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Aren't VW's galvanised? Presumably not!
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I'm not sure i follow, if the "least" i should look for is a new tailgate this implies i should be looking for more ie ask for a new car, yet they way i read it you feel i have insuficient grounds to do this?
VW are supposed to be galvanised yes, all the more reason to question whats going on with this. How do i know that this is the only bit on the car thats defective?
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If they are galvanised it's possible the tailgate was damaged before delivery and has been repaired and resprayed. Any signs of this?
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Reject it - it's not of merchantable quality.
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Reject it - it's not of merchantable quality.
I believe the correct legal term is now "saleable" quality.
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I'm not sure you'd be able to reject it, but they should fit & paint-match a new tailgate, courtesy car while they're doing it, plus get the dealer to give you a letter reinforcing the VW anti-perforation warranty etc etc.
Keep us posted on how you get on.
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A friend discovered rust on the tailgate of his 11 year old Mercedes C200 estate (owned from new, FMBSH). The dealership's bodyshop foreman took one look at it, and within 10 minutes, had verbal authorisation from Mercedes Benz UK to supply, paint and fit a brand new tailgate free of charge.
This was on an 11 year old car. It's the least you can expect on a 9 week old one.
Cheers
DP
Edited by DP on 19/03/2008 at 08:48
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An 11 year old Mercedes was/is a proper car. Anything recent and mass market is an exercise in penny-pinching and accountancy, built at the lowest possible cost, highest possible profit, and bare minimum standard acceptable to Joe Public. Some of them are even below that minimum standard - see OP!
Edited by Armitage Shanks {p} on 19/03/2008 at 10:14
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Just out of interest, if a new tailgated is fitted and painted - will this possibly have rust issues later in the cars life, or are factory supplied parts galvanised too?
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Personally, as someone who has dealt with rust on a new vehicle, I would recommend a call to the maker as when dealng with my local dealer, they stalled, citing the need for an inspector etc etc, whereas when I phoned the UK customer service number, I explained the problem and they then called the dealer on my behalf and suddenly things moved very quickly.
Lesson - dont be afraid to pull the rug from under your dealer, your just a name on a database and they will hang you out to dry so be prepared to do the same to them.
Ive got the impression some VW dealers can be rather poor anyway so it applies doubly in this case.
In this case you have every right to hit the roof - rust on what is supposedly a quality car is simple outrageous at this age.
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Personally as someone who has dealt with rust on a new vehicle I would recommend a call to the maker ................................
Good luck is all I can say. When I had a problem with my Passat some years ago (just out of warranty), VW customer service were 100% not interested. Trying to talk to them just made me even more frustrated than I was before I called them. I was told if I wrote to them, the letter would just be ignored!!!
I was so outraged by their attitude that I vowed to never buy another VW again, (even though their 1.9 TDI PD engine is/was probably the best diesel engine available). I'm glad I stuck to my guns, as the Legacy I have now is a wonderful car.
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I can only agree with you about VAG UK. I got my 1.9 PD in a big Skoda instead - fully galvanised. So far, so good - it appears to be immaculately assembled with all body joints fully sealed (I had a very good look when the bumper was off to fit the towbar).
The trouble is, buying the Skoda version does not free you from VAG UK. Milton Keynes is the boot camp for all of their badges, and their attitude is the same. Although I have no issues at all with the vehicle, like you, I'll vote with my cheque book next time.
I just can't give my money to a bunch of people who have such obvious disdain for their customers.
659.
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i would try and get rid altogether if you can , if it was me i know for a fact that i would never enjoy driving a car with this apparent poor quility finish and i would be forever looking and listening for faults ... but thats just me , i dont know how any one else would feel about it?
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I agree, you're paying for a nice shiny new car and something like that would ruin it for me. It'd have to go.
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The problem is that if you get a VW garage to 'rectify' it (by whatever means) there is a risk of them making matters worse. My mother has a VW and it needed some items sorting out under warranty. When she went to collect it there was a big scratch along the rear driver-side door. They flatly denied doing the damage, but then she pointed out the blue paint transfer, which was off the frame of their workshop shutters! They resprayed the door, but its a silver car and you can see a slight difference in the shade.
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Cheers for all the replies.
Most of your thoughts and comments are along very similar lines to my own.
Why should i be left with a 23k car thats had to have paintwork this early in it's life due to a manufacturing defect?
