McDonald Volkswagen — Local services in Littleton

I am giving McDonald VW on Broadway in Littleton CO this 1 star review, because of the lack of fixing my issues on a brand new 2024 VW Atlas R-Line, I purchased from them in May 2024. I will be sending in the following letter to the service manager. I will never again buy a VW vehicle. This is my first and last. Acura and Honda have been my vehicles of choice for the last 25 years and I am sad and disappointed that I chose a VW because they are not well made and the dealership isn't good with getting them fixed in a timely manner.

I am writing to express my deep concern and disappointment regarding the numerous unresolved issues affecting my 2024 Volkswagen Atlas R‑Line, purchased from McDonald VW on Broadway. Despite multiple service visits, the vehicle remains plagued by persistent electrical and mechanical defects, and I urgently request your immediate attention and resolution.

Vehicle Details

Model: 2024 Atlas R‑Line

Dealer: McDonald VW on Broadway

Current Mileage: Approximately 9,400 miles

Recurrent Issues Not Yet Resolved

Infotainment Screen Malfunctions & Recall The main display exhibits frequent glitches, freezing, or loss of functionality, which compromises navigation, safety alerts, and vehicle information. Though a recall has been issued, it has not rectified the problem.

Unreliable Screen Reset Fix The advised workaround—turning the system off and on or pressing the power button—fails to offer a reliable fix. It provides only temporary relief and is no longer a viable solution.

iPhone & CarPlay Connectivity Problems My iPhone 15 Pro Max consistently fails to maintain a stable connection, whether wired or wireless. Apple CarPlay disconnects and reconnects repeatedly, severely disrupting navigation and hands-free usage.

Tailgate & Door Malfunctions The rear tailgate will not open with the foot-activated sensor, nor will it close using the key; only the manual button works. Additionally, the touch-sensitive door locking mechanism fails regularly, necessitating the use of the key to lock.

Electronic Seat Memory Inoperable The seat memory feature has never functioned. Initial attempts to resolve this were dismissed as user error, but repeated service visits (three in total) have failed to restore functionality.

Critical Safety Hazard: Cruise Control Failure While driving on the highway, the cruise control abruptly disengaged. A red warning line appeared on the dashboard, the vehicle decelerated unexpectedly, and control was lost—posing a serious safety risk.

Attempts at Resolution I have returned the vehicle to the dealership four times for these issues, but the problems remain unresolved. The repeated service attempts now constitute more than the threshold for reasonable repair efforts.

Impact & Context As a single veteran grandmother raising a special-needs child, I rely on a dependable, safe vehicle. Unfortunately, this Atlas exhibits patterns characteristic of what is commonly referred to as a “lemon”—a vehicle with repeated, uncorrected defects that substantially affect its safety and usability. Under Colorado’s updated lemon law (effective August 7, 2024), my vehicle qualifies for remedies—particularly as it has had multiple repair attempts for the same defects and safety is clearly compromised

Requested Actions I respectfully request immediate corrective action, including:

A detailed plan to fully repair all listed defects, and the time frame for the needed repairs and a loaner car provided to me at no charge for my inconvenience or

Consideration for repurchase or replacement under Colorado’s Lemon Law, particularly given the serious safety concerns and extensive repair history.

Please treat this matter with urgency—these unresolved defects pose ongoing safety and reliability issues. I am prepared to escalate via formal complaints to the Colorado Attorney General’s Office or pursue legal avenues if necessary.

Thank you for your prompt attention. I look forward to a timely and...

AVOID AT ALL COSTS!

Brought my Golf R in to here to get an issue fixed that required a new steering wheel (under warranty). The McDonald service assistant I first worked with told me they don’t get too many Golf R’s in their shop, which should have been my first red flag.

Trying to get a loaner from them was a giant ordeal (compared to other dealerships like Emich). Once McDonald told me they fixed my car successfully, I picked it up and drove two blocks only to notice my left paddle to downshift was stuck to the steering wheel (it wasn’t tested).

They then had to order another steering wheel for me and give me ANOTHER loaner. After a few days they then said it was fixed again. I went to pick up my car, and found it weird my dash cam was unplugged when I got in. I then drove away, only to find my steering wheel was EXTREMELY off-center, and to make it anywhere near straight would drive me off the road.

I went back to complain about this, but no manager was in since it was a Saturday, and I was guaranteed they would reach out to me at the beginning of the week to make this right. I checked my dash cam footage, which recorded literally every time my car was worked on (a bunch of footage in their garage) up until the repair was done. Whoever test drove my car once the repair was finished didn’t want the dash cam recording…

I then waited until Tuesday and I ended up calling McDonald myself for a follow up on this, to which I spoke with the service manager Annalisa, who states she was told I was upset and I was going to go somewhere else, so she figured why even call me back (great customer service). I did end up going to Emich because of how frustrated I was with McDonald, only for Emich to confirm my car needed an alignment.

