[Eugene-Dave-1]

New 2012 Touareg Lux TDI. I'm not usually one for extended warranties or service contracts, but these cars are so complicated and expensive to repair that I'm reevaluating my position on that...

So I'm comparing 2 very comprehensive plans. For now I'm excluding price from the equation, focusing on coverage.

• The dealer is recommending a plan by National Warranty Corporation. Never heard of them but did some research, company has been around for a long time. In fact they're headquartered right here in Eugene. No major pattern of consumer complaints found, BBB rated B+. The specific plan is Premium Plus, with $100 "Disappearing Deductible" (no deductible if vehicle is repaired by the original selling dealer), with Wear and Tear Coverage. 84 months or 100K miles.
• The other plan is the VW Drive Easy Platinum. I think many of you here are familiar with this plan so I won't go into the details.

OK, so I got samples of the contracts from both of them. They're very comprehensive. However, both of them have specific exclusions that bug me:

In one section, National Warranty Corp. excludes "oil pressure sending unit, coolant temperature sending unit". They do not cover breakdown caused by "[lack of] proper levels of lubricants, coolant or fluids, or overheating".

So under that plan, as I read it, the oil pressure or coolant temperature sending units or gauges could fail to work correctly; or the electronic oil level sensor could falsely say Everything Is Fine. The driver might not be alerted to these major problems, the engine could break down, and the damage would not be covered.

The VW plan excludes damage caused by "overheating, lack of coolant or lubricants, lack of oil... Burnt valves, worn or carbon fouled piston rings, the correction of oil consumption, or any repairs for reduction in engine efficiency that must be performed on your vehicle".

Under those VW terms, a similar scenario exists where the electronic sensors fail to alert the driver of a serious oil or temperature problem, engine is damaged, and you are not covered. Worse, the engine could lose significant compression or something, but still run, and it would not be covered.

These sound like fairly serious exclusions, carefully worded to give them an out for serious engine problems caused by failure of various sensors and gauges.

Anyone have any comments? I'd be interested to hear what your thoughts are on these exclusions.

-dave

 

[Amphicar770]

I would go for the VW plan. Dealers will discount these. Give Chris at VW of Langhorne a call, a lot of members have bought thru him. His info is in the commercial classifieds area.

 

[Hammerdog]

When I purchased my 2009 Touareg TDI, the dealer offered me a Zurich extended warranty. At that time, when I compared the exclusions with the VW Real Driver 7 year/100K platinum warranty with $100.00 deductible, the exclusions were identical except the Zurich plan did not cover the radio navigation unit. Since I had tech package with navigation, I bought the Real Driver plan and it was actually several hundred dollars cheaper.

 

[nltomba]

So you can afford 50k for a car but are afraid of repairs. I would be more afraid to pay 50k for a car that depreciates 10k when it leaves the lot

 

[Spyder]

The VW plan excludes damage caused by "overheating, lack of coolant or lubricants, lack of oil... Burnt valves, worn or carbon fouled piston rings, the correction of oil consumption, or any repairs for reduction in engine efficiency that must be performed on your vehicle".

Yes, that language gave me pause as well when I purchased the VW Drive Easy Platinum plan from Chris--great guy to do biz with btw. Seems that the Mercury Plat plan I have on my BMW was less restrictive, and they already have come through with an expensive repair no questions asked.

OTOH, the 2011 TReg comes with a 100k mi power-train factory warranty. I assumed that this warranty would cover the items that the VW Drive Easy Platinum plan excluded. Thoughts?

Spyder

 

[Eugene-Dave-1]

So you can afford 50k for a car but are afraid of repairs. I would be more afraid to pay 50k for a car that depreciates 10k when it leaves the lot

Thank you for your thoughtful input.

I can afford the car and any repairs. I can afford the extended warranty. I would like to choose the best one. Call me crazy.

Also I've bought about 2 dozen new cars in my lifetime. But I never figured out that wacky depreciation thing until you mentioned it. Whoa. Who knew?!

Spyder: Good question. I should read the VW Powertrain Warranty...

 

[Eugene-Dave-1]

I looked over the 10/100 VW Powertrain Warranty. It seems to be pretty comprehsnsive for all the mechanical parts. So an extended warranty would primarily cover the vehicle electronics. (I may not be the first to figure this out )

So when I called the VW direct number and talked to them about their extended warranty, they said the longest term they offer is 7 years. Chris at Langhorne is quoting a maximum 10 year term. I need to talk to him. Anyone know why VW says 7, but Chris has a 10?

 

[Spyder]

I looked over the 10/100 VW Powertrain Warranty. It seems to be pretty comprehsnsive for all the mechanical parts. So an extended warranty would primarily cover the vehicle electronics. (I may not be the first to figure this out )

So when I called the VW direct number and talked to them about their extended warranty, they said the longest term they offer is 7 years. Chris at Langhorne is quoting a maximum 10 year term. I need to talk to him. Anyone know why VW says 7, but Chris has a 10?

Can't answer that question, but I did compare Chris' price for a 7 yr/70k mi VW policy vs. the same from Mercury who underwrites the policy on 650. Mercury was twice the cost! Chris thought that the difference may be in part due to the fact that VW accounts for the 10/100 powertrain warranty while mercury does not.

Spyder

 

[Eugene-Dave-1]

I think my Touareg is fantastic, probably a keeper, so if I can get 10 years coverage on the electronics I might go for it. I do less than 10K miles a year so that's not an issue (although I gotta say I love driving the Treg more than any vehicle I've had in a long time. Maybe I'll start driving more!).

-dave