I went along to the dealer earlier today but i didnt have much joy. It just so happened that the warranty guy for this area was in at the time. Both him and the service manager came out to look at it. The warranty guy seems to think that the surface of the paint has been damaged and this has allowed the moisture to get in. I tried to point out that the bubble on the other side is actually under the edge of the glass so how could the paint get chipped or damaged? He didnt really have an answer for this.
He said i've now got 2 options, get this,
"As a gesture of good will we will put it down as a paint defect and get the boot repainted"
I asked if they would replace the tailgate and he said no, they wont even take the window out!!
or
"We can get an independant paint inspector to come in and look at it and give his opinion on what has caused it"
They then tried to put the wind up me at this point by saying that if he says the rust is a result of the paint being damaged i wont be entitiled to a warranty claim I told them to go ahead and get the inspector out as I dont believe for a second that this is a result of the surface of the paint being damaged.
For paint damage to cause rust it would need to go through the lacquer, base coat, primer and then through the galvanised coating and expose bare steel, some how i dont think so.
I'm just off the phone to VW customer services, the guy i spoke to seemed pretty good about it and didnt immediately rule out the possibilty of being able to reject the car. Need to wait for the guy who's going to be dealing with the case to call me back, we'll see what he says.
Edited by Kenny.s on 19/03/2008 at 14:28
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"As a gesture of good will we will put it down as a paint defect and get the boot repainted"
Car dealerships...............don't you just love them!
I would ensure that YOU appoint the independent inspector, please don't let the dealership do it.
Edited by nick62 on 19/03/2008 at 14:34
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He said i've now got 2 options get this
snipquote!
My bet is, the rear screen was damaged on the transporter/ in the dealers and has had a poor reapir carried out and during the cutting back of the old adhesive the paint has been scratched through to bare metal and then not treated correctly.
The very least they need to do is remove the window, get the paint inspected then, and then repair the area and paint the whole tailgate. Preferably a replacement tailgate.
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 19/03/2008 at 19:04
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I would want a new tailgate. The galvanising has been damaged. However well they paint it it won't be as good as new and if the damage is under a seal rust is quite likely in the future.
You know what not to buy next time. A company like that would never see a penny of my money again.
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My uncle has a mk2 Focus which suffered rear end damage at a set of lights. It went into a Ford dealer bodyshop for repairs which in terms of the quality of work and colour matching were done to an excellent standard. However, he noticed that the sealing of the welds on the new tailgate was of nowhere near the same standard as the original fit panel with two areas where moisture could easily find its way inside. This was a genuine Ford part supplied by a Ford main dealer, was a perfect fit, and was otherwise satisfactory. When he complained, he was told "that's how they are" and "don't worry about it". What can you do? It's a genuine part.
I wonder sometimes if there is a difference between parts manufactured for production line cars, and those manufactured for spares. The reliability of new cars is monitored and reported all the time, but not the performance or quality of spare parts. It's a good opportunity for cash strapped manufacturers to save a few quid.
Cheers
DP
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As Nick62 says, do not allow the garage to use their own "independent inspector", who might rely on them for repeat business! As they have been difficult, get your own. Charge them for the cost. Household legal cover?
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As others have said I would suspect that the rear glass has been replaced prior to delivery. Can you see any signs of that (e.g. look at the date codes on all the glass, does it match?).
The garage sound very cheeky though, if there is rust under the glass surround then it can only have got there through damage done at manufacture or by having a new glass.
You say the car cost £23k ? I didn't think you could get a Golf costing £23k, it seems a lot for a car like that.
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I did wonder whether the rear screen might have been replaced, i know all too well what can happen to paintwork during the removal process, a friend of mine had the same problem with an impreza, the A pillar on his car actually rusted through and started letting water into the car.
You can spend more than 23k on a Golf, the R32 starts at £25k, add a few options you could easy spend £27-28k
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"I did wonder whether the rear screen might have been replaced" Not a foolproof check but compare the glass makers logo & marking on the rear screen it should match all the other glass or at least be the same as the windscreen.
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I am sure that all original glass on VW's have there logo on it. I will have a look on my Passat tonight.
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I am sure that all original glass on VW's have there logo on it. I will have a look on my Passat tonight.
That proves nothing. The new windscreen on my 6 month old Impreza was fitted (very well) by Autoglass. Its is Subaru OE glass and has the Subaru logo on it. You are more likely to be able to tell a replacement by looking at the date code and comparing with other glass.
