Rejecting a new car after nearly 6 months?

Rejecting a new car after nearly 6 months?

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Discussion

Stupeo

Original Poster:

1,343 posts

192 months

Wednesday 27th July 2016
quotequote all
To cut a very long story short, we have a Fiat 500X on a 65 plate that we got on 30th January 2016. It's almost 6 months old.

Last Wednesday, during the school run, the car engaged the hill start assist and would not release it. You couldn't move. Fiat Assistance came out to see it and decided it needed towing to dealers to take a look.

Fast forward to today, I've had atleast 40 phone calls with the dealers and Fiat UK. No-one has followed on their promises of calling me back or doing what they said. We was without a courtesy car for 4 business days, despite lots of promises and only got one at 22.30PM last night (Enterprise was actually very helpful, even opening the branch specifically for us to collect a car!).

It's a new problem to all involved apparently, so I appreciate that it takes time (Fiat Italy have supposedly been looking at it) - but the fact that we had to so long without a courtesy car, they still don't have a plan to fix it, it's highly frustrating!

This is our second bad experience with Fiat, so never again. The car has done less than 2,000 miles and we've lost all confidence in the car, the dealers and Fiat UK.

Can you reject a car after one major fault like this?

Centurion07

10,381 posts

246 months

Wednesday 27th July 2016
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IANAL but seriously?!

It's had this single fault, that occured within the last week and you've lost all confidence in the car?! I doubt very much you'd be able to reject off the back of this.

Come back and ask when you still haven't got your car back in 3 months time or it's developed more faults on top of this one.

SteBrown91

2,360 posts

128 months

Wednesday 27th July 2016
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No, you need to give them 3 clear attempts to fix it.

You might be able to reject if the fault was bad enough but a broken handbrake is not really in that category

The issue is with the dealer not the car. If the dealer returned the car sorted after a couple of days would you want to reject it then?

Vaud

50,296 posts

154 months

Wednesday 27th July 2016
quotequote all
Stupeo said:
Can you reject a car after one major fault like this?
It's a minor fault. An engine blowing up is a major fault.

Stupeo

Original Poster:

1,343 posts

192 months

Wednesday 27th July 2016
quotequote all
I think I cut the story too short earlier - apologies.

So this is the 3rd fault with the car, not the first. The dealer has claimed since day 1 they can't fix it and that Fiat UK needs to tell them how. However, between the two organisations they couldn't agree on who should provide a courtesy car or follow up on calls back to let me know what is happening.

If it was the first, I wouldn't consider a rejection, but the car seems to have some niggles.

Stupeo

Original Poster:

1,343 posts

192 months

Wednesday 27th July 2016
quotequote all
It's not a "handbrake" problem AIUI - the hydraulics in the brakes are locking on. Clearly not safe to drive?

Vaud

50,296 posts

154 months

Wednesday 27th July 2016
quotequote all
You could try a polite, short, factual email to the UK CEO. Few bullet points. What you want to happen.

http://ceoemail.com/s.php?id=ceo-8957&k=5798b9...

Iva Barchetta

44,044 posts

162 months

Wednesday 27th July 2016
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More details .

What else has gone wrong ?

Durzel

12,232 posts

167 months

Wednesday 27th July 2016
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What else has gone wrong? Same fault three times or did the cup holder not come out properly once?

TooMany2cvs

29,008 posts

125 months

Wednesday 27th July 2016
quotequote all
You were without a courtesy car for four days...

...during which, going by the average mileage since you bought the car, you'd have covered about 40 miles total.

I'm sure you coped.

StuTheGrouch

5,714 posts

161 months

Wednesday 27th July 2016
quotequote all
TooMany2cvs said:
You were without a courtesy car for four days...

...during which, going by the average mileage since you bought the car, you'd have covered about 40 miles total.

I'm sure you coped.
This hits the nail on the head.

OP- you are being a bit over-dramatic. Chase them frequently, then once it's sorted then you can assess the true inconvenience to yourself. Then ask them for a free service or something. If you get it back and all is well I'm sure your confidence in the car will be restored.

