Getting VX to do warranty work like blood out of a stone?

Getting VX to do warranty work like blood out of a stone?

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Discussion

xxChrisxx

538 posts

120 months

Saturday 20th September 2014
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mygoldfishbowl said:
I believe the gearboxes are made by an Italian firm whose name eludes me so the boxes probably get sent to Italy for inspection.
Getrag.

Its a German company, but the GM boxes are made in Italy.

mygoldfishbowl

3,691 posts

142 months

Saturday 20th September 2014
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xxChrisxx said:
Getrag.

Its a German company, but the GM boxes are made in Italy.
That was it, thanks.

windy1

393 posts

250 months

Tuesday 23rd September 2014
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I remember I had some photos of the car on my drive:


wiring loom 018 by windy911, on Flickr


wiring loom 016 by windy911, on Flickr


wiring loom 012 by windy911, on Flickr

The knackered bearings


wiring loom 003 by windy911, on Flickr


wiring loom 002 by windy911, on Flickr

baccalad

Original Poster:

220 posts

114 months

Tuesday 23rd September 2014
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windy1 said:
I remember I had some photos of the car on my drive:


wiring loom 018 by windy911, on Flickr


wiring loom 016 by windy911, on Flickr


wiring loom 012 by windy911, on Flickr

The knackered bearings


wiring loom 003 by windy911, on Flickr


wiring loom 002 by windy911, on Flickr
How much did the bearings cost you and how long did it take you? Props for being able to do it by yourself I'd be completely stumped, and you're not the only person I've heard mention about the gearbox oil being no good. The only thing with putting different thicker stuff in is that Vauxhall will then probably turn around and say it's not an oil approved by them, when it comes to warranty.

Crafty_

13,248 posts

199 months

Tuesday 23rd September 2014
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baccalad said:
How much did the bearings cost you and how long did it take you? Props for being able to do it by yourself I'd be completely stumped, and you're not the only person I've heard mention about the gearbox oil being no good. The only thing with putting different thicker stuff in is that Vauxhall will then probably turn around and say it's not an oil approved by them, when it comes to warranty.
You have a completely different gearbox to that car, the repairs your car needs may not have any relation to the older car above.

How did you get on at the third dealer ?

baccalad

Original Poster:

220 posts

114 months

Tuesday 23rd September 2014
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It's booked in tomorrow so fingers crossed, it's becoming tedious to drive the way the gearbox is.

windy1

393 posts

250 months

Tuesday 23rd September 2014
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baccalad said:
How much did the bearings cost you and how long did it take you? Props for being able to do it by yourself I'd be completely stumped, and you're not the only person I've heard mention about the gearbox oil being no good. The only thing with putting different thicker stuff in is that Vauxhall will then probably turn around and say it's not an oil approved by them, when it comes to warranty.
It was about £200 for the kit I recall, probably cheaper now because there's lots of demand for them. Took me about a day to take the box out, a few hours to rebuild it and about a day to put it back in, all in my own time of course, so not rushing.
The oil I used was a proper synthetic, important to get the right properties because the shift is affected by the way the oil slows the synchro hubs to get a smooth / seamless shift. The shift quality was much improved by putting this oil in it, so much better than the low drag "cats piss" as I call it that GM put in.

Edited by windy1 on Tuesday 23 September 22:24

baccalad

Original Poster:

220 posts

114 months

Wednesday 24th September 2014
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I've just got back from the third Vauxhall dealership and they've also stated that they "can't fault the car" sadly. After one of technicians had first been out in the car by himself I asked if I would be able to go out in the car with one of the technicians; the technician drove, and the first thing that I'd like to say is that this guy almost wrote us off on a duel carriageway trying to move into the left lane without checking his blind spot resulting in a long resounding beep from the other car.