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I had a new windscreen on my Passat some years ago from Autoglass, I insisted they used OEM glass. I just had to wait 24 hours for it to be delivered to them
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I really hope it gets sorted to your satisfaction kenny - but I fear you have some way to go yet with VW before you get the solution you demand (and rightly so).
All the VW dealers I know think they are doing you a favour by letting you drive their cars. You are there for them - not the other way round. I'm not convinced the customer service guy was talking with any authority when he thought it may be possible to reject the car.
I would start making detailed records of your ocnversations and communication with VW as I think you will need them.
It's been said on here before but VW and customer service cannot be used in the same sentence really.
I wish you all the best and I hope you prove me wrong. Such a shame as well cos the GTi is a lovely looking motor.
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I've been out and had a look at the glass, it's got the VW Logo on it but i cant see any obvious date mark? I tried looking for common numbers on the glass, some of the numbers on the two rear quarters matched with each other but i couldnt find anything that tied in with the rear screen.
I agree with you that the customer service guy probably isnt in a position to say whether or not i can reject the car but he's noted it on the case file so they are aware that i want to persure this option.
I've already made a note of the time i called VW Uk and when i went into the dealer.
I really do love the car, it's a fantastic thing to drive, handles great and yet it's still comfortable on a long journey. Just a shame all this is spoiling what should be an enjoyable experience. Thing is, IF they offer me a replacement do i accept it or ask for my money back? cant think what i would buy instead.
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"Thing is, IF they offer me a replacement do i accept it or ask for my money back? cant think what i would buy instead."
It won't happen - so don't waste time worrying! They'll fix your car. I can't see them giving you a replacement or a full refund.
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Actually get the name of the person you are speaking to and tell them you are recording the call, even if you aren't or can't. Make notes of what is discussed and summarise what action is promised and in what timesacale it is to happen . I am at work and it is a bit too dark to read the codes on my car glass. It might be that there is a coded date of manufacture but it wouldn't be odd if the glass in the car had not been produced on the same date, or even in the same month, I would think.
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I've got the option to record calls on my phone so the next call i make or recieve will be recorded, todays call to VW was just to lodge the complaint, as has been said the guy i spoke to was just answering the phone.
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To comply with the law you have to tell them that you may/are recording the call - the same way that you are told that when you ring a bank or financial call-centre. You needn't say it is for "Training Purposes" Tell them it is to support possible legal action! That should concentrate their minds wonderfully.
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>As a gesture of good will
That's what my local VW dealership said to me when I asked them to please put right the industrial fall out that had damaged the paint, and the dodgy smart repair.
Fair play to them, they did it... but it was that phrase that really got my back up.
Thankfully, although I had no say who in who supplied the car, I do get to choose who I take him to for servicing and fitting of ipod kits - the local dealer hasn't seen a penny from my car, and I don't think any of our cars go there any more because they've had so much trouble with that dealer. One bad apple, and all that. It's a shame because the people he goes to now (VW in Shirley, Southampton) are brilliant.
Incidentally, if you get nowhere with VW UK, get in contact with Germany via email. I waited weeks for a response about something else when I had a query, so emailed Germany and it was resolved in a couple of days.
Edited by PoloGirl on 19/03/2008 at 19:09
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Yeh, great isnt it, like they're going out they're way to sort the problem for you. A problem that shoulnt be there in the first place.
Someone else mentioned getting in touch with Germany, if i get nowhere with VW Uk i'll drop them an email. I'm not going to let this go without a fight.
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Very much in agreement with P.G. here. I recently had a problem with Fiat and Tesco (totally unrelated, btw!).
In both instances I went straight to the top - literally in the case of Tesco by writing to Sir Terry - and the issues were sorted very promptly and certainly to my advantage in the Tesco case. What do they say about something rolling downhill...?!
I hope the O.P. does something similar. Not on in a new car!
AA
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Rather than getting bogged down in the details yourself, as it seems you are not expert in such fields, may I suggest you get an examiner a) to look at what is already evident b) to ascertain why its happened c) to check thoroughly for other possible damage! If the tailgate has been bodged due to a fall off the transporter, or rear end bashed by the apprentices in their break etc, or its a factory failure in the galvanising process (such things happen), are any further episodes of rusting likely to happen. Equipped with factual information about the current state of the car, better placed to take the next step.
