Motability Lease Car - Repairs Query
Discussion
Hi All
I have cerebral palsy, and struggle with walking, so therefore am entitled to a motability car. I currently have a 20 plate Audi Q2 which has just been in for a first service, and investigation into why the aircon has suddenly stopped working (I guessed it had ran out of gas, but why, was more the question).
Audi have said that a stone, has obviously been flicked up at some point, and gone through the condenser.
They phoned motability for authorisation to repair, and it has been declined. As its accidental damage, it has to apparently go through an insurance claim.
The Audi service guy seemed quite surprised by this and said he hasn't known many instances where motability has refused to repair. I phoned motability and they too have said as its accidental damage, it has to go through insurance.
As i drive other cars sometimes, obviously an insurance claim isn't ideal as it on my record for 5 years, so i don't really want to have to claim for something fairly trivial.
Audis price to replace the condenser, labour and to gas it all up again was £850.
We have a local (very good) mobile aircon technician who I have used before, who would fix it for me for very reasonable prices, however, i'm apparently not allowed to use him as the repair has to be motability approved (basically main dealer!).
Is there anything i can do about this? It seems unfair that i'm going to be stuck with a year old car, with no aircon, without having to put an insurance claim in. I could understand if it was a bump, or damage caused through neglect, but Audi have confirmed this is accidental and certainly no fault of mine, so I didn't want to be penalised for it, and i'm not allowed to fix it off my own back.
Thank you
James
I have cerebral palsy, and struggle with walking, so therefore am entitled to a motability car. I currently have a 20 plate Audi Q2 which has just been in for a first service, and investigation into why the aircon has suddenly stopped working (I guessed it had ran out of gas, but why, was more the question).
Audi have said that a stone, has obviously been flicked up at some point, and gone through the condenser.
They phoned motability for authorisation to repair, and it has been declined. As its accidental damage, it has to apparently go through an insurance claim.
The Audi service guy seemed quite surprised by this and said he hasn't known many instances where motability has refused to repair. I phoned motability and they too have said as its accidental damage, it has to go through insurance.
As i drive other cars sometimes, obviously an insurance claim isn't ideal as it on my record for 5 years, so i don't really want to have to claim for something fairly trivial.
Audis price to replace the condenser, labour and to gas it all up again was £850.
We have a local (very good) mobile aircon technician who I have used before, who would fix it for me for very reasonable prices, however, i'm apparently not allowed to use him as the repair has to be motability approved (basically main dealer!).
Is there anything i can do about this? It seems unfair that i'm going to be stuck with a year old car, with no aircon, without having to put an insurance claim in. I could understand if it was a bump, or damage caused through neglect, but Audi have confirmed this is accidental and certainly no fault of mine, so I didn't want to be penalised for it, and i'm not allowed to fix it off my own back.
Thank you
James
James_N said:
Hi All
I have cerebral palsy, and struggle with walking, so therefore am entitled to a motability car. I currently have a 20 plate Audi Q2 which has just been in for a first service, and investigation into why the aircon has suddenly stopped working (I guessed it had ran out of gas, but why, was more the question).
Audi have said that a stone, has obviously been flicked up at some point, and gone through the condenser.
They phoned motability for authorisation to repair, and it has been declined. As its accidental damage, it has to apparently go through an insurance claim.
The Audi service guy seemed quite surprised by this and said he hasn't known many instances where motability has refused to repair. I phoned motability and they too have said as its accidental damage, it has to go through insurance.
As i drive other cars sometimes, obviously an insurance claim isn't ideal as it on my record for 5 years, so i don't really want to have to claim for something fairly trivial.
Audis price to replace the condenser, labour and to gas it all up again was £850.
We have a local (very good) mobile aircon technician who I have used before, who would fix it for me for very reasonable prices, however, i'm apparently not allowed to use him as the repair has to be motability approved (basically main dealer!).
