I purchased a used Volswagen Touareg from Osborn Automotive on September 23. I was wary of buying a used car unless it was properly certified, as I explained during my conversation with the salesman, John Orlando. I was assured the vehicle was a VW Certified PreLoved vehicle that passed a 112-point inspection.in addition to being a certified used vehicle, I opted for an additional (Landcar) maintenance package that would cover oil changes and certain service issues that I may be faced with the car, since it had roughly 48000 miles on it when I purchased it. As a consumer who carefully read the fine print, I believed my vehicle would be covered against costly repairs and maintenance issues when I drove it off the lot.
On or about November 19 less than two months after I purchased the vehicle the "check brake pads" indicator light came on in the vehicle. I had an upcoming appointment scheduled for my first oil change, so I called the dealership and alerted them to look at the brakes when I dropped the car off. Upon further inspection, my tires and rims were covered in black brake dust but the brakes seemed to be working fine.
On Tuesday, December 2, I dropped the vehicle off for the scheduled maintenance at Osborn Automotive and they called me around noon to inform me that the front brakes, did, in fact, need to be replaced. At MY expense. To the tune of $823.91.
The service technician was the first to deliver the news, and he was nice enough to involve the service manager, Mike McArthur. Mr. McArthur explained that brakes were a "maintenance issue, " that were my responsibility to take care of. Although he claimed to "appreciate" my problem and could "empathize" with me, he said Osborn Automotive would not take responsibility for the brakes. I pleaded the case that I bought a certified used vehicle that should have brakes that last longer than 4000 miles. He told me that that brake pads were currently below 4 mm, at new they are around 8.5 mm and VW requires brake pads to be at roughly half of the original thickness to pass inspection. He pulled the certification report and the brake pads were at 4.5 mm when the vehicle was certified in June of this year. Therefore, Mr. McArthur stood his ground that the vehicle was up to VW standards and Osborn Automotive was not liable for the brake repair expense. Further more, I have no idea what kind of wear and tear or abuse the vehicle suffered between June (when it was certified) and September when I purchased it. I explained that it was obvious that the brake pads were on the lowest end of the "acceptable" spectrum (if 4.25 mm equals half and the pads were at 4.5 mm) and the technician should have made the call to replace them as part of the certification process if they went out so quickly after purchase. Also, Mr. McArtur admitted to me that it's "not uncommon" for brakes to be replaced in a Touareg around 50K miles. Given that the mileage of the car was around 48000 when the certification was written in June of and the brake pads were obviously on the low end of acceptable, I drove off the lot with false confidence that this vehicle was going to be free from these kinds of maintenance issues.
This maintenance issue turned into a rather nasty customer service issue. Mr. McArthur said things to me like "tough luck, " "we don't have to DO ANYTHING for you, " and repeatedly wanted me to thank him and show appreciation for his effort in "going to bat" for me with the general manager in offering me a 25% discount on my brake repairs, that brought the total down to $617.93.
Did Osborn Automotive "technically" follow their "rules and standards"? Yes. But did they act with ethical integrity in this matter (on all fronts)? No. With a guideline in place like "roughly half, " it is the service technician's call to make when completing the certification. A quarter of a millimeter is now costing me over $600 in repairs. Osborn Automotive sold me a car that they knew would need new brakes in a matter of weeks after purchase.
If I had been able to review the certification report as part of the purchase process, I would have been aware of the issue before buying the car and would have been able to negotiate new brakes as part of the purchase. However, sharing the report is not allowed as part of the sales process. Consumers are to blindly believe in the standards of the certification process, which is obviously flawed.
I have also filed complaints with Volkswagen of America regarding their certification process and the BBB. Consumer beware! Just because a used car is certified does not mean it's good. Ask to read the report. If they won't show it to you, WALK AWAY. Based on my experience, I believe Osborn Automotive and VW of America are selling a false sense of security with their VW Certified PreLoved program.
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