Das Welt Auto Warranty vs Modifications

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sd17
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Das Welt Auto Warranty vs Modifications

Post by sd17 »

Does anyone have any experience with modifications while under the Das Welt Auto warranty?

I'm keen to do some light mods (res delete, small exterior changes etc) and wonder whether this would completely void the 12 -month approved-used VW warranty or whether it would only void a particular section of the warranty?

For example - would a res delete void the warranty if say a completely unrelated part was to fail?
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Re: Das Welt Auto Warranty vs Modifications

Post by SRGTD »

I’ve no personal experience with the VW Das Welt Auto warranty. However, it’s worth comparing whats likely to happen under VW’s new car factory warranty and then look at the small print in the Das Welt Auto booklet.

Under VW’s new car factory warranty, if an owner decided to have an engine remap, the warranty would be voided in relation to the engine, transmission and possibly suspension and braking components but the rest of the car should still have the benefit of the warranty. Therefore, if the infotainment unit in the car failed within the warranty period, then VW shouldn’t deny a warranty claim for repair or replacement of the infotainment unit on the basis of the engine being remapped.

In the Das Welt Auto warranty booklet (the version I found on the web is marked 0518 on the front cover, so presumably a May 2018 version), there’s a specific exclusion which states;

‘We will not pay for sudden failure in the event your vehicle has been modified in any way from the manufacturers original specification.’

’Sudden failure’ is a defined term in the warranty booklet - defined as follows;
Means the sudden and unexpected mechanical or electrical failure of a component which is covered by the Warranty section of this Cover Booklet and which needs immediate repair or replacement. Wear and tear or normal deterioration is not covered under the definition of electrical or mechanical failure.

I’ve not read the whole Das Welt Auto booklet to see if there are any other terms that would override the above exclusion. If there aren’t any such overriding terms, then I would interpret the above as meaning that if there are any modifications of any type to the vehicle, then the whole warranty would effectively be voided, irrespective of whether or not the modifications are related to a part / component that subsequently suffers ‘sudden failure’. IMO that’s extremely harsh and I wonder how that exclusion would stand up in a court of law if VW denied a warranty claim for, say, a failed air con compressor on a vehicle where the owner had fitted different wheels?

You might want to read through all the small print in your warranty booklet just to make sure the position is as outlined above. If it is, then in your position, I see you have the following options;
  • wait until the Das Welt Auto warranty expires and then carry out your mods.
  • if your exterior changes are in no way connected to any electrical or mechanical part of the car (e.g. fitting a new lip spoiler, fitting new / vinyl wrapping door mirror caps) you could contact VW before making the changes to see if making such cosmetic modifications really would void your warranty. If they agree that non-mechanical, non-electrical cosmetic mods are OK, get them to confirm this in writing to you.
  • just go ahead and make the modifications you’re planning on doing and accept you have probably rendered your warranty null and void.
sd17
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Re: Das Welt Auto Warranty vs Modifications

Post by sd17 »

SRGTD wrote: Mon Dec 07, 2020 10:35 pm I’ve no personal experience with the VW Das Welt Auto warranty. However, it’s worth comparing whats likely to happen under VW’s new car factory warranty and then look at the small print in the Das Welt Auto booklet.

Under VW’s new car factory warranty, if an owner decided to have an engine remap, the warranty would be voided in relation to the engine, transmission and possibly suspension and braking components but the rest of the car should still have the benefit of the warranty. Therefore, if the infotainment unit in the car failed within the warranty period, then VW shouldn’t deny a warranty claim for repair or replacement of the infotainment unit on the basis of the engine being remapped.

In the Das Welt Auto warranty booklet (the version I found on the web is marked 0518 on the front cover, so presumably a May 2018 version), there’s a specific exclusion which states;

‘We will not pay for sudden failure in the event your vehicle has been modified in any way from the manufacturers original specification.’

’Sudden failure’ is a defined term in the warranty booklet - defined as follows;
Means the sudden and unexpected mechanical or electrical failure of a component which is covered by the Warranty section of this Cover Booklet and which needs immediate repair or replacement. Wear and tear or normal deterioration is not covered under the definition of electrical or mechanical failure.

I’ve not read the whole Das Welt Auto booklet to see if there are any other terms that would override the above exclusion. If there aren’t any such overriding terms, then I would interpret the above as meaning that if there are any modifications of any type to the vehicle, then the whole warranty would effectively be voided, irrespective of whether or not the modifications are related to a part / component that subsequently suffers ‘sudden failure’. IMO that’s extremely harsh and I wonder how that exclusion would stand up in a court of law if VW denied a warranty claim for, say, a failed air con compressor on a vehicle where the owner had fitted different wheels?