Anyhow, the technician admitted that there is a whining noise coming from "somewhere" according to him, but he isn't willing to do anything about it because he is saying that there is nothing wrong with the gearbox - this is really baffling me? He has also admitted that he can hear a clunking noise when he lets off the throttle but he thinks it's the clutch. I tried stating that I had been to an independent gearbox specialist and explained that he had driven the car and found the gearbox bearings to be whining and the shaft inside the gearbox to be moving, making a clunking noise when you let off the throttle. They're completely disregarding this, saying that they're not willing to accept any information/evidence/knowledge or anything at all from anybody other than from themselves. FWIW I stopped off at the gearbox specialist on the way home and asked if he'd be willing to write out a report for me which he is going to do and sign.

I've just now phoned Vauxhall customer services themselves and spoke to what I can only describe as a horrible woman. I was trying to be as polite to her as a I could when I was explaining everything but the way she spoke to me and her tone of voice was disgusting so I asked I could speak to someone higher up and so I got put on to her manager who was much nicer to speak with. After chatting with her, and as polite as she was, all she has basically recommended is for me to drop the car off and leave it at one of their dealerships for a couple of days. She has also said that the dealership can take the car apart but I have to approve for them to do so, to an end where, if they don't find a manufacturer's fault, I have to pay for the the costs of the labour, which even she admitted on the phone to me is a catch 22. I'm now thinking though that this is the only route that I have to go down. Surely with all the problems I'm having I can only be 99% sure that a fault's going to show up if they strip it apart. But it's absurd that I'm basically going to have to front the costs.

mini1380cc

2,944 posts

170 months

Wednesday 24th September 2014
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Given how little trust VX has raised for themselves in your experiences so far i would be tempted to swallow the pill and pay the £550 to have the independent specialist fix the problem. £550 seems quite reasonable to me, for what should be a proper solution without hassles.

Koolman511

21 posts

114 months

Wednesday 24th September 2014
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I am guessing you're astra has the 6 speed manual which is the M32 gearbox that was used in previously astra's,read online and you will see

papa3

1,407 posts

186 months

Wednesday 24th September 2014
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Can you clarify/confirm a few bits for me please;

Bought in Feb 14?

Mileage when bought?

Mileage now?

Service history, is it intact and completed by a Vx Dealer?

Bought outwith the Vx network?

Bought cash/finance (dealer)/credit card?

Have you recorded your contacts with VX network to date?

Thanks

baccalad

Original Poster:

220 posts

114 months

Wednesday 24th September 2014
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papa3 said:
Can you clarify/confirm a few bits for me please;

Bought in Feb 14?

Mileage when bought?

Mileage now?

Service history, is it intact and completed by a Vx Dealer?

Bought outwith the Vx network?

Bought cash/finance (dealer)/credit card?

Have you recorded your contacts with VX network to date?

Thanks
Hi Papa, yes it was purchased in February 2014. Mileage was 38,XXX and the mileage now is 59,XXX.
Part service history, although regarding the gearbox this shouldn't make a difference as it doesn't get serviced.
It was purchased, on finance, from Stoneacre and I have written down the basics of my dealings with the dealerships and customer services.

Crafty_

13,248 posts

199 months

Wednesday 24th September 2014
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Koolman511 said:
I am guessing you're astra has the 6 speed manual which is the M32 gearbox that was used in previously astra's,read online and you will see
If you bothered to read the thread you'd know the car in question does not have the M32 box.

OP:
Did you demonstrate the gear selection problem to the tech, what did he say about that ?
Has the dealer formally recorded their diagnosis of "something" causing the whine and the clutch making the clunk noise ?
I know you are disappointed, but you have actually made progress as the tech has diagnosed two faults.

Once you have the written report from the specialist I would write a letter to Vauxhall Customer Services, include a copy of the report from the specialist and clearly document the contact you've had will all three dealers. Ask them how exactly the issue can be resolved as we currently have two faults and only one of those has been diagnosed. As I said before, Vauxhall aren't actually aware of your problem (at least, not until you rang), so formally inform them - it at least gives them a chance to do something about it.

