Question To Red Robin

[garethmk1]

Red Robin,

I've previously recall you stating that all of your modifications are undertaken by VW Racing/Motorsport direct, I also recall that you stated that this does not invalidate your warranty, but the advice you gave was to only enquire under serious intentions.  I am keen to remap my ED30, but am concerned about invalidating the warranty, thus the only option open to me would be to use the superchip bluefin map due to its concealment factor (although I am aware that it does not reset the flash counter), but having read various reviews on and off the forum, am reluctant to use that particular remap option.  Having previously studied towards a BEng in Motorsport/Automotive engineering and having had numerous VW's in particular Mk1's & Mk2's I will not be a time waster. 

Since I took the plunge an bought my first ever brand new car (the ED30), I am concerned about invalidating the warranty on the largest investment I have ever made.

Can you advise me as to whether they may be suitable and if so would it be possible to introduce me.  I do realise that this is a large favour to ask, especially in view of my low post count, though I tend to read more than I write if you catch my drift.

I hope that you may be able to assist but completely understand if you cannot.

Regards,

Gareth

[RedRobin]

Hi Gareth,

No, not all my mods are by VW Racing - In fact until later this month, none of them are!

The whole subject of invalidating a warranty is a very grey area. My VW dealer totally accepts the fact that I have a Revo remap but if an issue had developed while I was under warranty (I no longer am under warranty) and it was thought that the remap was to blame, then I would have had to argue very hard indeed and doubtless fund any repairs myself. However, Revo have an excellent relationship with VW and I know that they would have supported me all they could. But that wouldn't have included paying for all my repairs! Each case is different.

Regarding VW Racing - They are not an on-the-street shop and their priorities are very much with their racing. They are interested in taking on "projects" - Reasonably extensive modding to create fast road cars and, of course, full-on track cars. So for example, if you only want some coilovers, there is no advantage in going to them and it's more easily arranged timeframe-wise elsewhere. VWR will treat you with all the respect and good service you would expect from anyone, but you have to respect their priorities and be very flexible indeed.

I would be more than happy to introduce you and it has absolutely nothing to do with your post count - VWR are not affiliated in any way with this site and the post count wouldn't matter anyway. At the moment I am acting as a helpful filter to only introduce serious enquiries - This is to everyone's benefit.

Although VWR have direct links with VW both in the UK and Germany, going to them will not mean that your warranty is immune from being contested over an issue which may arise. However, if you go to them and have lots of work done, they will stand behind that work and give you all the support they can within reason.

You need to decide what other mods you plan for your car and what you want to achieve longer term. I hope I haven't made it all sound condescending - As I say, I'm just a filter at the moment. I have already introduced two other forum members here to VWR by initially informing VWR what their prospective customer would like to achieve and asking if they want to take it on. The answer has been yes on both (I think!) occasions so far and I leave everyone to it!

Give it some thought and please feel free to PM me with what you want in more detail and I'll help if I can.

Robin

[vRStu]

So who exactly are VWR then Robin?

[RedRobin]

So who exactly are VWR then Robin?

.... http://www.volkswagenracing.co.uk/

[vRStu]

So they aren't really anything to do with VW at all are they.

Ok so they prepare cars for the race program but other than that they offer nothing more than most others.  Milltek exhaust, Superchips remaps and the usual other range of items.

I'm not having a dig at them or you specifically, I'm sure they are very good, but I do feel that people may have been lead to believe that they were to VW what Brabus and McLaren are to Mercedes.

I don't really think it's quite along the lines of requiring a personal introduction either, they don't appear to be that elite.

As for the warranty question by the OP, this is directly from their FAQ's -

Is the manufacturer’s warranty affected?

Yes, for those aspects of the engine and drivetrain that the manufacturer can prove were affected by any upgrade, any warranty claim will be rejected.  All other aspects of the vehicle’s warranty are unaffected.   Any parts from the RacingLine range that are faulty or incorrectly installed will be replaced by RacingLine.

[joesgti]

i think most of us know that vw racing is a garage simular to awesome-gti and jkm, didnt we 

[RedRobin]

So they aren't really anything to do with VW at all are they.

Ok so they prepare cars for the race program but other than that they offer nothing more than most others.  Milltek exhaust, Superchips remaps and the usual other range of items.

I'm not having a dig at them or you specifically, I'm sure they are very good, but I do feel that people may have been lead to believe that they were to VW what Brabus and McLaren are to Mercedes.

I don't really think it's quite along the lines of requiring a personal introduction either, they don't appear to be that elite.

As for the warranty question by the OP, this is directly from their FAQ's -

Is the manufacturer’s warranty affected?

Yes, for those aspects of the engine and drivetrain that the manufacturer can prove were affected by any upgrade, any warranty claim will be rejected.  All other aspects of the vehicle’s warranty are unaffected.   Any parts from the RacingLine range that are faulty or incorrectly installed will be replaced by RacingLine.

....vRStu - VWR's connections with VW both in the UK and Germany are closer than your post suggests. But they are not part of VW and I don't recall anyone claiming so.

I already answered Gareth's original warranty question correctly in the second post, as confirmed by your subsequent posting of the smallprint. 

Joe - VWR are somewhat more specialist than either Awesome or JKM.