New GTI + delivery

[monkeyhanger]

Good News.
My dealer informs me that my GTI + begins its build on Monday May 28th after our order on Feb 10th. They will pay for the MOT on our trade in UP which is due at the end of this month, suggest we leave the service until they take the car in( we do minimal miles anyway) and that VW will honour the free years insurance if it was available on the order date. ( Which I think it was)
I will have to renew the insurance on the UP and see what arrangement I can make for a cancellation when the GTI arrives.
I have not been given an order number or tracking number though, I will chase that UP ( see what I did there?) after the bank holiday madness.
Mildly excited now

I had the free insurance with a new VW a few years ago — and I wouldn’t do it again. In my free year, someone hit me in a car park, and because I didn’t know who’d done it, it’s classed as a fault claim. The free insurance doesn’t allow you to protect your no claims bonus, so when the renewal came it was sky high, and I had to start again with another insurer. Because of that, I wouldn’t have free insurance if it was offered — I’d continue to arrange my own, and make sure my NCB was protected.

Or, you don't supply your no-claims discount details to VW Insurance, so if you do have a smash, it can't affect your no claims you've earnt elsewhere. Did this about 20 years ago on a Saxo with free insurance. I'm sure you're not obliged to have any no claims to take up the VW insurance.

[SRGTD]

Good News.
My dealer informs me that my GTI + begins its build on Monday May 28th after our order on Feb 10th. They will pay for the MOT on our trade in UP which is due at the end of this month, suggest we leave the service until they take the car in( we do minimal miles anyway) and that VW will honour the free years insurance if it was available on the order date. ( Which I think it was)
I will have to renew the insurance on the UP and see what arrangement I can make for a cancellation when the GTI arrives.
I have not been given an order number or tracking number though, I will chase that UP ( see what I did there?) after the bank holiday madness.
Mildly excited now

I had the free insurance with a new VW a few years ago — and I wouldn’t do it again. In my free year, someone hit me in a car park, and because I didn’t know who’d done it, it’s classed as a fault claim. The free insurance doesn’t allow you to protect your no claims bonus, so when the renewal came it was sky high, and I had to start again with another insurer. Because of that, I wouldn’t have free insurance if it was offered — I’d continue to arrange my own, and make sure my NCB was protected.

Or, you don't supply your no-claims discount details to VW Insurance, so if you do have a smash, it can't affect your no claims you've earnt elsewhere. Did this about 20 years ago on a Saxo with free insurance. I'm sure you're not obliged to have any no claims to take up the VW insurance.

I think that not supplying your no claims discount details might be considered to be insurance non-disclosure now and IMO not to be recommended - it might also be considered to be insurance fraud which is a criminal offence, it which case you’d have your details added to the Insurance Fraud Database and that might affect your ability to be able to get insurance in the future. Also, if you want to move to another insurer when the VW free insurance comes up for first renewal, if your new insurer requests proof of NCD, then you’ll be wanting VW insurance to provide the proof, so you can pass it to your new insurer.

[monkeyhanger]

^ I doubt that's the case. You can't use your no claims on 2 cars at the same time with most insurers, so if you bought a Polo with free insurance and were running another car at the same time, with a bought policy which was utilising yiur level of no claims then VW wouldn't be able to apply your no claims to it anyway. VW providing free insurance with 0 years NCD or 6 years is still the same price - free.

Not saying that if you did have a smash on the VW policy you could forget to declare it next time you renew, but by not tagging your NCD to the VW policy, you'd still stay at what you were.

VW could check you against the insurance database to confirm what you're telling them is true (asking how many fault/no fault claims you've had in the last 3/5 years), but they cannot compel you to use your NCD to benefit them in making your "free" insurance cheaper for them to provide.

You can take a 2 year gap without losing your NCD. If you have 6 years NCD, you leave it alone and go with VW for a year (without allowing VW Ins to use it) and come back to buying your own a year later, you'll have your 6 years NCD still, even if you have had a smash with VW's. You'll still have to tell your insurance that you had one, but they shouldn't take 2 years off you for it.

[Leif]

^ I doubt that's the case. You can't use your no claims on 2 cars at the same time with most insurers, so if you bought a Polo with free insurance and were running another car at the same time, with a bought policy which was utilising yiur level of no claims then VW wouldn't be able to apply your no claims to it anyway. VW providing free insurance with 0 years NCD or 6 years is still the same price - free.

Not saying that if you did have a smash on the VW policy you could forget to declare it next time you renew, but by not tagging your NCD to the VW policy, you'd still stay at what you were.

