What happens if your TDI is totaled?

LeahPharmD

Active member
Joined
Dec 15, 2016
Location
Baltimore
TDI
2015 Golf TDI SE, 2004 Jetta TDI Wagon (Bio-diesel), 2012 Golf TDI (SOLD BACK)
Thanks guys. Left VM at the Washington DC office and at Elizabeth Cabraser office. I am thinking about taking the insurance company settlement as it's only $3 k less than their offer if I gave them the title. I stand to make a lot more if I qualify for the buy back (which it really seems like I do) .
Even though the car looks horrible, it moves!
 
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david950

Member
Joined
Nov 16, 2016
Location
Louisiana
TDI
2010 Jetta
Turned in my totalled (but running and driving) Jetta today with no issues. Smooth as could be, took less than 15 mins total.
 

alma

Active member
Joined
Aug 11, 2013
Location
Floridastan
TDI
2013 Passat SE DSG
Folks, advice is much appreciated.

My car was violently hit on the right hand side (front wheel area) on Oct. 17, by a driver who failed to yield. The other driver was found at fault and ticketed by the police. There were 4 of us in the car at the time of the accident, including one child. Big scare...

Anyway, the accident happened several hundred miles from where we live (in rural Georgia, some 40 miles from Atlanta, and we live in North-Central Florida) and the car was removed from the accident site by a towing truck (the car's engine would still start, no visible spills other than there were no visible spills, other than windshield fluid).

Initially, the insurance company said that the car was fixable; a few weeks after, unexpectedly, after a second appraisal, they declared it a total loss. They offered us $16,200 for the car, which is about 1,800 less than what we would have gotten from VW (the ODO stopped at 46,025).

I have started the buyback process and registered on VW's website in late July (and got confirmation that we were eligible for either the fix or the buyback -- we opted for the buyback), but have not submitted any documents yet (was planning to do it in Nov-Dec and have the buyback sometime in June 2017). We owe short of 3 grand to the bank for the loan, so they have the title (I can effortlessly pay it today, if needed).

The other driver's insurance company seems unwilling to offer what VW would give us. I have used the services of a friend who's a practicing attorney in FL. He faxed to the insurance company a bunch of papers documenting the value of the car (from the court settlement, that we registered with VW for the buyback, official VW calculator, even the apology letter from VW). Now it's a waiting game.

Besides the car's value, there's also the (intangible) owner's restitution (about $6,600). Should I pay the bank the remainder of the loan, to get the title in our hands? Or, should we just let the insurance company pay the remainder of the loan, assuming that an agreement would be reached? Which way should we go?

Also, what exactly needs to be submitted through the VW claims portal to proceed with the restitution given by VW in the event that either

(a) the title is in our possession

or

(b) the insurance company will eventually get the title of the car?

Thanks!
 

DanB36

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 13, 2003
Location
Savannah, GA
TDI
2014 Q5 Prestige TDI, Monsoon Gray
If the engine can still start and the car move under its own power, the car is still "operable" and eligible for the buyback, and that's going to be your best way to go. Find out from the insurance company how much they'll pay you if you keep the car (my guess, based on my own situation, is about $12.5k). Submit your documents now to VW (ID, registration, loan disclosure because you have a loan now), and tow your car back home (yes, that will be at your expense, but it will be worth it). Turn the car in to VW ASAP, then seek the payment from the insurance. That will get you the full VW buyback amount, plus the value the insurance assigns, minus the salvage value.

I'm in the middle of this process right now. I turned in my car on Thursday, and got my EFT email last night. Once I see that VW has paid off the loan, I'll have my insurance pay the value (other driver was at fault, but I filed the claim with my insurance--they'll recover from the other driver's insurance and I won't be charged with the claim).
 

LeahPharmD

Active member
Joined
Dec 15, 2016
Location
Baltimore
TDI
2015 Golf TDI SE, 2004 Jetta TDI Wagon (Bio-diesel), 2012 Golf TDI (SOLD BACK)
If the engine can still start and the car move under its own power, the car is still "operable" and eligible for the buyback, and that's going to be your best way to go. Find out from the insurance company how much they'll pay you if you keep the car (my guess, based on my own situation, is about $12.5k). Submit your documents now to VW (ID, registration, loan disclosure because you have a loan now), and tow your car back home (yes, that will be at your expense, but it will be worth it). Turn the car in to VW ASAP, then seek the payment from the insurance. That will get you the full VW buyback amount, plus the value the insurance assigns, minus the salvage value.

I'm in the middle of this process right now. I turned in my car on Thursday, and got my EFT email last night. Once I see that VW has paid off the loan, I'll have my insurance pay the value (other driver was at fault, but I filed the claim with my insurance--they'll recover from the other driver's insurance and I won't be charged with the claim).

