The story of Peter Mugiano from the quiet Bavarian town of Geretsried sounds like a real nightmare chronicle for anyone who has dedicated their life to car tuning. It all begins on a February morning in 2018, when the peace in his auto repair shop was rudely disturbed by the sudden appearance of nearly a dozen police officers. Without providing specific written explanations on the spot, the law enforcement agencies searched the premises and seized his precisely modified Volkswagen Golf.
The reason for the radical action of the police turned out to be doubt in the authenticity of the technical documentation and the markings on the exhaust system. Local law enforcement authorities suspect that the generation identification plates were additionally welded for the purpose of fraud when passing the strict technical inspection before the TÜV. Mugiano, who invested over 33,000 euros in improving the car, categorically rejects the accusations from the very beginning. According to him, the installation of the elements in question was an explicit requirement of the certification inspectors themselves.
The subsequent legal epic lasted for nearly eight years, going through numerous court instances, delays and expert opinions. In the end, the appointment of independent technical specialists put an end to the dispute. Their final report clearly stated that the structural changes to the exhaust system and the corresponding marking fully complied with the legal norms in force at the time of the modification. The criminal proceedings were officially terminated, and the car was finally returned to its rightful owner.
However, the victory in court leaves a bitter taste behind. After almost a decade in a police warehouse, without proper care and maintenance, the market value of the once-project has been reduced to a modest €6,000. Now the Bavarian mechanic is preparing a new lawsuit against the state, this time demanding full financial compensation for the damage suffered and the depreciation of his Volkswagen Golf.