VW could check you against the insurance database to confirm what you're telling them is true (asking how many fault/no fault claims you've had in the last 3/5 years), but they cannot compel you to use your NCD to benefit them in making your "free" insurance cheaper for them to provide.

You can take a 2 year gap without losing your NCD. If you have 6 years NCD, you leave it alone and go with VW for a year (without allowing VW Ins to use it) and come back to buying your own a year later, you'll have your 6 years NCD still, even if you have had a smash with VW's. You'll still have to tell your insurance that you had one, but they shouldn't take 2 years off you for it.

I still had my Up when I insured my Polo. I declared the ownership of a second car, and applied my > 9 years NCB. I paid about £220 which means they accepted my NCB. I've now sold the Up, so I suppose I should update my Polo insurance to say I only have one car.

These days it's harder to fake NCB as insurers have access to a central database. This is all part of avoiding fraud which I advise against on moral and legal grounds.

[barrywi]

I noticed a few people have been tracking the delivery ship . Is that a feature on the VW App ? My car just has a confirmed build date so far.

[kerby]

As I understand the app just shows 'In transit' which means somewhere between the factory and the UK. I believe people are getting the ship information by contacting VW Live Chat and passing over their order number as they have more details on where it is.

However, I did try this two days ago and the only reply I got from VW, paraphrased, was 'It's on the way from South Africa - in future you can check this in the online tracker'. Not really that helpful and he was keen to get me off the line. I think it depends how pushy you are, who you get, and how busy they are.

[brainbow]

I noticed a few people have been tracking the delivery ship . Is that a feature on the VW App ? My car just has a confirmed build date so far.

Hi,

I called VW UK customer services. The numbers on the website. They had to put me on hold but came back with the name of the vessel my car is on. I’ve been able to track it since it left Port Elizabeth in South Africa. It’s currently in the English Channel. It has a stop tonight in a Belgium port the Emdon next. Once it leaves Belgium you can see the eta for Emdon. It’s not far so I reckon a day from a Belgium to Emdon in Germany.

I’m not sure what happens in Emdon but it will get a boat then I think to Grimsby. About one days journey. Then wait for UK road transport.
Which shouldn’t take long.

I would call them and ask for the info. I ordered mine 16th Jan. So by reading some of the messages on here I’m one on the lucky ones that probably (hopefully) has maybe two weeks ish to wait.

Cheers.

[barrywi]

Freedom Ace (car transporter) has been in Zeebrugge harbour for a couple of days( unloading or loading cars? ) and is due to sail at 1630 on the 13 th to Emden on Germany . The harbour there has another car transporter called Goodwood parked up next to Volkswagen Strasse ( VW Street). No indication yet as to where this huge car transporter is heading but could be the US? Fascinating to try and work out what these car transporters are up to ( well to me it is anyway!)

[adam1uk]

Freedom Ace (car transporter) has been in Zeebrugge harbour for a couple of days( unloading or loading cars? ) and is due to sail at 1630 on the 13 th to Emden on Germany . The harbour there has another car transporter called Goodwood parked up next to Volkswagen Strasse ( VW Street). No indication yet as to where this huge car transporter is heading but could be the US? Fascinating to try and work out what these car transporters are up to ( well to me it is anyway!)

The app will update within the In Transit category. You’ll get an email when it arrives in Germany (it won’t say it explicitly but that’s what it means) and you’ll get another one when it leaves for the UK. My car came to Sheerness. I guess which British port it comes to depends on where your retailer is.

[brainbow]

The Freedom Ace is due to arrive at Emdon later today. Finally feels like it’s getting close.

My timeline is:
Ordered Jan 16th
Build week 9th April
Left SA on a boat I think 25th April with two stops on the way.
Emdon today. So that’s circa 18 days from SA to Emdon

[stevereeves]

Such things tend to take as long as they take. Which can seem like forever when waiting for a new car, shouldn't be long now though....

[barrywi]

Speeding along at 14.7 knots just turning right down into Emden. Wish my car was on it! You must be nearly excited.

[barrywi]

Just looked at ships parked in Emden and can see the Malacca Highway car transporter which says it is due in Grimsby on May 15 th. Maybe it is waiting for the Freedom Ace to arrive to swop a few cars around for the UK?

[Seanhendryyy]

My dealer confirmed that my Polo is on the Freedom Ace! He stated that it stops in Emden to have checks and then goes on an overnight ship to Sheerness

[barrywi]

Lucky you..enjoy.