Not had this happen but bear in mind, the VW corrosion warranty doesn’t cover all types of corrosion. Warranty cover is restricted to through-rusting from the inside out. This is the summary of the warranty cover from a 2016 Golf brochure;
Body Protection Warranty
The internal body sections and panels of the Golf are covered against rusting through from the inside for 12 years. Naturally, the vehicle must be cared for in compliance with the manufacturer’s operating instructions. Please consult your authorised Volkswagen retailer or repairer for full warranty details.
The wording (and scope of cover provided) hasn’t changed since then - this is what’s in the latest mk8 Golf brochure;
Body Protection Warranty
The internal body sections and panels are covered against rusting through from the inside for 12 years. Naturally, the vehicle must be cared for in compliance with the manufacturer’s operating instructions. Please consult your authorised Volkswagen retailer or repairer for full warranty details.
If your wheel arch is rusting through from the underside of the wheel arch then it may be covered. However, if it’s the result of an ‘external influence’ such as a stone chip where the paintwork has been penetrated through to the metal panel and the stone chip has been left unattended resulting in surface rusting / blistering of the paintwork, then it’s highly likely VW will not cover this under the Body Protection Warranty.
No harm in taking your car into your local VW dealer to inspect the area of corrosion - nothing ventured, nothing gained - but be prepared for them to say it’s not covered if it’s not through-corrosion from the inside out. If in their opinion it is likely to be covered, they’ll probably take paint depth readings to check for any repairs. If there is evidence of repairs that weren’t carried out by a VW approved repairer then it’s likely any warranty claim will be denied.
Please keep the forum updated on developments if you do pursue getting this rectified under the corrosion warranty.