Is there anything i can do about this? It seems unfair that i'm going to be stuck with a year old car, with no aircon, without having to put an insurance claim in. I could understand if it was a bump, or damage caused through neglect, but Audi have confirmed this is accidental and certainly no fault of mine, so I didn't want to be penalised for it, and i'm not allowed to fix it off my own back.
Thank you
James
I'm an ex Motability Consultant and did the job for over 8 years. I have cerebral palsy, and struggle with walking, so therefore am entitled to a motability car. I currently have a 20 plate Audi Q2 which has just been in for a first service, and investigation into why the aircon has suddenly stopped working (I guessed it had ran out of gas, but why, was more the question).
Audi have said that a stone, has obviously been flicked up at some point, and gone through the condenser.
They phoned motability for authorisation to repair, and it has been declined. As its accidental damage, it has to apparently go through an insurance claim.
The Audi service guy seemed quite surprised by this and said he hasn't known many instances where motability has refused to repair. I phoned motability and they too have said as its accidental damage, it has to go through insurance.
As i drive other cars sometimes, obviously an insurance claim isn't ideal as it on my record for 5 years, so i don't really want to have to claim for something fairly trivial.
Audis price to replace the condenser, labour and to gas it all up again was £850.
We have a local (very good) mobile aircon technician who I have used before, who would fix it for me for very reasonable prices, however, i'm apparently not allowed to use him as the repair has to be motability approved (basically main dealer!).
Is there anything i can do about this? It seems unfair that i'm going to be stuck with a year old car, with no aircon, without having to put an insurance claim in. I could understand if it was a bump, or damage caused through neglect, but Audi have confirmed this is accidental and certainly no fault of mine, so I didn't want to be penalised for it, and i'm not allowed to fix it off my own back.
Thank you
James
To be honest you have two choices, to pay in full to repair yourself or to go through a claim. It's not a warranty claim to Audi and it's not routine maintenance to Motability so you are left with the other two options I'm afraid. I agree it was out your control so hardly seems fair but life isn't fair.
Sorry, most likely not what you wanted to hear.
solo2 said:
I'm an ex Motability Consultant and did the job for over 8 years.
To be honest you have two choices, to pay in full to repair yourself or to go through a claim. It's not a warranty claim to Audi and it's not routine maintenance to Motability so you are left with the other two options I'm afraid. I agree it was out your control so hardly seems fair but life isn't fair.
Sorry, most likely not what you wanted to hear.
Thanks, yes its one of those difficult ones, where both have washed their hands of it really. If it was in the last year of my lease, i'd probably just be stubborn and leave it, but i have another 2 years to run on it!To be honest you have two choices, to pay in full to repair yourself or to go through a claim. It's not a warranty claim to Audi and it's not routine maintenance to Motability so you are left with the other two options I'm afraid. I agree it was out your control so hardly seems fair but life isn't fair.
Sorry, most likely not what you wanted to hear.
The biggest cost will be the gas, it is most likely the newer R1234yf gas, we currently charge £175 for that. Its very rare that stones go through the condenser and it should be reasonably easy to tell, more often than not its either corrosion from a build up of dirt at the bottom of the condenser or a known failure point, we have seen a number of newer Q5's that have had condensers leak in a similar place, Minis. Focus and nissan Qashqis always seem to fail in the same place.
Personally I would just pay for the repair at an independent, you will never get it carried out under warranty, i'd budget around £350-£400 with an aftermarket part supplied fitted inc gas.
Personally I would just pay for the repair at an independent, you will never get it carried out under warranty, i'd budget around £350-£400 with an aftermarket part supplied fitted inc gas.
I don't have any experience of working in the air-con industry. But I have owned air-conditioned cars since 1987.
Many years ago I had 3 air-con "radiators" and two headlights punctured on my 1992 Renault Safrane in the space of 6 months by just this - sharp stones thrown up, more often than not by cars coming the other way. The council had top dressed the road surface on my country way to work, and neglected to sweep up the loose chippings.
