If you haven't heard, the time is up on Volkswagen's industry-leading 6-year/72,000-mile warranty. Only two years after being introduced, VW is killing their 6/72 warranty and replacing it with just 4-years/50,000-miles.
You read that right, VW's amazing warranty is over and instead is being replaced with something more industry-standard, according to Automotive News. While it was expected that the almost "too good to be true" warranty was only temporary following "dieselgate" in 2017, we didn't think that it would end quite as soon as this. Used as a marketing tool to reinstill trust with consumers after the scandal, the better-than-average warranty made headlines and offered an unignorable incentive to buy a new VW.
The new warranty will go into effect for all 2020 models—2-years and 22,000-miles less than the model year previous. However, this new warranty does come with two years of factory-covered maintenance. What does that actually mean? It means that, for the most part, all scheduled maintenance is covered, such as oil changes, for your first two years of ownership. This should, in theory, lower the cost of ownership for those leasing, or only planning to own their car for a couple years—well before the shortened warranty period comes into play.
"Volkswagen is committed to listening and addressing the needs of its customers and dealers as we look to increase market share in the U.S," said a Volkswagen representative when interviewed by Autoblog. "The previous warranty was a valuable tool to introduce customers to the Volkswagen brand and to give them peace of mind. Our new vehicle limited warranty builds upon those benefits by still providing robust coverage and further lowering the cost of ownership with carefree maintenance for the first two years."
I know a lot of us here at work don't want Volkswagen's impressive warranty to end, even though 4-years/50,000-miles is still better than the competition. Our parking lot is filled with dozens of GTIs and probably dozens more to come. If you've ever thought about purchasing a GTI or any VW, now is the time as you can still take advantage of the original warranty on the 2019 models.
And speaking of warranties, don't forget about our Lifetime Replacement Guarantee on everything we sell. Unlike VW's warranty, it doesn't expire in four years or six, it lasts as long as you own the vehicle.
