Hi everyone,

I am currently dealing with a serious dispute regarding my Skoda Superb Combi iV MY 2021, and I'm looking for some official or crowd-sourced data regarding factory paint thickness and tolerances.

After performing a detailed micrometric paint audit on my car, I found massive readings on several exterior panels that heavily exceed normal factory specs (e.g., up to 2,150 µm on the rear-left side panel, 590–720 µm on the hood, and 320–360 µm on the roof), while the internal areas (doors and trunk jambs) stay at a normal 170–190 µm.

Before I push further with my legal claim against the dealership for undisclosed respraying/bodywork, I would like to double-check:

1. What are the typical factory paint thickness ranges (in microns / µm) for a modern Skoda Superb coming out of the factory?

2. Does anyone have access to any official VAG / Skoda technical documentation (SB - Service Bulletin, workshop manuals, etc.) that states the allowable factory tolerances for paint layers?

Any official data sheets, personal experiences with paint gauges on a brand-new Superb, or guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance for your help!

The Car Expert

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Interesting.

For paint thickness I’m not sure you’ll find anything that will hold them bang to rights. Although some of those figures sound horrendous - not sure my NexPTG would read paint that thick.

As for recourse on damage, having always had a weird shape in my rear bumper since buying it at 6m old from a Carr’s Exeter in Sept ‘21 as the GM’s company car, and now having been hit up the rear last week, you can see evidence that the rear bumper has been damaged and filled before respray. They never mentioned a thing - I wouldn’t have cared. I’d never get anything from them but it was a **** move by them.

The workshop manual does have information on paint - I’m not able to access it now, however, but maybe somewhere to look?

@cristi_r22 how many previous registered keepers? And when did you buy the 5 year old car? A dealership selling a used car might do a visual inspection and maybe done by someone with poor eye sight. But they have not had the car from new. A new car can be damaged from the factory to the first supplying dealer or anytime really. Why do you think you can take an action against the Dealership. Worth a mention you are in Romania.

30 minutes ago, Evolution13 said:

@cristi_r22 how many previous registered keepers? And when did you buy the 5 year old car? A dealership selling a used car might do a visual inspection and maybe done by someone with poor eye sight. But they have not had the car from new. A new car can be damaged from the factory to the first supplying dealer or anytime really. Why do you think you can take an action against the Dealership. Worth a mention you are in Romania.

When a professional dealer sells a vehicle presented as pristine, but it actually conceals massive structural repairs and undisclosed heavy fillers, the situation goes far beyond a simple oversight.

Even though the vehicle has a history with previous owners and transfers, consumer protection laws hold professional sellers to a high standard of transparency, penalizing misleading omissions. The buyer is not challenging a minor cosmetic scratch, but a hidden defect severe enough to undermine the very basis of the purchase. Consequently, legal action relies not on the assumption that a quick visual check should have caught it, but on the principle that trading a compromised asset without proper disclosure breaches the contract, justifying full restitution and compensation.

Did you get a full pre delivery report, check sheet showing everything done under their rigorous checking procedure? Full body and mechanical checks, and safety checks! Did you inspect it closely or have anyone do it for you before purchase?. I am a former car repairer and sprayer and a trader.. It is amazing how blind some car buyers are.

Edited 9 hours ago9 hr by Evolution13

Thanks for pointing that out! To be fair, as an ordinary buyer, it's virtually impossible to spot a quality respray or minor cosmetic touch-up with the naked eye—especially when you're buying from an official dealership where you naturally expect a certain level of transparency and peace of mind. That's exactly why external checks and paint thickness gauges exist, but it's always good to stay sharp