Leaky Seat Leon- Manufacturing fault with vehicle... help

[Bes]

Hi,

 

I have a 51 plate Seat Leon.

 

I purchased the car in 2004.

 

It developed a problem where water would leak into the footwells via the door. The problem was faulty door seals, and is well documented/ known about, and affects a large number of Seat Leons, however, I do not think Seat themselves have ever acknowledged the issue as being a manufacturing fault.

 

The leaking issue started in around 2006, and in January 2007, it got so bad that I had to take it to the garage (Seat dealer) and get it repaired. It cost around £600- 700 to get rectified.

 

Before I did the repair, I asked Seat if they would pay for the repair, as it is a well documented issue on these vehicles. They refused, stating that the car was 2 years out of warranty, but I went ahead and repaired it out of my own pocket.

 

Now I still see there are lots of cases of this happening, and I think Seat should be accountable for this, as it is affecting a lot of people, and costing a lot of money to get repaired. Do you think I have a case to reclaim the costs from Seat? and if so, how should I go about doing this?

 

Thanks!

[Conniff]

Manufacturers will never admit to bad design and poor assembly until they are poked in the chest by a judge.

 

You would need to gather as many cases as possible but it won't be enough to just print off internet forum complaints. If you can do that then I see no problem at all with getting them to 'pay as a good will gesture' for the repairs. They will not admit even when it is stacked against them and always call it a good will gesture.

[Bes]

Thanks- so do I need written statements from others?

 

 

Thanks

[Conniff]

I would say to find them on forums etc; and pm them asking if they have written proof of faults, garage bills etc; and would they send you a copy, you can volunteer to pay for postage, and the more you can tie together the better.

[heliosuk]

Don't wish to pour scorn on this people but forget it. By all means try but it will cost more in time, effort, potential unreliable statements etc etc. It's not a design fault or material fault. It's a process of aging in the seals. The car afterall was 5 years old when it occurred, the seals are a wearing item and are well tested to meet the requirements of the warranty given plus a bit extra. How long are seals meant to last?

[Conniff]

I know a lot of cars 20 years old and more with no maintenance been carried out or required to door seals

[heliosuk]

True conniff but how long do you think a car is now engineered to last for? It's not 20 years. Further the drive to get rid of cost supposedly for the benefit of the consumer but more so the manufacturer, has had a deteremental affect on the durability of many items used in cars.

 

I'll give an example here: a manufacturer took 25 mm out of a wiring loom with 48 connectors. They saved 300 km of wire a year on that system alone but then experienced issues during early days of use with the connectors pulling out.

 

With seals they try to make them thinner and lighter but they aren't as durable but tests show they last the design spec which is their liability. So no design or manufacturing problem. Replace the seals and off we go for another 5 years.

 

Cars don't last forever and most people accept that and it's certainley not in the interests of the manufacturer to make them last that long. They could........believe me....but the customer wouldn't be prepared to pay for it.

[nigel_bytes]

Fix here,

Water leak into footwell - dodgy seal info and DIY repair guide - SEAT Cupra.net - SEAT Forum