Problem with Drivers Door Seal

[wantaskoda]

Good morning,

 

We have an issue with our front drivers door seal where it appears to have started to  perish.

 

Although we have not taken it to the dealership, they have seen a photo and they have said that it is not covered by warranty.

 

Curious how this could happen as if it was being rubbed when the driver gets in, surely the seat should be damaged as well.

 

comments would be appreciated.

 

 

 

 

[Rooted]

Have a Warranty Manager inspected it, take photographs and give a written a report saying Not covered by Warranty?

ie, Arrange to have it looked at in a Main Dealership.

 

Send the pictures to Skoda UK with your experience and then see if they have a Warranty Manager arranged to inspect it.

Skoda is the Warranty Provider, the Dealership is your and their agent.

 

Skoda UK can communicate with the Dealership Principal Manager.

http://skoda.co.uk/about-us/contact-us 

Edited 13 February, 2018 by AwaoffSki

[Auric Goldfinger]

Skoda UK decide if it's a Warranty claim, not the dealer.......

[wantaskoda]

Car was taken to dealer this morning who have taken photos, and sending them to Warranty to see what they say.

 

The comment was 'there are fibres on the split' so they are saying that it is my mum brushing against the seal as she gets in the car.

 

[RickW]

They are pretending to be forensic experts to abdicate their responsibility in my opinion.

 

Is it that expensive to replace to please a customer and possibly get repeat custom in the future?.

 

[nbramwel]

That looks badly worn to me - not what you would expect from normal wear and tear.  Agree with the above.  The cost of the replacement seal plus fitting (about 10 minutes I reckon) is peanuts compared to the risk of a customer going elsewhere for future purchases and service work.

[Shenanigans000]

I have the exact same issue on my Fabio, albeit not as bad.

 

Mine is still under warranty and I plan to bring it up when at the dealer for the next service.

 

The door openings are quite narrow on the Fabio, and I do occasionally brush my, err cheeks, against the seal when getting in, but I don't think the seal should have deteriorated so much in 8 months.

 

Will let you know how I get on at the dealer.

 

[wantaskoda]

Thanks Shenanigans00.

 

Are you able to post a picture, and also confirm that your car is less than 12 months old.

 

 

[wantaskoda]

I have had to raise a complaint as SkodaUK Warranty have said its not covered.

 

 

[shepherdstibb]

Good Morning,

Am having the same problem with my Fabia 3 estate. 

Have taken matter up with Skoda UK Customer Services as I think door surround material is sub standard and not for for purpose particularly in a location like the door surround. Skoda UK seem reluctant at present to replace under warranty. Vehicle is was registered in 2016.

Watch this space.

See other thread.

[Rooted]

When you ever have issues in 6 months / 6,5000 miles, where they might try the 'Fair Wear & Tear'  brush off of a Fault.

be sure to report and have logged in the 6 months / 6,500 miles.

Do not put off until the first service or the likes.

 

Then Skoda Dealership Employees or Skoda UK can not say 'Never seen that before' while others say 'They all do that'.  Users Abuse etc.

[JoePeddos]

Fabia 2015 1.2 tsi showing signs of door seal wear on drivers side ( not worn all the way through) anyone had a dealer price or patched it with suitable adhesive tape. Joe

[GeneralPurpose]

This door seal issue is a typical example of a manufacturer economising. We shouldn't be surprised at this as the VAG group is struggling with it's design and development budget due to the massive compensation payouts it's been saddled with world wide over all sorts of problems with their cars, mostly VW brand. Expect more of the same for the next 3-5 years before it starts to get better. It was when looking around at other makes of car that I noticed just how much better things like engines, gearboxes, and yes....door seals are compared to what the VAG group is now serving up. I could list a whole host of poorly designed and specified economically driven things on the Mk3 Fabias, but it gets rather technical so I won't go there. Skoda are doing their best though. It's not all bad. I'd trust them over VW any day., but not completely!

[JoePeddos]

On 04/01/2019 at 20:01, JoePeddos said:

Fabia 2015 1.2 tsi showing signs of door seal wear on drivers side ( not worn all the way through) anyone had a dealer price or patched it with suitable adhesive tape. Joe

The door seal now has a small split in the drivers side of about 6 inches have bought a roll of black gorilla tape to try patching it up will see how that holds up Joe

[rum4mo]

This might just be typical Skoda local sourcing that is causing this issue, SEAT Ibiza seems to be okay with only the issue with the seals sticking due to icing in winter, VW Polo does not seem to have this issue judging from forum inputs.

 

Edit:- for my money the buying in spec for that material will be the same for all the companies making these seals for VW Group, just some regional suppliers/makers not playing by the rules and not being audited well enough.

Edited 14 June, 2019 by rum4mo

[GeneralPurpose]

No, it's almost certainly a conscious decision by the car maker to buy in cheaper seals. Although I don't know that for sure in this instance. However, I've been dealing with manufacturers over the last 6 months, not on door seals, but important engine components. They always want to go for the cheaper option which isn't necessarily a good thing especially when it's engines. Typical example is an engine I have been developing for a manufacturer. The camshaft material to be used is expensive, they asked for us to use a cheaper material but with a different hardening process to make it last longer. The problem is there is a greater danger of the camshafts breaking when they are through hardened using that process. In testing we broke one quite easily using the manufacturers specs. No way am I putting my name to that. This will total any engine that it happens to. So I stuck to my guns and insisted they use the materials I've specced in the first instance due to liability issues and of course, the issues customers will face down the road. We get this all the time from some manufacturers.