Dan, can I ask, why are you waiting to accept insurance payment until AFTER you get your VW claim? I am considering getting my insurance payment first, then taking my car to the dealer ( I don't have a buyback appointment yet)
 

DanB36

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 13, 2003
Location
Savannah, GA
TDI
2014 Q5 Prestige TDI, Monsoon Gray
Dan, can I ask, why are you waiting to accept insurance payment until AFTER you get your VW claim?
Two reasons:
  • Hedging my bets--if VW hadn't taken the car, I'd be stuck with a rusting hulk of metal and short whatever the salvage value was
  • If I'd taken the insurance money first, that could have required issuing a salvage title and disrupted the process. The car still would have been eligible, but I didn't want to mess with restarting the claims process.

Edit: and I guess a third is that I could do that--I didn't need to get the payment immediately to take care of replacing the car. If I had, that would obviously have changed the plan.
 

alma

Active member
Joined
Aug 11, 2013
Location
Floridastan
TDI
2013 Passat SE DSG
I get what you're saying, but the situation is complicated. Even though the engine starts, the car is not drivable (direction is messed up pretty badly). I suppose that I could put the vehicle on a platform and take it to FL, but it would have to be brought back to drivable condition (which I have no idea how much would cost).

On the other hand, today I plan buying the replacement. Would transferring the tag from the Passat TDI to the replacement complicate matters?
 

halbert

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 6, 2014
Location
Pennsylvania
TDI
2014 sportwagen
I get what you're saying, but the situation is complicated. Even though the engine starts, the car is not drivable (direction is messed up pretty badly). I suppose that I could put the vehicle on a platform and take it to FL, but it would have to be brought back to drivable condition (which I have no idea how much would cost).

On the other hand, today I plan buying the replacement. Would transferring the tag from the Passat TDI to the replacement complicate matters?
Transferring the plates makes no difference. Just hold on to the old registration card that says you owned it as of yesterday.

I see where you're seeing an ugly complication: getting the car from where it is to your home so you can do the buyback locally. Here's an idea: as long as you are SURE the vehicle meets the definition of operable (engine starts and runs, and if you put it in gear it will move under it's own power, even sideways), then take the insurance settlement based on your keeping possession, and use some of the insurance money to get it hauled from where it is to your garage. And keep it there, starting it every few days, until VW churns their paperwork and you can set up the buyback appointment. That's more or less what I'm doing, except for the hauling it across two states part. I'm going to collect the lower insurance settlement and get it moved from the insurance lot to my garage while I'm waiting on VW.
 

LeahPharmD

Active member
Joined
Dec 15, 2016
Location
Baltimore
TDI
2015 Golf TDI SE, 2004 Jetta TDI Wagon (Bio-diesel), 2012 Golf TDI (SOLD BACK)
Another idea is to call the shop that currently has the car, and ask the mechanic for a ball park estimate in what it would take to get the car "operable" (engine running, car moves a few feet). My initial estimate from the insurance company was that my car would cost $18 K to fix-- I called the mechanic directly and he said it would be operable with about a $4k fix-- totally worth it to get the buy back money.
 

bizzle

Veteran Member
Joined
May 21, 2013
Location
Southern California
TDI
2015 GSW SEL (totaled), 2013 Touareg Executive
Another option is to leave it as is, use the goodwill package complimentary towing to get it to its nearest dealer (not back in your home state), and turn it in there. It doesn't have to move around the lot, but rather start and run long enough for a picture of the gauges from what people have been reporting here on the forums.

You don't need to drive it around in circles or anything like that. The only sticking point is how long it will take to register it and get it accepted at the closest dealer. Storage fees where it's at vs. storage fees at the closest dealer. I'm sure someone would be willing to work something out, especially if you are thinking of buying a replacement (a dealer local to where it's currently located might be willing to store it until the buyback if you buy your replacement from them).
 

PC Passat

Active member
Joined
Jun 10, 2009
Location
Scottsdale, Az.
TDI
2017 Jetta GLI
Someone by me tee boned a car that ran a red light on their way to the buyback person one mile from the dealer. Buyback person called VW and they still took it back. Front end smashed in, bumper dragging on the ground, but it still ran.
 

DanB36

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 13, 2003
Location
Savannah, GA
TDI
2014 Q5 Prestige TDI, Monsoon Gray
Hope you filed a claim with their insurance--you're entitled to that money as well.
 

donallen

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 9, 2013
Location
Massachusetts
TDI
2011 Jetta Sportwagen 6M
Your cute little calculus doesn't take into account the terrible reliability of many of these cars. Driving a newer more reliable make and model could drastically save money if you have any major mechanical issues. Personally, if people say they're giving money away I get in line at the start... :D
,

Personally, if I'm offered a deal, I try to thoroughly analyze the relative merits of taking the deal and not taking it. Your approach is pretty mindless, because you are ignoring the major cost of depreciation of your "newer, more reliable" car, which is a certainty. You are also ignoring the fact that a major mechanical problem that *prevents you from taking the buyback* with the TDI is NOT a certainty (the problem would have to prevent you from driving the car into the dealer). And if the problem is the HPFP, are you aware of the 10/120000 warranty extension on the pump from VW?

