VAG dealer concealed accident damage from me

Damn.
Today, I took my Golf to my VAG workshop and had the opportunity to look at the 'repair history' of my car. It's not the VAG dealership where I bought the car.
During this process, I discovered that a year ago (meaning the car was 17 months old), the front bumper and the mirror cover had been repainted, and the fender had been replaced.
'Is this now considered an accident car or does it have accident damage that the dealer should have disclosed to me?' I was unable to determine the amount of the damage/invoice.

Thank you and best regards.
Sure, here's the translation of the text from German to English:

'Hati' translates to 'heart' in English.

He doesn't need to mention minor 'dents' or 'body damage.'

It's not always easy to give a definitive answer to this. In my case, the situation was very similar. The lawyer told me that, according to the law, dealers (including private sellers) should have disclosed this damage if the repair costs exceeded 1,000 euros. You can find many similar cases on the website "autoaktuell." Since the courts handle each case individually, you might be better served there.

Best regards and good luck.
Woof.

Thank you, Yankee.

I always assumed that EVERY type of accident damage had to be listed. Especially if a single glance at one's own database is enough to recognize this.

Thank you.
Sure, here's the translation of the text from German to English:

'Hati' translates to 'heart' in English.

Is the repaired damage obvious?

If the repair was really done professionally, then I wouldn't do anything.
(tapping, checking color and consistency!)

No, the damage is not obvious. The color might be a slightly darker shade. The dimensions are correct. I only noticed that one of the fender's mounting screws was loose.
That's why I also asked my friend at VAG to take a look at it today. He then went to his computer and checked the history.

During this inspection, I noticed that a year ago (which meant the car was 17 months old), the front bumper and the mirror cover had been repainted, and the fender had been replaced.

Well, it could have also been something that got stuck in the corner of the house...
It doesn't affect the underlying tissue, but putting a patch on it won't work well with a crumpled fender.

Are there any previous owners I could contact?

CU Gremlin.

Previous owners? Sure. It's not necessary, as the repair is already documented in the history.
I just called the dealer and informed him about the accident, and I told him that he should come up with a solution.

Since he already concealed from me in the purchase agreement that it was a driving school car, I may withdraw from the purchase agreement. However, he already had to pay a significant price for its use as a driving school vehicle, which made the car very affordable. But now, things are slowly reaching a breaking point...

Please specify every type of damage, no matter how small. I'd like to see if he'll lower the price again without a lawyer, and then you can get a great deal, or if you really have to back out.

I once read that for cars from rental companies, this information should be in the vehicle registration document and supposedly also in the title (apart from the fact that it would be obvious if it was registered with Sixt...). Does this information also appear in the documents for a driving school car? And generally, considering how heavily modified the Golf is in the footwell, shouldn't something have to be rebuilt to fit the dual pedals in there? It works mechanically, using the original pedals.

A plastic flap is simply removed, and the rods are then routed behind the tunnel to the passenger side.
The vehicle registration document doesn't mention anything about a driving school or special equipment. It's strange, every AHK is included...

I'm really looking forward to hearing back from the dealer. Let's see what he offers. I'll probably need to involve my lawyer after that. Now more than ever!

Apart from the fact that it's incredibly sad to be ripped off by a VAG dealer even when buying a used car... you have to expect that from a local, generic dealer... but not from a brand dealer.

local flag dealer. He is good....

matthiasTDI96 wrote:

Every type of damage should be specified.

... Unfortunately, it's not that simple.
Please provide the text you would like me to translate from German to English. I will only provide the translation, without any explanations. For a new car, any damage is considered a defect. However, for a used car, the damage can range from minor scratches to major structural damage.
For a two-year-old car, a parking sensor damage (minor damage to metal and plastic) is generally no longer required to be reported. However, frame damage almost always needs to be reported. There may be exceptions in this case as well. If the car is extremely old and its value is very low, then a frame damage (provided it is professionally repaired) is not something that needs to be disclosed.

In all repairs, it is always assumed that the repair will be carried out correctly and professionally.
I disclosed the accident damage (which resulted in the car being completely flattened) on my 1Z when selling it, but for a car that's 7 years old, it no longer results in any significant decrease in value. Since it had been repaired by a specialized body shop, I could have kept it a secret... but I didn't.

Quote:

I once read that for cars from rental companies, this information should be in the vehicle registration document and supposedly also in the title document...

Rental cars typically only have a valid technical inspection (TÜV) for one year, which is a way to identify them (I actually drive one myself).

The repaired rear damage to my AXR, which the seller didn't disclose, earned me 1000 Euros. My AXR was 1 year and 15,000 km old at the time. It involved replacing the rear panel, and the tailgate had been repainted.
The seller didn't see the damage during the sale itself, and after I raised a complaint about the defect, they immediately wanted to take the car back. Only, a replacement couldn't be obtained quickly, so I begged for a reduction .

Thank you, Bertil.

'This afternoon, I told my boss the story. A wide grin spread across his face. When I finished, he said that he personally knew the owner of the company (which is a very large VAG car dealership in [City/Region]) and that I should send him an email (with greetings from my boss). He said the company owner is very interested in things like this, just like the devil is interested in the soul of the damned. I followed his suggestion and I'm now waiting to see if I get a response. Of course, I pointed out that, in my opinion, I was either scammed by a skilled salesperson or taken advantage of by an incompetent workshop.' Ultimately, the fact that the car had been previously damaged, as well as the additional pedal holes, should have been noticed and reported during a thorough vehicle inspection. Alternatively, it may have been noticed, but the seller ignored the observations of his colleagues. That would then be considered deliberate deception.
I'm curious to see the company owner's response, if we ever get one.

What I'm still interested in is the question of how it works with my 2-year-old car regarding depreciation for a repainted bumper or a replaced fender.

@Hati
Did you get ripped off by the dealer because of the driving school car's history? How much?
My car, which is now two years old, actually has a history of being used for Volkswagen's driving safety training program, something I only found out later by chance. I bought it as a one-year-old car with 23,000 km on the odometer, and within a relatively short time, I had to replace the control arm bushings, shock absorbers (which were leaking), and tie rod ends. Fortunately, I was still under warranty at the time.
Otherwise, it now has 80,000 km on the odometer and runs like a dream.

@Felix
I had to take another 500€ from him for the driving school expenses. Regarding the accident damage, I'm still waiting for a response from the dealer or the manager of the car dealership. That should be another 500 euros.
Then I found a car from March 2002 with 90,000 km and 74 kW, which ADAC still listed for around €12,000, but I got it for €10,000.
If I end up selling the car in 5 or 6 years, none of this will probably matter much anymore.