I'm the owner of a 2011 Volkswagen GTI with about 75k on the clock and no remaining warranty. Recently the vehicle tripped a check engine light for low coolant level. Dropped it off at the local Chicago burbs dealer Monday and learned the water pump main seal has failed. NOT due to the common issue of oil dripping onto the seal. It was replaced May '14 and thus one month out of warranty so I filed a claim with VW of America requesting support for the parts & labor. Quote for parts & labor for repair is ~$850.
VW agreed to cover the expense of the part bringing the total down to $550 for the labor. This is better than where I started but unsatisfactory to me for a few reasons:
-the nature of the failure indicates either improper install (performed last year by dealer) or part failure
-Google search reveals long history of part revisions and incidents of repeated failure. This seems to be a common issue for the TSI engine in the last couple generations of the GTI.
My next steps are to document the failure reason, validate I did indeed get the latest revision part installed in May '14 for the last replacement and go from there.
For the legal-minded folks or those with warranty type claims experience what are my options? Do I have my attorney draft a letter of demand and hope VW will agree to my terms?
Thanks in advance.
tl;dr
Water pump replacement out of warranty. Part design is junk. Seeking advice in dealing with VWoA.
VW agreed to cover the expense of the part bringing the total down to $550 for the labor. This is better than where I started but unsatisfactory to me for a few reasons:
-the nature of the failure indicates either improper install (performed last year by dealer) or part failure
-Google search reveals long history of part revisions and incidents of repeated failure. This seems to be a common issue for the TSI engine in the last couple generations of the GTI.
My next steps are to document the failure reason, validate I did indeed get the latest revision part installed in May '14 for the last replacement and go from there.
For the legal-minded folks or those with warranty type claims experience what are my options? Do I have my attorney draft a letter of demand and hope VW will agree to my terms?
Thanks in advance.
tl;dr
Water pump replacement out of warranty. Part design is junk. Seeking advice in dealing with VWoA.
Last edited: