Citigo SE - black Auriga 15inch Alloys?

[bongobreak]

Hello there,

 

(WARNING: Lengthy post follows!!)

 

So, I ordered my Citigo SE ASG in white, at the end of August, and was very pleased with the specs and options etc.

I ordered it with sunset glass, sporty stripe and black, 15 inch Auriga Alloy wheels - looked terrific on the skoda configuator!

 

Everything went well, my local dealer ticked all the relevant boxes for my options, and I paid my deposit, and all was well.

(I knew this would be a factory build, since due to disability issues, I need the ASG version, and there were none available with the trim I wanted)

 

A few days later, however, I was contacted by the dealer, who told me that the specs have changed, and they no longer offer the SE spec with the 15 inch black Auriga Alloys! Only the 15 inch silver alloys!

I drove down to the dealers later that afternoon to discuss the issue - I had my heart set on these wheels, and didn't want to change them for the 15 inch silver ones!

After a brief discussion in the dealership, the salesman reassured me that they would get me the black 15 inch wheels that I have paid for.

I left satisfied.

 

So, fast forward to today, I drove to the dealership to hand over the DVLA authorisation papers (my car is in transit, somewhere in the UK) and thought I'd just check on whether the wheels issue has been sorted - they had previously told me that my car would ship with standard wheels, and I assumed they would perhaps exchange them with the black alloys from a vehicle that they had in their inventory.

 

I was shocked to hear that they had ordered my car with the 15 inch silver alloys, which they then intend to remove, send to a local wheel specialist in order to paint them black!!

 

I am very disappointed that they did not make this clear at the time, otherwise I would have reconsidered - maybe even negotiated purchasing the black alloys from Skoda Spares, as they are available for delivery.

The Skoda configurator still offers these wheels as a cost option (£550) on the Citigo SE.

 

I had thought earlier about buying some after market black alloys online - some good deals out there - but I've paid for factory fitted black 15 inch Auriga alloys, so I don't want to throw away a chunk of money on wheels that I won't see/have!

 

There's nothing I can do about the vehicle that is on it's way to me - it has the 15 inch silver alloys fitted - but I certainly do not want them to re-paint them black - I want/paid for the factory fitted black alloys!

 

I know it seems like a relatively minor issue, but it seems that I will not be getting what I have paid for, and I'm unhappy about this.

 

What does everyone here think?

 

Am I making a big deal out of this?

 

Is the dealer being unfair? Is it reasonable to for them to 'honour' the agreement by painting my silver alloys black?

I know very little about alloy wheel re-finishers....what will the quality of the finish be like? Will they paint the entire wheel, or just the face?

Will the paint chip when they replace my tyres, or will I have to wait for another few weeks for the paint to harden before replacing the tyres?

 

Could I demand that they order the 15 inch black Auriga alloys from Skoda spares?

Or should I just accept the standard 15 inch silver alloys, adjust my finance accordingly, and source them myself....at an extra cost!?

 

I'm sorry for the rambling post - this has been a worrying moment for me!

 

Please could anyone offer some advice on what to do.

 

Many thanks

 

Bongo.

 

 

[WaveyDavey]

I would insist they replace them with black ones ordered from their parts dept rather than having the silver one's resprayed as if you have any issues with the wheels down the line i'm pretty sure Skoda would say the warranty on the wheels is void due to them having been resprayed.

 

If they won't do it and you aren't happy with the silver wheels then you obviously have the option to walk away as they have not delivered what you ordered. If you are happy with the silver wheels then they will also need to be refunding you some cash.

[bongobreak]

I would insist they replace them with black ones ordered from their parts dept rather than having the silver one's resprayed as if you have any issues with the wheels down the line i'm pretty sure Skoda would say the warranty on the wheels is void due to them having been resprayed.

 

If they won't do it and you aren't happy with the silver wheels then you obviously have the option to walk away as they have not delivered what you ordered. If you are happy with the silver wheels then they will also need to be refunding you some cash.

 

Thanks for your reply WaveyDavey.

 

You make a good point regarding warranty issues - especially considering the respray might not be a quality, factory-like finish....(I've done some research, and it can be very variable in terms of quality and price - naturally the dealership would want to minimize their costs, so I think I can be forgiven for thinking they would do this on the cheap!)

 

I would definitely prefer for them to source the black alloys from their parts dept, and since they are in stock at Skoda Spares, I don't know why they didn't offer this - they can mitigate their losses by sending back the brand new 15 inch silver alloys that are on mine....I would think!

