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Tailgate rust


dtm953

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Hi hope it's okay starting a new thread. The older ones were a couple of years old and quite specific.

I've a few patches of rust on my 9 year old Fabia 2 Estate (2008)

Took it into my local dealer and they just brushed it off immediately as not covered by the warranty as not coming from the inside.

You can see pictures via this album - any opinions?

https://www.flickr.com/gp/needlestone/0rQ5o2

There is a patch under the boot release handle, some patches by the mid left side and some bubbling (hard to see in the pics) to the bottom left of the numberplate. Any opinions? It seems to be reasonably common on some skodas/VWs but I've no idea what the definition of rust coming from the inside is and I guess it's going to cost a lot to fix! Is it worth trying to push it further or do I save the hassle and give up?

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Hi there, my fabia has a very similar problem with tailgate rust around the number plate lights and number plate screws, what I did was very crude but quite effective at preventing further rust. I took off the piece of trim on the inside of the tail gate and removed the number plate and number plate lights. I then sprayed cavity wax all around the inside of the tailgate making sure to soak the rusty areas, then I did the same to the rust on the outside as it was pretty m7ch out of sight anyway. 

 

Gope this helps

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Thanks for the reply - I haven't looked inside the trim so may do that - but the other patches are elsewhere so not sure if that would help. I assume you got no help from the dealer either?

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? What qualifications did the person or people at the dealership have to dismiss the paint / corrosion issue.  Did the Warranty Manger have an inspection done by a master tech from a body shop or some independent specialist,  and was any testing done and photographs taken to be forwarded to the Paint Warranty provider?    Best get your pictures and claim off to Skoda UK Customer services with details of who inspected the car and a copy of the report they made and decision reached.  obviously they did give you something in writing.

.

Edited by Awayoffski
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TBH, I don't see the difference. Its an anti perforation warranty. What has coming from inside to out or outside to in got to do with it? If the paint is defective, surely it will come from the outside or along joints?  The inside will be zinc electroplating/ coating not paint! I was lead to believe that any rust issues are covered unless you have sustained damage and even then, when you fail to have said damage repaired to specifications!

 

If rust is a common fault on this model, some might rust faster then others but rust they will! Therefor, its a fault in the technical application of the preventative measure. Okay, no-one expects a lifetime of corrosion free metal but if the warranty is five years, you expect that. Ten, expect that. This is the manufacturers official figure for how long they trust their metalwork. They give three year warranty on the engine etc but paintwork ten so ten it MUST last!

 

That said, I am unfamiliar with Norway's weather/climate. I would expect either a clause in the warranty if the car is used say as a taxi, etc or in a more then average wet/damp climate, in comparison to the norm. Either that or better rust preventative then average climates to accommodate for this!  (Japanese motorcycle chrome used to corrode right in front of your eyes in the 70's whilst British bikes had much thicker, better chrome).

 

I think this fault must be to do with estate models and tailgate design as I have not heard about it from "Normal" Hatchbacks, unless yours was, Fabia88?

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Sorry I was not aware of Norway as not showing on phone.   One get out on a warranty is no inspection and condition report carried out on bodywork if not serviced at main dealers,  which is common enough after the 2 or 3 year manufacturer's mechanical warranty expires.

 

 

 

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Thanks for the replies. It is a Fabia 2 2008. Norway does have a harsher climate than UK with many weeks sub zero temperatures and a pretty much permanent layer of road salt on your car which comes back as soon as you wash it... but the guarantee is the same, 12 years.  The consumer protection people have said (elsewhere) that guarantee must be relevant to local conditions if they are advertising it.

The text in English just says "12-year warranty for non-rusting through the car body" - the dealer said this means the rust has to come from the inside. There was no mention of lack of inspections being a problem though I have read elsewhere that this can be a problem.

My main issue is, is this the right kind of rust or the wrong kind of rust - I haven't got a clue and was hoping someone here might do!

