# Wife R-Line recovered after being stolen , anything I should look for or request to be inspected ?



## Rodizzle (Oct 18, 2018)

Long story short , Wife’s Tiguan was stolen out of our driveway (she had forgot ur keys ) Saturday the 27th . It was just recovered this week . 
Any recommendation or suggestions on what I should look for before taking the vehicle in my possession ? 
Undercarriage damage , mechanical ... should I asked my insurance to drop it off at VW for a inspection after the body shop ? 
Iv never had a car stolen before so any tips would be great . 


No major damage other then it looks like they rode on the rim , finger print dust all over the interior, broken or missing lane assist camera , couple rear bumper indentation from hitting something and just a mess of crap inside. 










Thanks in advance 
-Ro 



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## n0thing (Mar 30, 2014)

VW needs to inspect it. You have a 4MOTION model so driving on just the wheel could have potential impacts on the all wheel drive system itself. They could check and make sure there are no other stored codes needed addressed as well. 

Sucks you are having to go through all of this.


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## shep1.8T (Jul 12, 2004)

Remember the adage, "drive it like you stole it". Assume they abused the hell out of it in any conceivable way. 

You should have VW inspect it for sure for any damage, and if any codes were generated. Just assume they ran the car hard to red line, and maybe even put it in sport mode and downshifted at the worst time possibly over-revving it a handful of times. (google: engine overspeed) 

Going past redline can cause internal damage depending on the degree and duration. Perhaps a leakdown and compression test is in order, along other things. 

Depending on if any codes were pulled, or what the codes are that may warrant a more thorough evaluation, especially if the tech thinks certain things are prudent.

I am unsure if the gen 3B engine is still able to measure timing chain stretch via Phase 1 intake valve adjustment in VAGCOM, but I would check that as well, and just see what that value reads.

Basically you want to ensure the drivetrain of the car is as close to the same condition as you had it in your last possession by having them go over it with a fine tooth comb.

If they kept it long enough to add gas, assume it was the worst possible cheap gas, and not the correct grade, so having all that removed and filled with 91 would be a good idea. (I know it only "needs" 87, but if there is low quality 85 left in the tank, this will bring you closer or above 87.)

With the tire gone, I imagine the alignment is toast, and possibly some of the suspension stuff and or the axle on that side (though maybe not), this also needs to be evaluated.

That is my 5 minute analysis. Others will hopefully chime in. 

I would be fairly firm with your requests to the insurance company, and explain to them all the things you are concerned about.

Sorry you have to go through this but I hope everything works out. Curious to hear updates.


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## socialD (Sep 19, 2011)

Does your dealer have a body shop? I would insist on that. It'll need to go through VW service to calibrate the new camera and such at minimum anyway.

Police already clear it of any drugs? Wouldn't want to be caught with that in your possession.

Too bad they didn't ram it into a wall for you and total it out. I wouldn't want a stolen car back unless it was some rare collectible.


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## Rodizzle (Oct 18, 2018)

Thanks for the grateful information replies , I’ll definitely have VW service inspect my car before taking possession of it . 
I officers already went thru the whole car as it had a lot more stolen goods from other break-ins . 
Its a lease vehicle that my wife loved and planned to take over after lease contact was over but she’s pretty bummed about it and I don’t blame her . We are just trying to get the car back to 99% so she won’t get stuck it a “pick and pull” car . Last thing I would hate is to get back charge of damages when return the lease . 
I’ll keep y’all updated as I get updates . 

Thanks Again 

-Ro


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## ice4life (Nov 6, 2017)

Rodizzle said:


> Thanks for the grateful information replies , I’ll definitely have VW service inspect my car before taking possession of it .
> I officers already went thru the whole car as it had a lot more stolen goods from other break-ins .
> Its a lease vehicle that my wife loved and planned to take over after lease contact was over but she’s pretty bummed about it and I don’t blame her . We are just trying to get the car back to 99% so she won’t get stuck it a “pick and pull” car . Last thing I would hate is to get back charge of damages when return the lease .
> I’ll keep y’all updated as I get updates .
> ...





socialD said:


> Does your dealer have a body shop? I would insist on that. It'll need to go through VW service to calibrate the new camera and such at minimum anyway.
> 
> Police already clear it of any drugs? Wouldn't want to be caught with that in your possession.
> 
> Too bad they didn't ram it into a wall for you and total it out. I wouldn't want a stolen car back unless it was some rare collectible.