 

I will be visiting the dealership tomorrow and I'll be sure to forward this as the solution, although it does bring up the issue of trust, however, but I guess that's between me and the sales guy - hopefully he won't try to pull a fast one and respray them anyway, then tell me they're genuine factory ones!!

 

In terms of cancelling (were there no way to remedy the situation viz-a-viz their possible refusal to replace with factory genuine wheels), where would I stand in terms of the deposit that I have paid?

Would I be entitled to this back? (I would certainly hope so)

Would I have a hard time getting this refunded - technically they have said that they would provide me with black 15 inch Auriga alloys....albeit resprayed ones?

Is this a simple case of them breaching the contract?

 

I wouldn't really want to cancel - I really like the car, and it's already in the UK - seems such a shame to start all over, although I'm getting a little ahead of myself here, perhaps it will be sorted out tomorrow, and I'll be happy again. (just like to fully prepared....for the worst maybe)

 

Thanks again WaveyDavey

 

Regards

 

Bongo.

[WaveyDavey]

Another thing to consider is to get Skoda UK involved if the dealer won't remedy it to your satisfaction. Skoda UK may well lean on the dealership on your behalf and get you the issue sorted.

[bongobreak]

Another thing to consider is to get Skoda UK involved if the dealer won't remedy it to your satisfaction. Skoda UK may well lean on the dealership on your behalf and get you the issue sorted.

 

Good idea, duly noted - thanks again WaveyDavey

[1963Malc]

We ordered ours on 1/8/16 and selected black 14" wheels as a cost option. Then we quickly learned that 15" silver wheels were going to be standard on 2017MY SE L and the dealer translated the choice we had originally made to upgrade the factory order, new standard 15" silver to black to preserve the look we wanted. Job done.

[Citigouk]

I can understand your disappointment if you had your heart set on the black alloys............ personally i think black alloys look like our Citigo winter wheel setup unless they are kept super clean.

 

 

If it was myself in your position i would request a further discount of say £250 from the price which is more than enough to have the wheels re-painted (i prefer powder coating as its the whole wheel)......... most car makers only paint the outside of the rim

 

 

 

Goodluck, enjoy the citigo!!!

Edited 19 October, 2016 by Citigouk

[VRS Mike]

if they were painting the whole wheel and could maybe add some green flex to the paint (I had similar on my old VRS and it looked class) and offered a discount then personally I'd be happy with that. 

[bongobreak]

Thanks for the responses everyone - quick update....I'll try not to ramble on for (p)ages!!

 

So, I went in to the dealership on Saturday morning, and asked to see my build order sheet - sure enough it has the 15" silver alloys.

It had previously occurred to me that they had planned this all along - to re-paint these, and they had perhaps let it slip out (accidentally?), or indeed didn't think it was going to be a problem, since the black 15" alloys are £10 less than the style pack 2 (15" silver alloys and space-saver) which is priced at £560.

(I had ordered the space-saver wheel right at the beginning anyway)

Had I have known this right back in the beginning, I would have surely chosen the no-cost option of the 14" silver alloys and ordered the 15" black alloys some other way - through the parts department - but they never gave me that option, which would suggest that they had planned to do this right from the start!

 

Anyway, I was getting ready to say that I wasn't willing to accept having my wheels re-painted, and that I wanted my paid for factory black alloys.

Before I could get a word out, the sales manager said that the sales person who was dealing with the issue was on holiday and wouldn't be back until Monday (I had known this earlier, but wanted to get my concerns in early) - he said there was nothing more he could do, and we had to wait - I felt kind of 'fobbed off' but didn't leave before making my point that I was politely rejecting the re-paint remedy.

 

As I said this, I could see he was getting agitated, and he even said "....so we get stuck with £500 quids worth of wheels that we can't do anything with!?"

I felt quite uncomfortable and disheartened since this was the sales manager I was speaking to, and he didn't seem willing to make any decisions, and made me feel like I was being disruptive and uncooperative - I had been polite and courteous all along, and never raised my voice or became argumentative.

I understand the situation occurred as a result of the MY17 spec change and not the fault of my local dealer - they had to cobble something together once my original order was sent through and then rejected by the Skoda build plant - but in my opinion, they 'cobbled' something that was going to be a cheap fix (for them), and not what I ordered.

