Rusting (perforating) 2002 Leon

[Philbert]

Hello, I've just subscribed to share my experiences & see if anybody else is having the same problem. My Metallic Blue 2002 1.9 TDI S, owned from new, has started to perforate around the rear wheel arches. My local dealers have been great but SEAT have been a nightmare to deal with - they just don't want to admit to perforation or sort the problem out correctly. I had to get an engineers report at my own expense before they would take me & the dealers seriously & although they painted the affected panel under warranty, the other side has started to bubble & the original repair (which was beautifully done by a VW dealers, paid for by SEAT) has also bubbled in less than a year, as expected. It seems SEAT intend repainting every 12 months or so, until the 12 year perforation warranty expires! The man from the bodyshop said they repaint a V W Bora every 12 months, same problem as mine. At this point I don't know whether they will accept a corrosion claim for the other side as they reckon the original claim was a goodwill gesture because it wasn't perforation. It most certainly is perforation according to myself, the engineer, the V W bodyshop & the SEAT garage. It seems SEAT UK/VAG are living in a different world & not prepared to accept they have a problem. Has anybody else had the same problem? The origin is the peened over, sealed, leading edge of the wheel arch. Rust is developing inside the 2 layers of metal & reaching the surface, forming water bubbles approx 5mm above the arch, surrounded by sound paintwork. A mirror positioned inside the wheel arch shows rust all over the inside of the affected section on both sides of the vehicle. It goes in to V W approved again next week.

 

[andycupra]

perforating means?

i thought it mean that it had rusted so badly there was a hole in the panel!

 

[Philbert]

Yes, it means there are tiny holes in the panel, the panel has paint bubbles on the surface because it has rusted from the inside to the outside, the Leon allegedly has a 12 year anti-perforation warranty...

 

[adam cupra 20vt]

Very poor if this is the case, I used to do a lot of warranty work for Ford,Range/Landrover and as long as you were in warranty they would replace the panel every time.

 

[xr2turbo]

when we had fords come in for that the metal was taken back welded solid then fill/paint mint, i dont think thats really great but it was fixed that way
think i'd pref to replace that area or metal not patch but either way you cant seal inside again so it comes back
seat are low not cutting back and replacing but i have to say ive never ever seen a leon bora or golf with any rust (except on poor acident repairs or golf front arches at the highest point- prob due to poor repair tho)

my leon is 2000 model and is spotless rust wise, nothing at all

 

[Philbert]

Yes, the main dealers said they don't seem to ever see any rust on the Leon. The job they did looked great when it was done, hard to fault, but it hasn't lasted very long. I suppose it will be impossible to cut back to good metal because the panel is double skinned where the problem is. The V W dealer said the only cure is to replace the whole panel which could be a £3,000-5,000 job, that's why SEAT won't want to do it. They said they will do exactly what SEAT tell them to do & will continue to do so until the 12 year warranty expires as they now "own" the warranty. They said they will have to pay for all future work themselves. My car has been looked after very well, no bumps, no filler, done about 85,000 miles, full SEAT service history. Seems SEAT are treating dealers as badly as me, all dealers have been good as gold, SEAT dealers said they would expect better...

 

[adam cupra 20vt]

£3-5000 job my arse

If it needs 2 new 1/4 panels and its under warranty then thats what it needs....

 

[LEE69]

Why they rusting out?
Don't live by the sea do you?

 

[Fl@pper]

either way good or bad others should take it as a warning to heed to the correct inspection requirements and ensure their service books/inspection sheets etc are kept bang up to date

if that had been the case with my car i could have had my rear arches done for me

 

[andycupra]

mm interesting that they intend to repair until the 12 years is up, as surely any repairs done has its own warranty. Ie they repair a panel it would get a new warranty.

Not good enough seat. Fix it properly.

Id call trading standards.

 

[Philbert]

No I don't live by the sea & the car has been looked after very well by me from new, I have a fully stamped service book & the main dealer is on my side. I'll find out on thursday whether they're prepared to paint the other side as well, if they're not I'm going to write to What Car? to see if they're interested in making SEAT look like fools & to get them to treat customers fairly. The first claim SEAT eventually agreed took so long (and cost me £160 for a report) the main dealers asked SEAT to pay me compensation - they haven't paid a penny! They did give me the £160 bacj though, eventually... I have a feeling they're going to say the origins of the rusting are a failure of the sealant to the peened over section which isn't guaranteed for 12 years, that's 3 years. We'll see.... The V W bodyshop said £3-5K for the rear panel replacement, said it's a very big job???

 

[Alexis27]

Ie they repair a panel it would get a new warranty.

The law should cover this. The Sale of Goods Act will cover any repairs for up to 6 years (although how long a repaired panel should be expected to last will depend on the exact repair, material and the price).

 

[Philbert]

Thanks, maybe I could quote sale of goods act if they mess me about further - my sister's a Solicitor so I'll see what she says, she'll help me out if I ask her. When I started this thread I was expecting to come across other people with the same problem but thus far there's absolutely nothing to report, I guess that's where V A G Group are coming from - they just don't seem to go rusty!

 

[Fl@pper]

they do and would like any car i guess but with so many owners/miles and lack of correct service/inspection most people don't get the chance to get a claim in

saying that though we don't hear of many if any at all as yet

 

[Philbert]

Yes, they do make it extremely difficult to claim & not many people keep a car for 8 1/2 years & have FSH like I have....their original claim after dealers took a photograph & emailed it to SEAT UK was that it had accident damage would have been accepted by most people because they wouldn't know any different, but SEAT stuck to their guns even when I siad I'd had it from new & there was no accident damage...they insisted an independent engineers report back me up...at my expense....probably to put me off....disgusting really!