dtm953

Hi - anyone got any advice? I unfortunately snapped off the top part of the threaded metal with the bolt nut. (12 years of rust) I then had to saw off the metal from the wiper arm which was no problem. Now I have a bolt with most of the thread stuck inside. I can buy a new bolt nut (I assume it's just a 13" from a hardware store) but I doubt I've enough metal left to turn it onto (maybe 2 rings - it could be enough). Anyone got any ideas? Am considering trying to glue the wiper arm to the bolt with epoxy resin though not sure how well/long that would hold. Apart from that the only alternative I can think of is switching the entire wiper motor which is gonna be expensive and time consuming. Thanks!

Thanks again for the replies. It has a 12 year guarantee! I did a little investigation and found same tailgates the same colour in scrap yards for about £250 so if I do end up having to fix myself it could be a better option. The biggest most obvious corrosion is by the boot release so definitely could have started there, but the second big patch is to the left of the boot near the edge. I haven't tried to take the trim off yet and look from the other side, a bit scared to now! Anyway you've given me enough encouragement to kick up a bit of fuss. I'll hassle the dealer a bit and try and involve the local consumer protection people and see if it helps. I'm not too optimistic and I would be happy to try and fix this myself but the car still has a resale value of about £5000 (cars are expensive in Norway) so a badly done job might make it hard for me to sell on if I want to (which I might considering all the extra tolls we're getting on diesel cars here in the next year)

Thanks for the replies. It is a Fabia 2 2008. Norway does have a harsher climate than UK with many weeks sub zero temperatures and a pretty much permanent layer of road salt on your car which comes back as soon as you wash it... but the guarantee is the same, 12 years. The consumer protection people have said (elsewhere) that guarantee must be relevant to local conditions if they are advertising it. The text in English just says "12-year warranty for non-rusting through the car body" - the dealer said this means the rust has to come from the inside. There was no mention of lack of inspections being a problem though I have read elsewhere that this can be a problem. My main issue is, is this the right kind of rust or the wrong kind of rust - I haven't got a clue and was hoping someone here might do! Appreciate all the advice and I am going to follow up the dealer, ask them for a copy of their report and rationale in writing as Awayoffski suggests. I only got a verbal explanation with a copy of the warranty with a highlighted line on the text that they said didn't cover the damage. They had checked with their "micro repairs" neighbours to get a price to fix it but they said they couldn't do it. If I take it further I'll probably have to take it to one of the consumer protection authorities here and I'm not sure how much time it will take and if I have a case or not. Unfortunately in Norway the dealer, the importer and the local Skoda representatives are the same people so it's a bit harder to kick up a fuss and escalate things like I've read about people in the UK doing. That's why I wanted to get some opinions to check if it was worthwhile!

Thanks for the reply - I haven't looked inside the trim so may do that - but the other patches are elsewhere so not sure if that would help. I assume you got no help from the dealer either?

Hi hope it's okay starting a new thread. The older ones were a couple of years old and quite specific. I've a few patches of rust on my 9 year old Fabia 2 Estate (2008) Took it into my local dealer and they just brushed it off immediately as not covered by the warranty as not coming from the inside. You can see pictures via this album - any opinions? https://www.flickr.com/gp/needlestone/0rQ5o2 There is a patch under the boot release handle, some patches by the mid left side and some bubbling (hard to see in the pics) to the bottom left of the numberplate. Any opinions? It seems to be reasonably common on some skodas/VWs but I've no idea what the definition of rust coming from the inside is and I guess it's going to cost a lot to fix! Is it worth trying to push it further or do I save the hassle and give up?

Have had this issue twice now, as this is a recent thread thought I'd add to it. Have a second hand 2008 Fabia Estate. Not long after buying had problem with passenger door just bouncing open, not latching - then it worked again. Now had the problem for the first time since about 6 weeks later. I tried pushing the latch back, that didn't help. Got in the car, held the door shut and locked it from the inside using the central locking button in the car. That kept it closed and locked but still not closed tight. Pulled the door handle from the inside which turned the locks off but I could open the door! Tried locking and unlocking via the button inside the car and the keyfob... eventually climbed out the drivers door! Opened with no problem from the outside and closed with no problem also... So fixed again for now but no idea why. Will also try a bit of WD40. My additional issue which may or may not have anything to do with this is it's just got very cold where I live -8 right now, was similar the first time it happened, so could be something freezing up somewhere.