2005 Volkswagen Polo Warranty Complaint
September 3, 2007 by Alborz Fallah
Name: Renee
Car Make: Volkswagen
Car Model: Polo
Year of Manufacture: 2005
Warranty Complaint:
I have to express my disappointment with my purchase on my Volkswagen Polo 2005 model.
8 months ago I noticed that my paint on my bonnet and roof is starting to flake away.
I have had arguments with my local dealer who informed me the paint damage was caused by bird faeces and was not under warranty, therefore would not fix the damage.
As the problem continued to worsen, I took my car to a prestige car sprayer who assessed the vehicle and said that no amount of bird faeces would have caused the damage on my vehicle.
Angrily I have been quoted $600AUS to repair the paintwork on my car.
What has frustrated me the most is that I originally paid an extra $900AUS when I purchased the vehicle to extend the warranty on my vehicle for 6 years.
What a waste of money that was when I couldn’t even cover the damage on my paint work.
Volkswagen AUS website states that “factory warranty covers you against manufacturing or material faults and includes a 3 year paintwork warranty. Your vehicle is also protected by a 12 year anti-corrosion perforation warranty for your complete reassurance”. How false that is.
Print it: 
Renee… Take it up with the Dealer Principal or VW Australia…
The DP would rather help you out than get bad PR with the amount of bad mouthing you’ll dish out on the dealership:)
HAVING BEEN A SPRAY PAINTER FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS I CAN TELL YOU THAT BIRDS CAN CAUSE PAINT TO PEEL IN LESS THAN TWO DAY. STAND UP AND TAKE OWNERSHIP OF YOUR VEHCILE ITS NOT VW FAULT. AS FOR THE DEALER AND DP I HOPE YOU REALISE THERE A FRANCHISE AND THERE NOT AT FAULT THERE JUST ACTING UNDER VW POLICY. THERE JUST TRYING TO MAKE A HONEST LIVING FAMILIES COST MONEY
I agree with Rob.
The highly acidic & corrosive compound that comes from birds droppings is strong enough to eat through the protective top coat & right through to the first coat of paint.I had experience of this,luckily the damage was confined to the boot lid which was later replaced due to an accident insurance claim.I am paranoid about the stuff & do an inspection after every time the car is used.
This also shows up the worth of paying for extended warranties on anything.
The motor trade has been using this ploy for decades.
A nice little earner.
It is just another way of parting you from your money.
The other one is paint & fabric treatments.
Do you get anymore at trade in time?Of course not so why pay for it in the first place?
$900 can still buy a lot even today.
Renee, by the sound of this, it is not a VW problem and would not be covered by the manufacturer’s warranty as a vehicle defect. I have had first hand experience with VW Australia with a paint issue and they promptly fixed it because they acknowledged it was a defect. (although I was stuffed around by the dealer)
Firstly, environmental damage from bird droppings is a major issue, particularly if you have dark coloured paintwork. When you park your car in the sun, the surface temperatures can be greater that 70ºC. Think about it, add heat to a chemical reaction and it speeds it up and that’s what I think you may have here viz., bird poo (or worse still bat poo) add some heat and time and whammo! paint damage.
Secondly, I don’t know of a ‘prestige car sprayer’ that could properly paint a bonnet and roof of any car with a clear over base finish for $600 these days; unless it is just a touch up of sorts. So if you are going to get it repaired make sure that you go to someone who really knows what they are doing eg an Authorised VW Body Shop, otherwise, you will regret it later.
Take David’s advice and check your car’s paintwork regularly and as soon as you see environmental fallout of any kind, clean it off and more importantly make sure you keep up a protective coat of wax or polish of some type; it won’t stop the damage if you leave what ever is there long enough, but it may just give you a little bit more time before the damage happens.
And go easy on VW with this one. By the sound of it, it is a maintenance issue I don’t think VW need to be unfairly monstered with this one.
I’m the owner of a 2004 VW Polo Club. Great car so far after 60,000 kms. Only complaint is that the rotary blower switch on the dash which is a necdessary part of the air cond keeps breaking. It loses its ability to select any fan speed except 4, being the maximum, which is bloody noisy. Putting it in for the 3rd time under Warranty, which finishes next month. What happens if it keeps breaking after warranty expiry?
get your heads out of your assess its only a car get a life you all sound pathetic
nick,
you sound like an a-hole!
nick,
you do indeed sound like that.
i am thinking of buying a 2004 vw polo club, but before i do i was wondering if anyone was having trouble geting parts.
i live in newcastle.
Hi Renee,
I have empathies with you. I have precisely the same problem with my Mitsubishi Outlander.
The paint on my roof and side of my car is flaking and the Mitsubishis inspector says its bird or bat droppings.
Unfortunately I was not present when they came to this conclusion, and they refuse to justify how they come to this conclusion.
Looking at the affected area, there is no residue around the area that would give any sort of indication as to what is causing the flaking….so how do they come to this conclusion.
Based on your experience do you have any advice for me?