I'm confused- The camera is way up at the top, it looks like they only stole the rear cap to the mirror.


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## Reihenmotor5 (Dec 1, 2006)

Never had this happen, but my fear when a couple of times in the morning I’ve found my keys and my wife’s keys in her car when she’s accidentally left them behind. Does insurance even cover this if keys are left in an unlocked car?


Sent while on the run


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## GTINC (Jan 28, 2005)

Reihenmotor5 said:


> Never had this happen, but my fear when a couple of times in the morning I’ve found my keys and my wife’s keys in her car when she’s accidentally left them behind. Does insurance even cover this if keys are left in an unlocked car?.....


I would hope they would not cover owner stupidity.


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## Rodizzle (Oct 18, 2018)

Reihenmotor5 said:


> Never had this happen, but my fear when a couple of times in the morning I’ve found my keys and my wife’s keys in her car when she’s accidentally left them behind. Does insurance even cover this if keys are left in an unlocked car?
> 
> 
> Sent while on the run


I hope so , it’s technically an accident . She thought she had her keys in her purse by just must of left them behind. It was just bad luck and timing . We have home security footage and a police report that the car was used to transport stolen goods from other car break-ins .
I have 9am appointment with my insurance adjuster at the collision shop . We’ll see  



ice4life said:


> I'm confused- The camera is way up at the top, it looks like they only stole the rear cap to the mirror.


Thank you for clarifying this ... so all it’s missing is a cover ?










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## IbsFt (Dec 15, 2018)

Bummer. It is like a one two punch, first your car is stolen and then dealing with the aftermath makes you wish they never recovered it. You've received some good advice (ie take it back the VW dealer and let them coordinate all the repairs) and some silly stuff (ie demanding the tank be drained and refilled with 91 octane fuel). Remember you have choices, so be assertive to get it fixed right. Always remember that the adjuster's job is to save the insurance company money, not to look out for your best interest. 

If there is any personal property still left in the vehicle, take it out asap because it will likely be gone by the time you get the car back. Be careful of re-manufactured rims. They tried two times on one of our cars and both times the outer lip was paper thin from the re-machining process. The adjuster finally agreed to allow a new OEM rim. So far every body shop repair we've had (and most mechanical repairs at the dealerships too) fasteners are left out, especially the ones out of sight behind panels, wire looms are not secured back in their holders, etc. Go over the repaired areas making sure everything is put back to the way the factory designed it. Do not accept the excuse that the fasteners are not needed. Manufacturers fall all over themselves to save pennies. If they thought those fasteners were unnecessary they would gladly have left them out! Last advice would be if any metal panels have to be replaced make sure the corrosion protection is renewed to like new. From our experiences, if any of our vehicles suffers major body damage we'll get it fixed to the mediocre standards of the insurance company and trade it in immediately. Its just not worth the stress of fighting to get it repaired correctly.

Having a car stolen sucks on many levels. Good luck and I hope the insurance company treats you well.


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## ice4life (Nov 6, 2017)

Rodizzle said:


> I hope so , it’s technically an accident . She thought she had her keys in her purse by just must of left them behind. It was just bad luck and timing . We have home security footage and a police report that the car was used to transport stolen goods from other car break-ins .
> I have 9am appointment with my insurance adjuster at the collision shop . We’ll see
> 
> 
> ...


Obviously they should check to see the camera is in the slot, but from what it looks like, yes- just the mounting trim cap which is removed to access the hardware to take the mirror off. There are homlink mirror install threads that show it somewhere.


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## jwvetere (May 12, 2019)

Wow - Sorry this happened to you. Luckily you have a supportive community of experts here (of which I am not one!) - to help you out. Remember - the definition of insurance is "to make whole again" - so you have a legal right to have the vehicle restored to at least as good of condition as it was before the theft. If you take it to the dealer, and additional major problems are discovered (it already sounds major - just based on what's been posted herein) - I'd push to have the car replaced/"Totaled" by insurance. That is not a stretch at all. Your lucky this is a lease - as this would be a major red flag on the car's vehicle history report - that will drastically affect the value. You will likely not want to buyout the vehicle at the end of the lease term now.

