VW imported cars manufacturers warranty...a word of warning I'm afraid.
19 July 2002, 06:43 PM
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Just a word of warning for all you owners of imported VW's.
We have a TDi Golf 1st registered 10/01 and we were under the impression that we had 1yrs manufacturers warranty......
Sadly we have had a problem with the glove box locking mechanism and have had to make a claim. We were stopped in our tracks when we got to our local dealer when we were told that it is VW's policy (for imported cars only) to give a 1yrs warranty based on the date of build which for our car is 06/01.
This means I've been relaxing in the comfort of this warranty knowing I've still got 4 months of it remaining.......but no this is not the case. I've been done out of 4 months of peace of mind without my knowledge by VW.
Anyway....to the point of this post.......How many of you are in this situation and don't know it?
Hope this is of interest because it was news to me.
All the best
Tim
ps some will say it's your own fault for importing a car, saving dosh and taking money away from the dealer but at no point did the dealer say your warranty is coming up for renewal do you wish to extend cover etc.
I do 900+ miles a week in this car and it is serviced by VW every 5k miles. It won't be anymore. I will get an independant expert to do it from now on as no longer in warranty (the sole reason for letting VW do it in the 1st place)
If you wish to check your cars DOB it is on the sticker on the service book. Look for a date.
Tim
We have a TDi Golf 1st registered 10/01 and we were under the impression that we had 1yrs manufacturers warranty......
Sadly we have had a problem with the glove box locking mechanism and have had to make a claim. We were stopped in our tracks when we got to our local dealer when we were told that it is VW's policy (for imported cars only) to give a 1yrs warranty based on the date of build which for our car is 06/01.
This means I've been relaxing in the comfort of this warranty knowing I've still got 4 months of it remaining.......but no this is not the case. I've been done out of 4 months of peace of mind without my knowledge by VW.
Anyway....to the point of this post.......How many of you are in this situation and don't know it?
Hope this is of interest because it was news to me.
All the best
Tim
ps some will say it's your own fault for importing a car, saving dosh and taking money away from the dealer but at no point did the dealer say your warranty is coming up for renewal do you wish to extend cover etc.
I do 900+ miles a week in this car and it is serviced by VW every 5k miles. It won't be anymore. I will get an independant expert to do it from now on as no longer in warranty (the sole reason for letting VW do it in the 1st place)
If you wish to check your cars DOB it is on the sticker on the service book. Look for a date.
Tim
19 July 2002, 06:53 PM
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Tim, do you have the details of the original supplying dealer? if so I'd get in touch with them and explain the situation and see if they can help out as I'm assuming your car is still within its warranty in the country of origin.
BTW, I'd say VW are on very dodgy ground with this one as I'm sure they are obliged to deal with a Euro import warranty in exactly the same way as a UK car. If the original dealer is of no use then get in touch with Car Importing guide magazine and see if they will be able to help out. Might also be worth checking with another VW garage in case it is just your local one that is causing grief. I'd also post on VW Vortex and see if anyone else has had this problem.
BTW, I'd say VW are on very dodgy ground with this one as I'm sure they are obliged to deal with a Euro import warranty in exactly the same way as a UK car. If the original dealer is of no use then get in touch with Car Importing guide magazine and see if they will be able to help out. Might also be worth checking with another VW garage in case it is just your local one that is causing grief. I'd also post on VW Vortex and see if anyone else has had this problem.
19 July 2002, 06:56 PM
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Sorry to hear about that.
However, I thought cars came with a minimum of 2 years warranty these days as mandated by EU law?
If this is true, when did this law come into place and is it lawful for a manufacturer to start the warranty period at the DOB or the point of sale?
It is probably unlawful for them to have a difference policy for two customers that are effectively buying the same product.
Out of interest, how did end up with a car that had built months earltier than the delivery date? I thought that the main reason that it can sometimes take a while to get an EU sourced RHD car was that they build it for you and the can't take it out of unsold finished RHD stock that might be sitting at some disused airfield in the UK somewhere?
Glad to here that it doesn't sound like a major expense job but I can understand your frustration. I wouldn't say that boycotting the dealer service history was in your interests come resale time though - even though the whole area of main dealer servicing seems to be under scrutiny by the EU itself these days.
However, I thought cars came with a minimum of 2 years warranty these days as mandated by EU law?
If this is true, when did this law come into place and is it lawful for a manufacturer to start the warranty period at the DOB or the point of sale?
It is probably unlawful for them to have a difference policy for two customers that are effectively buying the same product.
Out of interest, how did end up with a car that had built months earltier than the delivery date? I thought that the main reason that it can sometimes take a while to get an EU sourced RHD car was that they build it for you and the can't take it out of unsold finished RHD stock that might be sitting at some disused airfield in the UK somewhere?
Glad to here that it doesn't sound like a major expense job but I can understand your frustration. I wouldn't say that boycotting the dealer service history was in your interests come resale time though - even though the whole area of main dealer servicing seems to be under scrutiny by the EU itself these days.
19 July 2002, 07:29 PM
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We have been speaking to VW customer services since we were at the dealer today and apparently it's always been VW's policy to do this but on the MKIV Golf web site there's someone who was contacted by VW to extend his warranty to 3yrs on his imported car!
20 July 2002, 08:33 PM
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Guys,
The warranty on any imported VW runs for 1yr from the time the car has its pdi (pre-delivery inspection) at the supplying European dealer.
If the car was pdi'd on or after the 01/11/01 then the car will have a 2yr warranty.
I'm guessing you bought from a car supermarket or similar for 4 months of your warranty to elapse sitting on a forecourt before you took ownership. The time between my personal VW import being pdi'd and me registering it was about 7 days.
regards
stu
The warranty on any imported VW runs for 1yr from the time the car has its pdi (pre-delivery inspection) at the supplying European dealer.
If the car was pdi'd on or after the 01/11/01 then the car will have a 2yr warranty.
I'm guessing you bought from a car supermarket or similar for 4 months of your warranty to elapse sitting on a forecourt before you took ownership. The time between my personal VW import being pdi'd and me registering it was about 7 days.
regards
stu
21 July 2002, 06:09 PM
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Oh well all i can say is lucky its the glove box and not the engine !!!! becuase if that was to go, the money you would have saved would have gone right out the window !
WARNING !!!! Manufactures and Dealers will always have the last laugh !
WARNING !!!! Manufactures and Dealers will always have the last laugh !
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21 July 2002, 06:23 PM
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Checked with Alfa today as my EU import 156 Selespeed Veloce was first registered 10/01.
Confirmed I have two years Manufacturers Warrenty from the date the PDI was done or the date it was first registered whichever is first.
Under EU law I think VW are on very dodgy ground doing that. My Cousin works on the Service desk at Newbolds VW dealers, I'll ask her what their policy is.
Lee
Confirmed I have two years Manufacturers Warrenty from the date the PDI was done or the date it was first registered whichever is first.
Under EU law I think VW are on very dodgy ground doing that. My Cousin works on the Service desk at Newbolds VW dealers, I'll ask her what their policy is.
Lee
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