subject: The Volkswagen Carefree Maintenance Plan [print this page] As part of an ongoing attempt to sway customers onto their lots, car manufacturers have begun offering exceptional service plans to go along with their vehicles. To drivers who worry more about breaking down a couple of years into their ownership than they do about whether or not they are driving the sleekest and most powerful car on the road, these service plans can mean a lot. One such service plan is the one offered by Volkswagen. Dubbed "Carefree Maintenance," it is a three-year, 30,000-mile plan giving the owner free maintenance for the time period. After dropping ten, twenty, or thirty thousands dollars on a vehicle, it's nice to know you won't have to pay for anything else for a while. Here are the tenets of the plan.
Courtesy Check
Volkswagen encourages their owners to bring their vehicles in at some point in the first 6,000 miles (or 90 days) for a free courtesy check at the dealership. This is a chance for the mechanics to take a quick overview of the vehicle, make sure everything is running well, and catch any problems if everything isn't. More importantly, perhaps, this also gives you a chance to ask any questions you might have about the vehicle, the service plan, or anything else you might be curious about.
10,000 Miles
Once your vehicle hits 10,000 miles, Volkswagen offers the first full inspection and service of the car. This is a multipoint inspection including a visual inspection of the airbag, an oil and filter change, making sure the rear window nozzle is functioning correctly, tire rotation, checking the windshield wipers for any damage and changing out the wiper blades, and checking all of the fluid levels. This service is performed not just at this visit, but at the subsequent two 10,000-mile intervals as well. Additional inspections and services may be applicable for Clean Diesel drivers and Hybrid owners.
20,000 Miles
At the 20,000-mile mark, your local Volkswagen dealership will check your brake pads and discs as well as give your car a full inspection of the entire brake system. If you have a convertible roof, they will check the latch. They will also replace the dust and pollen filter, check your tires for wear, and make sure your tire mobility kit is ready to go in case of an emergency.
30,000 Miles
Finally, the Volkswagen Carefree Maintenance plan arrives at the final free inspection, giving the owner the chance to come back in to the dealership and get the same inspection and service performed at the first two intervals. The free part of the plan ends here, but the company has additional recommendations and requirements as your vehicle ages, which the dealership can handle down the line.
