Did you recently take on (or consider) a loan of 84 months or longer on a car purchase?
A reporter would like to speak with you about your experience; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com by 7/22 for details.
A reporter would like to speak with you about your experience; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com by 7/22 for details.
Options
Comments
One of the guys on www.clubb5.com had his done in MA by CST I think. The quality varies shop-to-shop, so make sure you get referances.
http://www.classicsofttrim.com/
For 99 and 00, both the 1.8T and the V6 are recommended and neither engine had changed one bit.
If you still cannot sleep at night, buy the Masterguard.
A word to the wise for those who are worried about the short 2/24 bumper to bumper warranty on new VW's. GEICO Insurance has an excellent new vehicle Mechanical Breakdown rider that extends your warranty to 7/100 bumper to bumper. Instead of paying the extra $1300 from the dealership, I will end up paying all of $105.00 for the exact same coverage over the next 7 years! (Seriously, check it out!!)
Will be picking up my Passat GLX within the next two weeks. I've been reading in these Passat forums to stay away from warranties not put out by Volkswagon because of delayed payment and for some other reason. I can't recall.
But, for $105 the Geico insurance sounds too good to be true. How did you go about getting it? I would doubt the dealer sold it to you.
Has anyone else had any experience with Geico Insurance?
After finding out that Hyundai would sooner see my family dead than replace a defective transmission, I'm reluctant to deal with a company whose customers have similar complaints. Any thoughts about VW's willingness to repair defects?
GEICO WARRANTY? - Not really
============================
I have GEICO's Multirisk (coverage in excess of warranty) You can add it to your policy if the car is new (under 11 months/ 11,000 miles) and you are the first owner. Worth switching your insurance? Quite possibly. For less than $15 per 6 month period, GEICO covers damage resulting from minor hazards. They also lower your glass deductible to $50.
My windshield had a crack recently which was too extensive to repair. I went into the parking lot at work and found a huge crack in the glass. I took the car to the shop, went to lunch and called GEICO. A few hours later, I picked up the car, paid $50 and went on my way.
They also cover mechanical breakdown of engine, transmission, drive axle, steering, suspension, air conditioning, brakes, electrical, cooling systems, and more. You are responsible for maintainance and normal wear components. You must also take your car to the dealer or licenced mechanic for the repairs.
I think its a good deal. But it is still insurance. Not a warranty.
Hope this helps.
============================
Also, do you recommend that I go with the VW or a Jeep (for more reliable warranty work)?
SO, it isn't quite as good as it sounds. It does cover everything but routine maintenance, but $250 per incident could add up on you, particularly with smaller items.
I've heard of other warranties that do NOT have deductibles. I'm looking for more information on them. If I find good info, I'll post it.
Just my $.02.
WarrantyDirect.com, which complements the VW 10-year powertrain warranty (except for fuel and vacuum pumps, air-bags and maintanance) for $ 899
with 0 deductible ($799 with $ 100 deductible). I think it sounds good at least on paper. They have road assistance, so it is sort of just ``slightly'' more than paying for the AAA (?)
I did not feel good about the Masterguard or any
other extended warranty, typically covering for up to 7 years. I don't think that anyting worth of the premium can happen to a car like VW within the first 7 years (you have the first 2 years of the VW warranty to ``correct'' your problems). So, I would not recommend to pay for any warranty that lasts less than 10 years. I have my old Jetta made in Mexico in 1990 and it started to have more or less serious problem only after 7 years (still $ 1300 for Masteguard is less or about the same than I spend though on Jetta so far out of the things an extended insurance covers). The same I heard from other people who owns VW and Audi cars. Of course, I don't have any statistical back-up other than that.
Weird how different people have different experiences.
Currently own a 98 Audi A6 Avant that has close to 65k miles on it now without a warranty issue - ever. My 2000 Passat has also been totally trouble free in close to 2 years, with that track record I expect it should stay that way - both of these cars have been more reliable in the first few years of ownership than any car I have owned.
I take extremely good care of my cars, don't abuse them, always take them in for all the factory maintenance schedules and usually exceed the recommended oil change intervals, that seems to be all the insurance I need. The BMW's and Range Rover never needed a major repair - they all had the original engines and transmissions (even clutches) in them when I sold them and ran really well at that high mileage. The Mercedes needed a transmission at 130k and a valve job at around 150k. Usually when they hit about the 100k to 120k mile mark it was time for some seals, sensors, fuel injectors etc, nothing major before that mileage.
Last week, I visited various dealerships in the D.C. Metro Area to find a new Passat 4 Motion GLX. Since I've been saving awhile for a car and did my research on the web, I decided to take a day off and look for a 2001.5 4 Motion Passat. I work for an IT company based in Mclean and Stohlman's is the closest dealership to my job, so logically that was my first stop. First off, I had to basically chase down a salesperson to help me, and when I finally got assistance the salesperson treated me like garbage until I filled out a credit application. (Even after I stated that I would pay cash for the vehicle!!!) I even left a message for the sales manager in order to get a buyers order for the car. (I wasn't bojangling, I was ready to buy this car!) I didn't hear anything from Stohlman, so I knew this dealership didn't want my business. Saturday I drove to Wes Greenwood's Alexandria VW, and recieved excellent service from my salesperson Christopher Hayes and met the owner of the dealership! Needless to say, I drove off in a Black GLX 4 Motion that day without any issues, was treated as a valued customer, and got a great price!
Now here's the funny part.. The rude salesman and later on the sales manager of Stohlman VW called me at work on Monday pressing me to come back to the dealership so we could do business. It felt good to tell those arrogant clowns that I already purchased the car the VW I wanted from another dealership! I guess when they found out that my credit was flawless, and that I planned on buying the car outright, they were willing to work with me.
Well, there's my story.. Enjoy those VW's folks, and please shop around!
$1500 is a lot of cash considering that similiarly equipped Toyota's and Honda's can be B2B'd for 100k for under $700. So I'll take my chances, after all I drove my Explorer over 100k miles beyond its warranty with no regrets.
Anyway, now you have your black VW. Good luck!
it will take care of you...
The only reason that I got into this was secondary to all of the
complaints about the 2/24, and that if that was of such a great
concern...people could disuage their concerns by going with the Mastergurd.
Enjoy you car!!!
Now many people will rebutt that they had a VW Passat and put 2 million miles on it with no problems. Great. Real nice for you. But I beat the heck out of my cars...every on-ramp is a chance to push the car to the precipe of its capabilities. Every off-ramp is a chance to see how good those brakes really are. Twisties are met with enthusiasm and every ounce of the engine's torque and HP is sucked out of the car. Stoplights, on-ramps and any other acceleration points always entail shifts when the engine's power is finally declining.
I want a warranty, from the manufacturer included in the initial cost, that clearly states..."in the first 4 years of ownership, if anything busts, we got your back, Ronin." I don't see that from VW. I do see it from the likes of Acura and Infiniti and Audi and even lowly Mazda. If I'm experiencing major problems in those first 4 years with build quality, at least the dealer is paying for repairs and that gives me time to pawn off the car on some more staid driver. VW's two year warranty though...I worry that's not enough time to really see if the car's gonna last 6-8 years of my kinda driving (I like to keep cars at least 6 years). If I get to year 3 and the suspension's going nuts, I don't wanna foot the bill. It's too soon after the purchase to pay for anything beyond tires, oil and gas.
What matters most is how you maintain it - keep the fluids and filters changed on a regular basis, including brake, transmission, differential, - especially if you drive it hard.
I think the hardest thing on a car is neglecting it's maintenance, not necissarily how it's driven.
cuadan
does the final $25k include tax... how are the numbers adding up?
home link is 3? buttons built into the car that can be programmed to operate garage doors, gates, etc
at 130$ not really a big deal either way..
Cuadan
check out www.greedspeed.com www.vwvortex.com www.clubb5.com www.1552design.com www.goapr.com www.newdimensions.com
http://bagecompany.hypermart.net/hitchlistsp.htm
p.s. Never need to tow anything, just like using a hitch-mount bike rack.
One reason I bought a Passat,though,is that I think it has the nicest lines of ALL current sedans.bar none(even beating the Jag XK8).The short overhangs and mildly humped roof-I love just looking at it.I was a little surprised that the June issue of C&D reported ho-hum looks,although I do think all the new chrome inside and out is tragic.
Ronin-You need to rely less on the "rumors" that you hear and more on solid evidence like "Consumers Reports".
When I bought my 96' explorer, half the people I showed it to said "oh those things are total crap" and had stories like "my brother in-laws, uncle's, cousin's butcher had one and the tranny went out...blah...blah". This kept me worried the entire time I owned the thing. Five years and 170k miles later it had given me very little problem.
From reading your posts it sounds like you like to abuse your equipment. Maybe the Masterguard extended warranty is the premium you have to pay for that fun.
When I say rumors, I'm not talking about anecdotal reports from people...I'm hinting at all the bad press VW/Audi receives for poor electrical and in Vee-Dub's case poor customer service. Consumer Reports does give the Passat high ratings, yet its JD Power Initial Quality puts it a little below mid-pack (a startingly high number for my tastes when matched with the short-term warranty). At leaat it's not the Jetta, which is a blast to drive, but rings in at the bottom of the rankings among our venerate Hyundai and Daewoo and Kia.
If only...
i love that color and it will probably be the color of all my cars. silver is also worth a little more when you trade it in, believe it or not.
Colors....wait for the Silverstone. Why? Because it is new and there are not nearly as many on the road. As the owner of a '00 silver one, I must admit the car looks great, but there are an awful many of these on the road!
I had been toying with the idea of waiting for the 2002's GLX Passats came until I read that. I don't want to spend extra money for something I don't want or need.
Just curious. What's the difference between 4Motion and all-wheel-drive? One of the salesman I talked with mentioned something about it, but I forgot. Are they basically the same?
Thanks!
I bet I know where the confusion comes from. With 4motion, VW requires you to get the automatic tranny. Not the other way around.
As far a dealers responding to your quotes. Why don't you just walk into a dealership and do a deal face to face? It is alot easier. Dealers are having no problem moving '01.5 models, especially GLX's in popular colors. The last thing they want to do is waste their time with some jerk with a fax machine offering to be a superhero and buy their car for a nickel over cost. It is quite clear that price was your number one deciding factor.
As far as the warranty goes. It is what it is. If something is going to break due to a mfr defect, it will in the first 2 years. I am sure that I have more experience in this department as I recall buying cars with 12 mo. 12 k warranties which were on vehicles that couldn't hold a candle to VW's warranty.