VW - breakdown cover only 1 year | Motoring discussion | Back Room Forum

Sun 12 Jul 2015 18:47

VW - breakdown cover only 1 year - Avant

I have never been able to understand why Audis, Skodas and SEATs have 3 years of free breakdown cover from new, but Volkswagens only one, despite otherwise identical 3-year warranties.

I eventually got round to sending VW an E-mail to ask the question. Someone rang me last week and gave what he thought was an explanation. He said that VW try to match their competitors, which are apparently Ford and Vauxhall, and as they only give one year, so do VW. I asked him who he thought Skoda's competition is, but that wasn't in his script. He just said that each part of the VW Group makes its own decisions.

I didn't find that convincing. Ford and Vauxhall sell mainly to fleets, for whom maybe this isn't such a priority.

I suspect that the best thing to do, if you want to buy a new VW, is to wait until the salesman has very nearly closed the sale, and then say that you'll do a deal if he will throw in free 3-year breakdown cover.

Or buy an Audi, Skoda or SEAT. Or of course (to save about 57 of you posting) something outside the VW Group.

Edited by Avant on 12/07/2015 at 18:47

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Sun 12 Jul 2015 19:03

VW - breakdown cover only 1 year - gordonbennet

If only everything in life was as reliable as a Volkswagen (wonder if there's an advertising catch phrase there-:) breakdown cover would be unecessary, presumably this is why one year is deemed sufficient.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Sun 12 Jul 2015 20:17

VW - breakdown cover only 1 year - Trilogy

Luckily there are now cars more reliable than a VW.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Sun 12 Jul 2015 20:59

VW - breakdown cover only 1 year - RobJP

Interesting that VW now only want to compete as a brand with Ford / Vauxhall.

I'd have expected them to be putting the Skoda brand up against those, the SEAT brand against Fiat (fun, youthful), and the Audi as the 'prestige' branding up against BMW, Mercedes. The VW brand gets left in a bit of no-mans-land though, or so it seems (trying to compete with 'minor brands' such as Volvo, Mazda, etc ?), which is rather surprising as it has always been the mainstay of the VAG group.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Sun 12 Jul 2015 21:15

VW - breakdown cover only 1 year - skidpan

I have never been able to understand why Audis, Skodas and SEATs have 3 years of free breakdown cover from new, but Volkswagens only one, despite otherwise identical 3-year warranties.

When I bought my Seat Leon 2 years ago I got 2 years free breakdown cover, did not bother me one bit since we have a multicar breakdown policy should the need arise.

But if you service at a Seat dealer the breakdown is extended a further year FOC which can make dealer servicing very good value if you keep the car seevral years.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Mon 13 Jul 2015 09:31

VW - breakdown cover only 1 year - Leif

I'm surprised they are allowed to get away with using that phrase, since they are far from the most reliable brand, they used to be rather middle of the road, not sure now. But then life is often more about perception than reality.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Mon 13 Jul 2015 10:54

VW - breakdown cover only 1 year - jc2

Ford offer FREE breakdown cover as long as the car is serviced by the dealer.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Mon 13 Jul 2015 18:49

VW - breakdown cover only 1 year - galileo

Hyundai offer a free service called Hyundai First:in case of accident or vehicle theft you call them (even before your insurer) and they say they will sort everything out for you. (I hope I never need to use this service, obviously)

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Mon 13 Jul 2015 18:59

VW - breakdown cover only 1 year - daveyjp

Most manufacturers do. You will end up in the clutches of an accident (mis) management company.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Mon 13 Jul 2015 21:09

VW - breakdown cover only 1 year - Avant

I looked up Hyundai and Kia out of interest, and it seems (although I may have misunderstood it) that Hyundai give 5 years' breakdown cover alongside the warranty, but Kia only one.

Maybe someone can confirm or disagree, but if it's true, that's a point in favour of Hyundai given that most corresponding models of Hyundai and Kia are much the same car.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Mon 13 Jul 2015 22:23

VW - breakdown cover only 1 year - Sulphur Man

So, the Touareg, a luxury premium SUV, only comes with 1 year warranty? Are you absolutley sure about that??

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Mon 13 Jul 2015 22:47

VW - breakdown cover only 1 year - RobJP

So, the Touareg, a luxury premium SUV, only comes with 1 year warranty? Are you absolutley sure about that??

Nobody ever said that, this thread concerns the breakdown recovery part of new car cover.

