Broken Spring - Who is responsible?
Discussion
Not sure if this is the right forum for this but here goes??
My car needed some work carrying out under warranty, at the dealers approved body shop.
I drove my car to my local garage to have some alignment work carried out. No issue with the car.
It was there for two days. No issue reported with the car.
The manager of the approved bodyshop picked up my car directly from where my car was located and drove it 24 miles to the bodyshop. No issue reported with the car.
Ideally, the car would have been picked up on a flatbed as usual but they had no availability and I was going on holiday so didn't have the time to drive it myself to the body shop.
Car was at the bodyshop for just under 4 weeks.
Car gets transported on a flatbed to the main dealer to sign off the warranty work. Dealer phones me to say that the front right spring is broken and needs replacing at a cost of £2100.
The car was perfect when it left me. My garage said it was perfect when it left them. They didn't drive it, I would have had tracker alerts if they did.
Now the spring is broken.
Dealership have said it's nothing to do with them. Body shop said it wasn't them and that the pictures of the spring doesn't look like a recent/clean break as there is age related corrosion. The car is 3 years old and has never spent a night outside apart from the month it was with them and sat outside in their compound.
I'm going to pay it next week, as it's just sat at the dealership currently.
But surely there should be some recourse here? Or am I just gonna have to suck it up?
My car needed some work carrying out under warranty, at the dealers approved body shop.
I drove my car to my local garage to have some alignment work carried out. No issue with the car.
It was there for two days. No issue reported with the car.
The manager of the approved bodyshop picked up my car directly from where my car was located and drove it 24 miles to the bodyshop. No issue reported with the car.
Ideally, the car would have been picked up on a flatbed as usual but they had no availability and I was going on holiday so didn't have the time to drive it myself to the body shop.
Car was at the bodyshop for just under 4 weeks.
Car gets transported on a flatbed to the main dealer to sign off the warranty work. Dealer phones me to say that the front right spring is broken and needs replacing at a cost of £2100.
The car was perfect when it left me. My garage said it was perfect when it left them. They didn't drive it, I would have had tracker alerts if they did.
Now the spring is broken.
Dealership have said it's nothing to do with them. Body shop said it wasn't them and that the pictures of the spring doesn't look like a recent/clean break as there is age related corrosion. The car is 3 years old and has never spent a night outside apart from the month it was with them and sat outside in their compound.
I'm going to pay it next week, as it's just sat at the dealership currently.
But surely there should be some recourse here? Or am I just gonna have to suck it up?
Edited by Sarnie on Sunday 27th September 22:58
A spring broke on my 911 while I was diving it,
I boooked it into my local OPC who replaced both rear springs, all covered by the warranty which I would have thought should have been the case here.
If the car was old and high mileage then I could understand them wanting you to contribute,
but at that price I'm guessing we're dicussing your Mclaren, in which case it's probably neither and considering what they charge for warranties I think it's a pretty poor show and they should do a better job of standing by their product.
Have you escalated this to Mclaren Head office?.
Surely they expect springs to last more than a few years and a few thousand miles,
Sarnie said:
The spring comes as a whole unit I’m told, you can’t just buy/replace the spring alone. Quote is circa £1400 for the unit then about £350 labour, all plus VAT.....
Maybe get onto a forum for what ever this car is and see if there is a better way of doing this. But I think you will have to pay as your car failing in this way is your problem not a garage. Unless it can be done under warranty.
A mate of mine was an MOT inspector/mechanic. He told me that when speed bumps started to “breed like rabbits” he found more broken springs either at MOT or just normal repair. He cited the Ford Ka as prone to failure.
Last one I changed was on a Focus front about12 years ago. About 100k miles, mostly motorway. Spring was cheap enough. The pinch bolt on the shock/hub was a bugger to get loose! Plenty of Plusgas, LONG breaker bar extension, full weight. Big bang!! Nut was loose...yippee! It sounded at first as if the bolt had sheared. Now that could have been a pig to sort out.
That car was great. An import to UK spec from a dealer in Ostend. Good saving on cost. The only issue was when I went to a local dealer for servicing. The car didn’t show on their database but never a problem getting good service from them. No quibbles at all.
Last one I changed was on a Focus front about12 years ago. About 100k miles, mostly motorway. Spring was cheap enough. The pinch bolt on the shock/hub was a bugger to get loose! Plenty of Plusgas, LONG breaker bar extension, full weight. Big bang!! Nut was loose...yippee! It sounded at first as if the bolt had sheared. Now that could have been a pig to sort out.
That car was great. An import to UK spec from a dealer in Ostend. Good saving on cost. The only issue was when I went to a local dealer for servicing. The car didn’t show on their database but never a problem getting good service from them. No quibbles at all.
sospan said:
A mate of mine was an MOT inspector/mechanic. He told me that when speed bumps started to “breed like rabbits” he found more broken springs either at MOT or just normal repair. He cited the Ford Ka as prone to failure.
Last one I changed was on a Focus front about12 years ago. About 100k miles, mostly motorway. Spring was cheap enough. The pinch bolt on the shock/hub was a bugger to get loose! Plenty of Plusgas, LONG breaker bar extension, full weight. Big bang!! Nut was loose...yippee! It sounded at first as if the bolt had sheared. Now that could have been a pig to sort out.
That car was great. An import to UK spec from a dealer in Ostend. Good saving on cost. The only issue was when I went to a local dealer for servicing. The car didn’t show on their database but never a problem getting good service from them. No quibbles at all.
