As someone who owns a flagship Skoda Superb sportline I am very disappointed with how skoda have dealt with and not honoured their Bodywork protection warranty.

I know there is already a thread on this on here but when you experience it yourself at first hand I cannot believe how badly skoda now treat their loyal customers. 

In early December I noticed the paintwork around the fuel filler cap on my fathers 2014 was bubbling. This was disappointing on a very low mileage car, 17000 miles only bought brand new from Rainworth motors Mansfield. However Rainworth motors have shown zero interest in helping out. Skoda customer services initially put me in touch with Vertu Volkswagen as they were the nearest body shop to inspect it. The body shop there agreed it was a factory defect and a known issue. They submitted a warranty claim to Skoda. After much chasing up I finally got a response at the end of February! This was an offer of 60% towards the cost of the repair. That still totalled over £350 for us to pay for rust appearing on a 17000 mile car. 

I submitted a complaint with Skoda UK however after taking over a week to consult they have refused to change their stance. What is the point of advertising a 12 year body protection warranty when they wont even fully cover a car at less than half that age and such little mileage.

A poor show from skoda, a company that used to be so highly regarded for their customer service.

Increasingly Skoda in the UK seems to be declining what should clearly be simple and easily justified warranty claims. Maybe with so many business and young unknowledgeable pcp customers they have an easy time in demanding money instead or turning them away.

 

Skoda is no longer the value for money brand it once was and after sales service IMO is getting worse. There is a big "deny any knowledge of problems" culture.

 

The annoying thing is vw offer 70% goodwill on this on a car that has never even been back to the dealership for any servicing whatsoever so skoda are really offering zero goodwill for being loyal.

Doesn't the warranty stipulate that it must be perforation?

 

I know where you are coming from though, around 15 years ago my Octavia 1  was maybe 4 or 5 years old with a stratospheric mileage, I was the second owner and had had no contact with Skoda until I was rear ended and needed an insurance quote which the local dealer did, they pointed out the beginnings of surface rust on the tailgate, really nothing at all but were very keen to repair it FOC under the Skoda bodywork guarantee, I declined because I did not want to be without the car and could do a touch up job that would likely last as long as the bodyshop repair.

 

It was just the beginning of flaking nowhere near perforation.

Not sure the purpose of copying the above. I've read that.

They have already accepted it is corrosion from the inside to out and accepted the claim by offering 60%. 

My point is the warranty should cover 100% of the claim, nowhere in the warranty does it say anything about having to cover 40% of the cost yourself!!

I think that offer is reasonable for a 6 years old car. 

@jimmyp2

I posted that for @J.R.

If you need i can post the various threads from those that were supported in a Warranty Claim by Authorised Repairers and Trained Body Technicians or by the Company Skoda use to inspect vehicles and still Skoda UK then rejected claims.

(there might be some of the linked threads up in the pinned thread in this section.)

 

You do not accept the word of Skoda UK when you have the wording of the Warranty and then the Inspection and report of a Qualified Technician and yet they ignore that.

Some do, which is why Skoda UK try it on.

 

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/456455-rust-around-fuel-filler-door

 

Edited 6 March, 20206 yr by Roottootemblowinootsoot

45 minutes ago, Emil said:

I think that offer is reasonable for a 6 years old car. 

I’ve never previously had to claim but was certainly under the illusion that the paint warranty was for longer than 3 years and that it wouldn’t incur any cost to me if there was a problem!

Hasn’t there been quite a few Yeti’s with an inherent problem too?
Maybe @Roottootemblowinootsoot will add them here for the OP to look at. 

1 hour ago, Emil said:

I think that offer is reasonable for a 6 years old car. 

Not when the warranty is for 12 years

It is disappointing. I have always thought that Skoda sell cheap (used to be cheap, not so much now) and are hardline on warranty issues, even if you are a loyal customer and have proof of dealer service. It seems that once VW have acknowledged one of the many common VAG part/ design faults and start to fix FOC or contribute, that Skoda realise that they can’t deny the problem,  despite large number of complaints on this and similar sites and fall into line, usually after a long delay. 

@john999boy

For anyone interested in the Yeti fiasco over rust the keywords are 'skoda yeti zinc inclusion'.

 

There was a manufacturing issue and errors over a period of time with body panel preparation.

Skoda were in denial for a long time and funnily still are in some cases.

New panel were required yet some cars just got a bit of body panel refinishing and fresh primer and paint.

Cars have gone in and out of trade and to new owners and they discover rust from the cheapskate warranty work that Skoda grudgingly approved 

being carried out.

Some cars in terrible condition now from Skoda's 3 monkey behaviour.  

My vRS, which I'd had from new, went back at nine months old for rust.  I was quite taken aback when Skoda initially rejected the claim.  It did subsequently get sorted, but I was disappointed at their first response.