The "radiator" is in front of the water radiator and very exposed to such debris. When it went for the third time I bought some wire mesh and got the Renault dealer to make me a stone guard out of it to go in front of the new part before he fitted it. The workshop foreman thought it was a brilliant idea. No more holed air-con.
I did have a holed water radiator at the end of a track day at a live RAF base. Tiny grit stones were thrown up by the cars using the main runway section of our track - the gritty surface was designed to slow Phantoms, and later Eurofighters, as they landed. My radiator had a neat little pin hole dead centre. Anyone who knows the later TVR Chimaeras will know that the radiator is completely unprotected.
So I beg to differ. While Audis doubtless do have build quality issues, it is possible to have air-con holed by flying stones.
My commiserations to the OP. My daughter has a Motability car and watched helplessly from the other side of the road as someone misjudged their parking maneouver and scraped her car. We had to claim, and the claim had to go through Motabiity's insurance (no chance of the standard PH "it wiill buff out" response). It has buggered up our car insurance renewals ever since, explaining that the accident wasn't my daughter's fault. She's insured on two of my cars as well as her own. Insurers seem to think that any accident marks the insured down as accident prone, even if they weren't even in the car at the time.
Many years ago I had 3 air-con "radiators" and two headlights punctured on my 1992 Renault Safrane in the space of 6 months by just this - sharp stones thrown up, more often than not by cars coming the other way. The council had top dressed the road surface on my country way to work, and neglected to sweep up the loose chippings.
The "radiator" is in front of the water radiator and very exposed to such debris. When it went for the third time I bought some wire mesh and got the Renault dealer to make me a stone guard out of it to go in front of the new part before he fitted it. The workshop foreman thought it was a brilliant idea. No more holed air-con.
I did have a holed water radiator at the end of a track day at a live RAF base. Tiny grit stones were thrown up by the cars using the main runway section of our track - the gritty surface was designed to slow Phantoms, and later Eurofighters, as they landed. My radiator had a neat little pin hole dead centre. Anyone who knows the later TVR Chimaeras will know that the radiator is completely unprotected.
So I beg to differ. While Audis doubtless do have build quality issues, it is possible to have air-con holed by flying stones.
My commiserations to the OP. My daughter has a Motability car and watched helplessly from the other side of the road as someone misjudged their parking maneouver and scraped her car. We had to claim, and the claim had to go through Motabiity's insurance (no chance of the standard PH "it wiill buff out" response). It has buggered up our car insurance renewals ever since, explaining that the accident wasn't my daughter's fault. She's insured on two of my cars as well as her own. Insurers seem to think that any accident marks the insured down as accident prone, even if they weren't even in the car at the time.
I would have it repaired by an independent and save the cheap insurance excess for when there is no alternative than to claim.
Motorbility do put the excess up on drivers where there are several claims, and as commented it does make a big difference if you are insured on, or want to be insured on any other cars.
Motorbility do put the excess up on drivers where there are several claims, and as commented it does make a big difference if you are insured on, or want to be insured on any other cars.
QBee said:
I don't have any experience of working in the air-con industry. But I have owned air-conditioned cars since 1987.
Many years ago I had 3 air-con "radiators" and two headlights punctured on my 1992 Renault Safrane in the space of 6 months by just this - sharp stones thrown up, more often than not by cars coming the other way. The council had top dressed the road surface on my country way to work, and neglected to sweep up the loose chippings.
The "radiator" is in front of the water radiator and very exposed to such debris. When it went for the third time I bought some wire mesh and got the Renault dealer to make me a stone guard out of it to go in front of the new part before he fitted it. The workshop foreman thought it was a brilliant idea. No more holed air-con.
