Volkwagen Warranty Policy Update

Warranty May Not Be Transferred For 2009 and Newer Vehicles

Further to our posting from March 29, 2010 where we learned the VW is denying warranty coverage on newer models, we have received this letter via a UCanImport reader.

"Thank you for contacting Volkswagen. We appreciate your interest in the
warranty coverage of Volkswagen vehicles.

For US-marketed Volkswagen vehicles 2008 model year and earlier, all
applicable warranty coverage is transferred when the vehicle is
registered in Canada. For 2009-2011 US-marketed VW vehicles, there is
no warranty coverage when registered in Canada. If you need additional
assistance with warranty concerns, please contact the Customer CARE
Center at 1-800-822-8987 and an advocate will be able to help.

Thank you again for visiting vw.ca. We look forward to finding you
behind the steering wheel of a new Volkswagen car in the near future!"

Please note that there are many third-party warranty providers to choose from, but there are also many other manufacturers who may be more honourable to deal with.

Ford Sells Volvo Unit to Chinese Company

China's largest acquisition of a foreign car maker closed yesterday with Ford selling its Volvo unit to Geely for US$1.3 billion in cash and a $200-million note.

This means that Ford is no longer providing recall information on its website and details of any outstanding recalls must be obtained through a Volvo dealership in Canada.

Note, that there will likely be a steep fee for this letter as Volvo dealerships in Canada state that certain "Volvo" modifications are required. Modifications have been known to cost close to $3,000 and include instrument cluster changes and other inspections.

Please note that these modifications are not a Transport Canada requirement but a Volvo-mandated requirement.

Read more: Ford, Geely complete deal for Volvo; Volvo now parked in China