Recondition part failed after less than 50 miles
Discussion
I bought a recondition power steering pump for my mini and fitted it over the bank holiday weekend.
The new unit had been working correctly for a day and a bit, but there seems to have been a fault with it, as after leaving it overnight i found my battery was drained and after getting the AA out to get it started the powersteering pump stopped working after a short drive. This is fairly common symptoms of the failure on these pumps, the control unit which can cause this is internal to the pump, so it's very unlikely to be a fault with the car which caused it.
It's quite a big job (for me) to change the powersteering pump, and although i did it myself this time i'm going to struggle to find the time again so will likely have to take it too a garage.
I am guessing i don't but i thought i would check, do i have any comeback for costs of being supplied a faulty part? does it make any difference if it is a reconditioned unit?
It was an exchange unit, with a £200 surcharge which i didn't pay because i took my faulty unit down when i collected it. Although the invoice shows the surcharge included price and i have a credit not for the surcharge
I am quite keen to go for a refund and use another supplier because 1, they supplied me a faulty unit and 2, i only picked them because they were local and could supply same day. I will need my faulty unit back, because i will want to to get my surcharge back with another supplier.
What can i expect if they now cannot return my original faulty pump?
The new unit had been working correctly for a day and a bit, but there seems to have been a fault with it, as after leaving it overnight i found my battery was drained and after getting the AA out to get it started the powersteering pump stopped working after a short drive. This is fairly common symptoms of the failure on these pumps, the control unit which can cause this is internal to the pump, so it's very unlikely to be a fault with the car which caused it.
It's quite a big job (for me) to change the powersteering pump, and although i did it myself this time i'm going to struggle to find the time again so will likely have to take it too a garage.
I am guessing i don't but i thought i would check, do i have any comeback for costs of being supplied a faulty part? does it make any difference if it is a reconditioned unit?
It was an exchange unit, with a £200 surcharge which i didn't pay because i took my faulty unit down when i collected it. Although the invoice shows the surcharge included price and i have a credit not for the surcharge
I am quite keen to go for a refund and use another supplier because 1, they supplied me a faulty unit and 2, i only picked them because they were local and could supply same day. I will need my faulty unit back, because i will want to to get my surcharge back with another supplier.
What can i expect if they now cannot return my original faulty pump?
It's unfortunately more common than not for the 'reconditioned' units to come out faulty with these pumps for some reason.
I've fitted 3 to the same car before getting a correctly working unit before, that was from a well known electronic part rebuilder too
FWIW BMW started doing exchange units (instead of just new) some time ago, they are more expensive than the myriad of aftermarket rebuilders though.
You shouldn't be getting charged more than an hours labour to get one fitted at a garage btw, it takes about 20 minutes once you have done a couple
As for getting your old unit back, you might be lucky and they still have it or not. I'd just take another unit from them to start with based on my experience of them being 'reconditioned'. I don't think you would be better off with any other company !
As for getting 'costs' back, good luck
I've fitted 3 to the same car before getting a correctly working unit before, that was from a well known electronic part rebuilder too
FWIW BMW started doing exchange units (instead of just new) some time ago, they are more expensive than the myriad of aftermarket rebuilders though.
You shouldn't be getting charged more than an hours labour to get one fitted at a garage btw, it takes about 20 minutes once you have done a couple
As for getting your old unit back, you might be lucky and they still have it or not. I'd just take another unit from them to start with based on my experience of them being 'reconditioned'. I don't think you would be better off with any other company !
As for getting 'costs' back, good luck
Edited by Jimmyarm on Wednesday 28th May 12:19
I had exactly the same scenario. Replacement unit was faulty.(it leaked PS fluid) But no refund/exchange until it was sent back to them and tested. I also had to buy another new unit (this time for 500 plus as no faulty unit to trade in). It took them 2 weeks to test the unit and refund me.
The pumps I bought were "new" not reconditioned. Just a foible of this suppliers returns policy. Not good.
If you have done the job once, just get on with it and do it again. As stated, once you have done it, it is pretty simple. There is zero chance you can claim for labour costs against the supplier.
The pumps I bought were "new" not reconditioned. Just a foible of this suppliers returns policy. Not good.
If you have done the job once, just get on with it and do it again. As stated, once you have done it, it is pretty simple. There is zero chance you can claim for labour costs against the supplier.
Most expensive items from motor factors are reconditioned (starters alternators, steering racks, driveshafts etc etc), the amount of times I fit stuff and it doesn't work out the box, or fails within the warranty period is a joke!
Worst was a honda crv alternator, fitted it, and it shorted the car out! Took it off, tested it myself and yep, faulty alternator.
Worst was a honda crv alternator, fitted it, and it shorted the car out! Took it off, tested it myself and yep, faulty alternator.
Andyjc86 said:
Most expensive items from motor factors are reconditioned (starters alternators, steering racks, driveshafts etc etc), the amount of times I fit stuff and it doesn't work out the box, or fails within the warranty period is a joke!
Worst was a honda crv alternator, fitted it, and it shorted the car out! Took it off, tested it myself and yep, faulty alternator.
Really?Worst was a honda crv alternator, fitted it, and it shorted the car out! Took it off, tested it myself and yep, faulty alternator.
Do you have evidence to back that up?
IANAL but my understanding is that recon parts may not always have as long a warranty as a new part and it may not be considered reasonable to expect the same level of quality but you should still be able to expect the goods to be fit for purpose which doesn't appear to be the case here.
After that, your position isn't much different to if you had bought a new part. You are obliged to give the supplier the chance to rectify the problem so they can insist on supplying a replacement rather than a refund but you can seek recompense for any additional costs that you have suffered. This could include labour costs for having the unit replaced and possibly hire car charges while the car is off the road.
In practical terms it is hard to avoid having to pay for a second unit pending tests etc simply because the supplier is unlikely to hand a part over unless he knows you.
You could suggest that you will be looking for labour costs etc and offer them the chance to have the repairs completed at a workshop of their choice but of course you need to be confident that they are not going to find any reason not to cover it under warranty as you would then be liable for the garage bill.
When dealing with the trade many suppliers rely on a two stage warranty system. If the workshop is willing to fit the replacement part without claiming any labour charges the supplier will often just swap the component with no charges to the garage pending having the faulty part checked. If the workshop is intending to charge labour however they will usually be charged for the replacement part, once it has been tested and the manufacturer has not managed to find an excuse for not covering it under warranty, the cost plus labour would be refunded.
After that, your position isn't much different to if you had bought a new part. You are obliged to give the supplier the chance to rectify the problem so they can insist on supplying a replacement rather than a refund but you can seek recompense for any additional costs that you have suffered. This could include labour costs for having the unit replaced and possibly hire car charges while the car is off the road.
In practical terms it is hard to avoid having to pay for a second unit pending tests etc simply because the supplier is unlikely to hand a part over unless he knows you.
You could suggest that you will be looking for labour costs etc and offer them the chance to have the repairs completed at a workshop of their choice but of course you need to be confident that they are not going to find any reason not to cover it under warranty as you would then be liable for the garage bill.
When dealing with the trade many suppliers rely on a two stage warranty system. If the workshop is willing to fit the replacement part without claiming any labour charges the supplier will often just swap the component with no charges to the garage pending having the faulty part checked. If the workshop is intending to charge labour however they will usually be charged for the replacement part, once it has been tested and the manufacturer has not managed to find an excuse for not covering it under warranty, the cost plus labour would be refunded.
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