If you don't get anywhere I'd consider going public - watchdog and the like. I don't hold a great opinion of watchdog etc, but they might be able to apply a little more pressure.


vrtrooper

213 posts

221 months

Wednesday 24th September 2014
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Not a good advert for Vauxhall. I've had several of them many years ago and had looked recently at a 2.0 CDTI Astra, but..........

Crafty_

13,248 posts

199 months

Wednesday 24th September 2014
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vrtrooper said:
Not a good advert for Vauxhall. I've had several of them many years ago and had looked recently at a 2.0 CDTI Astra, but..........
All cars have problems, Vauxhall are no worse or better than any other.
I've got two mates in the trade, one at Audi and one at Vauxhall. One is pulling 40k engines and replacing them and its not the guy at Vauxhall.

To be honest 30 years ago there was a big variation in cars with regards to build quality, refinement etc. Now ? I think its pretty narrow - to a large extent they are all as bad as one another.

dave_s13

13,813 posts

268 months

Wednesday 24th September 2014
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Crafty_ said:
All cars have problems, Vauxhall are no worse or better than any other.
I've got two mates in the trade, one at Audi and one at Vauxhall. One is pulling 40k engines and replacing them and its not the guy at Vauxhall.

To be honest 30 years ago there was a big variation in cars with regards to build quality, refinement etc. Now ? I think its pretty narrow - to a large extent they are all as bad as one another.
It's how they deal with issues when they arise though. Cars do break, absolutely true. When they're still under mfr warranty it shouldn't be this complicated to get sorted.

Vx do themselves no favours at all.

papa3

1,407 posts

186 months

Wednesday 24th September 2014
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baccalad said:
Hi Papa, yes it was purchased in February 2014. Mileage was 38,XXX and the mileage now is 59,XXX.
Part service history, although regarding the gearbox this shouldn't make a difference as it doesn't get serviced.
It was purchased, on finance, from Stoneacre and I have written down the basics of my dealings with the dealerships and customer services.
Should have asked, when was it registered? If my addled mind serves me right then a 61 plate was Sep 11- Feb 12, so it could be out of the 3 years or is very close to it.

Given your circumstances I wouldn't give you great odds on a full warranty pay out even if you can convince a dealer to diagnose a fault unless Vx themselves have documented this issue as a known production fault.

If it had been purchased from within the network and had a full service history you might be in with a shout but I can't see you getting very far with a car on the edge of its warranty. This may not be the desired answer but experience tells me it to be correct.

The best chance you have at progress is getting a dealer on side, this is usually easier at a smaller dealership where customer service still means something. Ask them to check for rectification notices and if they do identify a fault get them onto Vx for a claim. Once this hurdle is then a negotiation is possible with Vx. Once the diagnosis exists and you still don't achieve the result you want then you can begin the process of escalating through the dealership and then Vx, the ultimate aim being, in the event they don't pay out initially, to involve the district after sales manager. Unfortunately you won't see any goodwill from the retail network as you didn't buy from them, it then becomes a case of the dealer being Vx's agent for the warranty claim.



Edited by papa3 on Wednesday 24th September 21:13

Crafty_

13,248 posts

199 months

Wednesday 24th September 2014
quotequote all
Not your fault OP but part service history and being outside of the dealer network, kind of says to me a dealer passed on the car rather than selling it themselves.



baccalad

Original Poster:

220 posts

114 months

Wednesday 24th September 2014
quotequote all
Thanks Papa and I do get what you're saying Crafty but if I could go direct to Vauxhall themselves I would and I really wish I could because I think I would get better treatment, the way it is now Vauxhall customer services are referring me back to the dealer because they're saying that's the way it works, but I just think the dealers really don't care.

baccalad

Original Poster:

220 posts

114 months

Wednesday 24th September 2014
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It is worth saying that the manager from Vauxhall customer services who I spoke to on the phone has said that even though it is running out of warranty soon (in the next week or so I think), they're not going to turn around and say they want nothing to do with it, as she does appreciate that I did report it well before the warranty expired.