Successful audit of material component testing

DEKRA Laboratories Receive Official VW 52000 Certification

Oct 27, 2026

The DEKRA laboratories in Bretten and Saarbrücken in Germany have successfully completed the demanding recognition process for Volkswagen AG and are now officially certified in accordance with the group standard VW 52000. This entitles the testing laboratories to provide material sampling, material testing, and standardized documentation services directly to suppliers of the Volkswagen Group (including Audi, Porsche, SEAT, and Škoda).

Volkswagen’s VW 52000 standard defines the strict requirements for verifying the quality of materials during the development phase (especially for build sample inspection) and for the production process and product release (PPF) procedure. Automotive suppliers must submit precise material data and standardized test reports for their components to ensure uniform component quality across the Volkswagen network.

As part of the successful audit, the laboratories were certified for a broad range of Volkswagen’s group standards (PV). With immediate effect, the expanded portfolio covers:

Environmental cycle and alternating climate tests: Resistance of automotive components to alternating climates (PV 1200) and weathering in humid, hot climate for exterior use (PV 3930)
Corrosion tests: Environmental corrosion cycle test for aluminum- and zinc-coated add-on parts/hang-on parts such as heat exchangers (PV 1209) and general corrosion testing of body and add-on parts/hang-on parts (PV 1210)
Interior and surface tests: Xenon arc light aging of interior parts (PV 1303), hydrolysis tests on components with foam-laminated decorative materials (PV 3959), and mechanical testing such as the floating roller peel test for nonmetallic planar materials (PV 2034)
Resistance and abrasion: Testing of abrasion resistance using a linear stroke device (PV 3906), skin abrasion testing of structured surfaces (PV 3991), and testing of the microscratch resistance of high-gloss surfaces in the vehicle interior (PV 3987)
Material-specific tests: Ball-drop testing to determine the low-temperature impact strength of plastic components (PV 3989) and highly developed elastomer tests including the testing of plastic/elastic deformability (PV 3307) and the compression set of O-rings (PV 3330)

The successful certification in accordance with VW 52000 underscores DEKRA’s expertise in material testing and its role as a reliable and independent partner to the automotive industry. It provides automotive industry clients with maximum legal certainty, close proximity, and efficient component approval procedures. Alongside the approval as qualified laboratory for emission testing, this represents a further major step on DEKRA’s path to becoming a full-service provider of automotive release testing.

Specialist contact:

DEKRA Automobil GmbH

Laboratory for Environmental and Product Analysis

Tel: +49 711 7861-4160

testlab@dekra.com