manicmike
12-04-2013, 11:52 AM
I am the owner of a VW late 2002 Passat. Last year after having the car washed I had it brought to my notice that the paintwork to the top of both front wheel arches had bubbles under the paintwork. I had no opportunity to follow it up at the time.
Over the last winter the bubbles have expanded to a point where something has got to be done to rectify it.
I had wondered whether they could be saved but was advised that it was a waste of time once the rust has started you can't reverse it.
I received a couple of quotes for the work using pattern panels.
After a great deal of thought and being told that pattern panels sometimes don't fit correctly I decided to find out what genuine VW ones cost.
On the 14th of March I contacted the VW parts department and got a price of £156. Meantime I had been given the name of a reliable body repairer. I took my car to him and when he looked at it he said it was a common fault with VWs. After a bit of research I found that the problem stems from a foam pad fited between the wing and the wheel arch liner.
On the 15th March I emailed my local Sheffield dealer with the information. My email went to the general manager and I told him that I had found rust on the front wings and I believed they would be covered under the 12 year anti-corrosion guarantee and how should I go about it getting it repaired. He passed my message to the service manager who referred me to their Hillsborough bodyshop.
On15thMarch (pm) I phoned this number & spoke to Managerin the body-shop, he confirmed that the corrosion in this area was a known fault on Passat’s. He told me that up to March 2012 VAG were itemising these claims as customer goodwill and that they were asking owners for a 10% contribution towards the repair bill (in my case about £150. After March 2012 they stopped asking for this. He was unsure of the current policy. He told me to take the car to them any-time Weekdays 8am to 5pm to ask for the Paint& Body Shop Advisor & mention 12 year Corrosion Warranty they would then photograph it & write a report to send to HQ Germany.
I said what about the 12 year anti-corrosion guarantee and he said nothing was defective and that the cause was the plastic inner wing rubbing against the inside of the metal outer wing.
I said that it didn’t make sense as they were all assembled at the same time. They weren’t put on at a later date, nor had the wing been replaced.
Surely if the inner plastic wing could be rubbing against the inside of the metal wing that would cause the corrosion to start in the first place because it had rubbed the paint and underseal away. He made no mention of the foam pad.
He gave me his card with Customer services details and suggested I contact them.
On Tuesday 19thMarch I phoned Customer Care I was passed on to Customer Services. I told them the story so far that the Manager & Paint & Body Shop Advisor had both agreed that it was a common fault. I also said that I had obtained a copy of the VW Worldwide bulletin sheet sent to dealers in 2009.Shesaid she would contact the Paint & Body Shop Advisor as the reference no he gave me didn't register on her database & call me back later. At 12.11pm she phoned me to say that she had been in contact with the Paint & Body Shop Advisor he would have to speak to his Manager about getting some goodwill. This can't happen until his return from his holiday. She said she would get back to me on the3rdApril.
On the 26thMarch She phoned & asked if anyone had been in touch with regard to a goodwill gesture. I said that no one had nor was I expecting it until at least the 3rdApril as I had been told by her. She said she would contact the Paint & Body Shop Advisor again to see if any progress had been made. She would contact me as & when she had found out anything more.
On the 8thof April the Case Relations Manager in the Customer Services Department phoned my home asking for me.
Unfortunately was out all day he so he left a phone number to contact him on as &when I could.
On Tuesday 9thof April I tried to contact him. About 1.15pm he phoned me.
After confirming who I was by the vehicle reg. He went on to say he had taken on my claim for the replacement of both front wings of my car under the 12 anti-corrosion warranties from Customer Services.
He said that the cause of the corrosion was the mechanical action of the inner plastic wing rubbing against the inside of the outer wing and penetrating the paint & under body protection.
He went on to say that as it was a mechanical fault that warranty was for 3 years or 60,000 Miles. Which my car had exceeded.
I said to him that if I was to accept that then surely the paint &under-body protection applied at the time of construction was deficient as it allowed the outer metal wing to corrode from the inside Rendering It Unfit For Purpose.
This should bring it within the 12 year anti-corrosion (perforation)warranty.
His reply to this was that the outer metal wings were not part of the bodywork of the vehicle and so not included under this warranty either.
On10thApril I contacted Customer Services Department to confirm his fullname,his position @ VW and the case reference number and the statements he had made to me the previous day.
I was told that he was unavailable but a note would be left asking him to contact me.
On11thApril the Case Relations Manager phoned me.
I read the following statements to him and asked him if he agreed to the to make amendments to them.
1- He(VW) said that the cause of the corrosion was the mechanical action of the inner plastic wing rubbing against the inside of the outer wing and penetrating the paint & under body protection.
He went on to say that as it was a mechanical fault that mechanical warranty was for 3 years or 60,000 Miles. Which my car had exceeded.
2- His(VW's) said that the outer metal wings were not part of the bodywork of the vehicle and so not included under the 12 year anti-corrosion(perforation) warranty either.
In conclusion I had no justifiable claim towards VW.
I again said that had obtained a copy of the VW Worldwide bulletin sheet sent to dealers in 2009.
He asked where I had got it from. I said that it was freely available and common knowledge. I read it to him.
His reply was that it made no difference as the corrosion on my car was(edge & fold corrosion) as distinct from perforation or through corrosion as stated in the Terms & conditions of the Body protection warranty.
In conclusion I still had no claim against VW.
I asked for an address which I could send a written claim to.
