Corrosion/Perforation warranty query

[GordieC]

Hi guys,

Long time lurker here. I currently have a Mk2 Leon Cupra which I have owned for 2 1/2 years. I was looking for a bit of advice regarding warranty claims with regards to corrosion.

I have found a small blistered patch of paint on the boot lid of my Leon. There has never been any damage to this area and I was wondering if I could go about getting it fixed under warranty.

I called my local Seat dealership and they advised that as they do not have a body shop, they cannot asses the issue. They told me to go to Arnold Clark w4nk in order to have it assessed. Now naturally Arnold Clark have been as much use as Anne Frank's drumkit and I was immediately fobbed off with various excuses over the phone (It's too near the edge of the panel, it's not covered etc etc) without actually looking at it.

My question is, how would I go about getting this looked at in the Glasgow area and, does it seem likely that I will be covered? There has never been any damage to this area of the boot and the rust appears to be bubbling up from underneath.

I'm apparently not allowed to post any images yet as I haven't made enough posts in the past. Could anyone help me out here?

Many thanks,

Gordie

 

[G4reth]

I would call Seat Customer Service line and ask them. Far better than speak to a dealer!

 

[GordieC]

Thanks for the reply. I'll get on it in the next few days. Dealing with AC is like trying to herd cats

 

[Fmxvxx]

honestly on a car that old there will be little to no chance of getting any kind of warranty on the paint.

 

[Pew.]

VW Livingston in uddingston have a body shop and the staff are very good as well

Sent from my LG G Flex2

 

[Pew.]

honestly on a car that old there will be little to no chance of getting any kind of warranty on the paint.

But also this. There is no warranty on your car in short.

Sent from my LG G Flex2

 

[GordieC]

But also this. There is no warranty on your car in short.

Sent from my LG G Flex2

I spoke to the dealers in Uddingston today and they said that they don't have a bodyshop any more. I have used them for servicing before and have always found them to be very good. He did say that while paintwork is no longer under warranty, the car is covered by the 12 year anti-perforation warranty. As such I'm hoping this will help me as the rust bubble on my boot lid (albeit very small) appears to be coming through from underneath i.e there was no damage to that section of the panel before.

 

[Pew.]

They do have a body shop, my Mrs bumped her new car in the court yard last month and they told usthey can fix it and to bring it in for a quote

Sent from my LG G Flex2

 

[GordieC]

They do have a body shop, my Mrs bumped her new car in the court yard last month and they told usthey can fix it and to bring it in for a quote

Sent from my LG G Flex2

Hmm, odd one that. Unless he meant that they weren't approved for warranty work perhaps? Either way, he said that all warranty work had to go through the Arnold Clark dealership who could then authorise another VAG group garage to carry out the work (Seems like a lot of messing about).

I had a lot of problems with AC in the past and the fact that they refused to even look at the car hasn't endeared them to me in any way.

Thanks again for the help here. I just want to find an easy way to get the car seen and for me to be told either yay or nay with regards to warranty work.

 

[koush]

SEAT have a 3 yr paint and body warranty and 12 year anti perforation warranty. with most manufacturer in order to keep the warranty valid you must have a paint and body inspection done once a year with the dealer. any defects found must be repaired, ie stone chips, scratches, etc. also you must be the original owner and full service history. finally, the defect must come from the inside out, ie from under the paint. From my experience, most manufacturers dip the body in anti rust, so the chance it come from under the paint is very rare. If you have met all the criteria and they will cover, they will only cover the effected area, so if want the colour to match you will have the pay. This my experience with MB as I am a warranty administrator for them.

Koush

 

[GordieC]

SEAT have a 3 yr paint and body warranty and 12 year anti perforation warranty. with most manufacturer in order to keep the warranty valid you must have a paint and body inspection done once a year with the dealer. any defects found must be repaired, ie stone chips, scratches, etc. also you must be the original owner and full service history. finally, the defect must come from the inside out, ie from under the paint. From my experience, most manufacturers dip the body in anti rust, so the chance it come from under the paint is very rare. If you have met all the criteria and they will cover, they will only cover the effected area, so if want the colour to match you will have the pay. This my experience with MB as I am a warranty administrator for them.

Koush

According to the Seat website:

The only preconditions are:

The defect must be reported to a member of the SEAT authorised network as soon as it’s discovered. This must be within the warranty period
The perforation must have not been caused originally by damage, neglect, insufficient care or maintenance, or by external rusting
The area giving cause for complaint must not have been previously repaired to a lower level of anti-perforation protection
A member of the SEAT authorised service network must be advised about any rusting immediately.


They say nothing about having to be the original owner nor do they mention the requirement for full dealer service history. (All but the last stamp are from Seat dealers, the last was a VAG specialist).
From what i can see the rust is coming from the inside out as there was no damage to that or any section of the bootlid.

 

[koush]

I am only saying what MB have on their warranty. I have worked at Ford also, and they are very similar. Best to take it to a SEAT dealer and see what they say, it may different for VAG vehicles.

Koush

 

[CharlySkunkweed]

I am only saying what MB have on their warranty. I have worked at Ford also, and they are very similar. Best to take it to a SEAT dealer and see what they say, it may different for VAG vehicles.

Koush

my Focus had rust bubbles on the door , just below where the wing mirror meets the door. I owned it from new , full Ford Service history in the dealer i bought it from , same similar criteria as stated above. Not covered as it "wasnt comming from inside"

Not sure how much use the actual rust warrenty actually is TBH.

 

[Pew.]

Certainly reads like it was designed to never be used.

Sent from my LG G Flex2

 

[GordieC]

Certainly reads like it was designed to never be used.

Like many warranty clauses nowadays unfortunately. I think my best bet will be to get in contact with Seat UK, explain the situation and go from there. It's not the end of the world if it's knocked back but it's definitely worth a try.

Out of interest, does anyone know if rust appearing below the rear wiper on the boot lid is a common fault on the pre FL Leons?

 

[t121anf]

AC were worse than useless with my bodywork warranty claim, took a call from seat UK to get them into gear, then it was resolved promptly.

 

[GordieC]

AC were worse than useless with my bodywork warranty claim, took a call from seat UK to get them into gear, then it was resolved promptly.

I had major issues with them before. I was trying and getting nowhere until my wife put up a complaint of their Faceache page (I don't use FB). What do you know, the issue was addressed within an hour and the problem solved less than a week later following 2 months of hassle. Turns out they hate bad publicity on social media.

 

[t121anf]

Most companies don't, it's a shame you have to deal with them that way.

Did the same to Center Parcs, fobbed off over and over by customer service and the pool manager, as soon as I post it on FB they make a decision to refund......

Have to say the new service manager at AC in Newcastle was good and sorted it out promptly, the story was that the previous one "retired" whilst giving me the run around......

 

[chr1sd]

I had a 2000 w reg Audi A4 repaired on bodywork warranty. car was 9 years old at the time.
Had some small spots on the lower doors where the galvanizing had started to lift and bubble. The only stipulation at Audi was that the paint was original, which it was. Had a bloke come out from Audi Uk to test the paint with a depth gauge and he signed it all off. They repaired all 4 doors and a scratch on my rear 1/4 panel for my trouble.