Rusty front arches

Digger

Full Member
Aug 7, 2005
32
0
RCT South Wales
I've just been turned down by seat on my claim. The decision was made based on an iPhone picture taken in shadow by the dealer. They blamed poor paint which is now out of warranty!!!!
 

Fangio

Active Member
Apr 20, 2007
27
0
My 55 reg Tdi Fr has got rust bubbles on the passenger side wing and looks like it is starting on the other side.
It is a known fault with VW group cars as the sound insulation inside becomes wet.
The cure is to renew the wing and trim back the sound deadening by a few cm's to prevent it happening again.
There is a lot about it here:

http://uk-mkivs.net/topic/67646-rust-on-front-wing-on-arch/page-2

It seems VW are well aware and are fixing it on their brands.
Mine was only noticed today and will be heading to a dealer shortly. I don't intend to give up either.
It does not matter that the car has not been serviced at a VW/Seat dealer either, or serviced at all as rust inspections are not part of the service routine.
There was an EU law in 2002 concerning the dealer servicing and the lack of a it is not a valid reason to refuse warranty claims.
 

Fangio

Active Member
Apr 20, 2007
27
0
Pics here:

//www.google.co.uk/search?q=seat+ibiza+rust+on+wings&rlz=1C1CHFX_enGB518GB518&es_sm=122&tbm=isch&imgil=sdYcJFY-d9SNGM%253A%253Bhttps%253A%252F%252Fencrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com%252Fimages%253Fq%253Dtbn%253AANd9GcSUNvIyW-fxZtkELEhm5RJg410ALfr0r
 

Lowe

Active Member
Jan 8, 2012
299
1
Newcastle Under Lyme
Well I've finally had my rust issues sorted out. I had to pay for it in the end, but at least it's off my mind now and I'm not always looking at the wing and cursing haha! :D
 

krussel

Active Member
Oct 31, 2008
1,713
2
Hertforshire
My 55 reg Tdi Fr has got rust bubbles on the passenger side wing and looks like it is starting on the other side.
It is a known fault with VW group cars as the sound insulation inside becomes wet.
The cure is to renew the wing and trim back the sound deadening by a few cm's to prevent it happening again.
.

To be honest your better to just remove the soft triangles of foam.
 

Fangio

Active Member
Apr 20, 2007
27
0
To be honest your better to just remove the soft triangles of foam.

I think they serve some kind of noise suppression function and these are very noisy cars. That's the reason VW are trimming it back rather than removing when they do the fix I suppose.
It did after all take 7 years or so to rear its' ugly head and I can't see the rest of the car lasting that long :D
Will keep the forum informed of my success or lack of it with Seat. If there is no luck there I'll try VW as the company is owned by them.
 

Fangio

Active Member
Apr 20, 2007
27
0
I have been told the foam is indeed for noise suppression.
Thank you for the interesting video but my personal intention is to get the VW group to do the work.
I wouldn't want to interfere in any way just at the moment; and I don't have that kind of skill either :)
 
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krussel

Active Member
Oct 31, 2008
1,713
2
Hertforshire
I have been told the foam is indeed for noise suppression.
Thank you for the interesting video but my personal intention is to get the VW group to do the work.
I wouldn't want to interfere in any way just at the moment; and I don't have that kind of skill either :)

If you can get the dealer to do the job all well and good ;)

Seat seem reluctant to address this issue at all :(

Personally I think it should be a recall for all Ibiza's and Polo's.
 

Fangio

Active Member
Apr 20, 2007
27
0
I intend to persevere :)

First they ignore you.
Then they mock you.
Next they fight you.
Then you win.

I'm at the being ignored stage at the moment!
 

krussel

Active Member
Oct 31, 2008
1,713
2
Hertforshire
I intend to persevere :)

First they ignore you.
Then they mock you.
Next they fight you.
Then you win.

I'm at the being ignored stage at the moment!

Let us know how you get on. I ve a bad feeling this is going to become more relevant as our cars grow older.