I was told that anything further should be sent to their legal department via a solicitor .
Well that is the end of my story.
Has anyone any suggestions where to go from here?:zx11:
Over the last winter the bubbles have expanded to a point where something has got to be done to rectify it.
I had wondered whether they could be saved but was advised that it was a waste of time once the rust has started you can't reverse it.
I received a couple of quotes for the work using pattern panels.
After a great deal of thought and being told that pattern panels sometimes don't fit correctly I decided to find out what genuine VW ones cost.
On the 14th of March I contacted the VW parts department and got a price of £156. Meantime I had been given the name of a reliable body repairer. I took my car to him and when he looked at it he said it was a common fault with VWs. After a bit of research I found that the problem stems from a foam pad fited between the wing and the wheel arch liner.
On the 15th March I emailed my local Sheffield dealer with the information. My email went to the general manager and I told him that I had found rust on the front wings and I believed they would be covered under the 12 year anti-corrosion guarantee and how should I go about it getting it repaired. He passed my message to the service manager who referred me to their Hillsborough bodyshop.
On15thMarch (pm) I phoned this number & spoke to Managerin the body-shop, he confirmed that the corrosion in this area was a known fault on Passat’s. He told me that up to March 2012 VAG were itemising these claims as customer goodwill and that they were asking owners for a 10% contribution towards the repair bill (in my case about £150. After March 2012 they stopped asking for this. He was unsure of the current policy. He told me to take the car to them any-time Weekdays 8am to 5pm to ask for the Paint& Body Shop Advisor & mention 12 year Corrosion Warranty they would then photograph it & write a report to send to HQ Germany.
I said what about the 12 year anti-corrosion guarantee and he said nothing was defective and that the cause was the plastic inner wing rubbing against the inside of the metal outer wing.
I said that it didn’t make sense as they were all assembled at the same time. They weren’t put on at a later date, nor had the wing been replaced.
Surely if the inner plastic wing could be rubbing against the inside of the metal wing that would cause the corrosion to start in the first place because it had rubbed the paint and underseal away. He made no mention of the foam pad.
He gave me his card with Customer services details and suggested I contact them.
On Tuesday 19thMarch I phoned Customer Care I was passed on to Customer Services. I told them the story so far that the Manager & Paint & Body Shop Advisor had both agreed that it was a common fault. I also said that I had obtained a copy of the VW Worldwide bulletin sheet sent to dealers in 2009.Shesaid she would contact the Paint & Body Shop Advisor as the reference no he gave me didn't register on her database & call me back later. At 12.11pm she phoned me to say that she had been in contact with the Paint & Body Shop Advisor he would have to speak to his Manager about getting some goodwill. This can't happen until his return from his holiday. She said she would get back to me on the3rdApril.
On the 26thMarch She phoned & asked if anyone had been in touch with regard to a goodwill gesture. I said that no one had nor was I expecting it until at least the 3rdApril as I had been told by her. She said she would contact the Paint & Body Shop Advisor again to see if any progress had been made. She would contact me as & when she had found out anything more.
On the 8thof April the Case Relations Manager in the Customer Services Department phoned my home asking for me.
Unfortunately was out all day he so he left a phone number to contact him on as &when I could.
On Tuesday 9thof April I tried to contact him. About 1.15pm he phoned me.
After confirming who I was by the vehicle reg. He went on to say he had taken on my claim for the replacement of both front wings of my car under the 12 anti-corrosion warranties from Customer Services.
He said that the cause of the corrosion was the mechanical action of the inner plastic wing rubbing against the inside of the outer wing and penetrating the paint & under body protection.
He went on to say that as it was a mechanical fault that warranty was for 3 years or 60,000 Miles. Which my car had exceeded.
I said to him that if I was to accept that then surely the paint &under-body protection applied at the time of construction was deficient as it allowed the outer metal wing to corrode from the inside Rendering It Unfit For Purpose.
This should bring it within the 12 year anti-corrosion (perforation)warranty.
His reply to this was that the outer metal wings were not part of the bodywork of the vehicle and so not included under this warranty either.
On10thApril I contacted Customer Services Department to confirm his fullname,his position @ VW and the case reference number and the statements he had made to me the previous day.
I was told that he was unavailable but a note would be left asking him to contact me.
On11thApril the Case Relations Manager phoned me.
I read the following statements to him and asked him if he agreed to the to make amendments to them.
1- He(VW) said that the cause of the corrosion was the mechanical action of the inner plastic wing rubbing against the inside of the outer wing and penetrating the paint & under body protection.
He went on to say that as it was a mechanical fault that mechanical warranty was for 3 years or 60,000 Miles. Which my car had exceeded.
2- His(VW's) said that the outer metal wings were not part of the bodywork of the vehicle and so not included under the 12 year anti-corrosion(perforation) warranty either.
In conclusion I had no justifiable claim towards VW.
I again said that had obtained a copy of the VW Worldwide bulletin sheet sent to dealers in 2009.
He asked where I had got it from. I said that it was freely available and common knowledge. I read it to him.
His reply was that it made no difference as the corrosion on my car was(edge & fold corrosion) as distinct from perforation or through corrosion as stated in the Terms & conditions of the Body protection warranty.
In conclusion I still had no claim against VW.
I asked for an address which I could send a written claim to.
I was told that anything further should be sent to their legal department via a solicitor .
Well that is the end of my story.
Has anyone any suggestions where to go from here?:zx11: