Warranty Advice Please!!

[The Mighty Pauls]

Hello everyone!!

So, I'm finally going for it and collect my 14 plate 140 SE TODAY!!

I decided to save a few bob and swerve the VW Dealership and plump for a reasonably priced private sale. Full VWSH, one owner from new etc, few bits and bobs too. 45k on the clock.

My question is this - the thing I probably fear most is spending such a large amount of money without any kind of warranty, but has anyone any experience of aftermarket warranties?

I was quoted £33.50 per month (essentially £400 per year) for a rolling '5 Star' warranty from the AA. Essentially covering pretty much everything (including A/C and internal bits etc) up to a value of £3000 per single claim (minus £75 excess).

Anyone got any thoughts on this? Obviously £3000 won't cover a new engine, but will presumably cover a lot of other things.

Would really appreciate any advice - you are all very lovely!

TTP
Bristol

 

[flying banana]

maybe worth contacting vw themselves to see if they will extend the warranty for you? or vw assist? I doubt much will go wrong that you can't fix yourself via the forum, with the camping side anyway. and any quality mechanic can fix a van. it is after all a transporter and them things are everywhere. enjoy.

 

[The Mighty Pauls]

Thanks for that!

Just checking - are you suggesting that a warranty isn’t really necessary? Or that £3000 of cover is more than sufficient?

Much appreciated!

 

[Moakesy]

Like all insurance, it's only expensive until you make a claim on it.

Tough shout on what you should do. If someone here said 'don't bother' and then it went wrong, how would you feel?

If you assume you keep the van for, say, three years and the price won't change...then 3 x £400p/a = £1,200. So who knows if you will make that level of claim.

Also, will be well worth reading the small print to see what is in / out of cover, especially with the living quarters.....and does it require you to get it serviced every year at one of their 'approved' mechanics? Certainly worth shopping around though, as suggested above. I think I paid £900 for an extra 3 years of VW cover.

 

[T6Beach]

On our old van when it went out of warranty we put the equivalent to the premium of the Volkswagen warranty in the bank each year ( which was approx. £1,500 ) and we said we would only dip into it if we had a claim, at the end of the three years we used it for just one claim for £400 for a new CV joint and the remaining balance (£4100) we had left over we spent on a two week holiday in Cape Verde!

 

[MattBW]

VW apparently only do extended warranties at time of sale, I tried to get mine extended but I couldnt because it wasnt done when it was new. Could be wrong though.

 

[SimonB]

Once you are out of the VW warranty you are more free to have it repaired where you like.
There are a lot of garages that can repair the Transporter side of the vehicle in Bristol.
Fixing the living area side of the vehicle is better done by specialists. You will find a lot of the caravan places can fix most of the problems, but some of the VW dealers are very good at the living side and some, not so good.
Depending on what, if anything, goes wrong, then you can decide where to take it. Perhaps do as @T6Beach suggests and put the amount you would have spent on warranty in the bank and see how it goes.

 

[PeteS]

Generally aftermarket warranties are difficult to claim against. That said I think the VW approved warranty is also difficult to claim against. My advice would be to put the money in the bank and use that to fund any repairs. As has been said on earlier most of the camping side of things are fairly easy to repair. The mechanical things can be easy to repair or get repaired. There are a few garages around Bristol that specifically deal with VWs. I would just get on with enjoying the new Cali.

 

[The Mighty Pauls]

Thanks so much everyone for all your advice. Really does mean a lot.

I was quoted in the region of £1200 by VW pa for extended warranty - which seems nuts. Obviously the AA scheme is much cheaper and also operates a ‘pay as you go’ system.

It did cost me over £6k less than an almost identical 140 SE from VW in Leicester however, so as far as I’m concerned, I’m in the black already.

I think the suggestion of putting some money aside definitely makes sense. As does the ‘get on and enjoy the Cali’ option!

Myself and my son are spending our first night in it as we speak!! Very comfy!!

All the very best

TTP

 

[SimonB]

Thanks so much everyone for all your advice. Really does mean a lot.

I was quoted in the region of £1200 by VW pa for extended warranty - which seems nuts. Obviously the AA scheme is much cheaper and also operates a ‘pay as you go’ system.

It did cost me over £6k less than an almost identical 140 SE from VW in Leicester however, so as far as I’m concerned, I’m in the black already.

I think the suggestion of putting some money aside definitely makes sense. As does the ‘get on and enjoy the Cali’ option!

Myself and my son are spending our first night in it as we speak!! Very comfy!!

