Dealer Advice - Warranty Claim

[metaljay]

Bit of a tricky one here...

I have a RNS 510 in my 2011 Scirocco R, i've noticed the Radio occasionally drops - and when i say drops i mean ill be listening to a song like "la la la . . . la la . . .' (the ... are the drops haha)a

I've had the headunit out and checked the FM and AM radio Antennas and these both appear fine. I wasnt able to check the impedance of the circuit as my multimeter was playing up (ironic)

So i've booked the car into VW, after 2 days they have say the following:

Hello mr fern
We have been looking at your vehicle with the radio signal fault &
Found the aerial in both your rear windows with the elements for
Your aerial to be at fault due to damage causing an open circuit.
Unfortunately this cannot be claimed under warranty.
It would require both rear side windows then reassessing.
The windows would require ordering at a cost of £660.67 inc vat.
Could you please advise
Kind regards
steve

Hi Steve

Thanks for email, can you please clarify how this damage this could of occurred out of the scope of warranty.

Could you identify how an owner could damage this themselves and it not be covered under warranty?

I do not feel this is treating customers fairly, and have already escalated this on my VW forums to gather previous experiences under warranty regarding your specific recommendation.

I await your response before I make any further decisions.

Jordan

It could have occurred by cleaning the windows or something being carried in car which has caught the elements
steve

Thank you for quick response, simply by that statement it is not clear as to how cleaning windows would seriously affect the effectiveness of the antenna.

Would Volkswagen advertise there is potential to damage the antenna by cleaning the windows?

I'm not prepared to pay £660 for new windows when your evidence is inconclusive taking into account it's a 2011 model.

Jordan

The elements have been caught by something & we cant be sure of what has caused this.was this issue there when you purchased the car?
steve

Steve,

My concern is with the diagnosis, if your saying the window has become damaged by brushing against the elements, then you would see an impact point yet your saying you need to replace both.

Your comment regarding replacing then reassessment suggests your not sure this is the root cause of the problem.

What also puzzles me is the fact damage must of occurred to both windows which is quite a stretch for such a modern car.

Jordan

What do you guys think?

[wigit]

take it to another dealer for a second opinion

[Cuprabob]

Shocking, that's what I think. They haven't got a clue what's wrong

[metaljay]

take it to another dealer for a second opinion

Unfortunately the second dealer near me is also part of the same group as this one. So there databases would be the same.

[Cuprabob]

take it to another dealer for a second opinion

Unfortunately the second dealer near me is also part of the same group as this one. So there databases would be the same.

I would say it's worth a trip further afield, to one not within the same group

[wigit]

in reality never found that them being the same group an issue, dealer i use takes great pleasure in the fact that the other one is next to useless and goes that extra mile

[RocMan]

My radio reception is rubbish and can drop off every now and then. I suspect the same fault but the price is shocking! Hope you get it sorted, most dealers will try anything to get out of a warranty claim. I wouldn't want to be rude, but use your spelling and grammar check when you write to them

[metaljay]

I thought my spelling was spot on haha.

I'm awaiting there reply atm so will get back to you all

[b0rk]

The heating elements are the aerial wires effectively, I'd be surprised for both sides to have been damaged.
Intermittent drops sound more like a loose or damaged wire somewhere in the car.

Have you tried autoglass or auto windscreens for a quote on side window glass replacement... also ask the dealer to break the quoted £660 into parts and labour. The windows (parts only) are not I recall particularly expensive and less than a rear or front screen. Now I don't have access to a copy of ETKA with UK prices but I can tell that a rear side window 65% tint is 145 eur ea so 290 eur (approx £250). The aerial amplifiers are only 30 eur each and I can't believe would need replacement with the glass.

[metaljay]

Thanks b0rk, I'll ask when they get back to me

[Cuprabob]

I assume they are are not talking about the elements in the rear hatch window but the non heated ones in each of the rear side windows. IIRC there is about 3 wires in each window which can be clearly seen from the inside.

Although it's a Golf this may be of interest.

http://www.my-gti.com/2742/aerial-infor ... lf-mark-vi" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[metaljay]

Thanks Bob, it's been a few days now since any response so I'm hoping they have just ordered replacements haha

[Mark V]

I read somewhre on (I think) this forum about a member having damaged elements and using a special glue to re-attach them together. May need to do a search for that....

[metaljay]

Thanks Mark, they haven't got back to me in 4 days no so I'm hoping good things haha

[dimexi]

I read somewhre on (I think) this forum about a member having damaged elements and using a special glue to re-attach them together. May need to do a search for that....

I think they used a silver paint. The user found the broken bits of the element by using a voltmeter IIRC