Wrong car part fitted, dealership refuse to cooperate
Discussion
Hoping for some advice on what to do next.
About 18mths - 2 years ago my car had a new battery fitted at the dealership from where I bought it as new some 8 years ago.
The battery seemed fine until earlier this year when it failed (less than 18 moths old at that point and under warranty).
Breakdown guy tested it and thought something was wrong, so took it to the dealer and they tested it. 'All is okay' they said, so I carried on.
A short while later it was in for its annual service at the 'specialist' garage I use and so I asked them. They told me the battery is meant for my car's predecessor and not mine!
So, I took this up with the dealer and they told me they had the product code for it (which they gave me) and that's all they knew. I took this up with their national customer assistance and they promised to look at it. This was in June this year.
After numerous calls chasing them for answers they say my car seems to be registered with them twice, once as the correct model and again as the preceding model which is a different car altogether.
This seemed to explain why I had the wrong battery, but to them it didn't. It is almost Sept now and the last time I heard from them was Aug 3rd when they told me in an email 'they are looking to their parts department for answers as to if it is th eright or wrong battery' and I should contact Motorcodes being their ombudsman if I'm not happy.
Anyone had any dealings with Motorcodes? Do they have any authority?
Now I fear the battery is laboring on start up causing potential starting on various other parts and likely to fail again as soon as the cold returns.
Any suggestions guys?
About 18mths - 2 years ago my car had a new battery fitted at the dealership from where I bought it as new some 8 years ago.
The battery seemed fine until earlier this year when it failed (less than 18 moths old at that point and under warranty).
Breakdown guy tested it and thought something was wrong, so took it to the dealer and they tested it. 'All is okay' they said, so I carried on.
A short while later it was in for its annual service at the 'specialist' garage I use and so I asked them. They told me the battery is meant for my car's predecessor and not mine!
So, I took this up with the dealer and they told me they had the product code for it (which they gave me) and that's all they knew. I took this up with their national customer assistance and they promised to look at it. This was in June this year.
After numerous calls chasing them for answers they say my car seems to be registered with them twice, once as the correct model and again as the preceding model which is a different car altogether.
This seemed to explain why I had the wrong battery, but to them it didn't. It is almost Sept now and the last time I heard from them was Aug 3rd when they told me in an email 'they are looking to their parts department for answers as to if it is th eright or wrong battery' and I should contact Motorcodes being their ombudsman if I'm not happy.
Anyone had any dealings with Motorcodes? Do they have any authority?
Now I fear the battery is laboring on start up causing potential starting on various other parts and likely to fail again as soon as the cold returns.
Any suggestions guys?
pim said:
Why didn't the dealer just fit you a new battery?
I can't understand some dealers for the sake of argument and keeping a good customer relation with you.
I would have gone to Halfords or whoever but you have a point mention it to the dealer.
It's not really the dealer's fault. They simply asked the system to generate a code for a replacement battery and it did. The problem was the system believes my car to be a Monaro (not sure which version) so it offered up the wrong battery.I can't understand some dealers for the sake of argument and keeping a good customer relation with you.
I would have gone to Halfords or whoever but you have a point mention it to the dealer.
The dealer is probably just following direction. The issue lies with Customer Services who agree they have my car listed as a Monaro rather than a VXR8.
I know I could just go and get another battery, but what happens next time I take it to the dealer?
Surely it's not beyond the capability of Vauxhall to admit the mistake, offer a replacement battery and ensure that next time I take the car there they will fit the right parts.
4rephill said:
Simple question: Are you sure it's the battery at fault and not the alternator starting to fail?
Ironically, Vauxhall replaced the battery, starter motor and alternator within a six month period.The battery failed after just 18 months (that was Apr / May this year). I say 'failed' because that's what the breakdown guy told me when he used his amp meter (or whatever they use) to test it. He said the readings were all over the place and it was generating enough amps.
When I took it back to Vauxhall to have it checked over they simply checked the battery and said it's fine. By that time it would have recharged I suppose.
My problem isn't just the battery issue but rather Vauxhall don't know what car I purchased from them! The customer service girl had never heard of a VXR8 and so admitted she'd have to refer to their 'Tech' department (a similar story to what some have said here already).
The battery was 18 months old when it failed to start (2 years or so today, but not Apr) and that's poor. The likely explanation is it's the wrong battery, so why should I suck it up?