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I'm by no means an expert in car bodywork but i do have some knowledge on the subject. A friend of mine runs quite a large insurance approved repair centre, under his guidance i did 90% of the preparation work on my previous car which was given a bare shell re-spray to a very high standard. In the time it took to do this i learnt quite a bit.
But as you point out i'm no expert so nothing i say is going to hold any water.
I had the car "detailed" not long after i got it by a very reputable company in Aberdeen. Before they start polishing they check the paint thickness of all the panels using an ultrasound device which gives the thickness of the individual paint layers.
I spoke to them today and asked what the measurments on the boot where, they record and keep all this information, they said the overall paint thickness on the boot was 80-90 microns. This is quite thin but not out of the ordinary for todays cars, had it been repainted it would have been significantly thicker and they would have advised me at the time i collected the car that they suspected that part(s) of the car had been painted.
There is an independant inspector coming out to look at the car but i've not had confirmation of a date as yet.
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Fair enough, you clearly do have some knowledge. I didn't mean to imply you had none! Re the inspection: your guy or the garages' retainer? You need to be in charge here, if I may venture an opinion, based on experience. VW Polo it was: respray by insurers nominated garage, peeling off after couple of years. Numerous faults found, primarily incompatible paints and inadequate work. Insurance Co had to cough - without the report I'd be left stranded.
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No probs :)
The guy who's coming to look at it is supposed to be independent, but the dealer has arranged it. I've asked for his details and company name, before he gets to see it, if they cant provide this he clearly isn't independent!
I'm going to call my friend with the bodyshop in the morning, may even take the car in to him and see what he thinks, he may know who this inspector is and possibly an other one if need be.
Edited by Kenny.s on 19/03/2008 at 20:37
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"Had the car detailed... Firm in Aberdeen..."
Polished Bliss? They do some fantastic work. Is this your car? www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=44...I
If so, it's looking great. But rust is inexcusable. Press for a new tailgate. If the dealer/VW won't play, take them to a small claims court.
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Yes it was polished bliss and yes that is my car but there's something funny going on though, my car wasnt even made when the thread was started?
I think Clark has possibly got the picture names mixed up on his photobucket account, he posted the pictures of my car on another thread but he must have used the same name for my car as he did the golf that was originally in that thread. I'll drop him a message and let him know, although i doubt anyone will bother now as the thread thats inadvertently been mixed up is quite old now.
It looked fantastic when i collected it, the way the flake pops out of the paint in the sunlight is amazing. After all the hard work they put into it i'm now faced with the high probablity that the bodyshop will go at it with a machine polisher and leave buffer trails all over it.
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I didn't check the date but I did wonder whether the spiel matched your car's story...
Buffer trails? No worries, Clark will fix 'em... :-)
Edited by Mad Maxy on 20/03/2008 at 15:21
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"I had the car "detailed" not long after i got it "
Didn't he spot the rust then? Ha, maybe he was to busy measuring the paint thickness to worry about something as minor as rust bubbling through.
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Didn't he spot the rust then? Ha, maybe he was to busy measuring the paint thickness to worry about something as minor as rust bubbling through.
What are the chances that the "expert inspector" will blame possible damage during the detailing work as the cause of the rust? (e.g. something along the lines of: "The glass must have broken during the detailing work, and the detailing company replaced it but did not tell the customer about the damage" ).
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What are the chances that the "expert inspector" will blame possible damage during the detailing work as the cause of the rust? (e.g. something along the lines of: "The glass must have broken during the detailing work and the detailing company replaced it but did not tell the customer about the damage" ).
This as a basis for a case is utter piffle. Detailers only know about and undertake cleaning and polishing out acquired paint defects. Bodyshop-type work is quite beyond heir competence. And Polished Bliss is up there with the best detailers in the country, with a reputation second to none.
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"I had the car "detailed" not long after i got it " Didn't he spot the rust then? Ha maybe he was to busy measuring the paint thickness to worry about something as minor as rust bubbling through.
No they didnt, but i'm quite sure had the rust been showing when they had the car they would have seen it.
I should mention that the two bubbles as they are just now are very small, most people wouldn't notice them until they had fully broken through the paint.
There is no way having the car professionally polished has got anything to do with this and no inspector in his right mind would try and suggest that.
I'm going to look into appointing my own inspector.
