58 plate Octy - bodywork issues

[Chrispy]

Ha, I might have started something here. :-)

Everyone all turn up en masse to your local dealer complaining of the same problem. Should be a kick up da batty for VAG to get their build processes right.

Looked at the wifes Fabia the other day too....same problem on the O/S part of the boot but nowhere near as bad and that car is 7 years old.

[hugothebear]

I still see my first Skoda locally (2001 Octavia) and its bodywork is still excellent, I can't help feeling that although the Mark 2 is a more sophisticated car, the Mk 1 was built when Skoda were trying really hard to prove themselves and get away from the old Skoda "joke" era. Could it be that, having established themselves as a serious brand as good, if not better than many others they are cost cutting and becoming lazy and not trying quite so hard. Many friends have commented on how good good the paintwork can look and indeed it is better looking on my 3 year old Octavia than on a friends brand new VW. I parked next to a new Jaguar XF today and noticed with smug satisfaction that while the Jag had a hint of dimply orange peel showing in the sunshine my Skoda has a smoother finish... well done Skoda BUT the news is not so good if it is thin and applied over panels which, it seems are not as well galvanised as we are given to believe.

As for the guarantee, these days it is a complete disgrace for rust to be popping up on a undamaged panel 3 or 4 years old regardless of the reason and Skoda should darned well repair it or they will start to lose their hard earned reputation for build quality.

Edited 7 May, 2011 by hugothebear

[onmeheadson]

I popped in to Skoda Aylesbury last week about mine. They took some photos and said they would investigate and come back to me. I haven't heard anything yet.

The service manager did say that "you should be covered", but we'll see i guess.

[onmeheadson]

As a matter of interest how did you get on Chrispy? Has the work been done? Are you happy with it? Was it a smart repair or new boot lid? And what did they say about the cracking paint on the roof?

[allan1888]

As a matter of interest how did you get on Chrispy? Has the work been done? Are you happy with it? Was it a smart repair or new boot lid? And what did they say about the cracking paint on the roof?

When I had the same issue the bodyshop repaired and re-painted the boot lid, but they said due to the design of the boot lid they couldn't guarantee the repair. The repair lasted around 8 months and cracked again so Skoda customer services authorised a new boot lid to be fitted. I think they will always try repair first before replacement.

[m0bov]

once the rust is there it WILL come back, I'd insist on a replacement panel.

[Chrispy]

Hi guys. The repair was approved over a week ago and it finally went in this morning for the work to be done due to all the bank holidays. Also whilst I was there I pointed out the roof which he said he'd try to get approved so they could do the lot at once. I'm not expecting the repair to be final but once they've acknowledged the fault and agree to repair it then it's their problem - if it comes back it's a much easier argument to have.

Will update you as I find out more.

[_Kenny_]

I'm taking my car into West End Garage tomorrow so they can inspect the bootlid/take some photos. Hopefully the claim goes through without any hitches!

[_Kenny_]

Just taken some pics of mine (hasn't been cleaned for a couple of weeks!). Think I may print this thread and give it to the garage as well!

[swil00]

How old is you car Kenny ?

Mine is an early 2005, 54 plate. I have rust in the same places, but not as bad as yours.....

EDIT: Just looked further up the thread.... A 57 plate !

Not quite so dissapointed in mine now !

[Chrispy]

Ok guys, update for you. I have my car back now - and nothing has even been attempted yet work wise despite it being in the dealers for the last 10 working days.