I'm not saying that taking the early buyback is necessarly the wrong thing. If you have 300,000 miles on your car, it may well be the right thing to do. What I'm saying is that your last sentence above is a pretty superficial way to think about what to do in this rather complicated situation.
 

grawk

Veteran Member
Joined
May 12, 2012
Location
Oak Ridge, TN
TDI
'14 JSW TDI (used)
and I think people's perception of low reliability on the dieselgate TDIs is based on a very small number of problems. They require maintenance, and a few have had issues. Every care requires maintenance.
 

ruger

Member
Joined
Dec 16, 2007
Location
hemmingford quebec
TDI
passat
accident

I bought our Passat Feb 2015 brand new. Unfortunately we were involved in a accident where the car was totally totaled. This happened August 7 2016 and the car was transfered to the insurance company 22 August 2016
I am not certain if i wil be receiving any compensation . Can anyone shed some light on this. Thank you
 

tjsadler

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 15, 2013
Location
California, USA
TDI
2014 Passat TDI SE 6m
I believe that the settlement excludes anyone who sold/transferred title between 6/28/16 and 9/28/16 so I would assume that you excluded yourself by doing this. Contact class counsel to be sure though...
 

r_jojola

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 29, 2016
Location
Perryville MD
TDI
2014 Passat SE TDi
"There is no risk of waiting and a lot to be gained"
I understand this is your two cents, but from all the different posts....there seems to be a lot of risk of waiting. Seems if you total your car insurance companies are not willing to pay as much as VW for the buyback. And on top of this if anything major fails....its money out of the owners pocket to fix the issue.
 

DanB36

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 13, 2003
Location
Savannah, GA
TDI
2014 Q5 Prestige TDI, Monsoon Gray
Seems if you total your car insurance companies are not willing to pay as much as VW for the buyback.
Perhaps not, though the market is changing and the insurance values will have to follow the market. You also get the restitution payment on top of that. Or, if your car can still be driven after being totaled, you get the full buyback plus whatever the insurance will pay. Haven't I already mentioned this, in this very thread? Ah yes, there it is, up-thread--and it's even in the OP.

Yes, if there's a catastrophic mechanical failure that renders the car un-drivable, and the car's out of warranty, the owner's going to have to repair that, at least to where the car is drivable again.

OK, so not "no risk". But, objectively, minimal risk.
 

Dr Chill

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 19, 2016
Location
South Florida
TDI
2016 A8L TDI
So, from what I'm hearing here, the ideal scenario is the car sustaining significant damage (while parked so nobody gets hurt) that does not affect drivability and is not worthy of the car being totalled by the insurance company. Then collect insurance check and then buyback check.
 

DanB36

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 13, 2003
Location
Savannah, GA
TDI
2014 Q5 Prestige TDI, Monsoon Gray
Pretty much. Though to try to make that happen intentionally would be wrong, illegal, and stupid. But even if the insurance company does decide it's a total loss, you can keep the car, sell it back, and get the insurance money less the salvage value.
 

Armby

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 30, 2012
Location
Ottawa, Canada
TDI
2013 Golf
So, from what I'm hearing here, the ideal scenario is the car sustaining significant damage (while parked so nobody gets hurt) that does not affect drivability and is not worthy of the car being totalled by the insurance company. Then collect insurance check and then buyback check.
Even if its totaled, which I understand means its not worth the insurance company fixing it, if it's still drivable you can be reimbursed full value from VW. Just don't sign over title to the insurance company and you may even be able to collect the insurance pay-off (less salvage) as well as the VW buyback.

Edit: to me that means drive it and stop worrying.
 
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LeahPharmD

Active member
Joined
Dec 15, 2016
Location
Baltimore
TDI
2015 Golf TDI SE, 2004 Jetta TDI Wagon (Bio-diesel), 2012 Golf TDI (SOLD BACK)
Yesterday VW refused by buyback because the title was marked branded! The car is operable and was not "totalled" until 12/12/16 (after my buyback letter) Lawyers suggested I resubmit online application- but there is no way to add my title. GRRR I have to call them today.

Lawyer also said that they are currently fighting with VW about the definition of "operable" and VW is trying to say that means "street legal"

So frustrating!
 

bizzle

Veteran Member
Joined
May 21, 2013
Location
Southern California
TDI
2015 GSW SEL (totaled), 2013 Touareg Executive
That's unfortunate. A handful of us predicted VW would start clamping down once the abuses started occurring.
 

