VW's 3 Year Extended Warranty

[Jetta]

Thanks to all for your advice and information (espec. Dan). I will definitely be giving the two dealers that have supported members on this site my business if they do indeed provide the best price. I just thought shopping local (again, if competitive) would assist in establishing a rapport with a dealer that could be of benefit in other situations.

I suppose my next question would be are there any known/reported major failings in vehicles (in my case, specifically Jetta 2.0 TDI DSG vehicles) which would make extended warranty purchase a no brainer? What is the likelihood of, or is there some history of a catastrophic major failure (barring outright abuse of the vehicle) on such a vehicle? Have members reported or discussed any such problems? Any comments welcome.

[Tux]

I have just bought a new GTI and I will be buying the 3 year extended warranty just for peace of mind. You never know when a failure might occur and it's just insurance after all. It's risk management isn't it? You could argue that a major failure should happen early on if there's a fault and happen later on due to wear and tear. My last car had all it's problems occur in the first twelve months or so and I had no warranty claims after that.

[Jetta]

I suppose what my earlier questions were driving at was whether the extended warranty was just a way for VW to keep customers coming back to VW dealers for servicing etc for another 3 years. I plan to have my Jetta serviced by my own (non VW dealer) mechanic following VW service requirements (I bought the thing 2 months ago & it still has 2 months new car warranty). If I get an extended warranty, and god forbid, had to make a claim, is this just an argument waiting to happen? Also, do I have to validate the prior owners service record to successfully claim? Seems a lot of grey there, certainly for a 'second owner'?

[Maverick]

I suppose what my earlier questions were driving at was whether the extended warranty was just a way for VW to keep customers coming back to VW dealers for servicing etc for another 3 years. I plan to have my Jetta serviced by my own (non VW dealer) mechanic following VW service requirements (I bought the thing 2 months ago & it still has 2 months new car warranty). If I get an extended warranty, and god forbid, had to make a claim, is this just an argument waiting to happen? Also, do I have to validate the prior owners service record to successfully claim? Seems a lot of grey there, certainly for a 'second owner'?

Why don't you read the PDS as it explains what you need to do in black and white.

The dealer has to get the insurance company to approve the repairs so it makes sense to find a VW dealer and use them for the service, they will be more inclined to push your case each time and they will know that the servicing has been performed correctly without having to check.

[Jetta]

The dealer has to get the insurance company to approve the repairs so it makes sense to find a VW dealer and use them for the service, they will be more inclined to push your case each time and they will know that the servicing has been performed correctly without having to check.

So you are agreeing with my assumption that it is a clever way for VW to keep you for another 3 years of servicing...?

[brad]

So you are agreeing with my assumption that it is a clever way for VW to keep you for another 3 years of servicing...?

Nope. As they said, read the PDS for yourself (it's very short & in plain english). It's an extension of the factory warranty & simply requires that the vehicle be serviced IAW the VW service schedule using the correct parts (OEM would be preferred but OEM quality/spec would also be OK) and the work performed by "suitably qualified personnel".

[yowie]

So you are agreeing with my assumption that it is a clever way for VW to keep you for another 3 years of servicing...?

You could look at it that way, Jetta, or maybe look at the number of things that, were any one of them to fail with-in the next three years, alone would justify the 1300 odd cost. Try pricing a head unit or gearbox or cracked head for that matter.
In my humble, its a no-brainer. Unless you have the original fail-safe DSG, go for it

[Pom]

The extended warranties that you are talking about are they the extension of the original new car warranty, ot the three year used car extended warranty that VW also sells.

I am in the process of purchasing an 07 Jetta TDI, and still am not sure whether it is covered by its original warranty or not. But if it I assume I have to get the original owner to purchase this warranty and then transfer it over to me. I have read the PDS through and there is no real mantion of having to have purchased the car originally from VW. However, on the VW warranty website, it does say "if purchased new by you".

[FJ Steve]

Pom,

I would be "talking" to the dealer where you are purchasing this vehicle. Also, any defined statements made by the dealer/car salesman, should be clarified in written format, to allow you to have "something in writing" to fall back on, should you need to make a stand over a dispute on "he said/she said" issues.


Forums are great for 'ad-hoc' information, but count for nothing if you are having a warranty/claim dispute with a particular delaer etc., then it is best to deal direct with them. By all means, share your experience here, but what may work for someone in Melbourne, may not be applicable for someone in Bathrust...know what I mean?

[gerhard]

So you are agreeing with my assumption that it is a clever way for VW to keep you for another 3 years of servicing...?

The extended warranty is not compulsory.

If you don't like how it sounds, or if you feel you are being co-erced against your wishes, you are free to self-warranty your car and have your own mechanic service it.

That's the beauty of freedom of choice.

I will be exercising my freedom of choice to buy the extended warranty and have the car serviced at the dealer. That way, if my mechatronic gives trouble, or my aircon compressor fails, or whatever, it will be fixed with minimum fuss.