Corroded Alloys + Rusting boot at 2 year old

SSimpson3

Active Member
Sep 1, 2008
125
0
Insch, Aberdeenshire
Hi,

1 of my alloys have corroded and what i was wondering is would it be covered under warrenty as the car is only 2 years old, the alloy has never been kerbed it just started appearing one day now its getting pretty bad.
Its the BBS Sport alloy by the way.

Thanks
 
Last edited:
Jul 10, 2007
1,267
0
Leeds
I know that on my Toyota I had the wheels replaced 3 times for the same issue no questions asked, bit looking at other threads on here, SEAT may not be so leaniant.

I would take it to the dealer and see what they say, but I think it is reasonable to expect them to replace it under warranty.
 

RickyD1975

Audi A6 2.0TDI 170 S-Line
Jan 2, 2008
572
0
North East
I didn't know that alloys could corrode. Is it not the lacquer coating not peeling or alloy wheel worms.

If the wheel is not curbed then the dealer should cover this under warranty.
 

SSimpson3

Active Member
Sep 1, 2008
125
0
Insch, Aberdeenshire
I phoned the stealer and they are going to 'investigate' it which means they will prob fob me off with some story about it being my fault and they wont replace it
 

lc_allan

Northern Monkey
Sep 15, 2006
3,389
4
SEAT really do let the side down with their alloys. They have always had issues with them whether it be corrosion or flaking lacquer etc... bit off putting on future purchases.
 

Al

Active Member
Aug 29, 2005
7,331
9
Good luck with getting them replaced. My experience with this is that 9 times out of 10 you can forget it, especially if the wheel has been kerbed.
 

seremotors

Dave the Parts Manager
Mar 11, 2008
12,507
9
Belfast UK
www.seatcupra.net
Make sure your dealer actually forwards pics to SEAT warranty, not just fobs you off . . . . If warranty turn it down, point out its only one wheel so it cant be down to alloy wheel cleaner, salt etc or all 4 would have gone. then hassle the life out of customer care 0500 222222
I work for SEAT and still had to go down this road to get headlamps replaced for condensation . . . . .
 

DaveysFR

Active Member
May 28, 2008
526
5
Northern Ireland: Limavady
I feel for you mate, discovered the same problem with my one of my rims today [:@].
Keep us posted mate and Ill do the same.

The lacquer seems to be pure sh1t on these rims compared to any other car or alloy wheels I have owned in the past.
 

seremotors

Dave the Parts Manager
Mar 11, 2008
12,507
9
Belfast UK
www.seatcupra.net
we used to be Mazda dealers - must have cost Mazda a fortune, so many 6 wheels were replaced under warranty . . . . . they still covered them tho . .
all polished/lacquered rims are more prone to corrosion than painted rims and these BBS rims are a LOT cheaper than you would expect from BBS. finished to a price??????????????? just a thought . . .
 

alx_chung

Dark Lord of the Torque
Sep 11, 2006
1,538
0
In front of a PC....
we used to be Mazda dealers - must have cost Mazda a fortune, so many 6 wheels were replaced under warranty . . . . . they still covered them tho . .
all polished/lacquered rims are more prone to corrosion than painted rims and these BBS rims are a LOT cheaper than you would expect from BBS. finished to a price??????????????? just a thought . . .

RX8 alloys were well known for that. My mate bought several sets for his Hyundai Coupe and after a few months they would start to peel away.
Alex
 

SSimpson3

Active Member
Sep 1, 2008
125
0
Insch, Aberdeenshire
due to last minute plans i never made it to the garage but ill hopefully get in the next week or so, i also noticed at the weekend that my front passenger alloy is starting to go now, you can see around the rim where it is flaking so prob another 2 weeks and that alloy will need replaced aswell,
also how often does brakes usually need replaced, iv done 23k miles and they sometimes feel as though the car is not going to stop and make alot of noise, the car was just serviced 3 weeks ago and nothing was mentioned about them????
 
Jul 10, 2007
1,267
0
Leeds
due to last minute plans i never made it to the garage but ill hopefully get in the next week or so, i also noticed at the weekend that my front passenger alloy is starting to go now, you can see around the rim where it is flaking so prob another 2 weeks and that alloy will need replaced aswell,
also how often does brakes usually need replaced, iv done 23k miles and they sometimes feel as though the car is not going to stop and make alot of noise, the car was just serviced 3 weeks ago and nothing was mentioned about them????

Brakes is a how long is a piece of string type question.

Also the other thing to consider is just pads or pads and discs.

I have replaced pads at just over a year old so maybe 15K before, but on other cars have not normally changed them and sold the car with 40K.

I did have new discs on the Celica at 40K and changed the pads then, Focus was due them shortly after I sold it on with about 44K on the clock.

Just depends on driving style and road conditions, but at 23K with heavy braking they may need replacing.
 

