10.0

really awful
Typical Repair Cost:
No data
Average Mileage:
74,200 miles
Total Complaints:
2 complaints

Most common solutions:

  1. not sure (2 reports)
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problem #2

Jan 012003

Beetle

  • Automatic transmission
  • 68,345 miles

I need the black mold cleaned out of all of the sunroof drains & then replace the Water Ingress!

- Rev Linda Rae H., Yukon, US

problem #1

Jun 012012

Beetle Turbo 1.8L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 80,000 miles

click to see larger images

leaking sunroof, causing more issues leaking sunroof, causing more issues leaking sunroof, causing more issues leaking sunroof, causing more issues leaking sunroof, causing more issues leaking sunroof, causing more issues

The problems we are experiencing have been going on to one degree or another for at least six years. We've broached them many, many times between then and now and still cannot get neither Volkswagen nor the local Dealer Pete Moore Imports to remedy. In fact they only have make it worse. See below regarding the Dealer and the situations most recent events. While the car was in the dealership for recall repairs due to the many defects of this Mexican made Volkswagen the following occurred...Pete Moore Volkswagen did over $5,000. to our car while in for repairs! - The words you are about to read will seem near impossible to believe but are 100% absolutely the truth. We brought our VW Beetle Turbo into his dealership for repairs. After a significant amount of communication with them and VW corporate it was determined that there was a certain amount of repairs that were needed due to a recall by VW for defect of the drainage from the sunroof and wherever else water might need to drain from. At the time we dropped off the car they were advised that the dash board and other plastic parts on the car were soft as they had been affected by moisture and whatever else through their manufacturing process in Mexico and much of it was soft to the touch to the point that if you even touch it it would leave a permanent mark, and that they needed to take caution not to touch these parts, specifically a large surfacer of the dash board since the surface area was so centered in the car every mark would be very noticeable and it was very soft, so much so that we could not even wipe it off and dust just sticks to it. We blow it off with air to clean it as much as we could. After the carpet, padding and headliner were ordered and in for the repair they insisted that we sign a waiver incase they broke any side molding clips, as it as explained to us, while they were removing them to replace the headliner. They replaced the headliner and the carpet and padding but none of the other defects and when we picked up the car there were very noticeable gauges in the dash board that were not there when we dropped it off. We have proof that they were not there as we had taken prior pictures of the entire interior as well as a video of the car to send to the VW corporate office to convince them in the first place to authorize the repairs from the defect that they never even notified us about. We actually found out from a friend who also had a similar Mexican made VW with the same defect recall. Before we even moved the car from in front of the dealership door we had the Service Manager look at the damage and took photos of it with a copy of the invoice up beside it to show the date and location. When the service manager, Mike Kern came out for his final communication hi literally tossed his hands in the air and said too bad we signed the release. Apparently the release is so broadly written that they think they can do whatever damage without taking responsibility in spite of how the General Manager Lou Trotta, now gone, explained it. We were told throughout the process of complaining with VW corporate that the damage done would cost $5000. to repair and that they nor the dealer were going to do so. Wait, it gets worse!! While my wife was driving the car on a warm day she went to open the sunroof and the two plastic mechanism covers which had to be removed to replace the headliner broke and fell on her head and almost caused her to have a car accident from the startling. Apparently there were snap in clips that they broke while replacing the headliner that they simply stick the broken part back up there. I went all the way up to the CEO of Volkswagen U.S.A. and spoke directly to his executive assistant Jennifer Ophof, he refused to speak with me. I guess customers who own two of their vehicles, yes two, we also have an older Cabriolet which was manufactured in Germany instead of Mexico and it still runs and looks great considering it's 25 plus year age are not important enough for Mr Browning to speak with. I did also have several conversations with Robert Martin who is I think his title is Executive Vice President of Customer Service or something along those lines who after numerous conversations and my sending him all kinds of proof, videos and images tells me, and I quote, "we've given reasonable consideration to fixing your car bus we're not going to do it." He also expressed that he can't do anything to make the dealer stand by their work. So I guess Volkswagen Corporate doesn't care how their name is represented in the marketplace. I wonder if their senior executives in Germany feel the same way?? To digress for a minute during the months that all this communication had taken place a battery which we had purchased from Pete Moore VW proved to be defective and prematurely died. We had it tested and it was "dead" and would not hold a charge. They refused to work on the car so I took the battery out myself, which is no easy task in the newer Beetles due to it's poor placement nearly half under the passenger side front fender, and brought it in for exchange as it was under full warranty not being very old. They refused to exchange it telling us they can't exchange the battery unless they test it themselves but in the same breath that they would not do so because they would not work on the car again. I again communicated with Robert Martell who after holding my ground and expressing that legally they must honor their expressed written warranty he approved us purchasing a new battery from Nappa and agreed to refund us the cost of the battery if we sent him in the receipt, which we did and he then did. As we really felt that the way this was all handled was so wrong I reached out and after painfully trying to get Pete Moore on the phone himself he took a call, very quietly let me express what had transpired, when I basically was finished and expected him to say something of a contributing nature to the conversation or ask some questions, he calmly and simply said, of you're not satisfied, no problem, we just won't work on your car any more. Of course this leaves the damage done go un-addressed by them still. So just when we thing it can't get worse, well it does! The first hard rainfall that we had when the car was not in the garage we shortly thereafter noticed that there was condensation inside the car. We were unsuccessful in getting either the service manager or sales manager to talk with us again. Some time went by and the problem appeared to get worse and worse. To the point that large amounts of mold was now growing on the carpet and seats. I again called Pete Moore Volkswagen to advise them that the repairs they supposedly made to fix the leakage were obviously not done correctly as there was still water leaking to the inside of the car. I asked again for Lou Trotta and found that he was no longer with the dealership. I proceeded to ask who the new General Manager was and was told that Guy Doss was their new general manager. I asked for him and he wasn't available but did promptly return my call. The conversation started off very nicely and we left it where he would look into the file and get back with me. The next day he called me back and told me they would not fix the repairs that were done incorrectly. I expressed the fact that the mold growing caused a severe health risk to us and that their inferior work needed to be stood behind. I expressed that if I were forced to I would take whatever measures I needed and report them to whatever authorities were at my disposable. He told me they have had unhappy customers who have taken similar measures in the past and survived and aren't worried about some bad publicity. I thought to myself, wow, it this really something that should be said to a customer. I expressed that if they wanted a fight back form a customer they would get one, hence this kind of review. To this point we have received no remedy or further communication from either Pete Moore Imports or Volkswagen Corporate. Thank you.

- vwdefects.com, Pensacola, FL, US