The car seems to take a while to fire (maybe just me listening to it trying to start a large engine). That and the fact I fear it may just let me down again with no apparent warning as it did last time.
I have no idea why it was flat (there were no lights on and it had only stood for 2 days without starting), but the breakdown guy was the one that said it was faulty (or something wasn't quite right). It was ta this point I took it back to Vauxhall and they said it was fine.
Then a few weeks later it was in at Monkfish for a service. I mentioned the battery to them and they confirmed it was a battery meant for a Monaro and not a Bosh Silver as what should be fitted.
I have no idea why it was flat (there were no lights on and it had only stood for 2 days without starting), but the breakdown guy was the one that said it was faulty (or something wasn't quite right). It was ta this point I took it back to Vauxhall and they said it was fine.
Then a few weeks later it was in at Monkfish for a service. I mentioned the battery to them and they confirmed it was a battery meant for a Monaro and not a Bosh Silver as what should be fitted.
C70R said:
You seem to be conflating lots of information here, which isn't helping you to resolve the issue.
While Bosch might be one brand of battery, there will be batteries available from a large number of manufacturers that fit the specifications for your car. As such, the brand doesn't really matter (and won't get you far with the dealer), provided that the spec's match.
I only mentioned Bosch as that's what Monkfish use; however, it seems other sites mention the Bosh battery to be the one recommended by Vauxhall for the VXR8 (not sure about the Monaro)
When the AA said your battery was not working properly, did you ask why or what? He attached a meter and said the readings were out to what they should be. He couldn't be any more specific.
When you took the car to Vauxhall, what did they measure to tell you that it was fine? Not sure. They said they had a 'sate of the art' piece of equipment that said the battery was fine.
When Monkfish highlighted the incorrect fitment, did they explain why it was wrong? I only ask because the 5.7 and 6.0 Monaro apparently require the exact same specification as the VXR8.
(In all honesty, I'd be shocked if the requirements were fundamentally different)They just said the battery fitted was one that should be on the Ro and the recommended battery was Bosh (they later said they only fit GM authorised parts so presume the Bosh is GM recommended)
Bearing this lack of information in mind, I can't see how you've come to the "likely explanation" of it being the wrong part.
I've not come to that conclusion, Monkfish did.While Bosch might be one brand of battery, there will be batteries available from a large number of manufacturers that fit the specifications for your car. As such, the brand doesn't really matter (and won't get you far with the dealer), provided that the spec's match.
I only mentioned Bosch as that's what Monkfish use; however, it seems other sites mention the Bosh battery to be the one recommended by Vauxhall for the VXR8 (not sure about the Monaro)
When the AA said your battery was not working properly, did you ask why or what? He attached a meter and said the readings were out to what they should be. He couldn't be any more specific.
When you took the car to Vauxhall, what did they measure to tell you that it was fine? Not sure. They said they had a 'sate of the art' piece of equipment that said the battery was fine.
When Monkfish highlighted the incorrect fitment, did they explain why it was wrong? I only ask because the 5.7 and 6.0 Monaro apparently require the exact same specification as the VXR8.
(In all honesty, I'd be shocked if the requirements were fundamentally different)They just said the battery fitted was one that should be on the Ro and the recommended battery was Bosh (they later said they only fit GM authorised parts so presume the Bosh is GM recommended)
Bearing this lack of information in mind, I can't see how you've come to the "likely explanation" of it being the wrong part.
Thanks, and I get your point.
I have asked Vauxhall customer care to confirm which battery they recommend to be fitted to the VXR8 and as they don't seem to know what the car is I'm still waiting.
If all this were a back street garage i'd have moved on by now, but it's Vauxhall's inability to explain why they have me owning a Monaro (when I own a VXR8 and bought it through their own official network, If the batteries are dissimilar for each car and if so how do we rectify this?
So far, all they've managed to come up with is smoke and mirrors!
I will do some home work.
I have asked Vauxhall customer care to confirm which battery they recommend to be fitted to the VXR8 and as they don't seem to know what the car is I'm still waiting.
If all this were a back street garage i'd have moved on by now, but it's Vauxhall's inability to explain why they have me owning a Monaro (when I own a VXR8 and bought it through their own official network, If the batteries are dissimilar for each car and if so how do we rectify this?
So far, all they've managed to come up with is smoke and mirrors!
I will do some home work.
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