The one thing I was going to add would be a "factory" detail - interior and exterior. Dealerships to offer this as a service - it's likely to be performed after any major service. In your case, likely the seats will need to come out, interior trim removed/clean underneath/replaced, etc. That fingerprint dust is the finest dust I've seen, and it'll likely rear its annoying head for years to come. (Like when I had a window broken from a break-in - I was finding tiny glass pieces in the car for years after.) Same case with you. Like I said - the insurance must make you whole again - as if the theft never even happened. You have good mechanical advice on this thread. Let me contribute with the interior detailing advice. Also - a comprehensive exterior detail will reveal any other minor body/cosmetic damage that may have been missed. (I always find the smallest imperfections when I spend the time to carefully detail my exterior - i.e. paint chips from kicked up gravel.)

Think big here - don't think small - in terms of your claim. A possible outcome is a new car - don't let that escape your mind - and let your adjuster know that is within the realm of your considerations here, too.

PS - Note for the others - I think that's kind of an old wives tale, that you need to have both sets of keys if your car is stolen. I can't imagine an insurance company denying a claim if the keys were left in, and the car was stolen. Is that negligent, sort of, but an accident nonetheless - which insurance is meant to cover. I think the police may consider it more suspicious if you don't have the keys - which may affect their investigation (i.e. Could the claim be an insurance fraud case?) (NOT AT ALL IMPLYING THAT IS THE CASE IN THIS THREAD!). But I think that's why they say to have the keys available when a car is stolen. But certainly, someone may have lost a set of keys years ago, and is relying on their second set day-to-day, and doesn't have both sets of keys available when a vehicle theft report is filed. Insurance couldn't deny a claim in this case. (I'm from South Florida where insurance fraud is rampant - so it's something that is always considered - not just with cars, but with homeowner's claims, etc - the whole gamut.)


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## Rodizzle (Oct 18, 2018)

Small updates : 

I met my insurance adjuster and everything got approved . Its currently at the collision center . Once body and cosmetics work is done I’ll have it towed to my nearest WV for finally inspections . 
I’ll have more updates as I get them . 

Thank you everyone !! 


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## appleman (Jul 8, 2003)

why not push for a total? Why the hell would you want this thing back after going through god knows what. No way.


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## NZTIGUAN (May 23, 2008)

What took the tyre off the rim ? was it spiked ? in a police chase ?


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## cjconover (May 3, 2018)

appleman said:


> why not push for a total? Why the hell would you want this thing back after going through god knows what. No way.


Why would the insurance company total this vehicle. Unless there is a lot of unseen damage that is found during inspection, I cant see this being totaled in any way. I had just shy of $13,000 damage to my 18 Tig when it was 3 months old and my insurance company (StateFarm) would not total mine. I was told repair cost had to be 75% of vehicle value.


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## Smokebomb1! (Mar 12, 2019)

*Car inspection after being stolen*

All good replys.I would definitely document every conversation and concern.I also would have the police dog check for drugs.A road side inspection might spoil your day.


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## xkeyscore (Jun 21, 2019)

Rodizzle said:


> Long story short , Wife’s Tiguan was stolen out of our driveway (she had forgot ur keys ) Saturday the 27th . It was just recovered this week .
> Any recommendation or suggestions on what I should look for before taking the vehicle in my possession ?
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


This is your lucky day. Anything wrong with the car can be attributed to the thieves.

All your curbed wheels
Send a sample of oil to blackstone to check for metal.
When it comes back, loosen the bolts to the manifold and hit it with a rubber mallet. Induce a manifold leak which will be under power train warranty and pay a couple of extra bucks for a carbon cleaning
Any and all interior damage. That spot on the seat or floor carpet wasnt there when they stole the car, right?
Any and all exterior damage. After all, your car was immaculate when it was stolen
Wat do you know?! The thieves removed your 3M plastic coating protecting the paint. You are going to need an exterior detail and have the coating re-applied.
For some reason they took off your custom rims and put on stockers. 

You mean something like that?


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## Reihenmotor5 (Dec 1, 2006)

Oh man I hope you’re joking, if not, this is why insurance rates go up.  


Sent while on the run


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## Rodizzle (Oct 18, 2018)

Sorry guys Late update, 

Wife’s Tiguan was returned after 4 weeks at the body shop . It was returned in great condition interior and exterior . Not only did check get her vehicle back but VW perform a software update and changed a fuel line due to a CEL . Wow that software update is a must !! It doesn’t have the initial lag like it used to . 
Wife couldn’t be happier ( win win ) . 

Here’s the invoice if anyone was interest on what the body shop performed . 










Thanks for everyone’s input 


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