 

So there was nothing more to do other than have a worrying weekend wondering what was going to happen.

(I can't help it - I'm a worrier!!) :S

 

Monday arrives, and I drive down at lunchtime, both the sales person and the sales manager greet me, and the sales person says that they have remedied the situation - by way of obtaining an inventory, brand new vehicle with the factory 15" black alloys, which they will then swap with the silver ones on mine.

This was fine with me, so I left feeling a lot happier - although I don't know why they couldn't have told me this earlier. Years ago, I had worked in retail for a number of years (not car retail) so I understand how franchised retail outlets work - it's all about the bottom line - but I also understand that one should never mislead paying customers.

 

Anyway, as it is today, everything is fine - my car will be arriving some time this week - no fixed date yet, but I'm hoping it isn't going to be much longer!

 

 

(**Ramble mode disabled**)

 

@ MrsVivsOH

 

We ordered ours on 1/8/16 and selected black 14" wheels as a cost option. Then we quickly learned that 15" silver wheels were going to be standard on 2017MY SE L and the dealer translated the choice we had originally made to upgrade the factory order, new standard 15" silver to black to preserve the look we wanted. Job done.

 

 

Interesting, did they change the order before the build was scheduled? I assume they did.

My lowly SE no longer has those options available post MY17 change. Comes standard with 14" silver alloys, or cost options for 14" black/white alloys - no option for 15" black/white alloys - and yet the style pack 2 is for 15" silver alloys....which is still an option....confusing and illogical!! :S

 

@Citigouk

 

Nice pics there, and I see what you mean - from a distance your winter wheels do indeed look similar - do you not have the trims for those?

I can understand why you wouldn't want trims on them however - they always look slightly cheesy....no offence/disrespect to those who have them!

I had considered suggesting some kind of deal/reimbursement - never got the chance since they stepped up and got me the factory wheels I wanted.

 

@VRS Mike

 

Had I have been stuck with the wheel re-paint option, I would have definitely opted for a complete wheel powder coating - not sure about the green flex though - I'm sure it lends a certain classy individual look - personally I prefer the glossy all-black finish....what can I say?...I have no class!!

 

Once again, thanks to all who took the time out to respond - much appreciated.

When mine arrives, I'll probably clutter this thread further, with some average quality pics!

Edited 19 October, 2016 by bongobreak

[g6zru]

They probably remembered that they were short of orders to reach their target. Funny how these things affect their outlook!

 

Fred

[bongobreak]

They probably remembered that they were short of orders to reach their target. Funny how these things affect their outlook!

 

Fred

 

Yes, I completely agree. Perhaps the sales manager was stalling me on Saturday because they had a customer booking who wanted a Citigo SE-L (with 15" silver alloys), and they were playing for time in view to ordering it with 15" black alloys to swap with mine.

 

I suppose I'll never know what machinations occurred behind the scenes, but I feel a lot happier now that it is all sorted out.

 

Although, I might just take a peak at the part code on the back of the wheel (wheel off car), when my car is home after picking it up....just in case....not saying I don't trust them....but....you know....

[1963Malc]

We ordered a lot of packs and they had to be translated into 2017 MY before week 39 build. Black alloys were paid for at 14" and when the standard was upgraded to 15", the amount we paid to upgrade to black 14", was applied to the 15" wheels. The dealer has called our car a Christmas Tree.

[bongobreak]

We ordered a lot of packs and they had to be translated into 2017 MY before week 39 build. Black alloys were paid for at 14" and when the standard was upgraded to 15", the amount we paid to upgrade to black 14", was applied to the 15" wheels. The dealer has called our car a Christmas Tree.

 

I see, sounds like your dealer has been a little more forthcoming with information than mine!!

 

Glad your build has been stress free....and you'll get your 'Christmas Tree'  in time for Christmas!

[Citigouk]

 

@Citigouk

 

Nice pics there, and I see what you mean - from a distance your winter wheels do indeed look similar - do you not have the trims for those?

I can understand why you wouldn't want trims on them however - they always look slightly cheesy....no offence/disrespect to those who have them! :)

I had considered suggesting some kind of deal/reimbursement - never got the chance since they stepped up and got me the factory wheels I wanted.

 

 

No we go without trims when on the winter black steel wheel & tyre setup. I agree the plastic trims so look cheesy and the option to go without can make our citigo look more urban :)

 

Pleased you got it all sorted, would you be able to put some before and after pictures on here?