely astounded... and left wondering when I'll find time to take a day off work to make the drive and complete the buyback, as well as how in the hell I'm going to get home?

Has anyone else ran into a similar issue, or spoken to VW about there being no reasonably distanced dealers to turn a vehicle in at?
Check out this thread: http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=485283

Going forward, it appears that the dealers can decide whether or not to participate in the buyback program. I live in an area with 7 dealerships within 65 miles from me. The closest one is about 12 miles away and they are of course one of two dealerships that are no longer participating in the buyback program and when I look for appointments at these two dealerships on the claims portal I see a message that no appointments are available. As of today, the other 5 dealerships still have appointments available until the 3rd week of June, but I plan to hold on to the car a little bit longer. We'll see what happens.

There was also another person that reported that appointments he had already scheduled have been canceled because that particular dealership is no longer participating.
 

Rico567

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jun 13, 2003
Location
Central IL
TDI
2013 Passat TDI SEL Premium (Turned in 7/7/18)
Anyone who has had additional costs and inconvenience added to what they would originally have had to do to turn the car in should contact the plaintiff counsel. Be prepared to specifically demonstrate the costs to you e.g., one poster above is going to have to take a day off work, which is a cost.
This is what I intend to do when we're ready to pick a date (not until later this year).
 

Kiter

Member
Joined
Jul 19, 2016
Location
Iowa
TDI
2015 Golf S TDI
I contacted the VW TDI Claim hotline and they confirmed the dealer did not file the necessary paperwork to continue participating in the buyback return process. I called the dealer (also where I bought the car) and gave them an earful about their blatant decision to abandon their existing customer base, and that I would no longer do business with them. I received an apologetic call from the GM at the dealer - he said that VW never returned the necessary paperwork to him, but that he would contact VW to get everything sorted out so that they could process buybacks. I guess we'll see what happens...

If anyone else is in a similar situation, it might be worth putting pressure on your local dealer. Hopefully others in central Iowa will benefit from my conversation with Lithia today.
 

rambalu80

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 29, 2009
Location
Katy TX
TDI
2011 VW JSW TDI DSG
I contacted the VW TDI Claim hotline and they confirmed the dealer did not file the necessary paperwork to continue participating in the buyback return process. I called the dealer (also where I bought the car) and gave them an earful about their blatant decision to abandon their existing customer base, and that I would no longer do business with them. I received an apologetic call from the GM at the dealer - he said that VW never returned the necessary paperwork to him, but that he would contact VW to get everything sorted out so that they could process buybacks. I guess we'll see what happens...

If anyone else is in a similar situation, it might be worth putting pressure on your local dealer. Hopefully others in central Iowa will benefit from my conversation with Lithia today.
Glad your local dealer is willing to continue to do buybacks. Mine however has decided not because they see it as a waste of time. I’ll very likely end up with a new Tiguan to replace the JSW TDI, but I don’t think I’ll buy from my local dealer either.
 

BroncoAZ

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 25, 2009
Location
Flagstaff, AZ
TDI
2015 Touareg Lux, 2015 Passat 6MT, 2009 Jetta (long gone), 2011 Touareg (bought back 02/18)
I just posted this in another thread:

I just made the appointment for my Touareg. My local small town dealer is not doing them currently, I spoke to the GM and he told me about the transition to dealership personnel. Unfortunately I need to turn in mine by 2/26/2018 because that is when my extended warranty expires, I don’t need the vehicle anymore (already purchased my Passat TDI) so I want it gone before anything can happen to it.

The Phoenix dealers are still doing appointments, the first available was 2/26, so I’ve got to drive 140 miles one way and find a way home after. I’m guessing VW won’t cover my Uber to the airport or the $48 shuttle back to Flagstaff, not to mention the extra 5 hours of my time wasted.
 

bizzle

Veteran Member
Joined
May 21, 2013
Location
Southern California
TDI
2015 GSW SEL (totaled), 2013 Touareg Executive
You don't *have* to drive to Phoenix, you are choosing to. What you do have to do, however, is weigh the inconvenience of what you described against the probability of something major in your car grenading a month or two after the extended warranty expiring. I personally think the chances of that happening are slim to none but I understand everyone has a different risk threshold.
 

BroncoAZ

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 25, 2009
Location
Flagstaff, AZ
TDI
2015 Touareg Lux, 2015 Passat 6MT, 2009 Jetta (long gone), 2011 Touareg (bought back 02/18)
You don't *have* to drive to Phoenix, you are choosing to. What you do have to do, however, is weigh the inconvenience of what you described against the probability of something major in your car grenading a month or two after the extended warranty expiring. I personally think the chances of that happening are slim to none but I understand everyone has a different risk threshold.
I don’t understand some of the responses I get on this forum. I see it as I *have* to drive to Phoenix, here are just a few reasons: I’m done with the vehicle, have already purchased a replacement, don’t want it sitting in my driveway (in the way) for who knows how many months while my local dealer figures out if they will be doing buybacks, don’t want to continue paying insurance on it, don’t want to pay $300+ for tags at the end of February, etc.

