Warranty on a demonstrator?

[Walrus]

I'm on the hunt for my first van. An ex-demo would be an attractive possibility. Would I expect that to come with a three year warranty? From when it began it's demo life or from when I drive it away? Would that include recovery and servicing?

Thanks

 

[Meoncoast]

from date of 1st Reg
breakdown but not service
if under 3 months old you can buy extended warranty

 

[MattBW]

My demo came with a service pack, it depends on the dealer really.

 

[snowy55]

From date of first registration 3 years warranty and 3 years breakdown cover.
If you take finance sometimes you can buy reduced price service packages. Sometimes reduced price servicing packages are available on their own .

 

[Walrus]

Thank you all.

 

[Annik]

The bad news about buying an ex demo is you miss out on the extended 5 year warranty which I think is worth its weight in gold

 

[Meoncoast]

The bad news about buying an ex demo is you miss out on the extended 5 year warranty which I think is worth its weight in gold

I am not sure you a right below from VW website it doesn't say you have to be the 1st owner just within 3 months of registration

Every new Volkswagen Commercial Vehicle comes with a three year warranty, protecting you against the costs of unexpected repairs. Now you can extend this warranty for one or two years, or up to 150,000 miles, whichever comes first.

- A range of flexible options offered at competitive prices with 80,000, 120,000 and 150,000 mile limits

- Easy to arrange. Simply talk to your local Van Centre

- Must be purchased within three months of your vehicle’s initial registration

 

[Amarillo]

The bad news about buying an ex demo is you miss out on the extended 5 year warranty which I think is worth its weight in gold

I am not convinced that is exactly correct.

You cannot own the vehicle until it is three months old, and the service pack has to be bought within three months of registration. But with negotiation with the dealer, it should be possible to buy the 5 year warranty before you buy the vehicle. There are of course risks attached with this, but the benefit in many cases will outweigh the risk.

 

[Borris]

The bad news about buying an ex demo is you miss out on the extended 5 year warranty which I think is worth its weight in gold

I bought an ex demo Beach last year and got the extra cheap VW two year warranty. When I picked it up it had 4years 9months warranty remaining.

 

[Walrus]

Thank you all for the help. I'm not sure what the answer is but I am clearer about the issues!

 

[jimmywease]

I bought an ex demo Beach last year and got the extra cheap VW two year warranty. When I picked it up it had 4years 9months warranty remaining.

Hi Borris,
I bought my ex-demonstrator Beach three weeks ago and was not offered extended factory warranty. The vehicle is three months old TODAY (reg24-04-17). Dealer says no extended warranty available on an ex-demonstrator. VW Cus Service say it should have been available at time of purchase but isn't available now!
Do you have any advice other than writing a formal complaint?
James

 

[hirsty]

You can of course buy extended warranty when it expires at 3-years, though I assume that's more expensive.

They should certainly let you do yours now @jimmywease as a goodwill gesture, keep pushing & ask to speak to supervisor and/or complain on Twitter (the new escalation route ...)

I couldn't get it on my pre-reg'd demo as it was coming up 5-months old, but I'm choosing not to worry - we could've all been nuked by then, it's no biggie.

 

[Borris]

Hi Borris,
I bought my ex-demonstrator Beach three weeks ago and was not offered extended factory warranty. The vehicle is three months old TODAY (reg24-04-17). Dealer says no extended warranty available on an ex-demonstrator. VW Cus Service say it should have been available at time of purchase but isn't available now!
Do you have any advice other than writing a formal complaint?
James

Hello James,
I am sorry to hear about your problem. Unless the terms have changed recently, then your sales person should have offered you an VW extended warranty on your ex demonstator. From memory the vehicle has to be no more than three months old to qualify. So you should still qualify today. These extended warrantees are in-expensive compared to those that you can buy at the end of the three year new vehicle warrantee which are eye wateringly expensive and not worth the cost. However, these extended warrantees when bought at point of purchase are IMO, an essential cost effective option.

My advice would be to call the dealer and quiz them again about this. Insist that they show you the detailed terms and conditions and ask them to point out where exactly it says that you don't qualify. If you don't have any luck with the sales person then ask to speak to the dealer principal. Ask why his/her sales staff didn't offer you this important feature and demand that you be offered it now. If you don't get a result then contact VW Customer Sevices and query the policy.

Good luck.
Paul

 

[jimmywease]

Thanks, hirsty and Borris. I had a call back from the dealership manager and he took my payment for the extended factory warranty. He submitted the form but said they wouldn't be completely certain of its validity until October (after end of quarter). Hope it works out, as it seems a good investment.