Servicing/warranty dilemma

[Grenzal]

Okay, so I purchased a 2012 gti a couple of months back, beautiful service history and all that jazz. However I purchased the vehicle from a ford dealership and when discussing warranty I was told I would get a free 5 year/175k warranty included to sweeten the deal. First thing I asked the salesperson was if they had a Volkswagen dealership in their group and I was told yes.

Alright now comes the crap part, after signing all the documents and all that stuff I seen they had charged me an extra $1,500 for warranty. I asked the sales person what was up with that and he said I was bumped up to a 'premium warranty' at a cost of the $1,500 (hell yeah how lucky am I!?) and as I had signed the papers already it was too late. Also looking over the paper work for the warranty and the dealerships I can get the car serviced at, it turns out they don't even have a Volkswagen dealership!!! That made me furious.

Now I have this $1,500 warranty which covers almost everything on the car but the downfall is that to keep the warranty in tact every six months I have to get it serviced by a ford or Kia dealership (they are the only dealerships covered in the warranty) hence having to use aftermarket parts. After reading the forums i have seen almost everyone saying not to use aftermarket oil filters etc on the gti.

So, my question is in the long run would it be better for me to keep the warranty get it serviced by ford etc. or to blow off the warranty and get it serviced by Volkswagen (or a garage that uses genuine parts)?

[ian]

I would demand the money back If the car came with a 5 year /175 km warranty why would you need to pay for some thing that the dealer made a big commission on

Vw only need to be serviced every 12 months using fully Synthetic oil?
Always read the fine print

[Grenzal]

Yeah I know, I should've read the fine print more but I rushed it stupidly.

Yeah I'm aware of this but to maintain the warranty it stipulates the car must be serviced every 10,000k or 6 months whatever comes first (so they're treating it as if it was a ford)

[Reedy]

Servicing/warranty dilemma

It's just one way of getting more money out of you. I know of a fellow member of the family that got a good deal with some extended warranty but they must get their car serviced at the garage where he bought the car from. Yes it is a VW garage but they are charging him a fortune to service it. I have always bought VW parts but get my local mechanic do do the service at a third of the cost and never had warranty work declined. Just keep your service book stamped, plus if it already comes with warranty why pay extra.


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[Grenzal]

It's just one way of getting more money out of you. I know of a fellow member of the family that got a good deal with some extended warranty but they must get their car serviced at the garage where he bought the car from. Yes it is a VW garage but they are charging him a fortune to service it. I have always bought VW parts but get my local mechanic do do the service at a third of the cost and never had warranty work declined. Just keep your service book stamped, plus if it already comes with warranty why pay extra.


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Okay, I have a garage that uses genuine parts that I was planning on using if voiding the warranty seemed the best route to go so I might just go there, I'd feel more comfortable have genuine parts in the car then after market.

They only told me on the day that they had bumped me up to 'premium warranty' which means I get $2,000 towards a warranty claim with unlimited claims of the course of the 5 years, where as the basic one was just $1,000 with a limit of two claims haha. But they only told me after I had signed the warranty papers which I thought were for the basic cover and then looked at the receipt where I saw the $1,500 warranty.

[Dutch77]

If it's only $2,000 coverage then yeah, I'd say blow it off and lesson learnt.

You will end up with a better running car if you get it serviced properly by someone who knows VWs using genuine parts/proper oils than some half-assed effort at this clearly dodgy dealership - worth a lot more than the $1,500 flushed down the drain in the longer term.

[Grenzal]

If it's only $2,000 coverage then yeah, I'd say blow it off and lesson learnt.

You will end up with a better running car if you get it serviced properly by someone who knows VWs using genuine parts/proper oils than some half-assed effort at this clearly dodgy dealership - worth a lot more than the $1,500 flushed down the drain in the longer term.

Definite lesson learnt haha.

Thanks, I'm thinking that's what I will do, I was on the edge but just needed a gentle nudge in the right direction by people who knew these cars and what after market servicing could do haha.

[Dutch77]

Definite lesson learnt haha.

