mongrelcat

Sorry for the very OT thread, I know a lot of us have VW's here and thought I'd ask about warranty coverage.

I have an '08 FSI GTI w/ DSG and the 4 year warranty term is just about up. I bought the car used a few months back and have put a few thousand miles on (now at 48k.)

To extend the current warranty is about $3k for 4yrs/48k miles. Talked to a finance guy today who tried to sell me on a 3rd-party warranty instead, same coverage terms but $1k less. He said there's no difference in coverage, but that the standard VW warranty has a $100 deductible per incident, whereas the 3rd-party warranty has an initial deductible of $250, and then it's $25 per incident thereafter. Up until today I had no idea either type of warranty would have any deductible, seems a bit odd, especially for the VW warranty.

The car hasn't given me any real cause for concern, except for one incident with the DSG where it was briefly acting a bit strange, and which hasn't reoccurred. The car has a few squeaks and rattles, sorta expected that... and it had a minor issue with inconsistent starting until I brought the service up to date. Other than that it's been solid, and a blast to drive.

The car was serviced regularly for the first 25k miles of it's life, and then the service intervals were either spotty or possibly skipped entirely up to 45k. That's when I bought it, and had the 40k + DSG service done at the dealer.

I've found a great indy and I'm leaning towards not carrying a warranty on the car, but I'd love to hear any and all opinions, especially from those who have Mk5 VWs. Thanks.

CarreraX

I am considering a used VW for a DD (as well as other options). Curious to see how all the VW folk respond.

CamsPorsche

I've got a White 08 4-door that I bought used with one year left on warranty.

Its now expired and I've run 2 years without now as I'm way over on mileage.

My DSG has had the occasional "hmmm" but its not quit (low rpm shudder). I put on 250kms/day (156miles) so the car is heavily used (all highway driving). With the high mileage the only issue I've had was the A/C compressor but I religiously get the car serviced by VW and no one else.

Dunno...hard call. I intend on driving my car into the ground as its now at 150,000kms (93,000 miles).

Jon93

It's a philosophical argument. Ultimately insurance is a gamble. When all is said and done, we, the consumer lose; the insurance company wins.

Mike J

Are you feeling lucky?

Insurance is based on probabilities - so no one will have a clear answer for you. The right answer will come once you have though of the money you are putting up front on the chance that something will happen to need that money back (and more).

You are talking about risking $3000 + deductibles - is that for an additional 4 years and 48,000 miles?

If something major happened (engine breaks, transmission need replacement) what it the cost on this car?

Get that all straight in your head, then you can assess and decide which way to go.

Cheers,

Mike

C2Cab95

Just know that the DSG won't be covered by the extended warranty, however I do believe that VW extended the factory warranty on the DSG to 100k because of issues with the 07/08 model years. I'd recommend checking out golfmkv.com I don't follow the MkV forums since I sold my GTI last year, so I don't know if anything might have changed since then.

M. Schneider

So true +1 .....

I'd pass on either the VWoA or 3rd party warranties.

The DSG, an expensive $7k item, when treated right, can be a robust gearbox... Regular scheduled fluid/filter changes and declared driving habits such as "full stops" when selecting Reverse or Drive goes a long way with the DSG and its flywheel. .. I like how there's NO coverage on the DSG with a CPO.... Take it for what it is, VW is sharing their risk acessment of the DSG gearbox.

Our MkV MY06.5 TDI 1.9 is a rare,, heavily ,, optioned USA Jetta. The MkV Jetta was ordered just prior to VWoA's decontent craze with the high quality/content MkV cars; Memory seating/dip mirrors, Navi DVD, Dynaudio stereo, leather, rear sun screen, rain sense wipers, dual zone HVAC, SAT radio, DSG, full MFD display, etc., ... Fast forward 6 years, 125k miles as a daily driver and its all good with the usual service/maintenence expectations. I'd pass on the warranty.

A Vagcom is a must... http://www.ross-tech.com

LimeyBoy

I would confirm if the warranty covers DSG - if so I would personally get the warranty, just for DSG. If DSG is not covered, I would not extend the warranty.

mongrelcat

Looks like some good replies! Thanks to everyone's input, I've decided to skip the warranty.

Mine is white as well, 2-door model though. Loaded, except for Nav, which I think is exactly what I would've bought new off the lot.

Your usage sounds like a pretty damn good testimonial.

Would you extend the warranty if you could?

Heh, just ask AIG.

My main concern is the DSG crapping out. The recommended service interval is 40k so the first service was slightly over that... I would've done it earlier if I'd owned the car back at the ~30k mile mark. Did it make any difference, who knows? Our mild climate probably helps matters... On the other hand I have no idea how the original owners drove the car...

Yes, the $3k is for 4 years or 48k miles, VWoA warranty.

