Volkswagen — Horrible after sales by Volkswagen.

Address: Gurgaon, Haryana

This is to bring to your notice that I own a Volkswagen POLO TDI (trendline) with registration number HR 26 BF 0560. On 03/06/2011 i.e Friday I notice some strange noise coming from the lower left front of the vehicle. I immediately took my car to Frontier autoworld service center, Wazirabad, Gurgaon. They outright refused to take in my vehicle saying that they had enough vehicles for the day. I requested them to give the vehicle a checkup and if something serious was found then take my vehicle for both servicing and resolving the noise coming from the vehicle, to which they agreed.

After a half an hour inspection they took the vehicle out and told me nothing was seriously wrong with the car and I can take my car and come again for service on Monday.

On returning from a trip to Gurgaon (I was coming from the Pataudi – Gurgaon road) on 04/06/11, a red sign came up on the speedometer. It flashed three times giving three beeps to which I responded by immediately stopping the vehicle and checked out what the sign meant. I checked with the user manual and it stated there that don’t dive the vehicle on, don’t even start the engine as the engine oil level can be too low. I checked the car and found that engine oil was spilling out. So I called Volkswagen on their customer support. I was at a village called Wazirpur around 12 kms from Gurgaon.

I called Volkswagen customer helpline at[protected] from my cell phone ([protected]) at around 11 am 04/06/11 (Saturday). I narrated the whole incident to the customer care lady and she told me she was sending a Tow truck and it will reach me within an hour. The Tow truck came at around 12:45 PM and they towed my vehicle to the Wazirabad based Frontier service station.

Upon reaching the service station Mr. Sandeep (Service advisor) took my car under him and told me that the oil chamber of the car was broken and needs to be replaced. As my car was nearing a 14000 km mark, I also told him to service the car and also rectify the following problems :-
1. wiper nozzle was not aiming right.
2. the vehicle drifted towards the left.
3. there was a sound from the lower left front of the vehicle.
4. there was noise while applying the breaks.

He gave me a rough estimate of around Rs. 12000 and the said that the car would be delivered on 11/06/11 (Saturday). On Saturday evening Mr. Sandeep gave me a call that my car is services and repaired and I can pick my car from the service station. As I was out of town I told him that I will pick the car on Monday as Sunday is a non-working day at frontier service station.

I arrived at the service station at 9:30 AM and contacted Mr. Sandeep for the delivery of my car. While checking for the problems resolved, I found not even one of the problems mentioned above told by me to the service advisor were resolved. Also a new sign was showing in the speedometer. It was yellow in colour and looked like an inductance sign which didn’t show up when the engine oil leaked and even when the service advisor took the car.

I asked the service advisor why the sign was showing up and he didn’t have any answer. I grew suspicious. Also I noticed that the car’s next service due time and kms were not reset.

So I asked him to resolve the problem. They again took the car in and kept me waiting from 09:30 am to 6 PM in the service station at which time he told me that I cannot get the vehicle delivered on that day as the turbo charger was damaged.

How can the turbo charger be damaged overnight when the service advisor called me and told me my vehicle was ready to be delivered after SERVICING?

I told that I want the car on that day itself as my work was suffering. I asked to talk to the service center head and the service advisor took me to Mr. Gaurav (GM). I narrated the whole incident to him and he told me that the part was available at the service station and will be replaced in warranty but the labour was gone as it was 6:30 PM by now. So he promised me that he will get the part replaced next morning.

The next day I called the service center and came to know that my service advisor was now Mr Gurmeet. To my shock he told me that the part will not be covered in warranty and I will have to pay for it and he needs my permission to order the part. I said but the turbo charger was already there at the service center. Also how can the turbo charger be damaged overnight when it was alright after the servicing of the car?

I also met with Amit Walia service manager of the service center on (Saturday i.e. 18/06/11 ) and narrated him the whole incident. He told me that the case was pending with the Area manager of Volkswagen and I will hear from him on Monday.

Today i.e. Monday 20/06/11, I call Mr. Amit Walia and he told me that I will hear from him till noon. At around 12:30 PM he called me and told me that someone from Volkswagen will come and check the vehicle. I asked him how the turbo charger can be damaged when it was O.K on 10/06/11 when the car was repaired and serviced by the service center. I also asked him for the e-mail id and phone number of the Area Manager and of Mr. Gaurav (GM) to which he refused saying that he cannot pass on email id’s of people and I should write to him. He also told me that I can take whatever action I want to take and then he will respond to it.

My car is in warranty and also I haven’t taken the car from the service center since 04/06/11. Since 04/06/11 I called numerous times to my first service advisor Mr. Sandeep but he didn’t pick the call and when he did answer my calls he told me that he will call me back in a moment but never did. I had to call on other numbers in the service center in order to reach him.

My post sales experience with frontier autoworld has been horrifying and traumatic. This is harassment by the company and my faith and trust in Volkswagen has been shattered.

Till date I don’t understand how the turbo charger got damaged over night when the vehicle was ready to be delivered.

You leave me with no choice but to go to the consumer court for justice.