 

Regarding the door seals. I've noticed that when there is an issue such as the op has noticed, the drivers are often quite tall and when they get in and out of the car, they rub the seal with their hip. This shouldn't matter ,but with less well specced seals it does wear them out.

[FabiaGonzales]

12 hours ago, GeneralPurpose said:

No, it's almost certainly a conscious decision by the car maker to buy in cheaper seals. Although I don't know that for sure in this instance. However, I've been dealing with manufacturers over the last 6 months, not on door seals, but important engine components. They always want to go for the cheaper option which isn't necessarily a good thing especially when it's engines. Typical example is an engine I have been developing for a manufacturer. The camshaft material to be used is expensive, they asked for us to use a cheaper material but with a different hardening process to make it last longer. The problem is there is a greater danger of the camshafts breaking when they are through hardened using that process. In testing we broke one quite easily using the manufacturers specs. No way am I putting my name to that. This will total any engine that it happens to. So I stuck to my guns and insisted they use the materials I've specced in the first instance due to liability issues and of course, the issues customers will face down the road. We get this all the time from some manufacturers.

 

Regarding the door seals. I've noticed that when there is an issue such as the op has noticed, the drivers are often quite tall and when they get in and out of the car, they rub the seal with their hip. This shouldn't matter ,but with less well specced seals it does wear them out.

 

Interestingly, i'm 6'4 and the door seal is often dusty the entire way round. I try not to bump into anything as i'm one of the less 'well-padded' varieties (i closely resemble a long white stick) and bumping things often ends up quite painful. (I removed my center arm-rest for that reason, it kept giving my bruises on my elbow and bashing my nerves in).

[Yetiherts]

My Car is 10 months old and drivers side seal has totally warn through, I have had 3 other Skoda cars in the past never had this issue. I am 6ft and well built, it is almost impossible to gain entry or exit for me without brushing the seal. It is OK if you are a slim sprightly youngster who can just hop in but being close to my 70th year with a bit of arthritis  sorry no way.  Thankfully my local Garage say they will replace under warranty when serviced next month.  If they replace it with the same quality materials I could be a yearly replacement it's a good job I have the 5 year factory warranty.

[GeneralPurpose]

All I would say is...SKODA TAKE NOTE of above statements! I don't get this with any of my other cars and I didn't get it with my first Skoda's 12 years ago when you made really good cars.

[JoePeddos]

On 13/06/2019 at 22:51, JoePeddos said:

The door seal now has a small split in the drivers side of about 6 inches have bought a roll of black gorilla tape to try patching it up will see how that holds up Joe

The black Gorilla tape is holding up well so far Joe

[drzo73]

Disappointed to note that my own drivers' door seal has started to perish at the bottom of the door threshold too. This is in a 5 year old Yeti with just 29,500 miles on the clock. That, combined with the inexplicable disintegration of the volume control wheel on the steering wheel a couple of days ago is starting to affect my confidence in this car. 

[MKOK]

I bought my 2016 Fabia in June this year from DM Keith in Leeds. I didn’t notice the door seal was worn just as the picture. I noticed within a week and they took the car back in and replaced both sides for me at no charge. They do seem to be a bit fragile. I make sure I don’t brush against mine but I can see if you may be older or dare I say a bit larger than normal it would be hard to avoid. 

[FZS1]

I have exactly the same problem as wantaskoda. This has been done by rubbing my forearm on the seal when exiting the vehicle. It has also worn through on the bottom edge where my foot catches it. Car purchased in December 2018, and noticed it at 15k miles, it probably happened way earlier than this.  I've had loads of cars, 2002 Golf 180k miles, 2010 Golf, 140k miles, Ford Focus 85k miles, the list goes on - no door seal issues. I don't deny that it's a wear and tear issue. The point is that it shouldn't wear and tear with the use the car has had. I have a 2010 Fabia in the family, 125k miles - original seals.......Skoda not interested in doing anything under warranty, so I have purchased a new seal. It looks like they just push on without any need for adhesive or clips.  Is that correct, any tips welcome ie start at top corner etc. 

[Silverbirch]

On 25/06/2020 at 09:26, FZS1 said:

I have exactly the same problem as wantaskoda. This has been done by rubbing my forearm on the seal when exiting the vehicle. It has also worn through on the bottom edge where my foot catches it. Car purchased in December 2018, and noticed it at 15k miles, it probably happened way earlier than this.  I've had loads of cars, 2002 Golf 180k miles, 2010 Golf, 140k miles, Ford Focus 85k miles, the list goes on - no door seal issues. I don't deny that it's a wear and tear issue. The point is that it shouldn't wear and tear with the use the car has had. I have a 2010 Fabia in the family, 125k miles - original seals.......Skoda not interested in doing anything under warranty, so I have purchased a new seal. It looks like they just push on without any need for adhesive or clips.  Is that correct, any tips welcome ie start at top corner etc

Could I ask if you replaced your seal yourself and if it was an easy fit as mine has a big hole in it and needs sorting before winter sets in?