I am writing to report a situation that could lead to a serious accident and bodily harm to me and my wife because of the policies at Joe Heidt Volkswagen. My son and I have been customers for many years and I am now in a position of what could be lethal danger to my family and me because of the car I recently took delivery on - a 2012 Passat.
In November, 2011 I leased a new 2012 Passat from XXXXX. Immediately, the new Passat had accelerator-transmission problems. In stop-and-go traffic, about 1 out of 8 or 10 times that I step on the accelerator at slow speeds or when stopped there is no response. Nothing. Zero. The motor does not rev up, the car does not move or pick up speed. The way I have been handling the problem is to floor the gas pedal and hold my breath until the car decides to respond and lurches forward. Those seconds can be life-threatening, as when there is oncoming traffic and you are turning right on red, or when trying to cross an intersection in heavy traffic. Several visits and two “check ups†to Joe Heidt revealed that "Everything is fine. We changed a bad light bulb."
After several more visits, I finally persuaded the sales manager that it is too dangerous to continue driving the car - and I certainly can not allow my wife to drive it!
On Friday, 8/24/12, the sales manager said that he would take my car back in exchange for a new one, and that, as far as finances are concerned, "it will be a wash", and that monthly payments would increase from $330 to $370. He suggested I take the new car, a CC, for a test drive to see how I liked it because Joe Heidt is having a sale on the CC. So far, so good, right? A satisfied customer, the danger assuaged, the problem solved, Joe Heidt’s reputation intact.
After the test drive when I got back to the dealership and sat down with him again, the deal had suddenly changed. Now it was $395 ($70 more a month than I am paying), and I was told there would also be a $1,500 down payment.
"What happened to the "wash"? I wanted to know. "What happened to the "$370 per month?"
I consider this to be the kind of shoddy "used car salesman" tactic that I thought was long gone from reputable dealerships. At the end, I walked out in anger. Now, unless I am willing to pay more than I can afford, I am stuck driving a car that could, in the wrong circumstances, be the cause of serious injury or death to me or my family.
Every week when I go to NYC in this car I fear for my and my wife’s life. Crossing Park Avenue late on a green light last week we were almost broad-sided because the gas pedal wouldn’t work. I do not want to keep this death-trap.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
Dear Mr. Heidt;
I am writing to report a situation that could lead to a serious accident and bodily harm to me and my wife because of the policies at Joe Heidt Volkswagen. My son and I have been customers for many years and I am now in a position of what could be lethal danger to my family and me because of the car I recently took delivery on - a 2012 Passat.
In November, 2011 I leased a new 2012 Passat from XXXXX. Immediately, the new Passat had accelerator-transmission problems. In stop-and-go traffic, about 1 out of 8 or 10 times that I step on the accelerator at slow speeds or when stopped there is no response. Nothing. Zero. The motor does not rev up, the car does not move or pick up speed. The way I have been handling the problem is to floor the gas pedal and hold my breath until the car decides to respond and lurches forward. Those seconds can be life-threatening, as when there is oncoming traffic and you are turning right on red, or when trying to cross an intersection in heavy traffic. Several visits and two “check ups†to Joe Heidt revealed that "Everything is fine. We changed a bad light bulb."
After several more visits, I finally persuaded the sales manager that it is too dangerous to continue driving the car - and I certainly can not allow my wife to drive it!
On Friday, 8/24/12, the sales manager said that he would take my car back in exchange for a new one, and that, as far as finances are concerned, "it will be a wash", and that monthly payments would increase from $330 to $370. He suggested I take the new car, a CC, for a test drive to see how I liked it because Joe Heidt is having a sale on the CC. So far, so good, right? A satisfied customer, the danger assuaged, the problem solved, Joe Heidt’s reputation intact.
After the test drive when I got back to the dealership and sat down with him again, the deal had suddenly changed. Now it was $395 ($70 more a month than I am paying), and I was told there would also be a $1,500 down payment. "What happened to the "wash"? I wanted to know. "What happened to the "$370 per month?"
I consider this to be the kind of shoddy "used car salesman" tactic that I thought was long gone from reputable dealerships. At the end, I walked out in anger. Now, unless I am willing to pay more than I can afford, I am stuck driving a car that could, in the wrong circumstances, be the cause of serious injury or death to me or my family.
Every week when I go to NYC in this car I fear for my and my wife’s life. Crossing Park Avenue late on a green light last week we were almost broad-sided because the gas pedal wouldn’t work. I do not want to keep this death-trap.
- Tom D., Mahwah, NJ, US