Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:27/11/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I purchased a new 2024 VW Atlas from Waterloo VW last month. The Atlas only has 2,000 KMS on the vehicle as I write this complaint. I began to have issues shortly after the purchase. My brakes were making a grinding and squealing noise from the left front. I took my Atlas into the dealership and took the service manager out for a drive. The squeal had gone and the service manager dismissed the problem as a stone. He did so without taking a wheel off to investigate. The issue has come back twice since then. The drivers door has a rattle which the dealership knows about. My TPS sensor light is on my dash due to incorrect sensors in my winter tires which were sold to me by the dealership. The dealership made arrangements to bring a loaner to my house and take my car back to the dealership as well as split the cost of installing new sensors. This of course did not happen either. I have had absolutely no satisfaction from the dealership to correct these issues.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/10/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I own a 2015 Volkswagen Passat TDI. Due to a Volkswagen emissions scandal, Volkswagen Canada issued effected vehicles; including my own, an extended emissions warranty. My vehicle stalled in the middle of an intersection in which I had it towed to my mechanic. My mechanic advised me that the engine light was on and explained the codes that came up, which included the Catalyst Converter which is listed under “Parts Covered Under Extended Emissions Warranty”. My mechanic advised me to take the vehicle to Volkswagen as this repair is under warranty. Volkswagen Waterloo completed the diagnostic and claim that there were no codes present and the engine light was gone. My mechanic performed no repairs nor did he erase the codes. My vehicle does not accelerate. It does not go over 3,000 RPM, which makes no sense as to how Volkswagen can claim there are no issues. I suggested they keep the vehicle there so they could check it again. Instead, I was forced to pay the diagnostic cost of $168.37 and hope for the best in driving it home. I was also told to wait for the engine light to turn on again and start the process all over and pay the diagnostic yet again for them to check it. I trusted Volkswagen and kept my vehicle after this scandal and imagined they would provide proper service as the warranty exists for a reason. I am very dissatisfied with how the situation was handled and the lack of service provided. This issue is on the warranty, therefore it needs to be repaired.

  Business Response

  Date: 18/10/2023

  Hello,

  This the first I am hearing of this complaint, either from the client or from you. I will investigate it further to get the details. In general terms, for a warranty repair to be covered, there needs to be a fault stored or engine light present for us to get coverage from Volkswagen Canada. We do not have final say on what is deemed warranty or not: we are provided guidelines on what constitutes and warranty repair. As such, any diagnostic time/expense is customer pay until shown as otherwise. We would gladly complete any repair (warranty or otherwise) but for warranty we need to follow the policies and procedures. I'll look into this with my service manager and advise.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 18/10/2023

  
  
  Complaint: ********
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  Your response does not provide any information regarding my vehicle’s repair. I have various text messages, therefore I don’t know why this would be the first you are hearing about this as you claim. Please do investigate further. As stated, the engine light was on when the vehicle arrived at Volkswagen Waterloo, therefore you should have seen the faulty codes, including what is covered under warranty. My vehicle does not accelerate and it is absurd that it left there without being repaired. 
  

  Furthermore, I found an empty box of a Gold Filter in the trunk of my car. Why was this filter put in without my knowledge? ****** *** ******** ***** *** *********. The car was towed twice (once from the intersection in which it stopped at to my mechanic and then to Volkswagen Waterloo) because it would not start after various attempts and the steering wheel was locked. What was done to the vehicle in order to get it to start while it was there? 
  

  After the emissions scandal, many vehicles have had issues, hence why the warranty exists. I have a diagnostic from my mechanic with the faulty codes he encountered. I am happy to provide this to you.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  **** ** *****

  Business Response

  Date: 19/10/2023

  Hello,

  As explained by our service advisor, we need an engine light to be on at the time of the Volkswagen scan tool, or stored faults to be present in the vehicle computer to submit a claim for repair under warranty. When the vehicle was here for service, there were other stored faults in your system for ABS/airbag, etc but nothing that was related to the stalling or engine light you mentioned. Without an active fault, or stored fault related to the emissions warranty covered components, any diagnostic would be at customer pay until faults indicate it is a warrantable item. The diagnostic charge would then be covered under the extended warranty if it is indeed a warranty item. Volkswagen will not accept scans/fault codes from a non-Volkswagen scan tool and warranty diagnosis must be done by a Volkswagen dealership technician. We are bound by the manufacturer policies and procedures for any warranty work.

  We want to help, but you need to follow the process for us to assist you with warranty repairs.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 22/10/2023

  
  
  Complaint: ********
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  When the vehicle arrived there the engine light was on. My mechanic and the tow truck driver at ****** ****** can confirm. The vehicle continues to not accelerate and is stalling. It does not go past 2,000 RPM. It was already in this state when it arrived there and because it is claimed the engine light wasn’t on you cannot diagnose what the cause of this is? 

