What does VW really give you with a warranty

[CoriolisSTORM]

This kind of talk depresses me. With my Dodge I bought, I bought it 2 months before they started the lifetime warranty. Wish I'd known... VW warranties sound like crap to me guys, I'll have to take this into consideration when thinking about a new Jetta to replace my Dodge... Does it depend on the dealer guys? And yes, you get what you pay for warranty wise, well I would think so anyway excepting that the Caliber I bought was the same price base before the lifetime as it was after it. If Dodge would bring over the 2.0L CRD Caliber (VW Based!) with the lifetime warranty, I think we'd see some VW switchers.

 

[oilhammer]

I have purchased 5 Volkswagens brand new, and have never had anything that required a warranty, so quite frankly I could not care less about any warranty stuff.

And even if something DID pop up, I would not let those monkeys around here touch my car anyways. But so far, they all have made it happily out of warranty without a hiccup. My latest is the 2004... 70k miles and no problems at all.

 

[gus54rz]

I have a 1998 ranger with 220000 miles ,,2.5-4 banger- 5 speed fuel injection pump replaced at 25000, under warrenty,, trans replaced at 115000, cost under 1000 parts and labor,,,and very minimal rust,, nothing else but normal wear and tear and maintaince,,,, Ford please put a diesel in your ranger,,,,,,,,,,, i would never buy a gas powerd VW

 

[TTDI]

Update On The Rusted Fender

Well Ladies and Gentlemen,
You can now take a bow and smile knowing as a result of all the help from Fred's TDI and the TSB provided by VWCAMPIN, I now have a new fender on the car . To quote the VW factory rep who finally got to see the car, " It is clear that this fender rusted from the inside out and it looks like we owe you a fender " .
I picked up the car Friday and it was installed and with a nice matching of the paint I might add.

So, what is the moral of the story; VW would have done nothing for me if you guys didn't come up with the TSB . Once this was presented, they seemed to agree that the fender now was rusting from the inside and not from the mysterious "door ding" or "stone chip from the inner well" as two dealers had proclaimed.
The rep was a gentleman and he had a copy of the TSB in his hand when I arrived. Now I ask, if they had just done that the first day, wouldn't you think that all of the 5 VW owner's in my family would be thinking their next car would be a VW........... instead, they are all singing the same song...............VW and their dealers are nothing they want to experience again.
FARFEGNUVEN
Translation: What looks good and feels good will come around to bite you real soon.

Thanks again you guys, I am sure VW would have been happier if Fred had started a page for stamp collectors.......
Thank you all!!

 

[vwcampin]

Glad to hear it worked out for you. Thanks should go to greengeeker who posted the TSB to the picture gallery. I just found it and posted a link to it

 

[yoseppi]

Is this a gasser Accord you are referring to?

Take a hard look at the new Accord equipped w/MANual gearbox...it's capable of some impressive MPG.

Take care.

 

[robertyz]

2004 mkiv with rust on the front fenders. I just took my Jetta to Queensway VW, Toronto. They sent me straight to the bodyshop for two brand new fenders and they are beautiful. The car is just about perfect now and I owe Queensway a whole new respect. Tks guys, rust warranty really works and I feel that you went above and beyond.

 

[snakeye]

Great to hear robertyz!

It's very hard reading the OP while owning a 2000 Golf with a smashed fender that has chipped paint and exposed metal that hasn't rusted in over two salty Quebec winters.

 

[ymz]

I owe Queensway a whole new respect.

Glad they stepped up to the plate in the body shop!!!

Please do a bit of internet searching before taking the car in for mechanical/engine work...

Yuri

 

[robertyz]

Hello snakeye. I know that I got a lucky break with the dealer but they really seemed to be making the effort. Go get your fender fixed and get the love back. Say hello to everyone in Montreal... I think I got the TDI bug somewhere between NDG and West Island. Have a great Christmas.

 

[HornetHandler]

Is Anybody Drilling and Spraying To Complement the Factory Rust Prevention?

If I heard correctly, VW's rust warranty (from inside out) is 12 years and if you drill you could void the warranty.

Thoughts comments,

Thanks,

Mack

 

[PlaneCrazy]

Up here in Quebec this is a known issue with Mk IVs, and with B5 Passat TDIs (does not appear to apply to the non-TDI B5s; the issue comes from some foam soundproofing in the TDI's fenders).

For the Mk IVs, I know from several owners that VW have been replacing the front fenders no questions asked.

For the B5.5s, it's been on a case-by-case basis. For my wife's B5.5, we filed a claim for the front fenders, left rear quarter panel, and trunk lid. The fenders and trunk lid were replaced and the quarter panel repaired. There's also rust on the two front doors; the left one refused outright because of a prior collision repair, and for the right one a claim was filed to VW, we're awaiting the verdict.