We had two front springs go on a Fiesta within a week. One while driving, and the second whilst reversing slowly off the driveway - went with a big twang. Both had gone in exactly the same spot - its a metallurgical reaction between the spring and the spring seating, though Ford wouldnt officially acknowledge the fault, however they did issue an alloy seat of some sort to fit between the spring and spring seat. Nothing to do with speed bumps at all in this case.Yes, pinch bolts were a bugger to get off. Had three found broken during an MOT on my old Vectra - cause unknown - maybe speed bumpsLast one I changed was on a Focus front about12 years ago. About 100k miles, mostly motorway. Spring was cheap enough. The pinch bolt on the shock/hub was a bugger to get loose! Plenty of Plusgas, LONG breaker bar extension, full weight. Big bang!! Nut was loose...yippee! It sounded at first as if the bolt had sheared. Now that could have been a pig to sort out.
That car was great. An import to UK spec from a dealer in Ostend. Good saving on cost. The only issue was when I went to a local dealer for servicing. The car didn’t show on their database but never a problem getting good service from them. No quibbles at all.
Springs can (and do) "spontaneously" snap.
Some years ago I drove home, parked my car on the drive, went on a 2 week holiday and after returning noticed one corner of my car was very low. At some point in the 2 weeks it was sat on my drive the spring gave out. As a jagged bit of spring had then jammed itself against the inner sidewall of the tyre on that corner, so it's no bad thing it happened then instead of at 70mph on the M25!
The older guy at my local suspension place said it never used to happen, but they were seeing more and more of it. Working theories were
1) To save costs, there is very little engineering overhead on the resilience of modern springs
2) To save costs, modern springs are made of lower quality steel
3) Modern cars are heavier
4) Modern cars have stiffer suspension and tyres
5) Modern cars are driven on potholed surfaces.
Some years ago I drove home, parked my car on the drive, went on a 2 week holiday and after returning noticed one corner of my car was very low. At some point in the 2 weeks it was sat on my drive the spring gave out. As a jagged bit of spring had then jammed itself against the inner sidewall of the tyre on that corner, so it's no bad thing it happened then instead of at 70mph on the M25!
The older guy at my local suspension place said it never used to happen, but they were seeing more and more of it. Working theories were
1) To save costs, there is very little engineering overhead on the resilience of modern springs
2) To save costs, modern springs are made of lower quality steel
3) Modern cars are heavier
4) Modern cars have stiffer suspension and tyres
5) Modern cars are driven on potholed surfaces.
The Rotrex Kid said:
IIRC sarnie has a Mclaren 570S (I think?!) . Not surprising that the spring is that much?
Correct.Car is just over 3 years old, 9k on the clock.
I understand that springs break. Other things break also.
My issue is that it's somehow been broken whilst under the responsibility of someone else.......who drove it circa 23 miles.....and then had it for a month doing god knows what with it.........and now the spring is broken.
Sarnie said:
The Rotrex Kid said:
IIRC sarnie has a Mclaren 570S (I think?!) . Not surprising that the spring is that much?
Correct.Car is just over 3 years old, 9k on the clock.
I understand that springs break. Other things break also.
My issue is that it's somehow been broken whilst under the responsibility of someone else.......who drove it circa 23 miles.....and then had it for a month doing god knows what with it.........and now the spring is broken.
I would consider getting the car home and then trying to sort out at least a partial contribution from any (or more) of those involved.
It could be at the very least McClaren let you have the spring at cost value, then perhaps fit it yourself? Or get another garage to do so, if you are now (understandably) suspicious of the present one.
I think though some patience and polite but firmly written letters to Mac could get this resolved for you.
Might mean being without the car to drive for a while, though.
It could be at the very least McClaren let you have the spring at cost value, then perhaps fit it yourself? Or get another garage to do so, if you are now (understandably) suspicious of the present one.
I think though some patience and polite but firmly written letters to Mac could get this resolved for you.
Might mean being without the car to drive for a while, though.
donkmeister said:
Springs can (and do) "spontaneously" snap.
Some years ago I drove home, parked my car on the drive, went on a 2 week holiday and after returning noticed one corner of my car was very low. At some point in the 2 weeks it was sat on my drive the spring gave out. As a jagged bit of spring had then jammed itself against the inner sidewall of the tyre on that corner, so it's no bad thing it happened then instead of at 70mph on the M25!
The older guy at my local suspension place said it never used to happen, but they were seeing more and more of it. Working theories were
1) To save costs, there is very little engineering overhead on the resilience of modern springs
2) To save costs, modern springs are made of lower quality steel
3) Modern cars are heavier
4) Modern cars have stiffer suspension and tyres
5) Modern cars are driven on potholed surfaces.
What was the car?Some years ago I drove home, parked my car on the drive, went on a 2 week holiday and after returning noticed one corner of my car was very low. At some point in the 2 weeks it was sat on my drive the spring gave out. As a jagged bit of spring had then jammed itself against the inner sidewall of the tyre on that corner, so it's no bad thing it happened then instead of at 70mph on the M25!
The older guy at my local suspension place said it never used to happen, but they were seeing more and more of it. Working theories were
1) To save costs, there is very little engineering overhead on the resilience of modern springs
2) To save costs, modern springs are made of lower quality steel
3) Modern cars are heavier
4) Modern cars have stiffer suspension and tyres
5) Modern cars are driven on potholed surfaces.
I would have thought a potential failure mode engineering analysis (PFMEA) would have identified a broken spring and would have some mitigation if it did happen (i.e. some retention in place).
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