CHROME TRIM DISCOLOURED

[paramedone]

Hi,

Anyone come across a problem with the chrome window surround trims discolouring. I have a Superb (May 2010) Elegance estate, and noticed all the metalwork surrounding the windows has discoloured, with what appears to be a hazy white milky sort of colour.

Tried cleaning it with a very light Meguiars scratch polish on only one small piece with no effect whatsoever.

Any information/ideas gratefully received.

Thanks.

(pic attached)

[grr666]

That sounds like water getting in beneath the clear top

laminate.

The skoda logo badges do it as well.

Warranty?

[Coops]

^^ as above, sounds like that. Would suggest a trip to your friendly local dealer and see what their opinion is. If a similar thing is happening on the badges, they may look to replace?

[paramedone]

Hi guys,

Thanks for your comments. Have checked the badges front and rear and both are fine. Interestingly the chrome trim on the lower door areas are all fine - nice and bright as they should be, it's just the trim around the windows on both off and nearsides that have this tarnishing.

[St Evelyn]

I had the same type of discolouration on an 07 plate Passat a few years ago. Took it back to the VW dealer and they swapped out all of the chrome under warranty.

[GreenArrow]

Hi guys,

I have just purchased a 2012 Skoda Superb H/back brand new less 1 month old and it had this milky white discolouration on the rear offsided and nearside quarterlight trim from day one and I am currently awaiting for replacement parts to be ordered and the call get it repaired.

This should have been spotted at the PDI or prior to handover but thats life I am hoping that it will be resolved with minimal fuss as Skoda are supposed to be No1 in the JD Powers league..so we shall see how it goes.

The car had a lifetime care package and I thought that some of the polish had found a way into the trim, there is a obvious recess in the Offside rubber seal. and it is slowly creeping along the trim. The Offside is worse than the nearside.

Regards

Green Arrow

[paramedone]

Great news for me because the selling dealer, Ingrams of Ayr have decided that this is a warranty issue and are replacing all of the damaged trim.

Cracking customer service because they are also replacing my 4 wheels which are showing signs of lacquer damage - no questions or quibbles either, simply book car in sir and we'll organise everything else!

How many dealers offer that sort of service?

[Tankdave]

Nowadays chrome trim = thin piece of foil encased in plastic

[Yearofthegoat]

I know this is an old thread but I've got the same thing happening now on my Oct 11 Superb. Will have to talk to the dealer and see if they'll change it under warranty. Rear badge is bad as well.

It seems people's experience is that the dealers will change it out no problem?

[Devon Wanderer]

I've got a slight bit of the same on one window strip, but no warranty. I take it there's no cure? Are these hard/expensive to replace?

Edited 9 June, 2013 by Devon Wanderer

[bigjim73]

Had my car professionally cleaned and polished this morning to get rid of some stains from bird poo. He mentioned this and said that it's usually caused by the products used in the many £10.00 manual car washes that are dotted around.

[Napier]

I've noticed the silver roof rails on my combi are blotchy, as if water has been allowed to dry on them. Any one else got this?

I wonder if its similar to door surrounds above?

[Yearofthegoat]

I've only ever used Autoglym's wash stuff on mine. Obviously I don't know what was used before I got it, but the problem has only appeared in the past month (and last week wasn't the first time I'd washed it!)

My roof rails are okay, it's just the side strips on the doors that are blotchy and the rear badge has white bits along the lower edge.

[JakeBlade]

Rear quarter window trims on my combi have the dreaded chrome milk.

Rails are ok.

[jon1j]

I have a 2012 Elegance and it has the same problems. Sinclair Skoda will replace the trim. They are plastic covered metallic plastic ( no real chrome )

[jamiebeveridge]

Any1 ever manage to get rid of this other than a complete change thru warranty?

[unclerichy]

Unlikely. My rear quarter trims had to be replaced under warranty. The discolouration is underneath the topmost plastic layer.

[matthewg]

I have the same issue too. Does the warranty expire after 3 years on this or does it fall under the 7 year warranty?

[jamiebeveridge]

3 from what i can gather. Mine is 4 years old naturally and skoda extended warranty seems to exclude paintwork

[matthewg]

I only bought my superb at the end of august and its just gone 3 years old at the end of september. I had to get the two rear passenger windows replaced and the chap was telling me that chrome trim was part of the fly window.