That's very helpful, thanks. I've read some on the VW forums but not recently. I just remember with DSG issues and resolutions that it was really hit or miss. I remember someone saying they coughed up $5k for a whole new trans, though I think most issues at this point are with the Mechatronics units only, and not the whole gearbox. I think the units are more like $2k, and most of those were covered under warranty if I recall.

I spoke with the aforementioned indy today and they said they haven't dealt with any trans issues on MkVs (and they service a lot of Seattle dubs...)

Very helpful, thanks much. No coverage on CPO DSGs is,,, telling.

Any pics handy of the Jetta? Sounds like a very nice car.

I don't think there's a definitive answer. And even if I extend the warranty it's not like I'll be treated like the original owner who purchased the vehicle at the dealer would be (and I think that counts for a lot at VW dealerships.) I could be wrong, just a hunch. For example, in researching a bit I asked if squeaks and rattles were covered on the warranty extension and the finance person I spoke to told me "it depends". When I asked for specifics there were none to be had. I was pretty surprised by this. I asked if squeaks and rattles were covered to the original owner during the original warranty period and was told "not necessarily."

I'm not going to pay $3k up front to have to then plead my case or deal with nonsense like that.

Thanks again.

M. Schneider

Here's a handy (2006) MkV Jetta picture, its was taken during delivery at VW. Notice the suspension's USA ride height, this was quickly (next day) remedied with the VW/Eibach lowering springs which is the same spring set used on the German market GLI (GTI) sedan. Soon thereafter a set of MY07 GTI 17" alloys and 225/45/17 Michelins were fitted. The OE 16" alloys make for great snow tire rims. Check into fitting the rear sway bar from the heavier Passat car - its a bigger swaybar and a direct fit to our MkV GTI / Jetta cars. It's a cheap suspension enhancement for a dailey driver without any ride compremise.
A few suspension adjustments can bring the USA MkV on a par with the Germany MkV suspension set ups. Good luck with the new GTI... varooom!

skl

Have a '09 GLI with DSG in AZ. Bought it a year old with 9K miles from a Mn VW dealer as I couldn't find any GLI's nearby in Iowa. It now lives in AZ and just went out of warranty at 30K miles. Have had no issues but I do put it in neutral when sitting at long lights, especially in the heat of Scottsdale. Supposedly the clutches can overheat if sitting in gear for longer periods, having read that in a tech article in Road & Track.

I'd probably "self-insure" and not screw with an aftermarket warranty. Especially if you've got a good indie shop.

Also, check out vwvortex.com- very busy vw forums...

CamsPorsche

I don't have NAV either...

Yes, my car is a high mileage queen...as I said above I put on almost 100 miles every single day!!! Dubai to Abu Dhabi and back all at speeds of 140km/h plus.

I wouldn't go with the extended warranty because I had a mate who replaced his DSG just after warranty and the slight blips that you get remain. I feel its the design of the DSG that is the issue not maintenance etc. Mine occassionally has the rare "blip...or rough shift that isn't as timely as it should be" and still runs super strong.

Don't forget I also operate my car in a super high temp country so if this harsh climate hasn't killed it already then I wouldn't worry. Not many of these transmissions fail (see vwvortex) but as mentioned above I do throw my car into Neutral at lights...

Save your funds as I'm willing to bet you won't be using them for a new DSG.

Cam

bhmkv

FSI motor has alot of known issues. Biggest is the bad cam follower. If your at 48k Id change it Its only 50 dollars and if it goes so does the motor. VW did extend some owners warranty for this.
The pcv system also has alot of issues.
I don't believe in the extended warranties, but be ready for some issues with the FSI motor. Seems like you've been lucky so far.

mongrelcat

Nice car, and thanks for all the info. I had not seen mention of the Passat rear sway bar before, will look into it.

Thanks. I have gotten into the habit of shifting into neutral at lights and such. I find VWVortex really hard to read. GolfMKV is better, but not as much traffic, it seems. Spoiled by Rennlist...

Thanks Cam, I appreciate the input.

Thanks. Funnily enuf the car was at the indy today to check the cam follower. They said it looked fine, which is odd since the car used the crappy dealer oil for all it's life. Maybe it was replaced at some point, seems very likely. BTW, when I had the 40k done I asked the service adviser at the dealer if they could check the cam follower and what the cost would be, he had no idea what I was asking. I should've had the 40k done at the indy, would've saved $300. The indy also found a few minor items in need of attention that the dealer overlooked. I'll bring it back to the dealer for any maintenance campaigns that come up, and that's it.

Here's one of my favorite sites for the MKV:
http://changegears.wordpress.com/

mongrelcat

Shoulda held out for Fahrenheit, but the car I found was too good of a deal to pass up.