SSimpson3

Active Member
Sep 1, 2008
125
0
Insch, Aberdeenshire
Corroded alloys and RUSTING boot at 2 yrs old!!!

Hi,

Finally got my car into the stealers on friday for the problems mentioned earlier so to begin with my alloys wont be changed under warrenty as they agree they are corroded but i have seemingly damaged them aswell!!! total rubbish as i got my car proffesionally valeted yesterday and we both inspected the alloys when he was waxing them and the only damage we can see is 1 stone chip!!!!!!!!!!!!!! so i will be phonning Seat today and getting 2 new alloys ordered as i wont stop till they are changed.

To top it off when the car was being cleaned we noticed a bump on my boot which has been explained as rust starting from the inside and working its way out, yes i did say RUST on a 2 YEAR OLD CAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Iv never heard of any car rusting at this age so Seat will get an earbashing about that today, the only explanation i can think of is that when my car was getting fixed on friday they mentioned my back water pipe had come loose and leaked water on my electrics thats why my break lights were coming on permanatly so im guessing that might of caused the rust?

Also my airbags are not working for the time being aswell!!! Great.
This is due to a new side airbag having to be ordered for my car as the warning light came on again so they decided it wasnt the wiring this time and actually spend time finding where the fault is.

Oh and i forgot to mention i got a loan car when mine went in, an 08 Seat Ibiza and 1.5 miles from garage it broke down due to no petrol, what idiot sends out a loan car with that amount of petrol in it, we must of drove on fumes for that 1.5 miles and we had to wait 40 mins for somebody to come and put petrol in it for us making us 30 mins late for an important meeting.

So its fair to say i am fed up with Seat at the moment and wish i never bought it as i had neverending problems when i bought the car due to a salesman who didnt know what he was speaking about (long story) and been back a few times for problems and the aftersales have been totally rubbish. Rant over

On a plus point my car is looking absolutly stunning after the valet yesterday so have something to smile about.
 
Jul 10, 2007
1,267
0
Leeds
Nightmate mate!!!

On the subject of loan cars, the garages often don't check there is any fuel in them. It's a absolute pain, especially if you're in a hurry as most people are and don't know the area where the stealer is that well.

On the wheels it just goes to show what SEAT are like compared to other manufacturers. I managed to kerb one of my Celica alloys not badly but was noticeable and they still changed that no questions asked due to corrosion.

I had a never ending list of issues with mine too, which is why I got shot of it after just over a year. Even the getting rid of it was delayed as I was waiting for a new back seat cover that took a month and didn't want to negotiate a part ex price until it was all sorted.
 

SSimpson3

Active Member
Sep 1, 2008
125
0
Insch, Aberdeenshire
I just phoned them just know ans the service manager is off today on a course so he is supposed to be phoning me tomorrow as iv told them i want 2 new alloys and a new boot but the service department cant authorise any of that so ill see what they say tomorrow, im just completly stunned at my car rusting already, just shows the build quality of them also i was told on friday that to replace the alloys myself would only cost £130 each!!! what cheap sh*t is that, the tyres cost me more than the alloy so that will be why they are corroding so quick
 

SSimpson3

Active Member
Sep 1, 2008
125
0
Insch, Aberdeenshire
I decided to email Seat Uk Customer services and complain and also attached photos of my Alloys to prove theres no other damage, heres what i wrote;

Hi,

I bought a new 2007 Seat Leon 2.0TDI Reference Sport 2 years ago from Specialist Cars Aberdeen, I had the car in the garage on Friday 30th January due to airbag light being on which has resulted in a new side airbag being ordered and also to have my alloys checked over as 2 of them had corroded (both on passenger side), I was told they acknowledge that the alloys are corroded but wont change them under warranty as I have damaged them myself, I do not agree with this, the car was professionally valeted yesterday and after the alloys were waxed we both inspected them and could only find 1 minor stone chip so I cant see why I am being penalized due to this, I have attached photos of the pitting on the alloys as proof for you to look over.

Also I have noticed a lump form on the boot of my car (just above the Leon badge) so took it to a body shop who said that the boot is rusting from the inside, I found this hard to believe myself on a car that’s only 2 years old but he confirmed that it is rust and that it could be repaired but it would be a waste of time as a few months down the line it will happen again so best to replace the boot. The reason I can think behind this is that when it was in the garage on Friday I was told that a water pipe to the back window wiper and come loose and leaked water onto the electrics which was causing my brake lights to come on permanently (another problem I have had to add to the list) so this could be causing the rust but I am unsure.

This is the final nail in the coffin for me as I have had nothing but trouble from the day I bought the car and shows Seat in there real light, and I wouldn’t want to recommend yourselves to anybody else.

I just hope you can redeem yourselves and replace the alloys and do something about my boot as I have had enough now.

Car registration number: L** C**

Thanks for your time in reading this and if you want to call and talk to me phone numbers are:

Mobile:******
House: ******
 
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