 

Appreciate all the advice and I am going to follow up the dealer, ask them for a copy of their report and rationale in writing as Awayoffski suggests. I only got a verbal explanation with a copy of the warranty with a highlighted line on the text that they said didn't cover the damage. They had checked with their "micro repairs" neighbours to get a price to fix it but they said they couldn't do it. If I take it further I'll probably have to take it to one of the consumer protection authorities here and I'm not sure how much time it will take and if I have a case or not. Unfortunately in Norway the dealer, the importer and the local Skoda representatives are the same people so it's a bit harder to kick up a fuss and escalate things like I've read about people in the UK doing. That's why I wanted to get some opinions to check if it was worthwhile!

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The Skoda UK paint warranty is 'up to 10 years "see conditions in owners manual".    So best check exactly the wording of your warranty.   And when service books were issued there were pages at every service for the technician recheck body damage, repairs. Etc.  And they were done on pda's etc.   Part of the t&c,s.       RE Norway's weather and climate,  it can be cold longer than parts of Scotland.  But roads in Scotland can be salted October to March and have extreme ambient temp changes causing condensation and perfect corrosion facilitating conditions..   ie vehicles just as prone to rust.  Seaside etc etc.      So check warranty conditions and have the dealership act as your agent not just Skoda Norway or CZ s.

Edited by Awayoffski
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My fabia is a hatchback and it also has tailgate rust, it is mainly aroun the number plate lights, I believe this is caused by the sponge used between the number plate light and the metal it is screwed to which traps moisture on the metal encouraging rust.

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"Non rusting through the car body" In no way suggests it MUST come from inside, to outside, just rust through!  I would have thought that the damage they won't fix would be say, stone chips that are not fixed, then rust through. Accident damage too, that is not fixed properly... Scratches that perforate the surface, allowing rust. The paintwork could quite easily be corrupted from below the surface PRIOR to purchase, taking quite some time to be visible. (I have seen cars stored in car parks, from new, possibly for quite some time prior to sale that could be suffering acid rain etc due to this exposure) I Think that, although ten years seems quite some time NOT to expect a little blistering here or there, if the warranty is ten, it should last that long or be remedied. To be honest, I think the dealer would be better off just supplying a new tailgate as they are only a few hundred pounds, plus paint. Simple to fit for a techie and lets face it- any replaced item is STILL only warrantied for the duration of the ORIGINAL warranty.. You won't get a new, ten year warranty or even the standard genuine parts two year one. I had a new (And I mean new), Engine fitted with just a few months left of the three year warranty and they told me the new issue will only still have that few months warranty, not longer! If I PAID for it, it would have had a two year one!

 

Am I correct in assuming the corrosion is at or near any penetrative fitments? By this, I mean for instance, the boot pop switch or number plate screws? If so, it is most likely to be where the corrosion originated from as there will be holes present that may not offer the full, air/water resistance of solid paint, if you see what I mean. You may find the dealer drilled holes to fit the number plate bolts where if they used sticky fix foam strips, it would not have had holes drilled through the protective coating. Even just fitting of the boot pop or other things will need screws/bolts to pass through the panel and the paint/zinc etc, making metal to metal contact and breaking the seal. If this action starts the corrosion, its down to them UNLESS you removed/fitted said part yourself, of course! This is why most boot trim badges are now stuck on. Older vehicles had holes, badges had pins and the pins went into a plug, similar to a Rawlplug and into the hole in the panel-work . That area, where the hole was, usually started to corrode after a number of years!

Look at old cars, with the rusty watermarks under these badges!

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Thanks again for the replies. It has a 12 year guarantee! I did a little investigation and found same tailgates the same colour in scrap yards for about £250 so if I do end up having to fix myself it could be a better option. The biggest most obvious corrosion is by the boot release so definitely could have started there, but the second big patch is to the left of the boot near the edge. I haven't tried to take the trim off yet and look from the other side, a bit scared to now!

 

Anyway you've given me enough encouragement to kick up a bit of fuss. I'll hassle the dealer a bit and try and involve the local consumer protection people and see if it helps. I'm not too optimistic and I would be happy to try and fix this myself but the car still has a resale value of about £5000 (cars are expensive in Norway) so a badly done job might make it hard for me to sell on if I want to  (which I might considering all the extra tolls we're getting on diesel cars here in the next year)

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