R8Steve

4,150 posts

174 months

Wednesday 27th July 2016
quotequote all
TooMany2cvs said:
You were without a courtesy car for four days...

...during which, going by the average mileage since you bought the car, you'd have covered about 40 miles total.

I'm sure you coped.
Why should he have to cope though?

Given the fact that he bought a brand new car so that he didn't have to.

Wacky Racer

38,100 posts

246 months

Wednesday 27th July 2016
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I've had several new Fiats, and whilst they have not been without faults, their customer service (in my experience) has been very good, likewise their dealerships.

I appreciate it is frustrating but I do feel this is a little bit over dramatic.

I'm sure many PH'ers have been without their cars weeks, even months.

anothernameitist

1,500 posts

134 months

Wednesday 27th July 2016
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P U B L I C
T R A N S P O R T

40 MILES FFS

TooMany2cvs

29,008 posts

125 months

Wednesday 27th July 2016
quotequote all
R8Steve said:
TooMany2cvs said:
You were without a courtesy car for four days...

...during which, going by the average mileage since you bought the car, you'd have covered about 40 miles total.

I'm sure you coped.
Why should he have to cope though?

Given the fact that he bought a brand new car so that he didn't have to.
Here's a newsflash. Sometimes, very complicated manufactured products - of all kinds - go wrong.
And the vendor is standing by their product, and fixing it. As you would expect them to.

Except this particular problem is defying their efforts. They've called the manufacturer's UK tech team in. They've called the manufacturer's international tech team in.

The problem is being fixed. The OP has a replacement car now, for the duration of the fix.

In the short term, though, they encountered a minor inconvenience which didn't actually affect them very much.

R8Steve

4,150 posts

174 months

Wednesday 27th July 2016
quotequote all
TooMany2cvs said:
R8Steve said:
TooMany2cvs said:
You were without a courtesy car for four days...

...during which, going by the average mileage since you bought the car, you'd have covered about 40 miles total.

I'm sure you coped.
Why should he have to cope though?

Given the fact that he bought a brand new car so that he didn't have to.
Here's a newsflash. Sometimes, very complicated manufactured products - of all kinds - go wrong.
And the vendor is standing by their product, and fixing it. As you would expect them to.

Except this particular problem is defying their efforts. They've called the manufacturer's UK tech team in. They've called the manufacturer's international tech team in.

The problem is being fixed. The OP has a replacement car now, for the duration of the fix.

In the short term, though, they encountered a minor inconvenience which didn't actually affect them very much.
Almost every thread i read you have some sort of negative comment in it somewhere usually directed against the OP. I do wonder how you'd be if the shoe was on the other foot and if you would be happy in such circumstances.

I imagine not and that you'd be straight up to Fiat complaining in your usual negative tone.

Centurion07

10,381 posts

246 months

Wednesday 27th July 2016
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Negative he may be, but also right a fair bit too.

TooMany2cvs

29,008 posts

125 months

Wednesday 27th July 2016
quotequote all
R8Steve said:
Almost every thread i read you have some sort of negative comment in it somewhere usually directed against the OP.
Only in threads where the OP's being an idiot.
If the OP's not being an idiot, but somebody else commenting is, then I'll quite happily direct comments against them, too.

It's hardly my fault if there's a lot of people who seem to like being idiots.

Vaud

50,296 posts

154 months

Wednesday 27th July 2016
quotequote all
TooMany2cvs said:
Only in threads where the OP's being an idiot.
If the OP's not being an idiot, but somebody else commenting is, then I'll quite happily direct comments against them, too.

It's hardly my fault if there's a lot of people who seem to like being idiots.
Were you and LoonR1 seperated at birth?

wink

I have no issue with it providing it remains on the factual and banter side of things.

Sheepshanks

32,542 posts

118 months

Wednesday 27th July 2016
quotequote all
SteBrown91 said:
No, you need to give them 3 clear attempts to fix it.
Not true.

SteBrown91 said:
You might be able to reject if the fault was bad enough but a broken handbrake is not really in that category
Of course it is. The car can't be used so it's fundamentally unfit for purpose.