Today i received an email from Skoda regarding an issue with the paint finish on our 3 month old vehicle. This is the second paint defect we have found and they have both been ( according to the dealership) panel sealent that has been left on the body of the vehicle prior to painting.

The first defect was approx 5mm square and was just below the offside rear door handle, this was repaired and excellent job was done too

The second problem is smaller at 2mm square and is just on the edge of the car body next to the door, It is visible with the door closed.

My dealer, Hayes Garage Little Clacton Essex stated that it is a defect and they would repair it but due to positioning the repair would not be as good as the first and would show.

I contacted Skoda Uk to see whether some sort of compensation could be arranged and this the response i received:

Ref: TH128116

Dear Sir,

Thank you for your email. I apologise for the delay in responding to you.

I was sorry to learn of the difficulties that you have experienced with the paint work on your Fabia.

I have spoken to both Mr Neville Byford, Service Manager and Mr Ricky Hayes, Dealer Principle at R H Hayes Garage, Clacton regarding this issue and they are both confident that in their opinion the minor mark in the paintwork will not affect the resale value of your vehicle. After reviewing the case with Mr Hayes and Mr Byford, SkodaAuto UK will not be offering you a goodwill gesture on this occasion.

I appreciate that this is not the desired response; however, I can assure you that full consideration has been given to your request and, therefore, I must confirm that we are unable to assist you further.

Thank you for taking the time to contact us.

Yours sincerely,

Tristan Holland

Customer Service Specialist

I would be grateful if any of you could advise me on my next step?

Thank

This is a defect, and whether it will affect the resale value in the future is irrelevant! How can they say this? Skoda obviously view this defect as acceptable, I would challenge them on their decision, after all it is a new vehicle and you should not be expected to accept a defect such as this.

Take'em to court.

Take'em to court.

That would be pointless and expensive at this point.

Until the repair has been carried out, no-one can know how much if anything it will affect the value or your enjoyment of the car. In any case before you get round to selling it there will probably be much worse paint chips and scratches to be touched up.

I suggest you go ahead with the repair and if it is not successful you will then have actual evidence and a much stronger case for compensation. Obviously you mustn't sign any satisfaction note unless you are happy with the result.

Sal

I suggest you go ahead with the repair and if it is not successful you will then have actual evidence and a much stronger case for compensation. Obviously you mustn't sign any satisfaction note unless you are happy with the result.

Agree with this - it's a 2mm square - how big is a typical stone chip? If they mess up the repair, then you have a case for pursuing compensation, but as it stands, you have complained and they are doing everything possible to sort it....

I'd be very surprised if it affected the resale value of the car ... how much compensation were you expecting? :confused:

Chris

Agree with this - it's a 2mm square - how big is a typical stone chip? If they mess up the repair' date=' then you have a case for pursuing compensation, but as it stands, you have complained and they are doing everything possible to sort it....

I'd be very surprised if it affected the resale value of the car ... how much compensation were you expecting? :confused:

Chris[/quote']

As much as i could get

A stone chip which i have a few are my fault. If someone has sealent on their hands and leaves some on the car body before painting it is their fault as i see it anyway.

If all cars came with it i would have no complaint, if it was on an area which couldnt be seen like inside the boot then i would have no complaint, but when you buy a new car you expect it to be of the highest quality in the ares that matter. We pay a lot of money for a new car so why shouldn't we accept the highest standards?

Sounds like good advice to me Sal.

And I would be extrememly hacked off, but atleast wait until you see the repair first eh!

All paintwork is under warranty for at least a year(might be more not totally sure), therefore your dealership is obliged to rectify the problem no mater how small it is. If they make it worse then they should replace the whole door.

Take a picture ( close up ) before & after . If you allow them to sort out the paintwork.

If you bought the car new then you should expect that it should be in a 'as new' condition. It may be a little late to expect the dealer to take the car back off you. But you can expect the car to be repaired to an 'as new' state.

You can get more info here:

http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/n6w/index/your_world/consumer_affairs/problems_with_goods.htm#your_legal_rights_when_you_buy_goods

My advice is as above photograph the car and then get the dealer to fix it, as they supplied the car they have to be given the chance to sort things out providing they are happy to do so. However you have every right to expect that the repair should be as good as new paintwork. There is no reason why they cannot do this it will just cost them more than a localised repair.

One warning, laying paint on a new car for me is always a bit of a worry, it can be fraught with issues but if they managed to sort the first repair there is no reason to think that dont have the skill to do it. It may just take some persistance from you to make sure they do the job that you want from them.

Be polite calm and very persistant

Oh and best of luck

I think you should persue it, as people have said, you expect it to be 'as new' when you buy it. Mine had a couple of tiny scratches and they said they'd polish them out, cant rememebr if they ever did or not...

have always found skoda service good though, part of my mums radiator broke twice (on the old engine) and the second time it was out of warranty and they still replaced it for free