Thanks, I'm thinking that's what I will do, I was on the edge but just needed a gentle nudge in the right direction by people who knew these cars and what after market servicing could do haha.

Given you won't be working with the dealer anymore I'd still be having a crack over it - yes we are responsible for what we sign but it still sails close to unconscionable conduct to promote a deal one way and sneak in some extras on the signing document.

On the bright side, you'll still have a sweet ride.

[Grenzal]

Given you won't be working with the dealer anymore I'd still be having a crack over it - yes we are responsible for what we sign but it still sails close to unconscionable conduct to promote a deal one way and sneak in some extras on the signing document.

On the bright side, you'll still have a sweet ride.

Yeah I don't know whether it'll be worth the hassle but. I also financed the vehicle through them and they wouldn't tell me the interest rate they could offer me until on the day of paper signing (so I basically had no option but to go through them for financing if I wanted the car that week) even though I asked for it numerous times throughout the week which consisted of close to 10 phone calls. I was okay with the interest rate though which is okay. Safe to say however I will be much more weary next time I shop for a car.

[ian]

If you singed under duress. Them putting pressure on you to sign
The car should of had a 3 months fully covered warranty. Then the dealer extended warranty
Should kick in. Look these dealer warranty a aren't worth the paper their written on
Have the car checked by a VW expert if any faults are found take it back and demand
To have all items repaired. After that get the car serviced at a VW specialist.

[BluChris]

I'd also add 10,000 k/6 months is not a Ford schedule. My Focus is 15,000 k/12 months as are most/all newer Fords. I suspect from what you have described about being told they had a VW dealership, the interest rate and the warranty cost that they have acted unconscionably, however how much it is worth pursuing them on this is up to you. Consumer Affairs Victoria can advise you about what remedies you have available to you.

Ian is correct about statutory warranty, and yes get it thoroughly checked and hammer them hard about anything that turns up. Sounds like they won't respond to much less.

[Amalgam]

Alright now comes the crap part, after signing all the documents and all that stuff I seen they had charged me an extra $1,500 for warranty. I asked the sales person what was up with that and he said I was bumped up to a 'premium warranty' at a cost of the $1,500 (hell yeah how lucky am I!?) and as I had signed the papers already it was too late. Also looking over the paper work for the warranty and the dealerships I can get the car serviced at, it turns out they don't even have a Volkswagen dealership!!!

If you been duped into purchase and can prove it, you have cause to lodge a complaint with the ACCC.

Most of these warranties are not worth the paper they are printed on. Being 5year/175km, it sounds a lot like the one a member of staff got with their secondhand car. They were denied a couple claims.

[woofy]

Are you sure you paid more for the warranty, or did they just itemise it out on the final paperwork. If you agreed on a figure it doesn't really matter but used car yard warranties are useless apart from the 3 month statutory they have to include. They typically all make you get the car serviced more often than you need and they make more money from you. Factory warranties are best. Not telling you the interest rate is a crock, they all can lock it in whenever they do an application and you don't have to accept it.

[Grenzal]

Sorry I've been slack at replying. Been on holidays haha.

Are you sure you paid more for the warranty, or did they just itemise it out on the final paperwork. If you agreed on a figure it doesn't really matter but used car yard warranties are useless apart from the 3 month statutory they have to include. They typically all make you get the car serviced more often than you need and they make more money from you. Factory warranties are best. Not telling you the interest rate is a crock, they all can lock it in whenever they do an application and you don't have to accept it.

I definitely did pay more, we came to an agreed value of $25.5k drive away and final costing came to $27k with extra for warranty and a few extra fees for financing and crap.
Yes, the more I think about the situation I was put in the more uncomfortable I feel about it and I'm thinking I'll take it further, my satutory warranty doesn't run out until July 18th so I'll start making a fuss towards the end of that

[Grenzal]

If you been duped into purchase and can prove it, you have cause to lodge a complaint with the ACCC.

Most of these warranties are not worth the paper they are printed on. Being 5year/175km, it sounds a lot like the one a member of staff got with their secondhand car. They were denied a couple claims.

Yeah I've heard that when people try to claim they do get denied, which sounds appalling.

How would one prove it?