Mollsmom

Member
Joined
Jul 12, 2016
Location
Washington
TDI
2009 Jetta Sportswagen TDI
Yesterday VW refused by buyback because the title was marked branded! The car is operable and was not "totalled" until 12/12/16 (after my buyback letter) Lawyers suggested I resubmit online application- but there is no way to add my title. GRRR I have to call them today.
Lawyer also said that they are currently fighting with VW about the definition of "operable" and VW is trying to say that means "street legal"
So frustrating!
Yikes, our appointment is Feb 27 and car is branded, def not street legal but driveable. Missing front corner including headlight. How can they change the rules midstream?!
Keep us updated - did you get turned away at buyback appt or online after submitting?
 

LeahPharmD

Active member
Joined
Dec 15, 2016
Location
Baltimore
TDI
2015 Golf TDI SE, 2004 Jetta TDI Wagon (Bio-diesel), 2012 Golf TDI (SOLD BACK)
I had to resubmit all my paperwork. I am waiting for a reply-- I submitted everything on 2/7/17 and now I'm just waiting... Class Action lawyer said VW may try to delay paying on these claims in hopes that the court redefines "operable" . I just have to wait as long as I can.

We shall see...
 

LeahPharmD

Active member
Joined
Dec 15, 2016
Location
Baltimore
TDI
2015 Golf TDI SE, 2004 Jetta TDI Wagon (Bio-diesel), 2012 Golf TDI (SOLD BACK)
Hey , How did you make out Mollsmom? I got a new offer today from VW after resubmitting my "branded" title- and its the same $$ As the first--- now the question is-- do I get the shop to repair my car or try to turn it in all smashed up again?
 

PacCoastFwy923

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2008
Location
Oakland
TDI
2015 Passat SE TDI 6-speed manual; 2006 mkV Jetta TDI / 5-speed / Pkg 2
Try smashed. If that fails, pick the specialist's brain about what's minimally acceptable. In fact, there's no harm in visiting ahead of your appointment to talk it over. In sure you'll be provided with good info.
 

LeahPharmD

Active member
Joined
Dec 15, 2016
Location
Baltimore
TDI
2015 Golf TDI SE, 2004 Jetta TDI Wagon (Bio-diesel), 2012 Golf TDI (SOLD BACK)
Yeah, I guess that is what I will have to do. I shared the information I got on here about there being an "internal VW spreadsheet" about acceptable damage--- with one of the class action attorneys, and he basically told me he doesn't believe it and that I should repair the car to road legal.... now I'm not sure what to believe?!?!
 

PacCoastFwy923

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2008
Location
Oakland
TDI
2015 Passat SE TDI 6-speed manual; 2006 mkV Jetta TDI / 5-speed / Pkg 2
Yeah, I guess that is what I will have to do. I shared the information I got on here about there being an "internal VW spreadsheet" about acceptable damage--- with one of the class action attorneys, and he basically told me he doesn't believe it and that I should repair the car to road legal.... now I'm not sure what to believe?!?!
The independent claim supervisor's report made mention of buyback specialists who were providing owners incorrect information about contacting Chase for payment concerns, and others who were providing inaccurate info about loan payment obligations. My specialist provided me an in-house handout of how to electronically submit my Release of Liability to the DMV.

I'm betting some of the specialists make up unsanctioned tools (in the form of the spreadsheet you referenced) that work for them, but may be incorrect. On the other hand, I don't know if a class attorney is "in the weeds" enough to know with certainty what damage is being accepted or rejected.

In other words, I don't have 100% confidence in either!
 

gbarrett123

New member
Joined
Jul 8, 2017
Location
Washington, DC
TDI
Audi Q7 TDI
TDI Totaled before Buyback

As luck would have it that my 2012 Q7 TDI (with over 100K miles) was hit while parked two weeks before my scheduled buyback. It was hit in the rear quarter panel by a drunk driver at 6 pm. I called my insurance, had the car taken to the Audi body shop. The verdict after my insurance claims adjuster looked at it was that it was a total lost. The problem was that my insurance company only wanted to pay me $27K, while Audi have already sent me a preliminary offer for $37K. That's a significant difference. I was afraid that Audi would no longer take the car and I was also reluctant to go the salvage route. I asked my insurance adjuster to hold off totaling my vehicle. I called Volkwagen/Audi of America to asked them if I would now be ineligible. They told me that I should be ok as long as the car was still able to be driven and that I did not cause intentional damage to the car. They also told me to take the police report to settlement...just in case. Fast forward two weeks. I go to settlement. I drive my wrecked vehicle on the tire rim from the body shop to the Audi new car lot. The Audi settlement rep walks over to my car to check the odometer, has me sign a few forms, and said "you are all set". I receive my total payout with no hassle. Volkswagen is really trying to do right by their customers. I am very please with the processed. I used the buyback money to purchase an Audi RS 7. Thank you Audi.
 
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