The reason being, the original claim for the boot lid repair was approved by SUK Warranty services but when I took it in I complained about the roof too and the dealer agreed it would be best to do them both at the same time. They filed the additional claim for that with SUK but then after 1 week of waiting (and me chasing and chasing and chasing) Skoda said to the dealer they wanted to send a a VAG assessor out to take a look for himself before they'd approve it. So, on the day he's due to attend (Friday the 13th - hah) does he turn up? No....apparently that's only the day he receives the order to attend, so we have to wait till the following Monday for him to actually come out. So, Monday comes and goes - still no word. I chase the dealer and leave a message - no response. I leave it for another day and chase again - apparently he did turn up on the Monday but was not allowed to state whether the claim was approved or not..... AARRGGH. So I wait a couple more days with still no word (we're now at Friday 20th) and decide enough is enough and call the dealer principle to complain. I am promptly called back by the dealer bodyshop dept telling me that the claim has been approved but only for them to re-spray the roof, no blending into the A/B/C pillars, no smoothing out, nothing more.... At this point I lose my last tiny shred of patience and insist this is raised with the dealer principle whilst I phone SUK Customer services to raise it with them. The call was logged with them in the afternoon and to be fair they were very nice and apologetic over the whole thing and said they would investigate for me. I collected my car on Saturday morning and am currently waiting on customer services getting back to me.

To say the car comes with a 3 year warranty that INCLUDES paint defects and a hefty warranty on perforation the reluctance to fix this properly is astonishing. Not to mention I got the car almost brand new with Skoda themselves being the only previous owner for 2,900 miles and have serviced it with the main dealer as and when it's prompted me to.

Don't get me wrong, I love the car to bits (my god what a machine after driving a Fabia 1.6 CR TDI 75 bhp estate for 2 weeks...) but the bodywork quality is not up to the standard you'd expect from VAG, and the way Skoda are reluctant to properly rectify defects under a warranty they clearly promote here: http://www.skoda.co.uk/gbr/fleet/peace-of-mind/three-year-warranty/Pages/default.aspx leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

Will update further as things progress.

[m0bov]

Take it up with the supplying dealer under SOGA, then its nothing to do with Skoda and should be easier and quicker to sort out.

[_Kenny_]

How old is you car Kenny ?

Mine is an early 2005, 54 plate. I have rust in the same places, but not as bad as yours.....

EDIT: Just looked further up the thread.... A 57 plate !

Not quite so dissapointed in mine now !

To be honest it looks worse close up in the photos, but it's not great is it!

Update time from me now.....and unfortunatley not good news either :-(

After calling Skoda Customer Services I took my car to the local Skoda dealer. They said they could put in a warranty claim but were pretty sure this would be rejected under the anti perforation warranty(rust from inside, out) by Skoda UK. This was due to them saying it looked like a mechanical issue with the sealant cracking, allowing moisture in and rust to form which 'could' have been caused by an external influence, impact etc or by shrinkage in the sealant.

The dealer recommended I contact Skoda Customer Services again, to see what they recommended next. I spoke to the same friendly chap as before who advised me to email him photos of the area so that he could pass it onto the specialist team who would analyse and investigate the issue.

Anyway, Skoda Customer Services have come back today and confirmed that this issue won't be fixed under warranty. They have basically said the same as the dealer. As it has been described as a mechanical issue, this is only covered for 3 years and as my VRS is 3.5 years old, I'm not covered :-(

I'm not happy that this has happened on a 3.5 year old car and has dented my faith in the build quality of Skodas, but I can't fault the guy I spoke with at Skoda Customer Services (a chap called John Good) who was nothing but helpful and kept me up to date every step of the way. Maybe more annoyed with myself than anything else as I can't believe I missed this when purchasing the car from Evans Halshaw, nearly a couple of months ago.

I'm now tempted to send a letter to Evans Halshaw as I have a 12 month mechanical warranty but doubt this will come to anything and as I want the area fixed ASAP I am taking the car into a local bodyshop for a quote - luckily enough this is a Volkswagen Group Approved Paint and Body Centre. Hopefully the quote won't be too severe.

Sorry for the long post!

