Appealing Initial Verbal Denial by Dealership of Rust Warranty Repair to 2011 Jetta

DBCeee

Member
Joined
Oct 3, 2018
Location
Ontario, Canada
TDI
2011 Jetta Comfortline
My issue here with the local Dealership's vague refusal of my request for repair of rust under the VW Canada's Rust Warranty as it relates to holes drilled in my rocker panels to Oil Spray (to slow the effect of winter salting on especially the undercarriage of my car) my 2011 Jetta? It has 220,000+ km. on it and is in excellent mechanical shape and the parts have been long-lasting, so I want this car's body to last as long as possible, thus the oil-spraying.

September 2018

I'm starting an appeal with the VW Dealership, after 3 separate quotes from 3 local Body Shops. The Dealer already backed down from a verbal denial of service/inspection (back in the early Summer) because I had the car oil sprayed (holes drilled in the rocker panels to properly oil spray them internally) in 2017. I asked for a formal letter of denial and then in a sudden reversal of decision gave me a formal inspection of the car. After the inspection, the staffer had the unprofessional audacity to 1st tell me the decision was not up to them and lay in the hands of VW Canada, BUT THEN (very unprofessionally, imo) proceeded to tell me what they thought my chances of getting approval were for each area of my inspected car (after being the one to deny me, verbally (without any inspection), in the 1st place!!). They told me 6-8 weeks for a decision from VW Canada.
I consulted legal advice and called and then asked for the staff that did the inspection. I ended up talking with the Service Manager on a callback. I asked for a copy of the Rust Warranty Agreement. The Mngr. directed me to my Owner’s Manual; I told this Mngr. there was little of use in the Manual about the details of the Rust Warranty. The Mngr. assured me they'd get me a copy of the full Agreement, soonest.

October 2018

The Mngr. called me back two days later to say they didn't have a copy to give me but read a portion of a Warranty document they had located. They said that the warranty did NOT expressly disallow for drilling holes in the rocker panels and used a term like: "no modifications". I asked her to place all her phone information they had relayed to me in writing. They said they wouldn't until they had heard back from VW Canada regarding the claim and expediting it. They will give me a direct contact at VW Canada, they said, but seems to be suggesting that this may NOT occur until after they make a decision (I want to appeal to VW Canada PRIOR to them making an initial decision, especially based on the "resistance and negativity" I got, UNTIL I said "foul").
I have gotten word back from the Service Mngr. that my claim has been expedited, with no estimates on how much quicker that will make the decision instead of the 6 - 8 weeks I was initially quoted. This person has also NOT put in writing the comments to me that they made verbally, as I requested. The Warranty they READ to me (I asked for a PDF copy of the ENTIRE legal Warranty document!) said that making "modifications" to the car could void this warranty and they commented (most unprofessionally and to her employer's potential detriment, imo) that the drill holes in my car didn't seem like "modifications” to the Mngr.
And that's it for now, let's see what happens.

Thoughts/Comments?
 

Wingnut

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 10, 2002
Location
Toronto & Whitby
TDI
Silver 2003 Jetta Wagon
Not enough information. Where on the car is the rust? How bad is it (perforated, or just surface)? Pictures?

There are certain problem areas on various models of VW's. The MKIV's had issues with fenders, trunk lids/hatches, etc. Not sure if the 11's have common problem areas or not. But the warranty does state that they will only cover the car if there is perforation in the metal, not surface rust. If the rust is where the holes were drilled, that is not the fault of VW. That would be an issue you take up with the company that did the rust proofing. If the rust is no where near the holes that were drilled, then they should be irrelevant. But we need more info if you want informed opinions.
 

drew80a

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 31, 2007
Location
Acton
TDI
2005 TDI
My Mk4 is drilled everywhere for oil spray and was covered for rust warranty
 

Peytron

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 30, 2008
Location
Canada
TDI
Jetta
Did you happen to try a different dealer? I had a lot of run around the first time I tried to get warranty rust repair done. They possibly didn't ever send the pictures to VW. Change in management at the dealer got the process off the ground and approved.


The abysmal job they at the actual repair is a different story though.
 

DBCeee

Member
Joined
Oct 3, 2018
Location
Ontario, Canada
TDI
2011 Jetta Comfortline
Not enough information. Where on the car is the rust? How bad is it (perforated, or just surface)? Pictures?

There are certain problem areas on various models of VW's. The MKIV's had issues with fenders, trunk lids/hatches, etc. Not sure if the 11's have common problem areas or not. But the warranty does state that they will only cover the car if there is perforation in the metal, not surface rust. If the rust is where the holes were drilled, that is not the fault of VW. That would be an issue you take up with the company that did the rust proofing. If the rust is no where near the holes that were drilled, then they should be irrelevant. But we need more info if you want informed opinions.
Let me re-copy out your specific q's and then answer them in "italics":

1.) "There are certain problem areas on various models of VW's. The MKIV's had issues with fenders, trunk lids/hatches, etc. Not sure if the 11's have common problem areas or not." I am not sure either, maybe someone here can comment if the 2011 models have "certain problems"?

