Hi guys, hope you can help shed some light on my problem i just found,

RUST!!!!!! its on the rear arches under the arch plastic coating at the bottom,

its a 2004 (04 reg) vRS with only 45k on the clock

i was thinking stone chips could have caused it but when traveling the wheels would be flicking stones and other debris towars the rear bumper and hence the extended little bit of plastic rear wheel arch covering!!

what are everyones thoughts on warrenty,

as you can see from some of the pictures the paint has come away and its starting to blister in other areas under the paint!!

this is the passenger side,

sorry the photos aint that great its getting dark and awkward to hold the arch liner back

drivers side, prob the worst in terms of paint loss,

any help or input much appreciated

Edited 28 July, 200817 yr by bobjim

drivers side

for some reason the drivers side pics were there, but it wont show them,

I'm going to have a look to see if my '04 VRS has this tomorrow morning, if not then I may be covering any stone chips around that area with touch-up paint

I would have though that would be covered providing you havent had any repairs in that area. However its that small and early on I'd be tempted to knock it on the head with some Kurust or similar and then repaint.

I would have though that would be covered providing you havent had any repairs in that area. However its that small and early on I'd be tempted to knock it on the head with some Kurust or similar and then repaint.

not had any repairs at all any where on the car,

i know its not much but its the principle of it rusting when it shouldnt,

will call skoda tomorrow

update - going to see skoda after work, but i have a feeling they are going to try to get out of it, the guy on the phone was saying its more than likely going to be stone chips caused it and it wouldnt be covered,

i cant see it being stone chips there! and he was very precise in quoting that anti corrosion only covers rust outward i.e from inside the paint outward, and not outward in,

any body offer any help or advise i could go armed with!!

i know it wont be much to sort out myself or a body shop but this is the principle,

I would advise anyone with an 04 or even any fabia to check this area.

I checked my 04 Fabia with 39k on the clock today and although it is nowhere near as bad as bob jims there are a couple of stonechips on the passenger side in this area that are starting to go rusty, so will sand them down and touch up with primer and paint later on.

5hit a brick...

You have rust already. The car isnt even 4 years old.

Thats not right. New cars shouldnt rust atall.

All the metal is treated.

My car is only a 56 reg, but im going to check as soon as i finish work.

Will go MAD if there is anything.

well word from skoda is, a big fat NOOOOOOOOO

its down to stone chips and water getting in,

i said that bad on a car thats just 4 years old, he said that the way it was, couldnt do anything for me. stood there for ages and he was insistant it was down to stone chips and not Skoda's fault, so i politely said ok, and asked him to price me up a cambelt change with new ARBB's and a gearbox oil change, he gave me the price and i said no too expensive,

he was just so condersending and arrogant and spoke down to me, even though i'm 6ft 6" he treated me like it was my tricycle that had the problem,

where do i go from here?

write to SUK

Im letting mine go rusty LOL!!

write to SUK

and say what,

if a dealer has said no, they aint going change their minds are they?

Exactly, paint has been removed, probably by stones etc.

Even the might Skoda havent worked out how to stop bare steel rusting if it comes into contact with water and salt off the road.

Bare metal rusts. That's a fact of life and our poor roads and bad driving by those around us doesn't help. I always check our cars regularly for stone chips and touch them in as soon as I can. It's harder in winter due to poor light and cold temperatures.

If you don't want to have to spend out loads of dosh, why not seek out your local Chips Away guy? He will remove the rust, fill any uneveness and carefully respray the afflicted area and you will pay less than a dealer job.

I've got my Storm Blue touch up set ready and waiting, just in case I pick up a chip. I don't get that many, but the ones that do appear get treated promptly.

Jo

if you clean the area with wd40, then rub it down a little with rubbing compound, prime and paint over the top will that stop it does it need to be treated with anti rusting agent such as hammerite Krust?

It looks like the plastic has abraded against the edge of the sill, worn the paint away and water has got in and caused the corrosion. The water will stay in contact with the sill due to capilliary action and the corrosion will eventually lift the paint. Once that happens the water is trapped under the paint and a phenomena called filliform corrosion takes place, this is where an oxygen gradient is set up and the corrosion accelerates.

With regard to Skodas stone chip theory, in my view it doesn't hold water (pun intended), as any stones will be thrown forward, but are prevented from hitting the end of the sill by the underhang on the arch liner. What do Skoda say in their sales literature about the underbody being galvanised?, would it be reasonable to expect that this part of the sill to be considered as part of the under body? What is all the wavy paint on the sill?, I would say that it is stone chip protection, and if so by the dealers reckoning, why has it been ineffective?

I would put it down to a design fault, unfortunately the warranty only covers defects in materials or workmanship. It is not really the dealers decision as to what is/is not covered, Skoda have the final say, as they are potentially going to pay the bill. I would suggest that the dealer get a representative from Skoda to inspect the car and submit a report to his managerr for a decision.

if you clean the area with wd40, then rub it down a little with rubbing compound, prime and paint over the top will that stop it does it need to be treated with anti rusting agent such as hammerite Krust?

Dont go anywhere near WD40 if you intend to paint anything. Large ammounts of silicone and oil (obviously) will react big time with paint even if you have rubbed down and cleaned up afterwards. Most bodyshops cant or wont use things like WD40 for this reason.

try another dealer...!!

thats what I would do.!!

Just get it sorted yourself, I had a new tailgate on warranty due to rust from inside out above the rear number plate on my 04 plate vrs.

All told, the amount of flaws in the paint and broken bits, paint missing, dent in the new tailgate etc etc, it looked better with the rust spots.

Also, trying to get any sense out of SUK is like pulling teeth. At one point, Jafar or whatever his name was, told me that it wasn't his job to liase between a disgruntled customer and a dealer, when I pointed out to him that this was precisely his job description, he said it's not my problem, thank you for the call today, goodbye.

Words cannot describe the incompetence and complete disdain you will be treated with if you pick up the phone to one of these imbacilles, save yourself the stress, find a reputable bodyshop, and get it fixed

Mine looks fine, much to my relief