You might want to read through all the small print in your warranty booklet just to make sure the position is as outlined above. If it is, then in your position, I see you have the following options;
  • wait until the Das Welt Auto warranty expires and then carry out your mods.
  • if your exterior changes are in no way connected to any electrical or mechanical part of the car (e.g. fitting a new lip spoiler, fitting new / vinyl wrapping door mirror caps) you could contact VW before making the changes to see if making such cosmetic modifications really would void your warranty. If they agree that non-mechanical, non-electrical cosmetic mods are OK, get them to confirm this in writing to you.
  • just go ahead and make the modifications you’re planning on doing and accept you have probably rendered your warranty null and void.

Thanks for the thorough response mate, it's appreciated. I agree, the terms in the Das Welt Auto warranty booklet do seem harsh. To void the entire warranty due to an entirely unrelated or cosmetic modification seems extreme. I was only planning a badge change, wing mirror caps or wrap etc.

Good point re contacting VW - I'll do that. Although I expect they will simply cover themselves by reciting what is written in the warranty booklet.

It seems as though - reading through the Das Welt Auto warranty booklet - that not a lot is actually covered! So I may well not lose much by voiding it.
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Re: Das Welt Auto Warranty vs Modifications

Post by spartacus68 »

I wouldn't even study the small print on Das WeltAuto's terms and conditions as there's a lot of variables under wear and tear. In my experience the main dealers can play hard ball on a new car warranty, never mind an approved used warranty depending on what they find. Their technicians may feed back to the service reception who informs the manager and it kind of snowballs from there.

I bought my Polo 1.4TDI a couple of years ago on the same warranty from a dealer in SW Scotland because I was looking for a particular specification with LED headlights. However I'm based in NE Scotland so claimed through a different dealer. After a little raised eyebrows (not sure why as the warranty is on the car), I got the air conditioning recharged and a recall fix on an electrical airbag fault.

So couple of options, wait a year and plan your mods, or throw caution to the wind and get on with it. :wink:
sd17
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Re: Das Welt Auto Warranty vs Modifications

Post by sd17 »

I've already had somewhat of a taste of the Das Welt Auto small-print and dealers playing hard-ball.

I noticed a month or so after getting mine from a dealer in Wales (I live in Nottingham) that there was very slight play in the steering, turned out to be a damaged suspension bush. Dealer said it's not covered under warranty as it's damage and not wear... despite the fact that they should've picked it up as part of their 142-point check before selling.

I'll likely end up waiting until the warranty ends, to avoid the worry of anything major going wrong and being void.
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Re: Das Welt Auto Warranty vs Modifications

Post by sd17 »

Update: I contacted VW and they said any modifications to any part of the car, will void the entire Das Welt Auto warranty. Even if the modifications are unrelated to the part that fails or are cosmetic.
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Re: Das Welt Auto Warranty vs Modifications

Post by SRGTD »

sd17 wrote: Tue Jan 12, 2021 7:03 pm Update: I contacted VW and they said any modifications to any part of the car, will void the entire Das Welt Auto warranty. Even if the modifications are unrelated to the part that fails or are cosmetic.
Thanks for the update.

Although that’s what I suspected to be the case (see my earlier post in this discussion thread), that’s a really harsh approach on VW’s part IMO. I struggle to understand how making a minor cosmetic modification to a car could or should invalidate a legitimate claim for the replacement of a failed electrical or mechanical component. If such a claim was referred to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS), you’d hope that the FOS would rule against VW and in favour of the car owner.

I wonder what the position would be if VW unwittingly sold a car under the Das Welt Auto scheme that had minor cosmetic modifications (e.g. replacement door mirror caps, addition of chrome exhaust tips, vinyl wrapping a car’s roof spoiler). If that car subsequently suffered a sudden failure of an electrical or mechanical component, would VW decline the claim, even if a) the owner didn’t make the modifications and b) such minor cosmetic modifications are extremely unlikely to cause or contribute towards a sudden failure of an electrical or mechanical component. Taken literally though, the wording of the warranty states the entire warranty would be voided.

Really surprising IMO, and a different approach to the way VW’s new car factory warranty would work in similar circumstances - unless that’s also been changed recently 🤔.
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Re: Das Welt Auto Warranty vs Modifications

Post by ciclo »

I'm starting to like the idea of being a temporary owner of 'my cars', buying them 'by renting' to return them as soon as possible :) , ... with the visible plastics totally scratched and all those things that wear out prematurely due to their low/poor quality, even in premium brand cars -> 50000-100000.

I will buy R, RS or similar models, complete equipment of course ... and ECO/Electric/friendly things of today. :mrgreen:

IMHO everything else is a waste of time and money ... with rare exceptions, it was never profitable to own a car for long periods of time, today it is even less so.

Wait for a car warranty to expire to do what you love/like? Really?
Ok, we will talk to the gods so that they extend your life for such waiting. :lol:
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