'I think if it wasn't for you guys, this would not be resolved:' Contact 6 helps man get new car
MILWAUKEE — Many 19-year-olds don't take care of their cars. However, there is one who wants to keep his in top shape. When Cody McDonald had concerns about his Jetta that he couldn't get resolved, he turned to Contact 6.
He started hearing a noise coming from his car that was so loud, McDonald said he could hear it over the radio.
Cody McDonald reached out to Contact 6 after not being able to resolve his car concerns.
"The transmission is making grinding, scraping, and scuffing noises," he said.
McDonald bought the 2019 Volkswagen Jetta 14 months ago. When the noise started, he took it in for service.
"They said nothing is wrong with it," he said. "It's a normal characteristic of the vehicle."
The dealer stood by that assessment, but a class-action lawsuit alleges, "The transmission is defective in that it grates, scuffs, scrapes, grinds, and ultimately suffers broken seals and oil leaks."
Attorneys argued the "defect can impair any driver's ability to control his or her vehicle."
"It's very concerning, especially for reliability and safety," McDonald said.
He thought Volkswagen should buy back his car and wrote to Contact 6.
"I wanted to go farther," McDonald said. "I wasn't getting anywhere on my own with Volkswagen."
Volkswagen told Contact 6, "We remain in discussions with Mr. McDonald and will continue to work with him directly to address any issues."
In the end, Volkswagen repurchased McDonald's car.
"They agreed to refund the whole vehicle, however, they did depreciate the vehicle for the mileage that was put on," McDonald said.
Volkswagen wrote their offer "is made in the interest of goodwill only and is an attempt at a fair resolution of this matter. This offer is not an admission of liability."
"I think if it wasn't for you guys, this would not be resolved," McDonald said.
Volkswagen agreed to refund the whole vehicle, minus depreciation for mileage. McDonald thought that was fair and was using the money to buy another car.
He was offered another $1,500 from Volkswagen to stay with the VW brand, but he declined.