chief poncho
Veteran Member
Just thought I'd start this thread for late comers, procrastinators and just folks that put off doing the buyback/modification until later.
So what are your lessons from the buyback, such as pitfalls to avoid, things to speed things along, or just general tips for making the process as smooth as possible?
Here are a few of mine:
1. Mileage adjustment is calculated based on the 1st of each month. When scheduling your buyback verify your adjusted mileage. Waiting a single day longer could net you $300-$700 extra.
2. Even though mileage adjustment has been beaten to death on this forum, keep this in mind. Your buyback/modification mileage adjustment is calculated by subtracting 1042 x number of months since Sept 2015 from the mileage at your turn-in date. VW uses 5k increments for each bracket such as 0-5000; 5001-10,000; 10,001 - 15,000; etc. If you don't understand how this works, research it.
3. If you don't want to dig through the settlement tables, use an online calculator to get an accurate estimate of your buyback/modification amount. https://agrahamg.github.io/VWBuybackCalculator/
4. If your car has sat for awhile, make sure it will start a couple days prior to the buyback. Dead batteries, rodent damage, etc can make you miss your appointment. If you need a battery, consider picking up a used one instead of paying full price for new. Jumping the car to get you to the appointment may not be enough, since the claims adjuster will want to start the vehicle prior to completing the turn-in.
5. I highly recommend using the electronic transfer over a paper check. If there is a mileage adjustment it's automatically handled and there is no need to reschedule.
6. If you have a loan, continue making payments until VW pays off the lien. Don't just assume this will happen as some folks have experienced as many as 6 weeks delay in loan payoff.
7. If your loan is not paid off within 2 weeks (10 working days) of completing your buyback, contact VW claims via the help number or online chat and ask for a tracking number for the payoff check. This was extremely helpful in determining exactly when my bank received the check (24 calendar days after turn-in).
8. If you haven't filed a claim yet and are close to having your loan paid off, do so before filing or wait to file until the loan is paid off and you receive the title or lien release. Clear titles are processed much faster than vehicles with liens.
9. When scheduling your appointment be sure to check multiple dealers for the earliest date.
10. Double check to remove any media such as CDs or SD cards from the infotainment system.
11. If collecting your payment by check at turn-in, verify the check is physically in the hands of the buyback rep before signing any paperwork.
12. If turning in a crash damaged car, you may or may not have the buyback accepted depending on the level of damage and the buyback rep executing the process.
13. Don't unload your vandalized and graffiti plastered with vulgar insults car while blocking the service entrance of the dealership.
14. If flying United, make sure you wear head gear, padding and are UFC trained, just in case you need to get bumped for United employees to get to their destination.
That's it for me...I know others have a lot more to add.
So what are your lessons from the buyback, such as pitfalls to avoid, things to speed things along, or just general tips for making the process as smooth as possible?
Here are a few of mine:
1. Mileage adjustment is calculated based on the 1st of each month. When scheduling your buyback verify your adjusted mileage. Waiting a single day longer could net you $300-$700 extra.
2. Even though mileage adjustment has been beaten to death on this forum, keep this in mind. Your buyback/modification mileage adjustment is calculated by subtracting 1042 x number of months since Sept 2015 from the mileage at your turn-in date. VW uses 5k increments for each bracket such as 0-5000; 5001-10,000; 10,001 - 15,000; etc. If you don't understand how this works, research it.
3. If you don't want to dig through the settlement tables, use an online calculator to get an accurate estimate of your buyback/modification amount. https://agrahamg.github.io/VWBuybackCalculator/
4. If your car has sat for awhile, make sure it will start a couple days prior to the buyback. Dead batteries, rodent damage, etc can make you miss your appointment. If you need a battery, consider picking up a used one instead of paying full price for new. Jumping the car to get you to the appointment may not be enough, since the claims adjuster will want to start the vehicle prior to completing the turn-in.
5. I highly recommend using the electronic transfer over a paper check. If there is a mileage adjustment it's automatically handled and there is no need to reschedule.
6. If you have a loan, continue making payments until VW pays off the lien. Don't just assume this will happen as some folks have experienced as many as 6 weeks delay in loan payoff.
7. If your loan is not paid off within 2 weeks (10 working days) of completing your buyback, contact VW claims via the help number or online chat and ask for a tracking number for the payoff check. This was extremely helpful in determining exactly when my bank received the check (24 calendar days after turn-in).
8. If you haven't filed a claim yet and are close to having your loan paid off, do so before filing or wait to file until the loan is paid off and you receive the title or lien release. Clear titles are processed much faster than vehicles with liens.
9. When scheduling your appointment be sure to check multiple dealers for the earliest date.
10. Double check to remove any media such as CDs or SD cards from the infotainment system.
11. If collecting your payment by check at turn-in, verify the check is physically in the hands of the buyback rep before signing any paperwork.
12. If turning in a crash damaged car, you may or may not have the buyback accepted depending on the level of damage and the buyback rep executing the process.
13. Don't unload your vandalized and graffiti plastered with vulgar insults car while blocking the service entrance of the dealership.
14. If flying United, make sure you wear head gear, padding and are UFC trained, just in case you need to get bumped for United employees to get to their destination.
That's it for me...I know others have a lot more to add.
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