What must really suck is to have a middleman (the dealer) unfamiliar with VW's policies and TSBs on these issues, and that give owners the runaround. I guess VW doesn't pay them enough for warranty work (I'm guessing they pay a lot less than the retail shop rate).

 

[Al_Czervik]

I am really starting to believe that they make these cars so that strategic and expensive parts fail. This past summer I had to replace most of the AC components on the car and it only had 35K miles on it.

 

[TornadoRed]

I am really starting to believe that they make these cars so that strategic and expensive parts fail. This past summer I had to replace most of the AC components on the car and it only had 35K miles on it.

If they plan to have expensive parts fail, they should try to make them last until the warranty expires.

I think this is just a case of a bad part from the supplier. It happens, and when it does then it's a good thing that it happens when the car is still relatively new and still under warranty.

 

[RW74]

I have a 03 Jettawagon with 185K miles on it. VW is going to fix one side of the car but not the other. They cover rust from the inside out, not outside in, as noted above. The story gets better... There's more rust under the front quarter panel. VW will cover that too or give me the option of about 8K worth of discount on a new beetle. What would you do? Fix it with 185K or get the new one for another 8K?

 

[TDI2000Zim]

I have a 03 Jettawagon with 185K miles on it. VW is going to fix one side of the car but not the other. They cover rust from the inside out, not outside in, as noted above. The story gets better... There's more rust under the front quarter panel. VW will cover that too or give me the option of about 8K worth of discount on a new beetle. What would you do? Fix it with 185K or get the new one for another 8K?

If you love VW, go with the $8K discount, which pays up almost 1/3 of the price of the new TDi car. But the New Beetle is not as useful as a Sportswagon.

 

[Steve-o]

What are you going to do with the '03 JSW? Sell it? Trade it?

 

[Ky Colburn]

I have a 2011 Jetta TDI. 86K all highway miles the turbo blew out. The dealer first said it was the fuel pump. I already had that checked at the first shop that I towed it to. The dealer was plug and praying with parts and my money. I paid over $4000.00 in cash to get it back. Had it one day and was getting on the freeway when it lost all power and acted like the turbo again. Now they want me to pay for a new EGR Valve and particulate filter at the tune of $2500.00 for parts plus who knows how much labor. I will never, never, never buy another Volkswagon. I have a 2008 Hybrid Honda which has the same milage as my 2011 VW. The main battery failed along with the control board. Guess what? They warrantied the whole repair at no cost to me. VW go to H^ll,

I am starting a TDI Haters Club. First meeting will be in Bill Britt VW lot in Fredericksburg.

 

[South Coast Guy]

VW offers a 46K warranty like most manufacturers. And sometimes it has covered repairs outside of warranty (HPFP). You could rewrite your story and substitute the name of every car manufacturer for VW.

 

[TornadoRed]

Ky Colborn, your mistake was not that you purchased a VW, but that you trusted a VW dealer. There are some good dealerships, but a lot of bad ones too. We try to avoid all of them, to the greatest extent possible, and to search out good independent VW shops with competent mechanics.

It is not really possible to diagnose your TDI's problems merely from the symptoms you've described. But it could be something as simple as a turbo control valve or a leak in one of the vacuum hoses.

You should certainly never take your TDI back to that dealership, unless you're accompanied by an attorney.

 

[RW74]

Rust Warranty success

My 03 Jettawagon had rust on it. The local San Antonio, TX dealer said the regional maintenance supervisor needed to see the damage and decide on it. After about 2 months of back and forth and sending pictures in electronically, I met in person with the decision maker. They said they would fix the damage that occurs from the inside to out. And the damage had to perforate the exterior surface.
They got into the repair and saw the damage extended to the rocker panel. Parts needed to come from Germany. They wanted me to trade the car for a new one.
I asked them to continue with the warranty. They took 30 days to do it, but they did a great job.
Success after persistence.. Yay.. VW

 

[fruitcakesa]

My 03 Jettawagon had rust on it. The local San Antonio, TX dealer said the regional maintenance supervisor needed to see the damage and decide on it. After about 2 months of back and forth and sending pictures in electronically, I met in person with the decision maker. They said they would fix the damage that occurs from the inside to out. And the damage had to perforate the exterior surface.
They got into the repair and saw the damage extended to the rocker panel. Parts needed to come from Germany. They wanted me to trade the car for a new one.
I asked them to continue with the warranty. They took 30 days to do it, but they did a great job.
Success after persistence.. Yay.. VW

My 03 sedan had perforations on both fenders and the local VW dealer rejected it as caused by stone damage.
Took it to another dealer who, after taking pics, sending them to VWoA, complaining that VWoA had not reimbursed him for previous fender repairs, finally OK'd the repair and I got my new fenders.
Be persistent and check other dealers.