Hello all,

 

Im about to leave the Skoda Rapid family.  Had it for three years and by and large it has been a pretty decent car and very little problems.

 

Ill be handing it back at some point in the next 2-4 weeks and having looked at the body, which has been OK I noticed that there is a small stone chip.  It is noticable and probably in the not acceptable category for handing back, even though it is just a stone chip.

 

 

Not wanting to get stung with a bill I would like to get it sorted.  I have attached a couple of pictures 

 

Any recommendations and what I should do.  Also, if I just handed it back with this what do you think they would end up charging me?

 

 

I would be buying a matching paint kit (touch in kit) and having a go myself. Just apply with an artist brush not the one supplied in the kit

Apply maybe 3-4 coats then finish the same maybe 2 coats of laquer. I have also gone to the extremes of wet n drying it flat and getting a small buffing wheel on the area to good effect, but with care.

You basically have 3 options :

1) Bit of touch up paint (but keep it minimal, don't overpaint onto surrounding area), see answer above

2) Find a local chips away specialist (many have a mobile service and will visit you, but might be bit costly if its just one chip being done), these guys know what level of repair is required to pass, but if you choose this, you have the certainty of a price that will sort it.

3) Hand it back and pay whatever they charge, but this is a lottery as to how much they will sting you for.  

 

I once had a Mercedes and after inspection they tried to charge me for 2 poorly done chip repairs, I phoned them up and asked if they could put it on a separate invoice as I wanted to reclaim the cost off the Merc main dealer in Brentford that did the work.   Suddenly these repairs became acceptable standard and were removed from my charge.  So goalposts get moved and the guidelines get ignored to suit the industry.  Never bought or leased another Merc since, and when friends / work colleagues say they are planning to get one, I have told this story.  I know of at least 7 people that subsequently gone elsewhere to avoid Mercedes, following these double standards.  Had Mercedes apologised in writing I woudn't keep repeating this, but they didn't, and had clearly presumed I wouldn't be annoyed.

 

 

Now I'm on my laptop viewing the image, what are all the other blemishes?

I'm amazed this isn't fair wear and tear.

 

You can't drive 3 years on UK roads and not get chips.

 

Don't VAG give a 6 year or 10 year paint warranty?

 

I wouldn't sign a PCP  contract that had stone chips in the small print.

On 06/07/2017 at 17:15, MickA said:

Now I'm on my laptop viewing the image, what are all the other blemishes?

 

The"chip" also looks substantial- more like a hole botched into the metalwork. The blemishes are reminiscent of paint bubbling up due to corrosion underneath.

On 06/07/2017 at 18:09, camelspyyder said:

I wouldn't sign a PCP  contract that had stone chips in the small print.

 You probably don't have a choice. I used to work for part of the Rover group - colleagues who had company cars had to not only ensure the paintwork was undamaged at handover - they had to keep it that way. The guy at the next desk got very annoyed when someone scratched his car in the car park - cost £150 to have it fixed, then the same thing happened a couple of weeks later!

Think the blemishes were just rain spots as there is. Thing else around the chip, just had a look and the paint is smooth around it. 

 

Im going to just hand back as is and accept that I might be charged for the chip, I have some money aside to cover that anyway, fingers crossed and I might get lucky.

 

they are coming to inspect on Tuesday and take away on Wednesday.