My extended warranty saved me $$$

[richdave]

A couple weeks back My 4y.o, 86K Passat started running/sounding like a 1962 truck so I drove it to the dealer for examination. En-route I got a warning to shut off engine immediately. I called my usual dealer who advised a tow. VW Roadside assist turned up within 30 minutes and flatbed transported to closest dealer (not my usual dealer)

Turned out my car had dropped the intermediate gear on the oil pump. The service team said they needed advice regarding the failure to know what else to disassemble/check. Later they advised me the crank/bearings were starved of oil and required replacement. I have been advised the car will cost around $5.5K to repair and will be covered by the Warranty. The warranty also covers $350 in hire care expenses - not nearly enough for this kind of failure as I have been without a car for 2 weeks and expect another 2 weeks since the parts are coming from Germany.

Hopefully the dealer will be able to give me a loaner soon...

The $2100 I paid for the extended warranty has certainly been repaid on this occasion.

I almost traded the car in the last week of December! Wish I had now.

[richdave]

Just been advised the parts are due in 3rd March! So allow another week to install etc that makes 3 more weeks of car hire expenses.

[richdave]

So I should finally have my car back later in the week. Only been 5 weeks since it broke down.

[passatpout]

How'd you go with the hire car expenses?? Have you been able to get corporate rates?

[richdave]

How'd you go with the hire car expenses?? Have you been able to get corporate rates?

Yeah - I have been booking cars thru my companies corporate travel service so I have been getting reasonable rates. Still puts a dent in the wallet though!

---------- Post added 06-03-2012 at 12:36 PM ---------- Previous post was 05-03-2012 at 08:39 PM ----------

So today I get a call... the big end bearings shipped dont fit, lets add another week to the service time while they get the right bearings. FFS! The savings are diminishing by the minute with inconvenience and the REAL cost to hire a loan car mounting. UGH!

[vanDub]

My 4y.o, 86K Passat ..... VW Roadside assist turned up within 30 minutes

I was recently in a similar position (Injector failure). I have extended warranty but I thought that VW roadside assist ran out at end of 3 year warranty and was not extended as part of the extended warranty.

Please tell me if I am wrong, or did VW do a "special" for you?

[richdave]

My roadside assist ran out 2 months after the 3 year warranty did however I was sent a renewal and paid $106 for an extra year. I have the renewal on my desk for another year which is due 27th April. I have not paid yet as I may not have the car that long.... assuming I actually get it back from VW service that is. It is almost certain I'll trade the car in as soon as I get it back and it wont be on another VW.

[passatpout]

My roadside assist ran out 2 months after the 3 year warranty did however I was sent a renewal and paid $106 for an extra year. I have the renewal on my desk for another year which is due 27th April. I have not paid yet as I may not have the car that long.... assuming I actually get it back from VW service that is. It is almost certain I'll trade the car in as soon as I get it back and it wont be on another VW.

Sounds like my thoughts on VW.. the only thing is, after having driven about 20 hire cars of all different makes and sizes (Hyundai, Honda, Toyota, Holden, Ford - many repeats in some makes). in the last year, it's pretty hard to beat VW overall.. just their bloody reliability and service attitude lets them down..

---------- Post added at 10:04 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:01 PM ----------

Yeah - I have been booking cars thru my companies corporate travel service so I have been getting reasonable rates. Still puts a dent in the wallet though!

---------- Post added 06-03-2012 at 12:36 PM ---------- Previous post was 05-03-2012 at 08:39 PM ----------

So today I get a call... the big end bearings shipped dont fit, lets add another week to the service time while they get the right bearings. FFS! The savings are diminishing by the minute with inconvenience and the REAL cost to hire a loan car mounting. UGH!

Ah yes, gotta love corporate car hire... a bloke at work hired a 3-tonne moving truck.. off the street, the price was about $220.. corporate rate - $71. And the excess dropped from $3000 to $1000..

But yes, I'm hoping that my car is fixed before the insurance hire car coverage runs out.. otherwise I might need to organise another interstate week-long work trip.

[richdave]

I have driven a lot of hire cars too in the last few months and so far I have a list of cars NOT to buy! I am however very dissatisfied with the reliability of the Passat and the long wait for it to be repaired. Having to hire a replacement car is the icing on the cake! What's worse I contacted VW Australia and no response. Not even an email. Now that really pisses me off. I don't see another VW in my future!

[FSI 220]

So today I get a call... the big end bearings shipped dont fit, lets add another week to the service time while they get the right bearings. FFS! The savings are diminishing by the minute with inconvenience and the REAL cost to hire a loan car mounting. UGH!

I would be having a word with the dept of fair trade, you paid for a car and a warranty, the car had a catastrophic failure, the warranty you paid for kicked in, and the parts which should be stocked in OZ , at worst in the SEAsian hub of Singapore came in and were incorrect , you have been more than fair, the fact they stuffed up is puting you out of pocket, I would be hitting them up for your expenses from when the first parts landed...

I am enjoying my car, and am aware that with so much complexity something may go wrong... but my car came with fundamental issues that should never have escaped the QC/QA protocols.... So it is a great car, as for put together?... well i would like to think nothing else was wrong with it when it left the factory... But the organisation that is Volkwagen Australia...has just been a dissapointment.

As for leaving the brand... its your money, you can do what you want with it