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I'm amazed by that dealers attitude! We'd never buy another Fiat as we had so many problems with that brand - but to be fair to them, back in about 1991 we had a 1986 Fiat Uno that was owned by us from new, and my father found signs of perforation in the tailgate. In fairness, although the car was by then 5yrs old, the Fiat dealer matched and fitted a brand new tailgate on that!
.... Needless to say, that car didn't cost in excess of £23k. I'm thinking an RAC inspection might help your case? A brand new 2002 (one of the first of the current generation) silver Fiesta I bought was actually several shades of silver. The inspector used a micrometer and deduced the car had several different paint densities all over the body and was totally inconsistent with an identical car on the dealers forecourt. It turned out the shell had been sprayed over 4 times, and as such the car should never have left the factory (if my memory serves correctly). I managed to reject that car, but then it did also have starting problems. Perhaps such an inspector could check out your tailgate with a micrometner and confirm whether it's had a poor standard repair?
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>As a gesture of good will<<
I'm afraid that sums VW UK up to me.
Like I said they think they are doing you a favour by selling you a car.
And because they are so fantastic they will also offer you a gesture of good will and help you out - yeh right - like any business will go out of it's way when it does not need to.
They clearly know you are in the right and they are just trying to minimise the amount of work they want to do to help you.
Never mind gestures of good will - this type of language is to try and fudge your basic consumer rights and warranty requirements.
I know alot of people that deal with Lexus - they never use phrases like that - they just get on with doing what is correct for the customer.
Last time I had a similar problem with VW I informed them I was going to get an RAC inspection completed - they folded like a pack of cards and just fixed the warranty issue - and that is what it was - we should not of even had the discussion about it.
Like I said kenny - I fear you have along way to go yet with this crowd.
Edited by Pendlebury on 20/03/2008 at 17:29
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Shortly after buying a brand new Skoda Octavia estate (Y reg - and he still has it), my friend noticed some rust on the tail-gate. He told me that the dealer replaced the tail-gate ABSOLUTELY without question. This proved not to be an indication of general bodywork condition as the car has been perfect, in every respect, since then (now on nearly 150k miles).
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Hasn't the owner of this Golf shot himself in the foot by allowing another firm to tinker with the paintwork?
Not sure what 'detailing' is - wet chammy and the occasional Turtle Wax is about my mark.
But VW are bound to jump on the fact someone else has touched it as an excuse not to do anything.
Surely, the car should go back to the detailing company? As in: 'You detailed it and now it's gone rusty.'
I don't doubt other posts about VW being generally unhelpful, but I think they may have a point here.
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As a valeter, I would say short of total recklessness, it would be very difficult to cause a car to rust in the way described, especially on a new car. You would have to take a screwdriver to the tailgate to cause such rust, I honestly cant see any other way of doing it in the valeting process and even then it would need to be intentional.
There is no process I know of that would reasonably cause rust in the place described and besides, if the car is galvanised, even if someone did chip the paint, surely it wouldnt rust anyway?
I would ring the company that did the valet and tell them the VW are accusing them of causing the rust, see what they have to say. If a customer rang me with such info, id turn up at the said dealership looking for blood.
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Detailing removes "swirls" by Porter cable. It wouldn't ding a car however useless you were with it. Besides polished bliss are proper pros.
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Sony,
Thanks for that
In an ideal world I suppose VW should concede the detailing cannot be related to the rust.
In the real world, having the car detailed has given VW just the excuse they need to be awkward.
And as another post said, who's to say a little accident didn't befall this Golf while it was in the detailing shop?
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Yes but VW would never have a clue about it being detailed. As long as it hasn't been resprayed they'd never spot a thing as detailing is correcting the original paintwork- removing the swirls and light scratches by PC.
But yeah, I agree an accident may have happened whilst it was there, although unlikely, as Clark from polished bliss is meticulous about his work.
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Back in the days when I was a lad (well, younger lad) my best mate worked for a Lancia Dealership. He told me that sometimes they had to respray brand new cars before they went into the showroom because some were already rusting! Perhaps that's why Lancia pulled out of the UK in the late 80's!
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Ah, Lancias.
I once put one on a wheel free ramp and left the driver's door open to bleed the brakes.
When the car was lowered to the ground, the door wouldn't shut because the bodyshell had distorted.
Lifted dozens of other cars in the same way without any problems.
