Odd warranty claim coming up - Mk3 Octy

[spinifex]

OK - odd one. Mk3 Octavia owners, can you check your cars please?

I've noticed a rust bubble forming under the paint, immediately underneath the fuel-filler flap which originally looked like a stone chip. Upon closer inspection, it's actually a screw from INSIDE the rear wheelarch, which holds the guard in place, that appears to have been overtightened from the factory, and the tip of the screw has started to poke through the bodywork & broken the paint.

 

It's very clear that this crack in the paint has occured from INSIDE pushing out, and not a simple stone chip.

 

If you stick your hand inside the wheel arch and feel around immediately under the fuel-filler flap, you'll notice the head of a large screw holding the inner guard in place... that's exactly where this rust bubble has formed.

 

Can't see anything on the passenger side, but the same screw head can be felt inside the arch.

 

Looks like an awkward warranty claim against Skoda for this one... any suggestions or comments?

[Guest]

How old is the car? If overtightened at factory then would have thought there would be an obvious bump from new?

[nidza]

This is not likely coming out from the factory like this. Probably someone replaced the screw and put longer then it is supposed to. 

[mrgf]

If you had it for a few years, prior to noticing, it sounds as if it has managed to penetrate more over time. Gonna be very difficult to prove you have not done anything to it, even down to knocking the wheel arch a bit. They MIGHT just inspect the screw for signs of being loosened/tightened, etc (Damage to the head or its coating), inspect it for length and uniformity against all the other ones as they will almost certainly have been manufactured/fitted from the same batch. Your best bet is if the car has the same symptom about to develop on say, the opposite side or on another screw along the liner. If it can be seen to be Skoda's own screws at fault, they have not been tampered with etc, you'll have a claim, otherwise, I think you will just have to try for a goodwill gesture or stump up the beer tokens and get it sorted yourself!

 

Might be helpful if you discover others with the same issue, specially if they came from the same production line, at the same or similar time.

[spinifex]

Thanks all for responses so far.

Car is 18months old.
I also wondered why I haven't noticed since new, and all I can think of is body flex over time, which has caused the screw to move against the bodywork.

I've never had any work done on the car anywhere near the wheel arch linings, except new tyres about 2 months ago - but removing wheels to put tyres on would have no need to move the wheelarch linings.
Plus I was there watching while the car had them fitted, so there was definitely no messing with screws at that time.

So that's the point of asking if I'm the only unhappy person on the planet to be affected by this, or if I can find some other "victims", to balance my claim against Skoda.

Edited 28 June, 2018 by spinifex

[Guest]

15 hours ago, spinifex said:

Car is 18months old.
 

Have you ever had the car serviced in those 18 mths?

 

Part of the service is a body work inspection - they should have highlighted any issues. If not then you can at least narrow down a time frame.

 

Just one other thought - how is the car normally washed? Just wondering if perhaps you've gone thru an autocar wash or something (powerwash?) that's forced the panel inwards.

[spinifex]

46 minutes ago, Scot5 said:

Have you ever had the car serviced in those 18 mths?

 

Part of the service is a body work inspection - they should have highlighted any issues. If not then you can at least narrow down a time frame.

 

Just one other thought - how is the car normally washed? Just wondering if perhaps you've gone thru an autocar wash or something (powerwash?) that's forced the panel inwards.

 

Only at 38000km, so had 2 services in that time.  Interesting point to note though....

And TBH, despite everyone's opinions, I use auto laser-wash, as I live in unit complex and literally have nowhere available to wash it manually. Wouldn't think that would be powerful enough to bend a metal panel, to the point a screw tip penetrates through from the other side though... but still an interesting proposal to consider.....

[Guest]

6 hours ago, spinifex said:

 

 I use auto laser-wash

 

An auto laser-wash !   Not sure we have them in the UK, but it defo sounds good !  Does it involve water or is it some contraption Q's invented for James Bond?

Edited 29 June, 2018 by Guest

[Gabbo]

7 hours ago, spinifex said:

 

Only at 38000km, so had 2 services in that time.  Interesting point to note though....

And TBH, despite everyone's opinions, I use auto laser-wash, as I live in unit complex and literally have nowhere available to wash it manually. Wouldn't think that would be powerful enough to bend a metal panel, to the point a screw tip penetrates through from the other side though... but still an interesting proposal to consider.....

 

I guess you'll only know when you disassemble the part & look at it (which Id suggest the garage should do so that they cant say you've done it yourself).

I cant believe it would be designed such that the point of a screw would be able to stick through the plastic even if overtightened so I'd imagine its got the wrong screw fitted & has been pressing against the bodywork the whole time.

 

[Ootohere]

At least the cause of the paint damage is obvious, and easily resolved,

and the only issue is the quality of the repairers paint match on a very small area of paint requiring an invisible touch up.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Offski said:

At least the cause of the paint damage is obvious, and easily resolved,

and the only issue is the quality of the repairers paint match on a very small area of paint requiring an invisible touch up.

Just going by those photos, the repair will require filling and sanding therefore you'd be looking at least the whole panel being re-painted. Even the most skilled of painters wouldn't be able to spot or blend that specific area given it's prominent position. May be the slightest of possibilities (but not recommended) if it were a solid colour but metallic? no chance.

Edited 29 June, 2018 by Guest

[Ootohere]

I am 'a most skilled of painters' & vehicle refinishers so i have a little clue on what can and can not be done.

