Date:         Wed, 14 May 1997 18:54:43 -0700
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         "Matthew L. Dekker" <mdekker@eskimo.com>
Subject:      Extended Warranty on EV?

Hi everyone,

My perpetual search for an EV has come across a low mileage, reasonably 
priced GL. While its warranty with VW doesn't expire until the Spring of 
1999, from the reports on the list it would seem like an extended warranty 
might be a good idea.

Problem is the official VW extended warranty company has said "it's too far 
out of warranty" for them to offer to sell me one. I've sent them another 
fax yesterday, pointing out how the miles and delivery date mean the 
warranty is good for another two years, but haven't heard back from them 
yet.

Not that the lack of availability of an extended warranty would keep me 
from buying this van, it would just mean a little less peace of mind. Has 
any one had experience with other companies offering extended warranties? I 
know mostly they're overpriced and unnecessary, but there must be some 
company out there willing to take my money on the chance this EV will not 
need major work.

A tangent topic: my wife's Mazda '90 Protege had bad paint on the hood and 
roof, even though it wasn't painted in Germany. They resprayed it no charge 
and it still looks good after 4 1/2 years. Other warranty problems have 
been the hydraulic lifters at 30k miles and a radiator died at 58k miles, 
just weeks before the time limit on the extended warranty died. So, in this 
case, the extra warranty was worth it, and it also shows that even Japanese 
cars can have faults.

Thanks in advance for any extended warranty input.
--
Matt Dekker
mdekker@eskimo.com

Dekker Service Website
www.eskimo.com/~mdekker