Actually, the Touareg and Phaeton are different from the rest of the VW range, in that they actually come with 3 years breakdown cover, as opposed to 1.

But if you go and buy a Polo, Up!, Golf, Passat, Touran, Tiguan, Eos, Scirocco, Beetle, Sharan .... etc, etc (they do seem to have a ridiculously large range of cars), then you only get 1 year of breakdown recovery/roadside assistance.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Tue 14 Jul 2015 09:49

VW - breakdown cover only 1 year - skidpan

I looked up Hyundai and Kia out of interest, and it seems (although I may have misunderstood it) that Hyundai give 5 years' breakdown cover alongside the warranty, but Kia only one.

Maybe someone can confirm or disagree, but if it's true, that's a point in favour of Hyundai given that most corresponding models of Hyundai and Kia are much the same car

That is correct, its one of several small differences to the package offered on what are basically the same cars.

But Kia do offer 7 years warranty instead of Hyundai's 5 and Kia's servicing from my research is quite a bit cheaper (even the packs).

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Tue 14 Jul 2015 09:55

VW - breakdown cover only 1 year - Engineer Andy

I suppose they all have to do something (other than the looks) to differentiate themselves from one another, otherwise why both to have two companies selling essentially the same product with the same after-sales deals?

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Wed 15 Jul 2015 09:03

VW - breakdown cover only 1 year - RT

I looked up Hyundai and Kia out of interest, and it seems (although I may have misunderstood it) that Hyundai give 5 years' breakdown cover alongside the warranty, but Kia only one.

Maybe someone can confirm or disagree, but if it's true, that's a point in favour of Hyundai given that most corresponding models of Hyundai and Kia are much the same car

That is correct, its one of several small differences to the package offered on what are basically the same cars.

But Kia do offer 7 years warranty instead of Hyundai's 5 and Kia's servicing from my research is quite a bit cheaper (even the packs).

Whilst the platform, powertrain and body systems are the same for comparable Hyundai and Kia models, their styling and suspension tuning do differentiate them - AND - introduces surprising interior space differences - eg i20 is smaller than Rio but i30 is bigger than Ceed.

Edited by RT on 15/07/2015 at 09:03

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Wed 15 Jul 2015 09:51

VW - breakdown cover only 1 year - skidpan

introduces surprising interior space differences - eg - but i30 is bigger than Ceed.

Not in the model we had. It was close in the hatch but the Ceed had (just) more rear seat space but in the estate there was a huge difference, the Ceed was 100 litres bigger. Think its closer in the current model.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Wed 15 Jul 2015 20:52

VW - breakdown cover only 1 year - RT

introduces surprising interior space differences - eg - but i30 is bigger than Ceed.

Not in the model we had. It was close in the hatch but the Ceed had (just) more rear seat space but in the estate there was a huge difference, the Ceed was 100 litres bigger. Think its closer in the current model.

3 weeks ago I was shopping for my daughter-in-law - my basic test of setting drivers seat to suit me (I'm 6'0") and then get in the back behind the driver - I was looking at 1-year old hatchbacks and stand by my assessment of size order > i20 - Rio - Ceed - i30.

No idea about the estates or older models.

Thinking about it, the Ceed is the biggest estate that Kia do as there isn't an Optima estate but the i30 estate doesn't need to be ass big as Hyundai have the i40 estate above it.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Thu 16 Jul 2015 09:39

VW - breakdown cover only 1 year - skidpan

Thinking about it, the Ceed is the biggest estate that Kia do as there isn't an Optima estate but the i30 estate doesn't need to be ass big as Hyundai have the i40 estate above it.

The i40 estate has no more space than a i30 or Ceed. Its just more stylish and expensive.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Thu 16 Jul 2015 21:49

VW - breakdown cover only 1 year - RT

Thinking about it, the Ceed is the biggest estate that Kia do as there isn't an Optima estate but the i30 estate doesn't need to be ass big as Hyundai have the i40 estate above it.

The i40 estate has no more space than a i30 or Ceed. Its just more stylish and expensive.

In your opinion.

It does seem to have a large boot area comparable with bigger cars.

We have a LWB Vectra-C estate to replace soon, where boot area not volume is important and the i40 Tourer is a contender - there's plenty of estates with more volume but few with more area.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Ask Honest John

Sell Your Car

Real MPG

Fuel Calculator