2.) "But the warranty does state that they will only cover the car if there is perforation (sic) in the metal, not surface rust. If the rust is where the holes were drilled, that is not the fault of VW." Can you produce a copy of the Rust Warranty you quote (and is it the one for VW Canada? If not the Canadian one, I'm sorry but those comments from "your" Warranty aren't relevant to my claim here in Ontario, Canada, eh?

3.) "If the rust is no where (sic) near the holes that were drilled, then they should be irrelevant. Not only is the rust nowhere near the holes that were drilled, VW previously documented, in an initial rust claim (that was approved and bodywork was done PRIOR to the holes for oil spraying being drilled!), that this rust WAS present before the holes were drilled for oil spraying.
 

DBCeee

Member
Joined
Oct 3, 2018
Location
Ontario, Canada
TDI
2011 Jetta Comfortline
Not enough information. Where on the car is the rust? How bad is it (perforated, or just surface)? Pictures?

There are certain problem areas on various models of VW's. The MKIV's had issues with fenders, trunk lids/hatches, etc. Not sure if the 11's have common problem areas or not. But the warranty does state that they will only cover the car if there is perforation in the metal, not surface rust. If the rust is where the holes were drilled, that is not the fault of VW. That would be an issue you take up with the company that did the rust proofing. If the rust is no where near the holes that were drilled, then they should be irrelevant. But we need more info if you want informed opinions.
Let me re-copy out your specific q's and then answer them in "italics":

1.) "There are certain problem areas on various models of VW's. The MKIV's had issues with fenders, trunk lids/hatches, etc. Not sure if the 11's have common problem areas or not." I am not sure either, maybe someone here can comment?

2.) "But the warranty does state that they will only cover the car if there is perforation (sic) in the metal, not surface rust. If the rust is where the holes were drilled, that is not the fault of VW." Can you produce a copy of the Rust Warranty you quote (and is it the one for VW Canada)? If not the Canadian one, I'm sorry but those comments from "your" Warranty aren't relevant to my claim here in Ontario, Canada, eh?

3.) "If the rust is no where (sic) near the holes that were drilled, then they should be irrelevant. Not only is the rust nowhere near the holes that were drilled, VW previously documented, in an initial rust claim (that was approved and bodywork was done PRIOR to the holes for oil spraying being drilled!), that this rust WAS present before the holes were drilled for oil spraying
 
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tditony1964

New member
Joined
Oct 15, 2018
Location
Powassan
TDI
alh x 2
Ha, my 2012 has holes in the hatch that were not covered under warranty. I spent hours on the phone with VW Canada and they said that it was up to Germany to make the decision... the moral of the story VW does not honour their warranty program. 6 years in to a 12 year warranty and it’s not covered but I wish you better luck than I had. Stackleberg in North bay took the pictures and sent them off to VW Canada. Dealer told me it was out of their hands and I should be thankful on the work that was done under warranty, minor repair for 5k painted 1 fender but the other did not get approved rear quarters and a pillar repaired and painted but the hatch has holes in it!!!!Not impressed. Rant over another unhappy vw owner thankfully my 99.5 gets a poor mans body job every spring by me and is in better shape than my 12 golf
 

Silver02TDI

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Sep 2, 2006
Location
Toronto, Ottawa
TDI
2012 Golf Wagon TDI Highline
2.) "But the warranty does state that they will only cover the car if there is perforation (sic) in the metal, not surface rust. If the rust is where the holes were drilled, that is not the fault of VW." Can you produce a copy of the Rust Warranty you quote (and is it the one for VW Canada)? If not the Canadian one, I'm sorry but those comments from "your" Warranty aren't relevant to my claim here in Ontario, Canada, eh?
I get that you are a new member here and frustrated, but you asked for opinions, and are then pushing back to Wingnut who is trying to give you one? One quick look beside his post and you can see that he is in Toronto, so that is in "Ontario, Canada, eh". He is the moderator of this regional section of the forum, and for a reason. He knows his stuff.

Anyways, yes, the rust PERFORATION warranty should be in the owners manual. It was in mine.
 

imo000

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 13, 2005
Location
Cambridge
TDI
2009 M-B ML320 Diesel & '05 Passat TDI Manual 5-Speed
Hey DBCEEE,

Rust is not perforation. Perforation is a rusted out hole. So the warranty is for a hole but in the past VW has fixed issues that were not yet holes. This seems to have changed lately. I've had issues with panels that were "modified" and the warranty was denied. In my case I put touch up paint on the rust and this was enough to not be covered by the warranty. Next time I decided not to do anything with it and VW replaced have the car under warranty but since you have holes drilled into the car, I'm not one bit surprised that they decided not to cover you. You can try arguing with VW but the chances are slim to none that they will cover you, even if you get a lawyer involved. Take the money you would spend on a lawyer and give it to a body shop instead.
Also, your car is a 2011 but depending when it was first registered that's when the warranty started. This could have been in 2010 and if that's the case, you could be over 8 years into the warranty. If VW thinks the rust will not become a hole before the warranty expires, they can deny you just on that.

Having said all this, I've noticed lately VW has been a real douche when it comes to this warranty. I've registered a car to have it looked at last December and haven't heard back from them. Since then sold the car as-is.
 
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