VW Accident: The Drama Unfolds

Hi,

About three weeks ago, I had an accident on the highway. While stuck in traffic, someone in a Sharan rear-ended me on the right side. It was evening and dark, so it didn't look that bad at first. The accident processing went smoothly. However, when viewed in daylight, the damage was more severe than initially apparent, which is why I immediately took the car to a VW workshop.
The expert I hired assessed the damage at approximately €4,500. I never would have thought that, but it seems significant bodywork (welding, cutting, straightening machine, and so on... the usual things, apparently) was necessary. I then gave the order to the workshop.

A week and a half later, I was allowed to pick up the car... that's when the trouble began.
Externally, everything looked decent. Well, if only I hadn't opened the trunk. The report didn't say anything about them having to install a wetland habitat for me .
Upon closer inspection, it was also noted that the right taillight was not properly installed; compared to the left one, there was a huge gap.
The tailgate could only be closed with brute force, someone remembers the game 'Hau den Lukas' from the fairground <= something like that .
Mangels Vorhandensein eines Ersatzwagens durfte ich damit erstmal nach hause fahren. Also reinsetzten, Motor und Radio an...... moment... Radio??? kein Ton.... das Display Leuchtet???? Hello???
During the careful warm-up, I noticed increased smoke emissions... hmmm... I thought to myself: let's see what happens when it's warm. Oil temperature 80°C, highway clear... OK, a good moment... When I floored it (5th gear, 120 km/h), my car turned into a full-blown steam engine (I definitely couldn't see anything behind me) out of fright, I immediately took my foot off the gas. Fortunately, it subsided during the drive home within 30 km. I don't know what it was or how it happened (the VW master didn't know either, and the diagnostic device revealed nothing). For now, I just left it at that.
Back at home, I was first allowed to check all the cables leading to the amplifier and speakers and reconnect them... everything had been haphazardly assembled... the mechanic probably didn't trust his own work and, as a precaution, placed the positive cable leading to the amplifier next to it.
O.K., the radio started working again... but the CD that I left in the tray... it just makes a 'krtzttzrrrrrtzr' sound... I took the CD out... a quick look showed that it's only good for the black bin now. The entire surface is covered with some kind of substance that I can't get off... how they managed to do that remains a mystery to me to this day .
The same grime is also on the exterior mirrors, which looks great in the dark because the diffused light from vehicles behind you makes it impossible to see anything.
Before I wanted to return the car, I tackled one more task: changing the summer tires for winter tires. Well, I have the original VW alloy wheels from the 20-year-old GTI model... I always thought you had to tighten them with a torque wrench to around 110 Nm??? The mechanic tightened them sooooo tightly that I almost had to stand on the wrench (which is 60 cm long) before anything moved..... aaaahhhhrrrrggghhhhhhh

So, back to the workshop... I first made sure the head mechanic was on board and handed him a list of issues that they should address, point by point... Emphasis is on 'should.'
A week later, we received the green light from Volkswagen - the car was supposedly ready. Question: How does the final inspection process work at Volkswagen? Answer: They apparently don't even know themselves!
The tailgate still doesn't work, the side mirrors are still unusable, and I also noticed that the passenger-side window had a similar coating => it's probably spray mist from the clear coat... well, at least now I know what the stuff is, but I still don't have an explanation for how it might have gotten on my CD .
That evening, I received brand new, sparkling mirrors, and the tailgate was adjusted. However, the windshield needs to be ordered, and it will take one day to arrive . At least the trunk was now dry.
I'm eagerly awaiting the appointment... let's see what breaks next.

It can't be that you receive a vehicle in such a condition, right? Where are we here? And no one can tell me that a qualified technician actually inspected the car before delivery?! By the way, I also learned that during the repair process, there were no qualified technicians available (one was sick, the other was on vacation)... this shouldn't be at the expense of the customer.

When the next appointment comes around, I'll update you again... I hope this thread hasn't gotten too long.... At least, I've tried to tone down my emotional outbursts.

Hi,

I can definitely understand how frustrating that can be.
We are almost at the point where we are jeopardizing the 'structural integrity' of the workshop...

And on the other hand, it depends heavily on the specific workshop (of the VAG group) that you choose.

I had an accident 2 years ago that was not my fault , causing damage of 11,000 DM to the rear left side of my Golf.
The repair was excellent – even though it took over two weeks. To be honest, I took that for granted at the time, until later I learned how difficult a good repair can be.
There are probably often problems.

Now that I have my Audi, I'm going to a different workshop – one that's completely the opposite [of the previous one].
Thermostat replacement - the gasket was 'forgotten,' and on the way home, the engine lost its coolant.
'Cold start problem - after just 2 days (!), they called me because they didn't know what to do. They said there wasn't a qualified technician available! I could have easily told them 3 or 4 things to try!'
Translation: 'Don't go back there again. I doubt they're suffering from my lack of orders, and frankly, I don't care – I certainly won't be suffering anymore!'

Hi,

The new windshield is installed, and the power windows seem to be working fine. I hope there are no more surprises. They definitely got the last laugh this time.
As a small gesture of goodwill, they replaced my fog lights, which had been damaged by a rock impact, at their own expense. Unfortunately, the replacement was poorly installed, so the reflector between the turn signal and the fog light fell off the next morning and was lying in front of my car (probably due to stress caused by the cold).