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>>Yes it was polished bliss and yes that is my car but there's something funny going on though, my car wasnt even made when the thread was started?
I think Clark has possibly got the picture names mixed up
>>Clark from polished bliss is meticulous about his work.
Mmmm?
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Kenny, any chance you could link to a good close up photo of the rust spot?
Could it be something like what they call "industrial fallout"? Thinking about the timing of this, I am curious as to why the detailers didn't spot it if it was due to a poor repair of damage when the car was in storage prior to delivery. How long was the order time for your car? Was it delivered from stock (short order time) or built to your order (i.e. long order time)?
I have seen tiny rust spots on a car that has been too close to someone working with an angle grinder e.g on a building site. A few microscopic flecks of iron filings landed on top of the paintwork (e.g. when the wind changed direction). Under a magnifying glass they had embedded themselves into the paint (probably due their sharp edges). After washing the car tiny distinctive streaks of rust could be seen on the paint. This was permanently removed with T-Cut - the underlying paint was sound.
My daily driver is 14-years old. Even the couple of 10-year old tiny stone chips that are down to bare metal have not rusted.
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Billy this is an excellent point. I had what I thought was tiny specs of rust at the bottom of the doors of my A3. Turn out they weren't, it was probably where it had been stored, and was industrial fallout. It was removed by the detailer.
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Back in the days when I was a lad (well younger lad) my best mate worked for a Lancia Dealership. He told me that sometimes they had to respray brand new cars before they went into the showroom because some were already rusting!
This still happens now. Not so much because of rust, but because of blemishes in the paint such as paint runs, orange peel effect, and scratches. You'd be surprised at the amount of brand new cars that have had to have partial of full resprays before the customer gets their hands on them.
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 21/03/2008 at 13:53
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I think Kenny S should have given us the full story all in one go instead of giving instalments as the situation developed. As it is, he's been slagging off the selling dealer and VW themselves at various stages before they have been given the opportunity to fully resolve the situation.
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I think Kenny S should have given us the full story all in one go instead of giving instalments as the situation developed. As it is he's been slagging off the selling dealer and VW themselves at various stages before they have been given the opportunity to fully resolve the situation.
I have given the full story, there isnt much to tell, the car is 9 weeks old and the boot has started to rust.
The fact i had the car professionally polished has got absolutely nothing to do with the rust, i only mentioned it afterwards when someone questioned whether the boot had possibly been painted, as i mentioned earlier part of the detailing process is to first establish how thick the paint is.
I would bet my bottom dolar that nothing happened to it while it was being detailed, and even if it did they would have contacted me and owned up, they've got one of the best reputations in the country and that doesnt come easy not in the industry their in.
I dont feel that i've slagged anyone off, i mearly reported the response i got from the dealer and i've yet to speak to anyone in authority at VW.
I know what you mean about metal particals landing on the car and rusting, i've seen this before, had there been any of this on the car polishedbliss would have told me when i collected the car. They told me they see this quite a lot on the new cars they see but it nearly always comes off.
The 2 bits of rust on the boot are actually small bubbles under the paint, one of which has just about broken through the surface.
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Dinna worry K: L'Escargot is just getting too big for his carapace, thus lashing out.
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>You'd be surprised at the amount of brand new cars that have had to have partial of full resprays before the customer gets their hands on them.
Quite right, DD!
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I think the most likely explanation is that the Galvanizing was damaged when the window was fitted at the factory.Water will gather at the bottom edge of the glass hence the rust. This used to be a fairly common problem with another german manufacturer I had some experience with.
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Did the OP get this sorted yet?!?!?
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MWAP. He only went to the dealer on 19th March - things don't move that fast when you are trying to get a dealer and a car manufacturer to do something for you - unless you know different!
Edited by Armitage Shanks {p} on 26/03/2008 at 14:12
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They load for me but I can't see that it is OP's car!
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Can the OP give us an update on the outcome (or otherwise) of this problem?
I'm interested because of my dealings (or non-dealings), with VW UK customer service a few years ago.
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Only just read through this thread. How glad I am that I only buy used (see Snobbery thread), when this kind of problem has either been rectified or become so obvious no-one would look twice at the car ... :-)
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Come on Kenny.S, give us the outcome................pleeeeeeeeeeeease.
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dont hold your breath.
He joined to post this topic and hasnt been back since.
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I've e-mailed him for you.
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it was probablly bird poo
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What from a rusty seagull ?