[pist0nbr0ke]

4 hours ago, Offski said:

I am 'a most skilled of painters' & vehicle refinishers so i have a little clue on what can and can not be done.

 

And almost as humble as skilled?  

[Ootohere]

I am good, no point being shy about it.

[Guest]

5 hours ago, Offski said:

I am 'a most skilled of painters' & vehicle refinishers so i have a little clue on what can and can not be done.

Reminds me of that Father Ted episode where they attempted to repair a small dent in the car to be auctioned.

 

Good? You must be a magician because it's simply impossible for anyone to tell damage on a simple photo. If the screw isn't already all the way thru, at best the panel it's going to be weakened. In either case the metal will require strengthening first. 

 

Edited 29 June, 2018 by Guest

[Ootohere]

I suppose you get used to the job your trained and served your time in & spend a few decades doing and then you know what needs doing and how to do it.

[spinifex]

14 hours ago, Scot5 said:

 

An auto laser-wash !   Not sure we have them in the UK, but it defo sounds good !  Does it involve water or is it some contraption Q's invented for James Bond?

 

Automatic car wash, but touchless... so instead of the stupid rotating brushes, it just uses lasers/sensors to guide the high-pressure water jets around the car.

[spinifex]

Thanks all for responses.

I have an even bigger issue now, as my car was keyed badly while parked on the street the night I posted this question.... so now I have a police-report and insurance-claim to try to sort out.

The rear panel that this screw is "offending" was also gouged by the gutless lowlife, so it's almost a moot point now, as the entire panel will definitely need a sand/respray.

[ahenners]

9 hours ago, spinifex said:

Thanks all for responses.

I have an even bigger issue now, as my car was keyed badly while parked on the street the night I posted this question.... so now I have a police-report and insurance-claim to try to sort out.

The rear panel that this screw is "offending" was also gouged by the gutless lowlife, so it's almost a moot point now, as the entire panel will definitely need a sand/respray.

 

So sorry to hear, absolute scum! 

 

Hope you manage to get it all sorted without too much hassle.

[shyVRS245]

2 hours ago, ahenners said:

 

So sorry to hear, absolute scum! 

 

Hope you manage to get it all sorted without too much hassle.

Concur jealousy is the root of all evil I think someone famous once said. Gutted for you!

[Guest]

11 hours ago, spinifex said:

I have an even bigger issue now, as my car was keyed badly while parked on the street the night I posted this question.... so now I have a police-report and insurance-claim to try to sort out.

The rear panel that this screw is "offending" was also gouged by the gutless lowlife, so it's almost a moot point now, as the entire panel will definitely need a sand/respray.

Not sure if that's good luck or bad luck. Looking at the positive side, the insurance excess for vandalism probably isn't going to cost you any more than what it would have to repair the original damage (assuming you have a reasonable excess that is). And of course you'll have several panels painted so paint match guaranteed.

[spinifex]

16 hours ago, Scot5 said:

Not sure if that's good luck or bad luck. Looking at the positive side, the insurance excess for vandalism probably isn't going to cost you any more than what it would have to repair the original damage (assuming you have a reasonable excess that is). And of course you'll have several panels painted so paint match guaranteed.

 

That's my next question.  I have an excess of $550 australian, so that's not too bad in itself.

But my flatmate has noted that on a car less than 2 years old, he wouldn't settle for anything less than an entire respray of the whole car, to ensure absolute paint matching on ALL panels.
Having mismatched colours - even if only slightly - will definitely affect resale value when it comes to it, and considering the age of the car, do you all think this is a reasonable request to make?

On the face of it, it will probably turn out MUCH more expensive than the insurance company is prepared to cover.... but what would you all do, if you were in this situation.

The damage is seen below.  Am I being unrealistic in my expectation, considering an entire side of the car needs painting, rather than just a tiny touch-up here and there?
The scratches are quite deep, not just a light scrape down the paintwork, but deep enough that you can quite distinctly FEEL the scratch, and the "volcano" effect of the paint as you run your finger along it.
By that I mean, when I first saw it, I thought it was just some stringy road much that had flicked up on the door, and when I ran a finger over it, it was lumpy (convex), rather than a crater (concave) as the edges of the paint had sort of rippled upwards. Not sure how else to describe it.
I suspect that's a screwdriver job, not just simple car keys....?
Thoughts?

 

[Ootohere]

I meant to ask about the scratch on the rear wheel arch after the OP. 

Looks like it was done as part pf the keying.

 

I can not see why the whole car should need respraying, it is the side that needs doing.

To Factory standard.

Edited 1 July, 2018 by Offski

[Octy0GG]

7 hours ago, spinifex said:

But my flatmate has noted that on a car less than 2 years old, he wouldn't settle for anything less than an entire respray of the whole car, to ensure absolute paint matching on ALL panels.
Having mismatched colours - even if only slightly - will definitely affect resale value when it comes to it, and considering the age of the car, do you all think this is a reasonable request to make?
 

In UK, at least, it would be a definite no to an entire respray, additionally the assessor would be very quick to note that the original damage was pre-existing. Insurance companies are keen to ensure that customers do not enjoy any 'betterment' at their expense. 

Edited 1 July, 2018 by Octy0GG
minor change to wording.

[vRSAnt]

Nothing like that at all on mine, 2014.