My 2013 Passat TDI may have been totalled

Hello everybody,

I haven't left yet. I met them at the repair center today and my damage estimate right now is $11,000. They sent that over to State Farm and are awaiting the authorization to tear down and begin the repairs. So, one more hurdle to pass before I know for sure whether it's totaled or not.

As far as looking at Passat's, I did not look at anything VW. The Passat and the CC are the only cars which would fit my space requirements and it would be hard to get back into a Passat that got 10 MPG less than my previous TDI, all things being equal. I've been driving a passat since 2002, so I think I am ready for a change. And being frank, the entire way that VW handled this whole situation has turned me off from doing business with them.

From everything I have read, the Honda should have fewer issues, should be less expensive to fix if it had a problem, and not being a diesel will be far less complicated. No turbos, no plugged heater cores, no DPF, no regen cycles.

One other thing to consider is a "diminished value" claim. If you aren't familiar with this, look it up. The settlement value should be an easy mark of what the real value is.

Also, maybe just have the repair place do the bare minimum to get it street worthy and then turn it in for the buyback, pocketing the unspent claim $$$?

My old 2009 accord is still going strong without a single issue, sold it to my father when I picked up the NMS. Oh, and Honda oil changes are a lot more fun without even spilling a single drop

They totaled the car. They gave me $18k for it. I felt that was fair. I couldn't hold the insurance company accountable for the pain and suffering values that VW was going to give me for the diesel scandal. That's not really in the value of the car, that's in the makeup to the owner. So, they gave me the vehicle value, less the Additional Restituion.

And frankly, I'm just tired of all of this crap with VW now. I just wanted this whole saga to be over. I got $6,500 over what I owed on the car, so that gives me $6,000 to put down on the new car.

So, I'm at peace. Checks are underway, I went to the Honda dealer and got everything filled out and they moved so fast that my new car was already on it's way to the dealership, should have it tomorrow.

The honda dealer offered a pre-paid 100,000 mile service plan and it was $995. So, all of my required maintenance is covered for less than $1k. That's 15 oil changes, 2 brake changes, key replacement, free loaner cars, 7 tire rotations, etc. They said there was NOTHING i would pay out of pocket in standard maintenance over the first 100,000 miles. My VW was a bit more expensive to maintain.

Good for you. There were probably ways to squeeze a few more dollars out of this situation by playing both ends against the middle, but I would have done the same. You received fair value and you can move on.

I am glad that you and the family are all okay. Since you were not in the car you don't have to worry about injuries sneaking up on you. You won't believe how often that really does happen.

I am also glad that the insurance company gave you a value that you are happy with. To be honest, I think that was a fair number.

Now, I do not recall all of the exact details, but there is a possibility that you will qualify for some restitution payment. I know VW will pay restitution for totalled cars, but I don't know what dates are covered. So, hopefully you will get that, and be exactly where you would have been if you were able to wait for the buyback date.
Actually, if that does happen you will be even better off, since you will already be in your new car. (Compared to waiting with a totalled car.)

Anybody in the Metro Detroit area want some Kruse style ad-blue bottles, and some Power Service diesel clean (both summer and winter). I have 2 Kruse bottles that I no longer have a need for.

Just send me a private message, I'll just give it to you.

Glad it worked out to your satisfaction. Plus, you don't have to wait another couple of months to get an appointment made for the buyback.

GetMore said:

Now, I do not recall all of the exact details, but there is a possibility that you will qualify for some restitution payment.

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You could not total it and hence transfer title between June 26th (when buyback announcement was made) and Sept 16th (Opt-Out date). My accident was August 10. I retain rights to see VW, but I won't get restituion.

Pat, sorry to see you go. Though I'll likely follow suit once I get my buy-back - maybe I'll see you on a Honda forum. Looking at Accords myself. Just need to test drive a couple to decide whether I still want to stick with a manual (really enjoy my MT Passat), or go with the CVT for the improved mileage and so my wife can drive it on occasion.

Sigh....signed over my title tonight to State Farm, which means I'm at the end of the road with the TDI.

But it also means my check is coming. Therefore, I can put the $6,000 i put down back into the bank. And that gives me about $500 for my floor mats for the new car (which should be here Friday) and to get my windows tinted (haven't had time to get the quote for this).

So, here is the new car.


And

Well Pat,
I don't know but I would have bought a gasser Passat. You obviously liked the Honda better. to each his own I guess. Now that being said my Passat TDI didn't get crashed so I am staying with the fix and hopefully mine wont get crashed. I have made a few mods such as Koni FSD struts, H&R springs, rear sway bar, DG skid plate and a frost heater so I like my car just the way it is and can't bring myself to buy a new car even though the buy back is exactly what I payed for the car. If I did I would replace it with a TSI version. Anyway I will miss your comments here. Best of luck with your new car.
Michael

I had 2 Passats in a row. Owned an 02 gasser and 13 TDI. More than anything, just wanted something different. Liked em both, but they were costly to maintain. Also irratated with VW over this whole fiasco. With fact I had car totaled, at no fault of my own and lost out on over 6k, I reached my braking point.

I didn't even consider a Passat this time around. Without 40+ MPG, it wasn't appealing.



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Congrats on the new Accord - it looks sharp!

I hope you can make it up to the Detroit auto show GTG this year to show it off and go karting with us.

^ I'm sure I can probably make that happen.

That new honda looks real nice. I esp. like the wheels. Good luck with it

Save the $500 on the mats, get weathertechs!

ohh look at that eco button, very nice!

740GLE said:

Save the $500 on the mats, get weathertechs!

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The weathertechs were like $180, the husky weatherbeaters are $125. Both made in the US, both cut to fit and both warrantied for life.

Glad it worked out to your satisfaction. I would still try to get the 50% restitution amount from VW - keep all your records and call the number on the vwcourtsettlement site. I test drove the Accord Hybrid recently - having previously owned 3 Accords in the past, I always loved they way they drove. If only the dash center stack didn't look so ugly to me, it would be on my list.

I called the number and they were like, "you are in that window, you get nothing, you lose, good day sir".

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pparks1 said:

I called the number and they were like, "you are in that window, you get nothing, you lose, good day sir"

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Exactly why I parked my 2014... The buyback amount is too great to risk loosing the car to an insurance total.

pparks1 said:

The weathertechs were like $180, the husky weatherbeaters are $125. Both made in the US, both cut to fit and both warrantied for life.

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I have the Husky Weatherbeaters in our '13 Passat, and they're great. When I ordered them, the driver's side front mat didn't -quite- fit. I e-mailed Husky, and got a reply right away that VW had changed something under the seat that altered the fit slightly, and they were going to be tooling up for the change in the next week, and I should see a mat that fit correctly in about 2 weeks. I did, and it fit perfectly. I wouldn't hesitate to order another set of the Husky.