For a little backstory, this car was two months old to me at the time, and was given an inspection by Carmax AS WELL as by Emich before I bought it, since I bought it at one year old with under 9k miles. At no point did anyone say I needed an alignment, nor did my car need an alignment even after the FIRST time McDonald replaced my steering wheel. Due to my unrelated gps issue, I just so happened to have 20+ videos of me driving my car with my steering wheel perfectly straight at highway speeds over the previous few weeks, which in its current state would have me in a ditch.

Somehow my car’s alignment was thrown off during a 10 minute test drive of my car, that someone at McDonald conveniently didn’t want to document with a dash cam…

After hearing this news (and facing a $700 estimate) from Emich, I called Annalisa with McDonald, only to always reach her voicemail. I proceeded to leave her multiple voicemails, which over the course of a week she failed to ever call me back.

Frustrated, I finally called Volkswagen myself and was assigned a case worker to get this resolved with McDonald. Over the next few days, to my surprise, Stefanie with VW said she somehow was able to talk with Annalisa, who states McDonald never denied fixing my car (they just avoided me at all costs when they were found in the wrong).

At this point I only worked with Stefanie to schedule my car going in to McDonald to have them look at the alignment. They fixed the alignment issue they caused at no cost. If I didn’t create a case with VW, I’m not sure if I would’ve gotten this resolved. Reading the other 1 star reviews of this place, I highly doubt it. I know I’ll never step foot in there again.

This dealership is a joke. I decided to try them out because Emich scratched my steering wheel once on a previous vehicle, and it took a while to get it replaced by them due to COVID. I regretted this decision so hard for months because of this giant ordeal with McDonald and eventually VW corporate.

If you own a VW, Emich is really your only good option in the Denver area...

I did a lot of research on cars and dealerships and landed at McDonald VW but it was a huge mistake. I spoke with 2 of their teammates on the phone and it started off great. When I arrived, it seemed like the sales person was slightly flustered and indicated a few times he was just handed my case. They were excited to present me a finance offer but I hadn't seen the car yet and it wasn't the one I initially expressed interest in and it didn't have the features I wanted. We found another vehicle and their finance team worked with me to figure out a deal. The finance person was very friendly but the process was bumpy - I almost walked out with someone else's license and registration and as I was leaving the dealership they indicated they forgot to charge me for the downpayment. I had to leave the dealership for an appointment but said I'd come back. The sales rep indicated he should have had it serviced while I was gone but Service was closed since I got back about an hour before closing time. The car had low tire pressure alerts and no car mats but they told me to come back and they'd get it taken care of. My friend came back with me and while we were in the car with the sales person, we thought we heard him say "roll down the windows" so I did but then he snapped that he said "DON'T roll down the windows" because the windows had just been wiped down. My friend even said "geez, it's ok, she won't care about that" and we figured he was just having a long day.

The next day, I was having a little buyers remorse because the car didn't have the one feature I was initially interested in but at the time, I decided to move forward and get the car anyway. I called the sales rep and asked him if I had any options and he shared he's just a sales rep and I would need to talk to finance or a sales manager. I asked if I should reach out to them and he said he would have someone call me back. No one ever did. I decided to keep the car and then got busy with the Thanksgiving holiday so didn't drive it much.

The next week I noticed that the screen was flickering and the remote start still didn't work. The wireless charger in the car also turns off intermittently and when it would charge, my phone would get so hot it would turn off. I made an appointment with Service and indicated the issues during the service request and then had to repeat the issues to 3 different people during the process. They did provide me a loaner car which was really nice. When I came to pick up the car, the only issue that was addressed was the tire pressure. I went back inside to talk through the other issues and the car mats and the first rep I dealt with said the car mats weren't included in the purchase of my vehicle. I shared the sales rep told me to come back to get these and he advised I go talk to a sales manager. I ran into the sales rep and he got it approved. Then I went back to service and the rep said he didn't have time to help so he passed me to Daniel. Daniel was actually really helpful but it still took over 45 minutes for me to get the mats. I was advised to contact VW for the other issues.

Fast forward to January - my temporary license is expiring so as they recommended, I called Finance to get an extended temporary one while we wait for the DMV. I've left 2 messages now and still haven't received a call back in a week.

I opted to purchase a new car so I wouldn't have to deal with issues from an older vehicle but I still am and could not be more disappointed in my experience with...