 

Gaz

If feel up to it you should consider taking action in the small claims court.

 

It'll cost you less than £100 to lodge the action assuming you represent yourself and it'll cost Skoda much much more to defend itself than it would cost to defend your action (what are lawyers per hour even in house employees?).

 

https://www.gov.uk/make-court-claim-for-money

7 hours ago, jimmyp2 said:

Not when the warranty is for 12 years

Maybe you should read terms once again. 

Skoda UK Customer Services, Communications Managers, Warranty Managers and Resolution Managers at Skoda UK need to be reading the Warranty T&C's and their authorised dealerships published articles and adverts.

10 minutes ago, Emil said:

Maybe you should read terms once again. 

Why? What am I missing, or is that very misleading above??

Bear in mind they have already accepted the claim and offered 60%??

They used to use the Company to do the inspection that could have the work then being approved by Skoda UK.

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/430237-bonnet-paint-defect

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/442777-paintwork-warranty

 

They are not so keen when a customer commissions the same company to do a report for them, and then claims the cost of that inspection and report back from Skoda UK.

These are expert witnesses that could appear in a Civil Court on behalf of the customer.

 

There have been 3 Skoda Brand Directors now in the past few years who are their to drive down the cost to the VW Group of Warranty Claims.

Not to improve Skoda's being Imported into the UK or the after sales service.

2 of the 3 Brand Managers were Warranty Managers in the past.  4 Brand Directors back was a real cracker, but he did seem to understand that Social Media / forums might have people exposing Skoda's failings and hurting the image, the ones that followed him seem to not care a jot.

Edited 6 March, 20206 yr by Roottootemblowinootsoot

1 hour ago, jimmyp2 said:

Why? What am I missing, or is that very misleading above??

Bear in mind they have already accepted the claim and offered 60%??

It's a proper offer. 

That is what it is, an offer.  Like Insurance companies do. Offer low and some might take that offer.

 

The thing is there is a Warranty. So they can make there offer and that can be rejected then a solicitor can be consulted, an Independent Expert commissioned 

and there will be the UK Importer and Warranty Underwriter ready to defend their actions and reasons for just an offer of a percentage of the rectifying the poor materials, design or workman / womanship.

 

The thing with known issues is, they know about them, and why the exist.

 

45 minutes ago, Roottootemblowinootsoot said:

That is what it is, an offer.  Like Insurance companies do. Offer low and some might take that offer.

 

 

Exactly this. We had it with the insurance a few weeks ago after some daft sod ran in to us. Their first offer would have left us out £1000 after only owning the car 3 weeks. We pushed and got the full amount we payed. 

It might be an offer but unfortunately they are not prepared to budge on it. I pointed out that we have 3 skodas between us in our family and that they should look after good customers but apparently that's the offer and nothing that is said will change their decision. My dad is 70 years old and cant be arsed at this stage of his life to fight this any further.

If it was my superb with rust on it and they were having the same stance I would get it sign written all over with the issues and skodas response and park it right outside the dealers on a Saturday. If nothing else it would make me feel better!!

I had this issue with another VW Brand in the past. Filled a claim in the small claims court and got a call a week later asking “when would you like to book the car in Sir, no charge”

On 06/03/2020 at 15:15, Emil said:

Maybe you should read terms once again. 

 

Maybe you could enlighten us with the vital information we've all clearly missed.

 

The bodywork has a manufacturer backed 12 year warranty, from corrosion emanating from the inside out.

 

Rust around the fuel filler flap would suggest that this particular case qualifies.

On 06/03/2020 at 19:25, jimmyp2 said:

It might be an offer but unfortunately they are not prepared to budge on it.

 

If Skoda UK are saying they won't cover the full cost of the repair, then you need to ask them why.

 

What part of the inspection from their approved body shop is leading them to only offer a partial contribution to the cost?

 

Skoda themselves make a point of saying there are only two preconditions...

 

 

The first one, presumably was met, i.e. your father only recently noticed the rust and you reported it to the franchised Skoda dealer in Mansfield shortly afterwards? Given that the car is 6 years old, this is within the 12 year warranty period.

 

The second one, the Skoda-approved body shop have already confirmed it is a factory manufacturing defect. Do you have this in writing?

 

That is both preconditions met, given the limited information we have available.

 

So, either Skoda refuse the claim, and give you the reasons why.

 

Or they honour the claim and pay to have the defect repaired, in full.

 

It is a game, one you either have the energy to play, or don't. Skoda UK are hoping for the latter, and for the most part this often means they get their way. It depends on how hard you push and how determined you are to see that Skoda UK stand by their obligations.

 

Edited 18 March, 20206 yr by silver1011