I bought a D80 + 70-300 VR in May 2008 (four years ago) and never registered it. Since then, I've purchased the D7000+grip and a bunch of lenses.
Feb 12, 2012: I noticed that the VR motor in my 70-300 stopped working. AF works perfectly fine, but the VR just wouldn't start. The lens was never dropped or otherwise handled in a questionable fashion. I was afraid about sending it in to Nikon since I never sent in any of the registration slips, but I decided to give it a go. I created an account on the Nikon website and registered all the gear that I've ever purchased. I'm not sure if that made a difference in how Nikon handled my case...
Feb 15: I sent off my package. The package was received by Nikon on the morning of Feb 17.
Feb 21: received an email from Nikon: "Nikon Service Acknowledgement/Estimate. Reasons for service: VR VR MOTOR STOPPED WORKING; CLEAN & CHECK AF WORKS FINE" not much more info beyond that...
I haven't heard any more news / status updated regarding the lens since then, so I wasn't sure if they're still assessing/estimating how much the repair will be, but.....
Feb 27: unexpectedly, UPS delievered my lens back! It's working great, as though it was brand new AND it even looks like they cleaned up some of the dust from the inside!
I'm totally satisfied. Thanks Nikon! Total repair time was 12 days. (mj)