Spoke to my local dealer and he reckons that only 300 UK cars are affected. None of them badly (easy for him to say!!!) and will all be "cold repaired" (by the local chips away no doubt - who will be rubbing his hands with cash!!!!).....

The document I saw said that they were being returned to the factory.

Stu, any chance of getting a copy of the document you saw or telling me where I can see it? It might be handy to use as ammo just in case. The dealer told me he thought any damaged cars would be going back to factory and was quite certain it wouldn't be just sent to a german bodyshop or whatever.

Out of interest, how do you know all this stuff Stu, o font of all knowledge? You're the most informed Skoda owner i've seen on here! It's fupping great!

Afraid not, I didn't manage to get a copy of it. Your dealer will have a copy.

Out of interest, how do you know all this stuff Stu, o font of all knowledge? You're the most informed Skoda owner i've seen on here! It's fupping great!

He could tell you, but then he might have to kill you! :fence3d:

Anybody buying out of existing inventory later this year, get the VIN and check if the car was manufactured after the date of this storm.

For a given VIN, how do you check the date of manufacture please :confused:

from what ive seen so far the cars will be taken back t the factory and fixed. as everyone has said, even if your car wasnt involved in this incident, how do you know it was dinged or dented along the way?

the answer is they have a crack team of panel guys who keep watch on the deliveries and sort any dents out on the way. i used to know a guy who did this over here and he and his team made serious money doing it, they did all marques of cars, so that tells you how many have a bit of damage!

i would imagine as these things get around very quickly that the cars affected will be given extra special treatment and be repaired to the highest standards as to not dent (lol) skodas rep. i really wouldnt worry about it, the easiest thing is to talk to your dealer and when the cars actually at the dealership and cleaned go and inspect the car, if your not happy then deal with it then. but i really cant see any bad cars getting through.

after all they wouldnt want a repeat of what happened to all those fords that got flooded by sea water, then a few years down the line they have all rusted from the exposure! this gave ford a bad rep for quality that effects them even to this day!

Got told by my dealer yesterday that my car, having been built after the storm, is now waiting at the docks in Holland but shipping will be delayed for a week or so as car that had been damaged in the storm, having been returned to the factory and repaired, are now 'jumping the queue' to be shipped to UK.

Hmmmmm.

I trust what any car dealer has to say regarding delivery about as much as the estate agents I ever met....All from personal experience and nail bitingly irritating delays.

One time I'd bought flights to collect a car based on the (Belgian) dealer's word. Only to find the week before it was put back (again).

He really couldn't understand "why" I'd want to sort out travel a whole week before collecting a car. FFS. Of course most people can take a day off work with zero notice and buy the best value tickets 30 minutes before departure...:mad:

Oh and I have been lied to blatantly by estate agents too! "Yes, of course Mr X has sold his property and the monies are ready to go. You really should accept his offer...." etc etc :eek:

Calm blue water, calm blue water.....

I sympathise with all of you waiting for an answer based on fact.

I trust what any car dealer has to say regarding delivery about as much as the estate agents I ever met.....

Well I am awaiting my Roomster 3. I had been told it was awaiting shipping from Emden, but then the dealer said it had been "lost" due to a new computer system (or some-such) and that they were making a new one for me. That 'new one' is due to be shipped from Emden tomorrow so I will inspect it very closely. I have made the dealer aware that I know about the hail storm, so I can't wait to hear what his latest story is

I trust what any car dealer has to say regarding delivery about as much as the estate agents I ever met....All from personal experience and nail bitingly irritating delays.

dont tar everyone with the same brush i would say!

at the end of the day is it the car dealers fault when skoda turn round and change delviery times without notice?? i think not!

ive got a customer who ordered a octy and the week before it was due to leave the factory it was put back by 6 weeks!! no offer of compo from skoda, nor advice on how to handle the CC issue about to start. :thumbdwn:

luckily the customer was ok and we provided a car for them, but skoda didnt help one iota. all they said was the quoted delivery times are arent set in stone and are open to change at any time. i always try and add a week at least to what skoda say, just so we have a chance if theres a small delay. sadly maybe other dealers youve had dealings with havent been thinking ahead and just relying on what skoda say?

