VW customer service - frustrating

[Maverick]

Wouldn't the warranty a manufacturer is prepared to offer be longer the more reliable the car?

Explain Hyundai's and Mitsubishi's warranties than! (referring to the 380 in particular).

These brands increased their warranties to increase the publics perception of them being rubbish.

As far as looking at warranty claims across manufacturers it's actually pointless as a Hyundai with really basic features and an owner that only uses it get from A to B is going to have minimal warranty claims. On the other hand a complex car like the Volkswagen and with generally owners who have higher expectations will have more warranty claims.

The manufacturer of a really reliable car wouldn't say "Trust me - our cars will be fault free for the first three years!" which would beg the question, they would say "We will rectify any defect in manufacture that occurs within three years." And if they knew their cars would be defect-free for longer, they might even offer a longer warrranty for the competitive advantage such a statement about the reliability of their cars would give them.

I don't see Hyundai making inroads with customers who can think for themselves and the 380 suffered from such poor sales nothing could save it.

There's a cost to the manufacturer for warranties and would a 5 year warranty really sell more GTI's or would it just drive up the cost? VW offer a 3 year extension at a low cost and if you consider it's via an insurance company (for around $1400 for the GTI) and assuming $200 profit for the dealer, $300 for the Insurance Company and $100 for Volkswagen that leaves $800 to pay out. So if the average claim in years 4, 5 and 6 for GTI's of which over half are DSG equipped it shows that the car is pretty damn reliable.

Imagine what customers would think, Maverick, if you said "My workmanship is so good I don't guarantee it!"

If the workmanship is that good and you have a reputation I'm sure people wouldn't care. BMW and Mercedes only offer 2 year warranties don't they?

[Umai Naa!!]

I'd hate to break it to you, but there's some borderline-crazy customers out there.

We had one customer that went 'all the way to the top' to have her brake fluid covered under warranty.

[Dubya]

Explain Hyundai's and Mitsubishi's warranties than! (referring to the 380 in particular).

These brands increased their warranties to increase the publics perception of them being rubbish.

I never said car companies wouldn't have other reasons besides reliability to increase their warranties - I was just pointing out the lack of logic in your statement to the effect that if VWs were so reliable why wouldn't VW offer no warranty, which makes no sense at all.

Anyway, I think you just tried to explain it - - - something about "increasing perception of them being rubbish" - - but I know what you mean.

But as you say, there is more than one reason to lengthen the warrranty. And one of them, as I said, is that you have an extremely reliable product. You certainly don't, as you suggested, remove the warranty because you have a particularly reliable product.

I don't see Hyundai making inroads with customers who can think for themselves

So Hyundai owners can't think for themselves? How nice of you to share that with us, especially when your own postings are largely conjecture.

If the workmanship is that good and you have a reputation I'm sure people wouldn't care. BMW and Mercedes only offer 2 year warranties don't they?

You just can't accept the inanity of your comment that there could be a negative correlation between reliability and warranty period or the willingness to offer one.

[Maverick]

I never said car companies wouldn't have other reasons besides reliability to increase their warranties - I was just pointing out the lack of logic in your statement to the effect that if VWs were so reliable why wouldn't VW offer no warranty, which makes no sense at all.

If the car was so reliable that it wouldn't break down in the first three years they would offer something else like a guarantee or a new car swap if something did occur to back it up. Why offer a warranty if the car is so reliable over other manufacturers? You want to differentiate your product from others.

But as you say, there is more than one reason to lengthen the warrranty. And one of them, as I said, is that you have an extremely reliable product. You certainly don't, as you suggested, remove the warranty because you have a particularly reliable product.

Many view cars like BMW and Mercedes to be reliable and they offer only ~2 years warranty and they were still offering 1 year warranties from memory when others were offering 2 and 3 year ones.

So Hyundai owners can't think for themselves? How nice of you to share that with us, especially when your own postings are largely conjecture.

The people that buy Hyundai's are different to those that buy other manufacturers products, look at the demographics for the different manufacturers. Hyundai is cheap rubbish, you can pick up a second hand corolla that's a few years old for the price of one of their eco boxes and the corolla will be running for many more years.

How many old Hyundai's do you see on the road? How many do you see that after a short period have damage all over them?

[Dubya]

I'd hate to break it to you, but there's some borderline-crazy customers out there.

We had one customer that went 'all the way to the top' to have her brake fluid covered under warranty.

No doubt. However Maverick, with no direct knowledge of the surrounding circumstances, appeared to condone VGA threatening a customer in a most serious way.

If true, I can think of very few circumstances in which such conduct on VGA's part could not be considered appalling (but probably the act of a low-level customer service person in need of counselling).

When I complained in writing about the apparent lack of snow chains compatible with the GTI, a low level operative in VGA marketing sent a most unsympathetic and somewhat discourteous reply referring to Australian standards, expressing little sympathy for the inconvenience I experienced on a trip to the snowfields.

[Umai Naa!!]

Car manufacturers have to offer some sort of warranty by law in Australia. Regardless of how reliable they are.

As well all know, warranty is a great marketing tool. It worked well for Hyundai, and Mitsubishi is doing quite well out of it too, these days.

I'm not 100% sure what line of work Maverick is in, but I'm seeing this whole thing from the other side of the workshop roller door.

[Maverick]

No doubt. However Maverick, with no direct knowledge of the surrounding circumstances, appeared to condone VGA threatening a customer in a most serious way.

I didn't condone it at all.

There are two sides to every story and very limited information has been posted.

If you bothered to read what I wrote it was clear that I was sitting on the fence and not taking "sides".

Unless you were making threats and ranting and raving Volkswagen wouldn't have made threats to sue you and to contact your employer.

Volkswagen aren't going to go out of their way to help anyone in that situation and treating the staff with some respect goes a long way.

Point out where I condoned VGA threatening a customer?

If true, I can think of very few circumstances in which such conduct on VGA's part could not be considered appalling (but probably the act of a low-level customer service person in need of counselling).

You've assumed that it's true based on someone who hasn't posted anything to back up his claims of the threats made (which were via email and could be posted).

Without knowing the facts and both sides of the story because I'm sure there is a hell of a lot more to it than we've been told there is little point in placing blame with anyone.

When I complained in writing about the apparent lack of snow chains compatible with the GTI, a low level operative in VGA marketing sent a most unsympathetic and somewhat discourteous reply referring to Australian standards, expressing little sympathy for the inconvenience I experienced on a trip to the snowfields.

What would you like them to have done?

a) write a letter explaining the facts (as they did) or
b) send around some dancers to deliver the message in song?

[Dubya]

If the car was so reliable that it wouldn't break down in the first three years they would offer something else like a guarantee ...

But Guarantee / warranty / replacement - - - they're all assurances in the form of contractual obligations a manufacturer might undertake in addition to its statutory obligations and quite inconsistent with your notion of not offering a warranty for a totally reliable product (but now you try and weasel out of your original statement by splitting hairs by raising other comparable assurances such as guarantee etc). How disingenuous can you get?

I've read you never admit when you're wrong, Maverick.

You could have just admitted your comment made no sense, but instead you go on about BMW and Mercedes warranties which have no bearing on the logic or otherwise of your statement that VW might offer no warranty if their car was totally reliable.

Previously you have claimed VAG lost money on every Golf made without direct knowledge or providing any evidence (other than what you read in the press). This is just one more example of how unrelentingly you are when your statements are refuted.

[Greg Roles]

[Brendan_A]

Nice one!!