  It is unsafe for this car to be driven as it stalls and can once again leave me stranded in a busy intersection and cost me to tow it like it did previously. My mechanic saw a fault code for the catalyst converter. It is on the emissions warranty list and needs to be fixed.

  I would still like to know why a filter box was found in my trunk and replaced without my knowledge and why it isn’t appear on the invoice? 

  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  **** ** *****

  Business Response

  Date: 24/10/2023

  We can appreciate that you want your vehicle repaired and we want to assist with facilitating the process. The lack of acceleration and stalling may be unrelated to the catalytic fault that your mechanic claims to have found. In order for repairs to be covered under the emissions warranty extension, we are required to follow the warranty policies and procedures. As a goodwill gesture to assist in moving forward, we are prepared to perform up to one hour of further diagnosis at our expense either at Volkswagen Waterloo or ****** Volkswagen. We would prefer to complete it at our location but understand that it may be more convenient for you to drive or tow the vehicle to the ****** Volkswagen dealership if it is closer to you. Please advise how you would like to proceed so we can plan accordingly with time set aside at our dealership or to contact ****** to approve the up to one hour of diagnosis at our expense. You can contact me (David K., general manager) directly at ###-###-#### or *******@**********.com

  In terms of the air filter box ***** *** ********, we have no information in relation to it. We did not replace your air filter and have no information on how the box could have ended up in your trunk. We only stock original replacement Volkswagen filters and this one appears to be a **** aftermarket brand.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 30/10/2023

  
  
  Complaint: ********
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  

  We can complete the diagnostic at ****** Volkswagen in hopes that they are successful in finding the fault. When can I receive a refund for the initial diagnostic at Volkswagen Waterloo being that the car had its first diagnostic there and it was picked up without knowing the cause of the stalling and lack of acceleration? In addition, I also have my towing bills that can be refunded to me as well. 

  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  **** ** *****

  Customer Answer

  Date: 15/11/2023

  
  
  Complaint: ********
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  

  Two diagnostics later and we still do not know what is causing the vehicle to stall and its lack of power. I have not repaired the vehicle because all that has been diagnosed are other things such as brakes but I need to know why the vehicle stalls and lacks power. Why did it stall in the middle of busy intersection Ottawa St. and Fischer Hallman? During both diagnostics the vehicle wasn't even driven long enough for a tech to notice the stall. According to the receipt, it was in and out and only driven 1 km. You are welcome to drive it yourself, on the expressway or highway especially in order to get a sense of what is happening and what I am dealing with every single day.

  This is my third Volkswagen. I have purchased three because it is a brand I trust and simply enjoy driving. At this point, I cannot rely on this vehicle to make any long distance trips or even short ones for that matter because at any point it can leave me stranded! In which case if and when it does, what do you recommend I do? Pay for a tow... take it to your dealership, and not get answers as to what is causing this issue? I have had to make arrangements within my household to only drive this car short distances because I cannot trust that it will get me where I need to go and the possible added costs of a future tow. 

  I am quite disappointed and frustrated and will continue to raise these questions until they are answered.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  **** ** *****

  Business Response

  Date: 23/11/2023

  Hi ****,

  I can appreciate that this is inconvenient and frustrating for you. We would like to fix the problem for you however two visits at two independent dealerships have been unable to replicate your issue and no fault codes are present in the computer. To chase the issue, more time is required to diagnose the vehicle. As the owner of the vehicle, the time spent would be at your expense. If the causal issue meets the requirements under an extended warranty guideline, then the diagnostic time and repair would be covered under warranty. If it is not a warrantable item, the cost of the diagnosis and repair would be your expense. 

  We have attempted to repair the vehicle for you and have paid for an hour of diagnosis at another dealership for you. This is not a BBB issue. If you want to collaborate with me to get your vehicle repaired, I'm more than happy to: otherwise there is nothing further I can do to assist you.

   

   

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/12/2023

  
  
  Complaint: ********
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  

  The vehicle had the engine light on with the fault codes when it arrived there, otherwise I would not have towed it. Being that the engine light has not turned back on since, however an issue still persists. What do you suggest I do? Continue to wait for the engine light? The car has had two diagnostics which total two hours and an issue was not found. How. many hours is it going to take to find out what the issue is? I can't afford to say yes to paying out of pocket and still not know what is wrong with my vehicle.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  **** ** *****

  Business Response

  Date: 13/12/2023

  Please note that this was sent to a staff member who is not authorized to respond on behalf of Volkswagen Waterloo. ****, please connect with David K., general manager of Volkswagen Waterloo if you would like to discuss steps forward.