Well I am awaiting my Roomster 3. I had been told it was awaiting shipping from Emden, but then the dealer said it had been "lost" due to a new computer system (or some-such) and that they were making a new one for me. That 'new one' is due to be shipped from Emden tomorrow so I will inspect it very closely. I have made the dealer aware that I know about the hail storm, so I can't wait to hear what his latest story is

there has been a computer issue with stock from certain areas recently. weve had a couple of cars that disapeared when we trasnfered it from another dealers stock. it meant a delay in getting it shipped, but the cars turned up non the worse off for it. im sure thats what happened to yours!

weve had a couple of cars that disapeared

I wonder if these cars that "disappear" are for sale somewhere really cheap

I wonder if these cars that "disappear" are for sale somewhere really cheap

sshhhh!!!

how do you think i pay for my expensive shirts!!

My car hasn't disappeared... But it seems nobody knows where it is. The story from SUK is exactly the same as from the dealer: "it's showing as at Emden, we don't know where it is, but it will be at the dealer within a couple of weeks."

I've been told "a couple of weeks" every couple of weeks since the beginning of June. It's wearing a bit thin.

In fact they have no idea if it was damaged by hail, or if it was returned to the factory. They are guessing, and nobody is interested in looking any further. Of course you can never talk to the people that you can shout at - Skoda Retail, because the dealer and/or Skoda Customer Care is always in the middle.

I hope my salesman is enjoying his day off today, because I'll be ringing him first thing tomorrow, and if he doesn't get me answers, a firm ETA or offer some decent compensation in lieu, then I'll be canceling the order and going somewhere else for a used one.

rurwin the problem with people who buy cars these days is that they seem to think that they are the only one buying a car. Ringing and shouting to the salesman demanding compensation or a delivery date he might not be able to guarantee wont get the car any quicker will it?

What you need to realise is this. The salesman will be getting commsion for selling the car, so he will want it gone as much as you do. secondly, the dealership will be making between £1500-£2500 on the car, and in todays climate will certainly want ther profit in. Thirdly, Skoda Uk will be wanting the registration for their targets, so they too will want the car gone as quick as possible. Fourthly, the poor sales guy will probably be on £10K basic per year and commision- so he really hasnt got time to speak to Mr "wheres my car" all the time.

Point im trying to make is that would you rather be told as it is- or what you would prefere to hera and be fobbed off for a couple more weeks? If they cant give you an exact delivery date then they cant- if they could give you a delivery date then they would do wouldnt they? After all the salesman will want his commision and the dealer his large profit.

If you have entered into a cash agreement to purchase- be carefull trying to cancel as you would lose any deposit paid and the dealer could come to you for breach of contract- most contracts are not based on estimated delivery dates simply because the garage doesnt build or transport the cars and things can happen beyond their control, like a compound full of 30,000 VAG cars at the docs!!

I have not been Mr Angry up to now. I have been Mr Reasonable, only calling every week or two and being very understanding.

The car was made on 9th June and reached the port of exit on 16th June. Since then there has been no news whatsoever, and everyone keeps saying "the most it will take is two weeks." Skoda Customer Care gave me the same line yesterday - it will be at the dealer by the end of the month - another two weeks, because that is as long as it ever takes. I no longer believe that Skoda have any idea where the car is, or when it will arrive.

Somebody must know what the situation is. Somewhere there must be a schedule. But I cannot talk to that person so I need my dealer to do so. That will not be easy for him, so I am at long last putting some pressure on.

This car was promised for well before the end of June. It has now been in transit for a month, and it may be another month before I take delivery. I feel I am owed some compensation for that delay. My only available bargaining chip is canceling the order, and if necessary I will do it and I am willing to risk the deposit. However I believe that the dealer could be found in breach of contract due to taking an unreasonable time and not keeping me informed. (It's Skoda's fault, but that's the dealer's problem, not mine.)

As for next getting here any quicker, no maybe not. Or maybe it will. Several possible problems could be solved by forcing the right person to look at them and acknowledge them. But even if it doesn't get here any quicker, I believe that some compensation is owed.

I thought it was only 12,500 cars that where damaged, that is what I was told a couple of weeks ago anyway.

That's inflation for you!!

(Or maybe just the Mirror )

That's inflation for you!!

(Or maybe just the Mirror )

Inflation? No! None of the figures add up!

If the £80 million worth of cars is 30,000 then they are only worth £2700 each

There again if it is 12,500 cars they still only average out at £6400 a piece...

What's the dealer mark up again?

Or is it just typical newspapers? Never let the truth get in the way of a good story...

Probably turn out that 3 cars were damaged out of 12,500 in a lot big enough to hold 30,000 cars. If the hail stones had been 10x bigger and the storm had lasted for 6 hours then £80 million of damage could have been caused. As it is only £20 damage was caused.

