Turning old into new – 65 years of Volkswagen Genuine Exchange Parts

• Industrial remanufacturing of engines, gearboxes and components celebrates anniversary

• Almost 89 million parts sold under the Exchange Parts program

• Customers save an average 40 percent

Wolfsburg – An idea born of necessity during the post-war period has today become a successful concept that not only protects the environment but also goes easy on the pocketbooks of Volkswagen customers. For 65 years now, old parts have been industrially remanufactured, becoming as good as new – or sometimes even better. In total, some 7.9 million engines, 2.9 million gearboxes and over 78 million other components have been sold under the Exchange Parts program during this period.

Volkswagen’s “exchange parts business” began in 1947 with the remanufacturing of Beetle engines. Today, some 450 employees work in engine remanufacturing at the Baunatal plant. Each year, around 48,000 engines in 490 variants, 60,000 cylinder heads in 220 variants and 49,000 gearboxes in 550 variants are reconditioned. Thanks to technological progress, even advanced common rail engines and DSG dual clutch transmissions can be reconditioned today. The current range covers over 16,000 exchange parts from 63 product groups. The advantage for customers is that they save an average 40 percent on Genuine Exchange Parts compared with the price of new parts, but still enjoy the same quality, functionality and warranty.

The Exchange Parts program not only benefits customers, but also helps to protect the environment. The amount of steel saved each year is approximately 7,000 metric tonnes, enough to build another Eiffel Tower in Paris. This underscores Volkswagen’s responsible approach to energy and raw materials and makes an important contribution to sustainability. The Group has set its sights on becoming the world’s leading automaker in both economic and ecological terms by 2018. The “Think Blue. Factory.” program brings together all ecological activities at Volkswagen plants with a view to meeting this target.

Courtesy of Volkswagen