'It's out of warranty, sir'.
Discussion
Evening all. Last December I bought, as a second vehicle, for private use, a used Citroen Nemo automatic van, 85k miles, '59 plate, from a Citroen franchise operated by a well-known Scottish dealer group. I paid £3500, which is about the going rate for a van of its age and condition. The salesman stated that the handbook & service record had been mislaid and would turn up before the handover, but they never did. In hindsight that should have rung an alarm bell or two, but I proceeded with the sale regardless.
The salesman also told me that the van was covered by a two month warranty...what could possibly go wrong?!
As soon as I left the showroom I heard a knocking noise coming from the rear suspension. I reported it and the dealer promptly replaced two shock absorbers, free of charge, without quibble...
...And then, just over a week ago the van ground to a halt with a gearbox problem. I'm no mechanic, but it felt and sounded fairly serious. I had it recovered and returned to the dealer on the back of a truck. I've had a call from the dealer, saying that as the van is out of warranty there will be a charge to remove, strip down the auto 'box, and find out what the fault might be. The charge...£500...and that's before anything is repaired or replaced!
I'm aware that car dealers are not charities, but this lot are adamant that I have to pay this ludicrous charge, without any compromise, because their warranty has expired. They don't care that I've owned the van for just three months, and done less than a thousand miles in it. I could potentially be forking out more than half the van's value just to have it repaired, and I'm not prepared to do that.
As it stands, my van is worth little more than scrap value. It was supposed to be my wee runabout and dog taxi, but it's now a potential money-pit. Any advice/similar experiences would be a great help..thanks in advance.
The salesman also told me that the van was covered by a two month warranty...what could possibly go wrong?!
As soon as I left the showroom I heard a knocking noise coming from the rear suspension. I reported it and the dealer promptly replaced two shock absorbers, free of charge, without quibble...
...And then, just over a week ago the van ground to a halt with a gearbox problem. I'm no mechanic, but it felt and sounded fairly serious. I had it recovered and returned to the dealer on the back of a truck. I've had a call from the dealer, saying that as the van is out of warranty there will be a charge to remove, strip down the auto 'box, and find out what the fault might be. The charge...£500...and that's before anything is repaired or replaced!
I'm aware that car dealers are not charities, but this lot are adamant that I have to pay this ludicrous charge, without any compromise, because their warranty has expired. They don't care that I've owned the van for just three months, and done less than a thousand miles in it. I could potentially be forking out more than half the van's value just to have it repaired, and I'm not prepared to do that.
As it stands, my van is worth little more than scrap value. It was supposed to be my wee runabout and dog taxi, but it's now a potential money-pit. Any advice/similar experiences would be a great help..thanks in advance.
I now realise that buying a French auto wasn't my wisest ever decision, but we needed a van for our dog & for runs to the recycling tip etc, and my wife has a left knee problem that prevents her from driving a manual. Small auto vans are pretty rare, and I ended up buying the first one I looked at.
I have written to the previous registered keeper to ask if he is willing to shed any light on the van's history...and also to ask why, as its second keeper, he disposed of it after only three months...
Regarding the salesman's promise to provide manuals & service record - well it's my word against his; I can never prove he made such an undertaking.
The consumer helpline I contacted state that if the van is found to have an inherent manufacturing fault, then I have a good case; if the failure is put down to wear & tear, then I'm screwed, basically. If the dealer takes £500 from me to strip the 'box down, obviously it's in their interest to say 'it's wear & tear - tough titty'. I can then insist on having an independent specialist examine it - that won't be free, & they may come to the same conclusion. So I'll still have a broken van and I'll be another few hundred down on the deal.
There's also the small matter that the dealer may soon get tired of seeing my van on his premises whilst I decide what to do; apparently he may be entitled to charge me storage!
All your comments so far have been really interesting & constructive, please keep 'em coming.
I have written to the previous registered keeper to ask if he is willing to shed any light on the van's history...and also to ask why, as its second keeper, he disposed of it after only three months...
Regarding the salesman's promise to provide manuals & service record - well it's my word against his; I can never prove he made such an undertaking.
The consumer helpline I contacted state that if the van is found to have an inherent manufacturing fault, then I have a good case; if the failure is put down to wear & tear, then I'm screwed, basically. If the dealer takes £500 from me to strip the 'box down, obviously it's in their interest to say 'it's wear & tear - tough titty'. I can then insist on having an independent specialist examine it - that won't be free, & they may come to the same conclusion. So I'll still have a broken van and I'll be another few hundred down on the deal.
There's also the small matter that the dealer may soon get tired of seeing my van on his premises whilst I decide what to do; apparently he may be entitled to charge me storage!
All your comments so far have been really interesting & constructive, please keep 'em coming.
Update! (check dates of previous posts)....
My wee van has remained at the dealership since it broke down (in March!), and I was beginning to think the dealer was hoping I would forget I owned it. Until I wrote a third letter to the general manager and handed it to him personally about three weeks ago.
I've researched my consumer rights and believed I had a good case for a no-cost or at least subsidised repair, and I stated my case calmly and assertively.
He turned out to be a pleasant, approachable gentleman who explained that he hadn't seen my previous letters and who apologised sincerely for the delay in dealing with my case due to a lack of communication between sales and service departments. Although my van was technically out of warranty he suggested he might come & go a bit, and I left the premises feeling slightly more optimistic.
I'll cut a long story short...I've got my van back, with major repairs to the gearbox carried out at no cost to me, and with very little reluctance on the dealer's part, even though the cost of the parts must have been significant.
A little persistence and a lot of patience have paid off. I could afford to wait for results as the van was bought as a second vehicle; it now seems to be running sweet as a nut, and I'm a happy bunny again.
The Mad Monk said:
Are you going to keep it?
Why?
Not sure if I will keep it. That said, it's in generally good nick for its age, it runs and drives well and it suits my needs; also, the weak points associated with the van's auto box have now been resolved. The van's paid for, as is the tax & insurance; I would get buttons for it as a trade-in and I could end up replacing it with another potential money-pit. Better the devil you know, 'n' all that.. Why?
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