your rust is worst than mine was, as the paint has started to break up, and mine was sorted no problem. As soon as I said where the rust was the woman in the dealership said "I'll just need to find our camera" and it was sorted pretty quickly. Service history never came into it. My car was originally owned by Skoda UK, so whether that made a difference.

Further "progress" on post #2.

10 August Wonders will never cease - Palmers called today! Since the photographs taken by the body shop do not show the car's VIN, Skoda now need further evidence that the tailgate glass is original. Etched VIN provided – original. Again a conversation with David, the service reception manager about whether this is a known problem, mention the forum and other similar cases cited, this is dismissed as irrelevant. The conversation then takes a different tone with the Srm threatening to drop Palmer's involvement and saying I'll have to find another dealership if I want to pursue the matter - we'll see what happens!

This is turning into another Customer Service case study.

My claim is a non starter. The paint depth results came through as not even therefore Skoda say it has been resprayed in the past and any warrenty is now nill and void.

It was worth a try

Mine went in twice to have it sorted, as I claimed the initial job done by my dealer was rubbish - within a few months the silver had vanished and I had white paint. I claimed the initial warranty job was substandard.

I have rust on a 2003 Octavia vRS Hatchback. Local dealer dismissed it as a warranty job and passed me a business card on for their recomended body shop. I haven't really pushed though but maybe it is worth it judging from some users experiences, luckily my town has a new Skoda dealer so I might be in luck?

I have rust on a 2003 Octavia vRS Hatchback. Local dealer dismissed it as a warranty job and passed me a business card on for their recomended body shop. I haven't really pushed though but maybe it is worth it judging from some users experiences, luckily my town has a new Skoda dealer so I might be in luck?

Thats the first hatch I have heard of with problems. I have an estate and its starting to go like the others on here. I don't know if its worth the hastle!! :rotz: My 10 year old felicia had plenty of rust which I used to deal with by sanding it and hammerite!

Thats the first hatch I have heard of with problems

From Page 1:

My recent skoda dealer experience of tailgate (and rear door) corrosion was actually very good. I found 2 rust bubbles on the tailgate of my 03 Octavia hatchback (either side of plastic trim above number plate), and 1 on the same spot on each rear door window surround. See pics attached.

I guess it is rarer though but the handle does seem to be a problem area on both the hatch and estate, I have been told its because the handle will press against the paint and therefore is not corrosion more paint damage.

Skoda seem to be a bit poor with their acceptance rate of corrosion claims. I've submitted a paint bubbling claim for another make of car, that is two years out of warranty. One online form filled in, an e-mail with some photos sent, an estimate of £1000 labour + parts, accepted and approved within 48 hours.

It should be as easy as that.

My local dealer uses a phone camera to submit photos of suspect corrosion :eek:

We all know how good photos from phones can be, so I wonder why my warranty claim on SWMBOs Fabia estate was rejected?

I need to pursue it further, but I will take the photos myself with a proper digital camera and send them.

I guess it is rarer though but the handle does seem to be a problem area on both the hatch and estate, I have been told its because the handle will press against the paint and therefore is not corrosion more paint damage.

The gasket behind the handle fails, and this allows the paint to them be rubbed by the handle. In my case the dealer who did the initial respray failed to replace the boot handle trim (or the gasket) and thus the new paint was ruined by rubbing within a few months.

From Page 1:

Time for me to get to specsavers lol!

The upshot of my earlier postings: #2, #18, #23, #27 is set out in full in the dealers section on Palmers of Watford. I would urge anyone with genuine rust problems who cannot get satisfaction from the dealers to pursue them through the County Court via moneyclaimonline.

Skoda seem to be a bit poor with their acceptance rate of corrosion claims. I've submitted a paint bubbling claim for another make of car, that is two years out of warranty. One online form filled in, an e-mail with some photos sent, an estimate of £1000 labour + parts, accepted and approved within 48 hours.

It should be as easy as that.

I had my 7 year old Audi A3 without a Audi history repaired, no arguments. A similar repair on the Lupo was refused.

Raising this post from the dead here, but I just raised a warranty claim today at Loders, Dorchester for my 2003 Octavia vRS. Will await to see it they cover the rust under the warranty.

Raising this post from the dead here, but I just raised a warranty claim today at Loders, Dorchester for my 2003 Octavia vRS. Will await to see it they cover the rust under the warranty.

Tee hee, you poor bloke. I raised my claim via their Yeovil branch, but had the work done in Dorchester (as I live in Weymouth).

My car had to visit their body shop twice, and it really needs to go back again, as my silver boot is going white again. Image below from last time. Immediately after the first job, when the car was returned to me, there were a number of faults:

- tailgate bolted on too low

- tailgate bolted on off-centre

- rear washed jet pushed into high-level brake light

- plastic trim at base of boot broken (the flappy bits which cover the locking pin for the lock)

When the paint work failed, I raised it as an issue with LAR (Loders Accident Repair), and they refused to talk to me, so I drove back to Yeovil and got their dealer to look at it. After some haggling (and chasing by me) LAR agreed to respray the boot a second time, FOC. However they wanted to charge me for a replacement boot handle (external) and spray of that, I told them to pay as it was their mess up. In the end they spaced it off the boot with a bit of clear plastic, but as mentioned above, it has failed again. So, I suggest some before and after pictures of your car once with has been into LAR. I should point out that Skoda Customer Services were totally and utterly useless and washed their hands of the whole thing. My other contact with SCS was equally useless, when I complained about the wiper linkage issue, they wrote back and explained how corrosion affected bare metal - I think they kind of missed the point - muppets.

i am so glad i have seen this thread, as i have a 53 octi vRS hatch (not since new), and have recently noticed the slightest of marks either side of the handle plastic cover on boot (like first pic in post 21) but not quite that bad as yet...

now interesting that bickerton skoda, have not mentioned anything, even though they have serviced it since my ownership.. hmm i think i shall be getting some hi res pictures taken on the next nice day and see where i get

I'm not holding out that much hope, it seems that they cover the estates better for some reason. Has taken three different visits to various dealers before they would even consider a warranty claim on a hatch.

I'm not holding out that much hope, it seems that they cover the estates better for some reason. Has taken three different visits to various dealers before they would even consider a warranty claim on a hatch.

Estates had an issue where the glass was put in too low, and rubbed....