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Sorry for not coming back sooner and letting you know the outcome.
The best the dealer would offer me was to repaint the tailgate, the whole time they still refused to admit it was corrosion, they simply said there was something under the paint. As I mentioned initially it wasn't there when I got the car so therefor it could only be corrosion but they wouldnt believe me.
The supplying dealer were very unhelpful and seemed totally unsympathetic to my plight. In the end I got fed up exchanging letters and phone calls with them and admitted defeat. I asked them to buy the car back from me, which they agreed to do, I lost some money in the deal but by this time I was so fed up I just wanted shot of it. In the weeks that passed during the discussion, some further suspect areas developed around the top of the front window and also on the roof. I didn't mention it to them though as they had already agreed to buy the car back at this point and was just happy to see a way out, although I appreciate that these further areas might have been enought to push for a new car.
VW weren't much use either, they stuck to their guns saying the supplying dealer were the ones that had to issue me with a refund and they would then have to take the matter up with VW. The dealer considered the issue I had too minor to warrant a refund and would only consdier repairing the car.
The car was returned on a Friday afternoon, first thing the following Monday morning it was in the showroom with £500 more than they had given me for it, all they had done was wash it. The car sat there for about 3 or 4 weeks and then dissapeared, I therefor assume some unlucky person bought it.
First and last time I ever buy a car from snip and I would have to think seriously about buying another VW, at least a new one anyway.
Cheers
Kenny
Edited by Pugugly on 13/06/2009 at 15:19
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Wonder if it was actually galvanized?
It`s just that a few weeks back i was in a scrapyard getting a door lock off a Punto - and on one car the lock had been cut out of the door panel with tin snips. that left a gaping hole - not dissimilar to a folded back sardine tin, although obviously of thicker metal.
The paint had gone from all this area, but most notable was that the cut edge of the metal was still shiny with no rust at all - despite just coming through a damp night and perhaps many more before that. We all know that bare sheet steel rusts while you look at it outside - so I can only assume the galvanizing was protecting the exposed edge.
Next time I`m up there I might look for examples of this on other marques and take some shots for the Forum.
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I see your not allowed to mention certain car dealers one here!
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Kenny,
It's a general name and shame policy. See terms of use above.
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Fair enough, not being a regular on here I wasn't aware of that.
Edited by Kenny.s on 13/06/2009 at 18:23
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Thanks for the update Kenny.
It never ceases to amaze me that some people in the car sales business would see this outcome as a "win" for themselves (VW and their dealership). They've made a few hundred quid on this exchange, but will never get another sale from Kenny, and likely a few of his close associates will have been warned to avoid also.
The alternative outcome would be (as mentioned with Skoda above) to have immediately offered a new, painted tailgate (perhaps at little cost to the dealership if they are reimbursed via warranty) which would have given Kenny no reason to complain, would probably have boosted his confidence in the product and the dealer, and may have led to future purchases and a generally positive feeling about VW+dealer.
It's the type of utter contempt you expect from Audi !
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Salesmen are transient folk, chasing their commission from one job to another.
Why should any of the cynical ole gits (COGS) on here be surprised?
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This isn't going to be the salesmen - these will be decisions made at sales/service manager level.
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In the weeks that passed during the discussion some further suspect areas developed around the top of the front window and also on the roof.
Over the years I've noticed many VWs having rust problems on the rear hatch. I had a Golf that errupted at less than 10 year old around the rear window and lock area. When I pulled the interior trim back, all I could see was solid rust - hardly any paint anywhere. Obviously the hatch wasnt treated or painted properly on the inside.
In the OPs case, maybe this car is one of the "hailstorm damaged" stock that has been refettled.
Edited by brum on 14/06/2009 at 02:06
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One of the worst bits was that I went to this dealership because partly because it was 5 mins walk from my house, and also, my dad is good friends with someone who's son is a salesman in there, which is who I dealt with when I was buying the car. When I went back in initially about the problem it was him I saw first, simply because he was a familiar face. His first reaction was that there wouldn't be a problem getting it sorted, once all the arguing kicked off he was clearly quite un easy about the whole situation and on numerous occasions had a quiet word and said he was really sorry about it all but there was nothing he could do, the decision was now out of his hands.
I have noticed several of the older golfs developing major rust in this same area, would have you believe there was something common in the design, manufacture or assembly process that was causing it.
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