I work in the dealership industry and speak to VW techs and service managers regularly. There have been a few cases locally where something major happened to the TDI just before the buyback but out of warranty, in one case it was a 3.0 engine catastrophe. In those cases the customer had to pay for the repairs before their car could be bought back, $15K in the case of the 3.0 engine. I’m not willing to risk buyback money repairing this vehicle because I couldn’t turn it in when I wanted to.
 

kjclow

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 26, 2003
Location
Charlotte, NC
TDI
2010 JSW TDI silver and black. 2017 Ram Ecodiesel dark red with brown and beige interior.
Everyone's circumstances are different and some have zero empathy. I agree with you assessment. Since your local dealer is not doing buybacks, you have to take it to Phoenix.
 
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bizzle

Veteran Member
Joined
May 21, 2013
Location
Southern California
TDI
2015 GSW SEL (totaled), 2013 Touareg Executive
I have empathy, but that's not the issue. His local dealer is going to be doing buybacks but after the original date that he wanted to turn his car in. He could wait instead of taking it to Phoenix but he's making a choice not to. That's simply a factual correction and doesn't have any relationship to whether or not I sympathize with his circumstances.

Once someone quits focusing on how someone is making them do a choice they don't want to do, that opens up potential alternatives. I suggested one viable alternative choice, which was wait until his local dealership starts accepting buybacks again, but there could be others if he stops believing that he has no choice in the matter when in fact he is the one making a choice.
 

BroncoAZ

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 25, 2009
Location
Flagstaff, AZ
TDI
2015 Touareg Lux, 2015 Passat 6MT, 2009 Jetta (long gone), 2011 Touareg (bought back 02/18)
The GM told me he intended to continue doing buybacks, but there is no guarantee that VW will give them approval. He told me not to wait and to take it to Phoenix.
 

psd1

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 4, 2011
Location
OR
TDI
2006 Jetta 2013 Passat SE 6Man
The GM told me he intended to continue doing buybacks, but there is no guarantee that VW will give them approval. He told me not to wait and to take it to Phoenix.
Throw it on the trailer behind the Dodge, road trip time!
 

BroncoAZ

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 25, 2009
Location
Flagstaff, AZ
TDI
2015 Touareg Lux, 2015 Passat 6MT, 2009 Jetta (long gone), 2011 Touareg (bought back 02/18)
Throw it on the trailer behind the Dodge, road trip time!
This is certainly an option. Unfortunately the Dodge has developed a coolant leak that needs to be addressed first.
 

psd1

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 4, 2011
Location
OR
TDI
2006 Jetta 2013 Passat SE 6Man
Rent a dolly, tow the Passat behind the Touareg. Leave Dolly. :)
 

Kiter

Member
Joined
Jul 19, 2016
Location
Iowa
TDI
2015 Golf S TDI
I checked the VWGoA Claims Portal this morning and it appears Lithia of Des Moines got all of the paperwork sorted out, as it is showing they will begin taking buyback appointments on March 13th. I nabbed one of the first spots available, and wrote a nice thank you note to the GM. :D
 

BroncoAZ

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 25, 2009
Location
Flagstaff, AZ
TDI
2015 Touareg Lux, 2015 Passat 6MT, 2009 Jetta (long gone), 2011 Touareg (bought back 02/18)
I’m driving mine to Phoenix tomorrow morning...
 

Zawurah

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 2, 2018
Location
The Morning Star
TDI
3.0
The 3.0 has some terms of paying for transportation to drive the car to a far away dealership.

I don't know if 2.0 has same terms, probably not since they got so much less.
 

BroncoAZ

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 25, 2009
Location
Flagstaff, AZ
TDI
2015 Touareg Lux, 2015 Passat 6MT, 2009 Jetta (long gone), 2011 Touareg (bought back 02/18)
Mine is done, the buyback was completed on Monday 2/26 and payment was received on Friday 3/2. I had a buddy drive my Touareg the 140 miles to Phoenix on Friday 2/23 while I drove my Passat. He wasn’t available on 2/26, so we took it early and left it at the dealership. I returned on Monday 2/26 in my Passat to complete the buyback appointment. All told there was 700 miles driven to complete the buyback, but 280 of those miles were due to my buddy’s schedule.

The buyback appointment took about 35 minutes, most of the interactions were on video.
 

flyerchic2000

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 23, 2010
Location
So Cal
TDI
2011 Jetta TDI Nav Manual
I am in the buyback process and just got my letter of approval which I have to get notorized. How are the appointments made? Online or will I have to call each dealer in the area?
 

BroncoAZ

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 25, 2009
Location
Flagstaff, AZ
TDI
2015 Touareg Lux, 2015 Passat 6MT, 2009 Jetta (long gone), 2011 Touareg (bought back 02/18)
The appointment is made in the portal online. There wasn’t much for availablity when I did mine last month.
 
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