Pelle's claims for corrosion coverage for his Jetta have been denied. Here's what he should do next.
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Q. I would like to know more about the 12-year corrosion warranty from Volkswagen. The dealer says the corrosion on the roof of my Jetta is due to damage to the finish caused by the glass installer who replaced the windshield. He says that rust on the fenders is caused by stone chips. Can you provide some details on what I can expect to have covered?
– Pelle, Trois Rivières, Québec
A. Volkswagen offers an industry leading 12-year warranty for corrosion; coverage was reduced to 7 years in 2018, which is still noteworthy for a mass-market brand. However VW “throttles” warranty coverage. This practice may have been aggravated by penny-pinching in the aftermath of the massive payouts VW made to owners of diesel vehicles for emissions cheating.
The Jetta is rather rust-resistant. Sensitive areas to monitor on the Jetta include the front corners of the roof, the junction of the fenders at the rear bumper and the trunk lid above the license plate. Corrosion first becomes noticeable after the sixth year on the road in Ontario, Quebec and Eastern Canada where the roads are wet and salted in winter.
Owners report that dealers sometimes improvise excuses to deny coverage. VW dealers often use the same installers consumers do for their glass repairs, but they will reject a subsequent claim if the windshield replacement wasn’t arranged through them. Some owners report that rust repairs are covered only partially; the automaker accepts to repair some panels but not others, or offers to split the cost of the repair. One owner reported that his claim was rejected due to a colour mismatch even though he had never repainted the car! And it can take months for a VW representative to inspect a vehicle and then several months more to schedule the repair.
An important first step when bringing a rust claim to the attention of a manufacturer is to have it recorded. Wash the vehicle and take photos of the damaged areas. Book an appointment with the dealership’s service department for inspection and make sure the service writer enters a specific mention of rust and the areas concerned, as opposed to a more generic “Inspect car” or “Check for rust,” which could be open to interpretation later on. Some dealers don’t provide copies of work orders for no-charge repairs or warranty inspections; ask for a copy.
If the dealer is unable to obtain the necessary approval and you are certain the corrosion concerns an original panel, it is time to escalate. If you are able to, ask a local body shop to evaluate the cause of the damage and prepare an estimate (the Automobile Protection Association may be able to refer you to an expert if you are in Greater Toronto or Montreal). Write the automaker a demand letter and request an inspection by their representative, and follow up with a call to their customer service department. Scheduling a meeting with a manufacturer’s representative could take three months. If the claim is approved you will need to schedule the repair, which can take a further three to six months, and may be sublet by the VW dealer to a local collision repair shop. Many owners just give up, but it’s worth being persistent.
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Bonjour ma beetle 2012 acheter neuve est toute rouiller au niveau des 4 ailes et du houde est ce que je peux bénéficier de la garantie contre la corrosion de Volkswagen merci
My Dealer said the rust spots on the bonnet were caused by stone chips and therefore repair is not covered by the 12-year warranty. It seems odd to me that I get stone chip rust spots on the bonnet. They were going to charge me about £1200 for repairing it. I opted for another company. They did a good job but as far as I can remember they said they found the rust was endemic and they only corrected the visible spots where the rust was visible. I’m the second owner. The 1st had it for 3 years. I’ve had it over 6 yrs and never remember the car getting chipped. I’m sure I’d have noticed it.
I bought Volkswagen Jetta in 2011, which is under 12 years corrosion warranty, a main reason that I decided to buy the car at the moment. It has been a lemon to me with multiple issues, now I believe Volkswagen warranty is really a scheme.
Firstly from third year the windshield wiper arms acting up in cold weather, I ended up cleaning the window manually with the side window open while drive in snowy condition when they malfunctioned. I went to dealer, the arms were moving so they refused to check so I have to suffer the fears and dangers time to time. And finally he suggested me to see him in 1-2 years.
Recently I went to the dealer again for the corrosion showing on my car, one of the most obvious on in the lift Conner of the roof, the guy as the body shop manager of the dealer refused right away before seeing the spot, saying it not covered, I asked him reason he said the rust was from stone chip. And then he refused coverage for all rusted spot with obviously ridiculous reasons…
Any suggestions on what to do next?
Hi Lily,
Thanks for your question. We’ll pass it along to our expert George Iny. Because we receive such a large volume of questions, we cannot guarantee he will be able to respond.
I have a VW passat that mechanically has been serviced according to spec by VW inc. It runs very well but the body has holes although the upper part of panels and roof/ hood look new. Its a 2010. I had approached an ottawa dealer last year before it turned 11 yrs old and they told me during coved things wouldn’t get done easily. Daoud i should come back when things return till a more normal state. Well now im 2 months past the deadline. What should i do? Please offer any advice you may have.
I’ve been patiently waiting for VW to make up their mind whether or not they will honour the rust warranty (It’s been almost a year now). My ’13 Tuguan has developed fairly serious rust issues mainly around the door handles and between the bumper covers and adjoining panels. There are rock chips that I know will not be covered. I have had the car in to the dealer at twice at their request for pictures to be taken. The person their even found rust spots that I was unaware of. I bought the car as a certified pre-owned vehicle from the same VW dealer. I was talked into paying extra for a “rust module” which in my opinion is a complete and total farce. It was supposed to enhance the rust warranty. I fully expect for this claim to be denied. If so, they won’t have to worry about me darkening their doorstep in the future. It is obvious to me that VW doesn’t want their customers to hang onto a vehicle for longer than four years. I used to be a big VW fan and have owned quite a few over the years. Sadly VW has changed. I should have bought a Rav 4.
I purchased VW 2.5 in 2011, rust initially appeared in 2017 the dealership inspected, photographed and all rust repairs were approved by VW Canada and the work was completed including right side rocker repair and looked excellent, rust again appeared in 2020 the dealership inspected, photographed and most rust repairs were approved by VW Canada and the approved work was completed – VW Canada had rejected rust to the rockers stating the rust cause as ‘due to impacts from stones or other road debris, or due to other external causes’ following my review after the approved work was completed it was apparent the rust is from below the paint, the body shop which completed the recent body work stated rockers are rusted, need replacing and if existing rockers repaired, rust will reappear in a few months and also my servicing garage confirm the rockers are rusting viewed from below – in response to my request to VW Canada to recheck I receive confirmation ‘when you submitted your corrosion claim you indicated that you read and understood the terms and conditions’ and also added ‘it states that all decisions made by our corrosion specialists are final – their refusal to recheck seems either a company policy never to recheck even if their review from photos was incorrect or a cost concern as I understand rocker replacement is very expensive work – generally the car is in excellent condition, low mileage and I wish to keep for a few more years – what action do you recommend I take.