Hi XXXXX,
Thank you for your professional approach in recognising and escalating our issues with the condition of the vehicle. As discussed I am communicating, in writing now, our concerns.
(Wife) and I went to the XX Volkswagen to collect our GTI on 25 November at 4:30pm. XXXXX completed the paperwork, and we went to inspect our car. The car was underground in the dealership car park and I asked (Wife) to bring it in to the natural light to view it (I am resisting inferring the dimly lit garage was chosen because the condition of the paint was known to be substandard). In the light it was immediately apparent that the pre-delivery detail was very poorly done. The window sills were full of white fluff and debris that stood out on a black car. The lip mounted under the front bar is still covered in dust. The paint on the horizontal surfaces (roof, bonnet and to a lesser extent tailgate) were marked with opalescent spots (they reflected a rainbow of light – perhaps they were oil based?). A similar marking was on the windscreens at the front and rear of the car. There was also a scratch in the paintwork on the front quarter panel on the passenger side. XXXXX attempted to remove the spots on the car with a rag dipped in methylated spirits, and to some degree he was successful in removing the spots from the windscreen (although not completely), but none came off the black paint work because they had been sealed in with a sealant or wax product. XXXXX recorded this on the delivery paperwork and asked us to call back the following day to arrange rectification. We handed back the keys to a generously provided loan vehicle and we took the GTI home. I’d like to add that I had cleaned the loan vehicle immediately prior to returning it as a sign of gratitude, and the job I had done with a thorough clean and the application of polish and wax resulted in a used car that was better presented than that which you supplied to us for a brand new vehicle.
We went home, put the car in the garage and it stayed there for 24 hours while (Wife) went interstate for work. The next day we returned it to XX Volkswagen and received the keys to a Polo. You had the vehicle over the weekend with, as is our understanding, the brief to rectify the issues outlined on the delivery documentation. We got our GTI back yesterday.
(Wife) immediately phoned me and complained of swirling on the roof. I phoned XXXXX immediately to bring it to his attention in the early afternoon of yesterday. I then inspected the car myself last evening, in the direct sunlight. My assessment is that the vehicle is noticeably shinier, with more reflective light; as though another layer of wax had been added (I could see it all over the car where it hadn’t been buffed off well). But look closer and you can see the paintwork has in fact been further damaged and all of the problems have not been rectified. The scratch is still there. Some of the dots on the roof are still present as well, some faded but many are still quite prominent. There is light swirling all over the roof of the car and some heavy swirling in one small place on the roof and a larger area on the bonnet, specifically the passenger side crease about two thirds the way up the bonnet.
To add insult to injury, the vehicle, delivered with 17 kilometres displaying, and having only been driven by us from the dealership home and back once (Google tells me this is 9km each way) was returned to us with 80-odd kilometres on the odometer. I’d like to know who has been for a test drive in our vehicle, or alternatively, given XXXXX has just explained to me that the detail centre and the local smash repairer are 1 km from the dealership, why you have needed more than 45 + kilometres to “detail” (and I use the term loosely) our new car? This has been most upsetting for my wife, who is so looking forward to driving her new car. She has prohibited me from driving her new car until she has had a good go in it, which I have respected, and now you have put more kilometres on it than either of us. I can see in the ownership of the vehicle the small distance you did will not amount to much, but she is so infuriated by this she has asked I conduct discussions on her behalf for fear of becoming angry. Clearly this is not the new car ownership experience we wanted, or that we have had in the past (our other car was purchased from XX Subaru in 2005).
We are exceptionally reluctant to send this car back to XX Volkswagen for further work. As you can appreciate the actions to date have merely eroded our trust in the competency of your team to rectify our issue and to respect our new car. It would be our preference that a third party, professional detailer, be employed to complete the work independent of XX Volkswagen and the fee for this work to be covered by the dealership. If this was not all the work required to rectify the issues as identified and a respray is required then we would also expect XX Volkswagen do all that was required to repair the GTI. Additionally, if we are required to hand over our car again to you against our wishes, then we would expect to be not inconvenienced for this and that alternate transport would also be covered by XX Volkswagen. Finally I would like a written response outlining your plan of action and the reasons why our car was driven outside the need to do so.
I have never had a vehicle professionally detailed before, but I am aware of one detailer by the (name), (business name),(website), (mobile) who is based at (suburb), and who has an excellent reputation for his work. I believe a normal detail to be worth about $200, with nominal extra fees for areas that need special attention. My limited detailing knowledge tells me that as a minimum the layers of wax applied over the soiled paint will need to be removed with an abrasive, the paint cleaned and corrected, and then a new protective layer added. This will require experience and skill with a machine and this is why we want a professional. Perhaps this contact information will assist you in resolving our issue. Like you, we just want to drive away and be happy with our car. Right now I cannot say this has been our experience to date.
Over to you.
Keiran Wicks
Volkswagen Fan
Originally Posted by KWICKS
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