Best of luck buddy. ;)
 

Fangio

Active Member
Apr 20, 2007
27
0
Let us know how you get on. I ve a bad feeling this is going to become more relevant as our cars grow older.

Best of luck buddy. ;)

I don't want to keep the car forever but a modern car should not be rusting inside out. It really is as simple as that.
I also have an MX5 which was rusting inside out (chassis rails) I got that sorted at my own expense but at a reasonable cost; plus the car is 15 years old and not 8.
 

robinson25261

Active Member
Aug 22, 2014
3
0
any luck??

Hi all,

First post here as I've just bought a 54 plate Leon Tdi Fr. Noticed small bubbling of the paint work and picked up on this thread. Seems I've got the same issue as everyone else here rusty arches on both sides. I'm off to see my local dealer today to see what excuse they come up with but wondering if anyone has any communication from Seat confirming they would change the arches under anti perferoration warranty?

Anyone have any luck with this?
Thanks in advance,
Ross
 

Fangio

Active Member
Apr 20, 2007
27
0
I wish you the best of luck as I gave up after having jumped through too many hoops.
First off I was ignored for over a month. I was told that the claim had been 'lost in the system'.
I had to email the managing director of Seat UK in order to get things moving.
Then I had to go for a paint thickness test which showed the car to be as per factory standard.
I was then asked to have an independent assessor view the car at my expense. It would have been best part of 200 pounds.
The money would be returned if the assessment came back in my favour.
In getting to that stage the journey had taken best part of two months and I declined to take the risk of letting go of that kind of money; my faith had been shattered.
Our local dealer showed absolutely no enthusiasm at all for the claim.

I feel sure I have a genuine claim but it is blindingly obvious the VW group do not want to honour it for whatever reason.
The whole procedure is cumbersome and geared against the customer.
It may be that the VW group do not wish to admit there is a problem. I do not know their motives but I do know one thing. I will never again buy a VW group vehicle.

I will not do business with any company that does not honour their guarantee quickly and with no fuss.
 

krussel

Active Member
Oct 31, 2008
1,713
2
Hertforshire
Hi all,

First post here as I've just bought a 54 plate Leon Tdi Fr. Noticed small bubbling of the paint work and picked up on this thread. Seems I've got the same issue as everyone else here rusty arches on both sides. I'm off to see my local dealer today to see what excuse they come up with but wondering if anyone has any communication from Seat confirming they would change the arches under anti perferoration warranty?

Anyone have any luck with this?
Thanks in advance,
Ross


As others have said it seems Seat do not want to honour this claim on the Ibiza. You might try this post in the Leon section and see if they have had any better luck ;)
 

robinson25261

Active Member
Aug 22, 2014
3
0
grr

Thanks for your response all. Sorry I posted in the wrong section but hope you have sone luck eventually. I can't understand how some garages will honour and some won't. Seems ridiculous.
 

RUM4MO

Active Member
Jun 4, 2008
7,784
983
South Scotland
My wife's late 2002 Polo 9N, owned by us from new when personally imported from Holland, now has run over 100K miles, never been accident damaged and has been washed and underside hosed frequently, is sprouting rust along the bottom of the front passenger's door + bottom of tailgate + many rust bubbles(proper big ones) on the N/S wings. I feel in our position, ie imported from VW dealer in Holland and home serviced, we will not stand any chance of getting this sorted, so that is why I did not attempt anything earlier.

Now I know that VWs are not built in the same manufacturing plant in Spain as Seat, but they are no less built in Spain - or at least that car was, so I'd think that VW's idea of quality in their "foreign" manufacturing plants is not what they impose back home in Germany, in short for VAG, rust protection, mainly since the introduction of water based paints, can only be beaten by M-B for low quality! Makes me wonder if anything has improved in the intervening 12 years - and are things better/worse in South Africa as that it seems is where the 5 door Polos are built, and that should be her next car?
 
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