Volkswagen on Thursday said it would pay for repairs and modifications on about 5,000 engines after the drivers complained of ice damage, Dow Jones reported.
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According to Dow Jones, the decision applies to one- and 1.4-litre engines in VW Lupo, Polo and Golf models built since 1997, as well as a few vehicles manufactured by Seat and Skoda.
Dow Jones said the move followed an article this week in the German news weekly Der Spiegel, which reported driver complaints of engine problems during the recent cold snap.
The problem occurs in cars driven short distances as the engine doesn’t get warm enough and water condensation freezes, blocking the flow of oil, VW said, according to Dow Jones.
VW spokesman Jens Bobsien told the news agency that the move isn’t a recall because that term applies only to safety-related flaws.
In addition to reimbursing customers for repairs and adding a part designed to prevent icing in the future, VW told Dow Jones it would offer a guarantee to cover damages from the iced-over engines for 10 years, with no distance limit.
VW added in a statement that this damage isn’t likely to affect drivers of newer cars due to an updated design, Dow Jones said.
A spokesman told Dow Jones the 5,000 complaints account for about 1% of the cars delivered but declined to say how much the repair and modification programme would cost VW.
