Car Repairs

A question about : Car Repairs

Hi

Hopefully I'm posting in the right place.

I need some advice regarding my recent car issues. I've had the car 14 months (bought second hand from a main dealer, advertised with no problems and full service history). It had done approximately 23,000 miles when I purchased it. As of today it's done 33,000.

So far it has needed the following repairs:

1) Change of tyres from day one (they apparently would have passed an MOT but were majorly cracked with chunks out the side when purchased and wouldn't last long). Eventually the dealer agreed to change them to second hand budget tyres free of charge after a long argument.

2) Brake pads needed changing after around 5000 miles. I was charged for this.

3) Wheel bearing needed changing.

4) Dual mass flywheel needed replacing. (and some leak on something else that wasn't fully explained at the time).

5) Inlet manifold needed replacing

6) Waterpump needed replacing

7) Thermostat housing needed replacing

8) Cambelt pulley cracked so needed replacing

9) Cambelt needed replacing

10) I believe I had a new drive kit at some point to (I'm still looking for the paperwork)

11) EGR Valve needed replacing

All the above parts that have been replaced are genuine parts purchased from the dealer. Some of the repairs were carried out by the dealer, some by an independent garage and some by me.

Yesterday my clutch slipped and needs replacing.

I need advice on whether or not the dealer should have advised me of this when the dual mass flywheel was originally changed (4 months ago). I expect I haven't got a leg to stand on here as it will be my word against theirs.

My main issue is have I got a case if I make a claim stating the car wasn't fit for purpose when I bought it as I've had it for 14 months, I've only driven 10,000 and the car has only done 33,000. The amount of repairs that have needed to be carried out, in my opinion is a complete joke.

The dealer says as the warranty is up they are not willing to help in any way unless I pay for a diagnostics to prove the clutch is damaged and even then the cost of the diagnostics will be more than the goodwill gesture that they may or may not give me?

Their advice was to use an independent garage as it will be cheaper for me.

Thanks in advance for any help

Andy

Best answers:

• Mileage could be immaterial, how old is the car? Make and model?
• It's a 6 year old Vauxhall Insignia, 4.5 years old when purchased.
  It's annoying as I have pretty much replaced the whole car
• DMF done under warranty? You would have needed to negotiate the cost of replaching the clutch plates and bearing if applicable.
  Belts and pulleys cracking maybe an age thing or a car thats left running for extended periods, even though the mileage is low. Maybe just due a change on the vehicles age and its always worth changing the pulleys if plastic. Ive seen some nasty ones and always replace the belt with a full pulley kit.
  Waterpump maybe behind the belt and they usually recommend changing that at the same time due to the labour to remove the belt to fit a pump later.
  Brake pads wear out and at 28,000 miles not a totally unexpected bill.
  Wheel bearing, Maybe just unlucky.
• DMF was a warranty job, I would have been more than happy to pay for the clutch at the same time if I new it wasn't being done as I most likely need another DMF now. While it's off it may as well get changed, every other garage I know wouldn't change a DMF without a clutch and this is a main dealer.
  I only found out about the pulley when changing the cambelt anyway but it was an added cost not expected.
  In my view, brake pads a couple of months after they say it was fully inspected is pretty bad. Cheap enough so I'm not really bothered about that anyway.
  Apparently the inlet manifold, waterpump and thermostat housing broke at the same time according to Vauxhall. They quoted Ј1501.60 for this. I bought the parts from a different vauxhall dealer for a fraction of the price of the quote! and got an independent to do it even though there was no apparent problem with the thermostat housing.
• Main dealer replacing tyres with second-hand ones? That doesn't sound good.
  Tell us who they are so we can all avoid them, and I'd suggest contacting the manufacturer's UK customer service team as well - that sort of practice would be strongly discouraged in the franchised network.
  What's the exact model?
• I'm sure I heard somewhere that second-hand/part-worn tyres can sometimes invalidate insurance?
  I may be wrong, ofc.
  HBS x
• If the tyres had chunks out the side from day one, why weren't new ones negotiated as part of the purchase?
• Tyres and the brakes visible through the wheels are the loudest car alarm bells known.
  Manky tyres means that the previous owner couldn't care a damn about the most important part of the car, a fair assumption would be that the parts you can't see will be far worse.
  Put this one down to experience.
• I'm just glad I buy high mileage cars. Sounds like low mileage ones are a whole heap of trouble.
  Driving a 240,000 mile car for the same period of time the only fault I had was a leak on a coolant hose, Ј20 to replace from main dealer.
  I really does sound like you've had a lemon.