Hi Guys!

I have a strange problem. My car is in warranty and the stream unit shows signs of wear even if i take good care of the car and dont use no chemical solutions to clean the dash board. The problem is that 3 buttons have cracks. The worse one is the "next track" button who has a crack all arround the marking on the button. The car has only one year and i went to the dealer and talked to the warranty guy but he told me that the factory doesnt accept these kind of things as warranty as they are part that usually wear in time and they are expossed to external factors (hand cream...). I for one dont quite like the idea as i took good care of the car. I tried to search to web to buy a replacement faceplate for the unit but i could not find one and i dont want to buy a whole unit for that but i also dont want to stay with those cracks on the buttons.

Is there anyone who experienced this problem? Do you think i will have any luck finding a faceplate to change this one? this offcourse if the faceplate comes off and can be changed. Thanks in advance

I would talk to Skoda UK myself, if the car is only 2 years old (presumably) you shouldn't expect premature wear like that.

Failing that, they are going for £75 with the code on eBay.

This should be covered by waranty. I have just had my gearstick on my vrs replaced because the silver paint was coming off. This could also potentialy have been caused by handcreams etc. (although I do not use such things!!) but covered by waranty no problems. Sounds like your dealer is just fobbing you off.

Sounds like your dealer is just fobbing you off.

Dont be so quick to assum that. Radio warranty is different to oter parts of the car as its usually delt with in a different manner. Plus its all down to interpretation of Skodas warranty guidelines. Some dealers choose to ignore the guidelines or bend them, ok on a £20 gearknob, bit different on a £500 headunit.

I'd ask them if they can get a prior approval from Skoda themselves, f they say yes great, if they say know tough luck. At least it come from Skoda. The dealer just doesnt want to get stuck with the bill thats all.

only problem with mine is buttons are starting to wear.

Radios are exchange items so they are taken directly back to the factory upon removal. That is why the warranty claim must be 100% spot on for an electrical or mechanical defect.

If the unit goes back and there is no electrical or mechanical defect then the dealer foots the bill for the unit.

In regards to the gear stick I would guess the warranty claim went something like this 'gear knob lose upon changing gears, found plasic securing lug adrift upon removal...supplied and fitted replacement...' Rather than 'wearing'

thanks for the advice guys. i will try to get it changed on warranty if possible. if not i will make a fuss that they dont offer replacement faceplates even if they wont care about my fuss. attached is a photo of the problem

Just looks like a poor finish facia to me looking at that picture.

Just got answer from skoda and they wont replace it as its a mechanical issue and this doesnt cover the warranty of the audio system. ill get a new one from ebay and thats it, this is the life as a consumer

Just got answer from skoda and they wont replace it as its a mechanical issue and this doesnt cover the warranty of the audio system. ill get a new one from ebay and thats it, this is the life as a consumer

I'd asked consumer affairs first, at the end of the day its use is to be pressed so it ain't fit for the purpose it was designed for....i.e. pressing. Looks poor to me, weak plastics. Especially seeing as both damaged marks are on the same moulded part, the other one is fine. Would you use the button a lot?

almost all buttons have that same shape wear on them. some of them i dont remember using, like the button under the "next track" one. but even if i did not use it a lot shows the same problem but not so visible. and there are other buttons on the stream that have the same problem. i agree that this is poor plastics and its not a wear problem.

That's a manufacturing defect - look how uniform it is. Send that pic to Skoda UK, I don't see how they can argue with it.

Thank you, ill do that and keep you informed. Thanks

It totally depends on your dealer. I had a problem with the electric window switches on my vRS, but fair play to my local dealer, they replaced the whole unit!

Sorry frogot to say, the problem was the same as yours with the paint peeling off.

its dealer good will.

i posted earlier on one those fresh air ambi -pur bottles that leaked on our radio and dash board- the corrosion took the paint off the stream and the dealer replaced the unit..basically i was entitled to ZERO.

if your garage wont budge then possibly you could replace the stream with a bolero or columbus and do a deal ..??

i talked at the skoda factory in czech republic, i took the problem from the other side and after a few talks with a customer service person there they said there is a good chance they will replace the unit in warranty. i shoud note that the paint is not peeling off, the plastic from the buttons is cracked, the paint is the same even the cracks are 6 months old and maybe thats why they may replace it. i never used liquid air freshners. ill keep you updated i am waiting for them to contact me as they asked me to give them a few days.

i know a stream unit is not so expensive on ebay but i would not buy it from the dealers, its too much as new from the factory. and for bolero, i dont know how much it is, and same problem maybe it will be better to buy it from ebat at 20% the factory price.

Update on the issue. The replacement of waranty is approved. This week i will get the unit replaced, need to wait for the replacement to get to the dealer. I am really happy I managed to get it replaced. Thanks for all the support.

Great result