All the very best

TTP

Perhaps come and join us at one of the meets that are organised around the country. It is a good chance to meet other owners and ask questions from people who have lived in the van and have the time to explain. (Most of the salesman haven't ever used the California and are a bit rushed at the handover.) They will be able to advise which extras are worth having, and which aren't. I would advise a bellows bungee and a spare safe https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/shop/product-category/spare-wheel-theft-protection with the long bolt, as the basic must haves.
There is a meet in Devon in a couple of weeks and one in Dorset in September.
These videos are very good

as a source of info about using your California. This one should lead you to a series that show you how to use the roof, turn the seats, put out the awning, etc, etc.

 

[The Mighty Pauls]

Really appreciate all your help everyone!

And thanks Simon for the links - very much looking forward to meeting a few of you at a club meet soon.

All the very best

TTP

 

[SimonB]

Really appreciate all your help everyone!

And thanks Simon for the links - very much looking forward to meeting a few of you at a club meet soon.

All the very best

TTP

Glad to be able to help, we Bristol members must stick together. There are a lot of us around and it's always nice to get a wave from another owner as you drive around.
You need to update your Forum details once you have the SE, or if you ask for advice in the future, people will be advising you on the T4 and not the new vehicle.
Hope we bump into each other at a meet. Look forward to reading about your adventures in the new Cali.
Simon

 

[SimonB]

Perhaps come and join us at one of the meets that are organised around the country. It is a good chance to meet other owners and ask questions from people who have lived in the van and have the time to explain. (Most of the salesman haven't ever used the California and are a bit rushed at the handover.) They will be able to advise which extras are worth having, and which aren't. I would advise a bellows bungee and a spare safe https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/shop/product-category/spare-wheel-theft-protection with the long bolt, as the basic must haves.
There is a meet in Devon in a couple of weeks and one in Dorset in September.
These videos are very good

as a source of info about using your California. This one should lead you to a series that show you how to use the roof, turn the seats, put out the awning, etc, etc.

You have to watch the videos on YouTube to get the links to the other relevant videos he has made. I found them useful to get the bits the salesman rushed through explained in a clearer style which you can watch till you get it right without feeling silly that you are asking the same question each time.

 

[El Greco]

Thanks so much everyone for all your advice. Really does mean a lot.

I was quoted in the region of £1200 by VW pa for extended warranty - which seems nuts. Obviously the AA scheme is much cheaper and also operates a ‘pay as you go’ system.

It did cost me over £6k less than an almost identical 140 SE from VW in Leicester however, so as far as I’m concerned, I’m in the black already.

I think the suggestion of putting some money aside definitely makes sense. As does the ‘get on and enjoy the Cali’ option!

Myself and my son are spending our first night in it as we speak!! Very comfy!!

All the very best

TTP

Personally I would like the comfort of some warranty in the early stages of ownership of a vehicle especially one as complex as the Cali. The AA rolling warranty sounds perfect. Stop paying into it once you are comfortable that all is well.

All the very best and enjoy!

 

[The Mighty Pauls]

Thanks All - just spoke to Raj at Motoereasy. He did £450 for the year and it covers all parts and labour including wear and tear. Unlimited claim up to the value of the vehicle....

We'll see!!

Thanks again to everyone,,,,

 

[KiwiCali]

Hi - A few months ago I purchased a used 2017 Cali - and for piece of mind decided to purchase a 2 year VW approved third party warranty - at time of picking it up. My logic being that it would give me 4+ years of worry free motoring. However, when I looked at the fine print at home I realised that the warranty tended to exclude more than it included. So I used the 5 day cool down period to cancel it. I still have two years of the factory warranty before I need to extend anyway. My advice would be to definitely get the extended warranty at the time when buying new. For me I would want to know that I can take the Cali back to my dealer for anything.

 

[Max-Felix]

Aftermarket warranties are notoriously problematic and fraught with issues. I've looked into this a lot in the past and the consensus amongst motoring 'experts' and consumer gurus is just don't bother. In the vast majority of cases you are far better off putting the money aside as it were and if something should happen you are usually far better off.

'Raj' (or Bob, or John, or Becky etc) at Motoreasy or Warranty Direct or Crapwarranties R Us will all make it sound amazing and 'whatever goes wrong we're here to help, no questions asked' but that's their job - all that matters is the small print and the reports of customer's experiences come claim time. As well as the vast majority who never claim back anything like they paid in...

It's different with a much newer vehicle just out of the manufacturer's three year warranty as the extended warranty then offered is usually as comprehensive as the original one but again do the maths carefully and check what is covered especially on the 'camper' side.