[allan1888]

_kenny_ it was the sealant that had cracked on mine and I got it replaced under warranty personally I would try a different dealer. I had my claim put through by Henrys Skoda in Glasgow without issue all they done was take paint thickness readings and took pictures and that was it repair approved, and when the repair failed it was replaced no questions asked. Sounds like your dealer can't be bothered with the hassle. I would try henrys if you can as they have seen the issue before with my vrs and speak to John Gordon he is in charge of warranty claims.

[_Kenny_]

_kenny_ it was the sealant that had cracked on mine and I got it replaced under warranty personally I would try a different dealer. I had my claim put through by Henrys Skoda in Glasgow without issue all they done was take paint thickness readings and took pictures and that was it repair approved, and when the repair failed it was replaced no questions asked. Sounds like your dealer can't be bothered with the hassle. I would try henrys if you can as they have seen the issue before with my vrs and speak to John Gordon he is in charge of warranty claims.

Thanks for the info mate. Was your car out of the 3 year warranty as well when you went?

Cheers

[allan1888]

Mines was around 2 years old but it shouldn't make a difference especially when they have already dealt with a claim for the same issue.

[martinch]

Maybe more annoyed with myself than anything else as I can't believe I missed this when purchasing the car from Evans Halshaw, nearly a couple of months ago.

Well, it's clearly reasonable to expect the bodywork on a modern car to last for a long period of time without rusting (or rather, it's unreasonable to say rust is fine after 3-4 years). Thus, the vehicle failed to remain of satisfactory quality for a reasonable amount of time, and is inherently faulty (Sales of Goods Act). When you say "a couple of months ago", do you mean within the last six months? If so, it's up to the supplying dealer to prove that the vehicle wasn't faulty when they sold it to you, otherwise they are liable for the repair costs.

Relatives had a similar issue with their vehicle, and the above was what a solicitor told them, after being told the Skoda Approved Used warranty excludes the bodywork and paintwork.

Edited 24 May, 2011 by martinch

[m0bov]

You have 5 years under SOGA, but this is only applicable to the supplying dealer. Deal with them drectly, not Skoda.

[_Kenny_]

I have been given a quote of 185 plus vat to get the damaged area repaired, resealed and the whole of the boot lid painted (which will sort out a couple of chips and scratches as well). Going to get another couple of quotes but this one is from an approved VAG repairer.

I severely doubt I will get anywhere with Evans Halshaw so just going to foot the bill

[Chrispy]

Ok, update for you all - the car went in On Wednesday for the dealer to do all the work. Skoda Warranty finally agreed that they couldn't just respray the roof but had to blend it into the pillars etc too.

So fingers crossed next week I'll have the boot and roof all tip top.

[onmeheadson]

Ok, update for you all - the car went in On Wednesday for the dealer to do all the work. Skoda Warranty finally agreed that they couldn't just respray the roof but had to blend it into the pillars etc too.

So fingers crossed next week I'll have the boot and roof all tip top.

Hi, how did it go? Are you happy with the work?

I posted some pics of my black vRS 56 plate earlier in the thread with exactly the same problem. I've just heard back from Hughes Beaconsfield and to my amazement Skoda UK have approved the repair! Its not a smart repair but a full and proper job so i'm well happy.

Its booked in for Monday 4th July. It'll take 3-4 days and they're going to supply me with a courtesy car

[Chrispy]

Hi there. I've just literally got in after picking it up. The job looks pretty good - all seamless and you can't really tell anything has been done which is good. Roof has been done too - same story there.

Quite pleased its done and pleased to have my car back. God I've missed it. :-)

Photos to follow.

[Chrispy]

All nice and shiny and seamless. For now. Not confident the boot thing won't happen again but at least the repair is on record so a repeat incident should be more straightforward to deal with.

On the roof front though apparently a Fabia II was also in for the same thing - cracking paint on the seams, so it's not just the Octy model, or my specific car......worth everyone checking theirs me thinks, closely.

[m0bov]

is the badge on straight?

[onmeheadson]

Looks a good job there. I take it they stripped and painted the whole boot lid?

As a matter of interest, did they paint the spoiler?