Ahh! Just found the article from the Mirror! 'Twas the damage that was £80 million not the 30,000 cars. Which I would have seen if I had read the thread title properly.:O:O

Here is the full text:

A freak hailstorm damaged 30,000 new cars that will cost an estimated £80million to repair.

The VW, Audi, Seat and Skoda motors were awaiting shipment to British dealers when hailstones as big as golf balls rained down.

Garages have warned customers they will have to wait weeks for delivery of vehicles they have ordered. VW Group bosses have drafted in 100 bodywork specialists from factories throughout Europe to do repairs.

The cars were on the dockside at Emden, Germany, when it was hit by the worst storm in living memory. VW spokesman Christoph Adomat said: "We have to check every car."

Hmm. Last I heard it was 230 bodywork specialists, and they were only checking. Where I've had inside knowledge, I've only ever read two newspaper stories that were close enough to the truth.

My dealer was told today that they were only half-way through checking for damage, but that cars were now trickling out and my car would be with them before the end of the month. Those figures don't add up either.

MD AF will be glad to hear that there was no shouting involved. I was offered a replacement in that nasty bright red, and if it had been almost any other colour I'd have accepted. As it is, we agreed to wait for the end of the month and see what turns up. He was telling me that Skoda were paying out for the finance, and he was losing book value on the PX, and I pointed out that neither of those were any value to me. If it isn't in by the end of the month I'll push for a free Maxidot (so I can fit a bluetooth later), as that is maximum value to me for minimum cost to him. He wasn't impressed with the idea, but we'll see.

there you go 80 million squid to repair, not how much the value of 30k cars are.

Hmm. Last I heard it was 230 bodywork specialists, and they were only checking. Where I've had inside knowledge, I've only ever read two newspaper stories that were close enough to the truth.

My dealer was told today that they were only half-way through checking for damage, but that cars were now trickling out and my car would be with them before the end of the month. Those figures don't add up either.

MD AF will be glad to hear that there was no shouting involved. I was offered a replacement in that nasty bright red, and if it had been almost any other colour I'd have accepted. As it is, we agreed to wait for the end of the month and see what turns up. He was telling me that Skoda were paying out for the finance, and he was losing book value on the PX, and I pointed out that neither of those were any value to me. If it isn't in by the end of the month I'll push for a free Maxidot (so I can fit a bluetooth later), as that is maximum value to me for minimum cost to him. He wasn't impressed with the idea, but we'll see.

bear in mind your dealer is doing all he can to resolve the issue. he can only tell you what hes been told. trust me ive been there is skoda dont want to tell us the truth (much like all manufacturers!) then they wont.

i would be careful what you push for as im sure a maxidot install would cost the dealer lots in labour (they get charged to remember!) they have tried to offer a replacement, and although its not in the colour you wanted they have at least offered something.

what he says on your px is true though. used cars are loosing between 200-500 per month! that will effect you if you cancel, as the price youve got promised with the dealer wont be promised by someone else. plus if skoda are payiong something to do with the finance, then again if you cancel you might not get the same offer again.

not sure where the above person thinks a dealership makes 2 thousand pounds plus per car, my god man are you mad!!!?!?!? the average profit in a car these days is hundreds, not thousands of pounds! its all back end money which theres no guarrentee about getting. thats why your dealer wont like your proposition about maixdot. not at near 60 quid per hour to fit plus parts! his profit is being eaten up by this delay and theres nothing he can do to stop it. your px is dropping in value and when he sells that car he could be looking at loosing 500 plus pounds!!

just remember your dealer has his own bills to pay and probably will be doing all he can to sort it out and tbh it does sound like your giving him chance to sort it, just give him a bit more

Yeah, I'm happy he's doing as much as he can, and that together we have the maximum info Skoda is willing to give.

The agreed PX/discount is £1,200. The current Parkers PX value on my car is £1k, and the lowest private sale price is £900, not including metallic paint, airbag and towbar. That's up to £200 lost since May. If he gets £700 for it then that's a discount of £500 on the Octy, which in my mind still gives him a decent profit, albeit less than he would have got.

I just wish Skoda would see that they are losing goodwill by not giving more information out. Here's a template they can use:

"We have now completed checking __% of the affected cars. Of those we have checked, __% have needed rework and __% have been written off. We estimate that the last affected car will be delivered in __ weeks."