[ILOVEMYSUPERB]

Just washed my car and noticed the cloudy waterstaining type marks on my roof rails. Only 15 months old. Might be worth a visit to the dealer.

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[Darryl63]

Hello Guys and Girls,

Well, I have a 2014 Superb Elegance with the milky white discolouration already showing through (for the past 2-3 months) and have taken it to my 'local friendly' Skoda dealer TELFORDS in Carlisle who said it's not their problem, no warranty, external factors caused it.  I pointed out that all the other chrome trim is pristine and is washed the same way and exposed to the same 'External' factors and I reckoned it to be substandard manufacturing at fault. They first said I was cleaning it with the wrong products then is was road salts laying and damaging it etc. etc. etc. (but the rest of the chrome trim on the car is exposed to these factors but is NOT affected.

 

I was most displeased with this so I went straight to Skoda UK customer services whom would resolve the matter to the customers satisfaction, as the car is less than 2 years old........ and after a week..... guess what....... the same bull s..t..... ''sorry it's external factors to blame and it will not be replaced under manufacturers warranty''.

I pointed out that I had seen Skoda owners on the internet like 'Newby' who have had the same problem as me and things were resolved at their dealers though WARRANTY.

 

I was told she couldn't comment on individual cases!!......So obviously there is an inconsistency with how customers are treated at different dealerships.  Unlike Ingrams of Ayr which I read earlier sorted Newbys car,  TELFORDS is not that caring it seems, maybe it's because the car is already bought paid for, who knows.

 

After some debate asking why, if the car is cleaned with the same products and is exposed to the same daily factors, is the rest of the chrome not affected!!  the same answer was repeated over and over again...i.e. ''technical dept said it is due to external factors'' blah! blah! When I asked her to put me through to someone from the technical dept to explain the 'technical reason' for the difference in appearance, I was told that that's not possible and repeated the same line.... ''Sorry but it's not a manufacturing fault and external factors are to blame blah! blah!''............. This is total rubbish!!!   

 

I would love to know how many out there have had the same issue, and either had it resolved under warranty or like me, had no joy, either from the dealer, or Skoda UK  customer services??

 

Thanks 

[sww]

Hi Darryl63,

 

 I'm afraid I had exactly the same experience as you. I took my superb to Chathams Skoda Dunfermline who said they would send pictures to Skoda UK but were doubtful anything could be done. Sure enough Skoda's response was that the window trim had been exposed to something during cleaning and that it was my fault! Red rag to a bull as I had the car from new and only washed by hand and with one make of car soap.

 

 

I sent a list of all the ingredients in the car wash soap to Skoda Technical asking them to identify what had caused the problem, but of course they could not comment but then said "As discussed I submitted a report to Skoda UK technical regarding the chrome discolouration on your Superb. They have deemed the discolouration to be due to a chemical agent or detergent which has contaminated the surface. On this basis the replacement of the trims cannot be claimed for under the manufacturers warranty". Then I was told it did not matter as the car was 2 years old and the trim only had a 14 day warranty as it was classed as an accessory.

 

I called Audi, VW ​and Seat who all said their trim came wit a 3 year warranty, although Audi UK volunteered that the trim was easily discoloured and to be careful what you used to clean it.

 

Back to Skoda Tech to inform them that others in the VW group had a 3 year warranty - so Skoda changed their mind and agreed the trim was under warranty but external factors......We can not help you.

 

The chrome is part of the window and as a good will gesture Skoda UK agreed to pay a contribution to having the trim replaced (I still would have to pay well over £1000) or painted. I did not like either of these options.

 

 As a last resort as I thought I could not make it any worse I tried rubbing the chrome down with a premium pre-wax cleaner a couple of times then waxing over it. To my amazement the milk effect that the dealer could not remove and was deemed unrepairable was now 99% gone - and almost 2 years later is still gone!

 

I hope this helps ​

[Danny 57]

Very interesting last paragraph.

[Jaytip]

I've mentioned previously that mine have discoloured. Same crap from Skoda 'sorry sir, it's not warranted'

I think it's a case of poor manufacturing causing the problem and its is a costly process to put right only to fail again at a later date, so they just come up with the external factors excuse.

As a fix, I'm going to get a price off a chap I know to wrap it in black.

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