Why didn't Skoda specify the terms of its Fabia warranty?

I read your article about Skoda refusing to honor a valid warranty and had a similar experience.

Last year we noticed paint bubbles on our 2015 Skoda Fabia. We booked it for evaluation as it has a 12 year body protection warranty.

We haven't heard from the dealer for six months, despite repeated calls. Eventually we called Skoda customer service and weeks later were told it could not be repaired under warranty as there had not been a regular paint inspection according to the service schedule Skoda.

The car was serviced at a Skoda dealership until 2020 when the garage ceased its affiliation with the company. Last August we hired an independent garage.

None of Skoda's detailed service reports contain a section on paint inspection, and conditions warranty make no mention of the required paint checks.

GV, Billingborough, Lincolnshire

Skoda appears, as in the last case on which I investigated, to rely on clauses that are not specified in its warranty conditions.

The bodywork protection warranty stipulates that vehicles benefit from Complete protection against rust damage provided the problem is reported to an authorized Skoda dealer as soon as it is discovered and proven to be a manufacturing fault. However, I have been advised that your warranty protection is invalidated as paint inspections are required every three years as part of annual maintenance, and your dealership and independent garage maintenance records suggest that this has not been done.

It points to a clause in a separate part of its terms and conditions which states that vehicles must be maintained in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations and that the defects caused by insufficient maintenance will not be corrected under the warranty.

This three-year inspection obligation is not mentioned in the warranty conditions provided to customers, so they can't check if it's been done.

Skoda says that's because its service guidelines are frequently revised. Shortly after contacting the press office, they offered to finance 60% of the repair costs. When I pointed out the inadequacy of his client's fine print, he agreed to honor the warranty.

It says: "Further investigation has shown that the customer had, in good faith, taken the car to be serviced regularly...we can confirm that Skoda has agreed to fully cover the cost of the repair.that a problem is due to a manufacturing defect, and the manufacturers know this.If a warranty claim is refused, customers can sue the dealer who sold them the vehicle under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. But if more than six months have passed since they bought it, they have to prove that the fault was inherent, so it can be helpful to get an independent report, and if that concludes that a manufacturing issue was to blame, they can take the dealer (or the manufacturer if it's a warranty claim) in small claims court eances.

But if the dealership is a member of The Motor Ombudsman program, who should be their first point of contact.

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