Below is my reply to Skoda customer services today after a warranty claim I raised in May!

The basic facts of the case were that at my Scouts 2nd service at 23,000 miles I had to have the rear brake discs replaced due to corrosion. I submitted a claim to Skoda and sent no less that 6 e-mails chasing a response including photos and offers of providing the defective parts for inspection. A disappointing outcome and certainly something to consider when buying a new Skoda. (original post here http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/161936-corrosion-of-one-disc/)

-----Original Message-----

From: Skoda Customer Service [mailto:[email protected]]

Sent: 08 November 2010 15:13

To:

Subject: /SD-2010/06-000455

Reference: SD-2010/06-000455

Dear Mr *****

Please let me take this opportunity to apologise for the late response to the message and attached photos that you sent.

Our Technical experts have looked at the photos and their conclusion is that the brake discs are damaged through wear and tear,

therefore on this occasion Skoda UK cannot offer any form of contribution towards the repair.

Whilst Skoda UK will look to contribute to the cost of premature or unforeseen repairs wherever possible, we do not contribute

to the cost of work required arising as a result of fair wear and tear. This is because wear and tear items are not designed to

last for the lifetime of the vehicle and their replacement is expected as part of the vehicle's routine maintenance.

As the maintenance of a vehicle is the responsibility of the owner rather than the manufacturer, we do not contribute to the

cost of such work under any circumstances.

Whilst I appreciate this is not the outcome you anticipated, I hope you can appreciate the reasons for our decision.

I apologise once again for my late response, if there is anything else I can do for you then please do not hesitate to contact

me.

Kind regards

Jane Townsley

Customer Care

ŠkodaAuto Customer Services

[email protected]

08457 745 745

www.skoda.co.uk

My reply.....

Jane

It is disappointing that I have had to wait 6 months, for a response and reflects badly on your standards of customer service. I have concluded that if indeed brake discs on Skoda cars can be expected only to last 20,000 miles before they corrode and this is the sort of customer service that I can expect in the future that it is not worth buying a Skoda again. You have lost a loyal customer and I shall be open in my feedback to others who I have previously recommended Skoda to, including a friend who currently has an Octavia Scout on order.

Yours sincerely

Mr ******

Whilst the time it as taken for them to respond is pretty **** poor (probably an effect of all the peeps asking for delivery dates ) I would have been more surprised if they had given you any sort of settlement., at the end of the day iron rusts and corrodes, so yep normal wear and tear that may have been exasperated by your driving enviroment/ style,

Edited 8 November, 201015 yr by postmanpat

may have been exasperated by your driving enviroment/ style,

maybe, but I don't think my driving style or indeed environment can be blamed here. My previous 2 vehicles Disco and Outback both lasted well into their 70,000 miles before needing new discs and I used to take the Disco to the sea side a lot. I suspect it is more a reflection of the quality of material used. What is annoying is I know that others on this forum have had the same problem and had the discs replace under warrenty.

Renault gave me replacement discs under warranty at 20k.

Even Honda are replacing discs that are showing premature wear.

:S

Even Honda are replacing discs that are showing premature wear.

:S

A Japanese company treating it's customers properly?

(I should add that I work for a Japanese company (not Honda, not even a motor company) and the customer isn't just king, he's god)

I was amazed at the customer service I got when I had 2 Mazdas. They didn't quibble a single thing I asked about under warranty. I am expecting great things from Skoda as they do so well in surveys.

A Japanese company treating it's customers properly?

(I should add that I work for a Japanese company (not Honda, not even a motor company) and the customer isn't just king, he's god)

The brakes and suspension are a weak feature on the civic...and they know it!!

Brake discs are a wear and tear item. Did they get replaced because they looked tatty/pitted or because they were worn out.

I know when i had a civic in 02/03 the dealer had to skim them at the first 2 services.

Just had a read through your origianal post and i would say that 1 of the pads wasnt in full contact with the disc and that could have caused the opposite side to wear more as it may have been compensating for the one that wasnt working properly

Edited 9 November, 201015 yr by ruffday

Oh joy, this doesnt bode well for me.

I E-mailed skoda yesterday regarding a complaint about their lack of customer service (no reply as yet, but I will give them chance). It would appear that skoda are not overly concerned about customers once you have bought the car from them.

I guess I will have to wait and see if I get a better outcome than you did.