I did have a holed water radiator at the end of a track day at a live RAF base. Tiny grit stones were thrown up by the cars using the main runway section of our track - the gritty surface was designed to slow Phantoms, and later Eurofighters, as they landed. My radiator had a neat little pin hole dead centre. Anyone who knows the later TVR Chimaeras will know that the radiator is completely unprotected.
So I beg to differ. While Audis doubtless do have build quality issues, it is possible to have air-con holed by flying stones.
My commiserations to the OP. My daughter has a Motability car and watched helplessly from the other side of the road as someone misjudged their parking maneouver and scraped her car. We had to claim, and the claim had to go through Motabiity's insurance (no chance of the standard PH "it wiill buff out" response). It has buggered up our car insurance renewals ever since, explaining that the accident wasn't my daughter's fault. She's insured on two of my cars as well as her own. Insurers seem to think that any accident marks the insured down as accident prone, even if they weren't even in the car at the time.
In the last 4 years i cannot remember ever seeing a condenser where a stone has gone through it, at the moment we are seeing 3-4 cars per day for AC work.Many years ago I had 3 air-con "radiators" and two headlights punctured on my 1992 Renault Safrane in the space of 6 months by just this - sharp stones thrown up, more often than not by cars coming the other way. The council had top dressed the road surface on my country way to work, and neglected to sweep up the loose chippings.
The "radiator" is in front of the water radiator and very exposed to such debris. When it went for the third time I bought some wire mesh and got the Renault dealer to make me a stone guard out of it to go in front of the new part before he fitted it. The workshop foreman thought it was a brilliant idea. No more holed air-con.
I did have a holed water radiator at the end of a track day at a live RAF base. Tiny grit stones were thrown up by the cars using the main runway section of our track - the gritty surface was designed to slow Phantoms, and later Eurofighters, as they landed. My radiator had a neat little pin hole dead centre. Anyone who knows the later TVR Chimaeras will know that the radiator is completely unprotected.
So I beg to differ. While Audis doubtless do have build quality issues, it is possible to have air-con holed by flying stones.
My commiserations to the OP. My daughter has a Motability car and watched helplessly from the other side of the road as someone misjudged their parking maneouver and scraped her car. We had to claim, and the claim had to go through Motabiity's insurance (no chance of the standard PH "it wiill buff out" response). It has buggered up our car insurance renewals ever since, explaining that the accident wasn't my daughter's fault. She's insured on two of my cars as well as her own. Insurers seem to think that any accident marks the insured down as accident prone, even if they weren't even in the car at the time.
Tony1963 said:
Motability or your own car, it’s just the same. That’s motoring, I’m afraid.
Not really, because if it was my own car. I'd buy a condenser for under £100, get the FIL to fit it and then get my local aircon guy to regas it for whatever it is he charges.So far, I've left it. I appreciate peoples responses here. I know if I want working aircon again, I'll have to pay up and be shafted by insurance for many years to come.
Part of me does want to get it fixed myself, just because I'm stubborn and I don't see why I should have to be shafted by insurance companies for years after this, but I do fear the consequences if found out!
James_N said:
Not really, because if it was my own car. I'd buy a condenser for under £100, get the FIL to fit it and then get my local aircon guy to regas it for whatever it is he charges.
So far, I've left it. I appreciate peoples responses here. I know if I want working aircon again, I'll have to pay up and be shafted by insurance for many years to come.
Part of me does want to get it fixed myself, just because I'm stubborn and I don't see why I should have to be shafted by insurance companies for years after this, but I do fear the consequences if found out!
as long as you use genuine parts no one will knowSo far, I've left it. I appreciate peoples responses here. I know if I want working aircon again, I'll have to pay up and be shafted by insurance for many years to come.
Part of me does want to get it fixed myself, just because I'm stubborn and I don't see why I should have to be shafted by insurance companies for years after this, but I do fear the consequences if found out!
James_N said:
Not really, because if it was my own car. I'd buy a condenser for under £100, get the FIL to fit it and then get my local aircon guy to regas it for whatever it is he charges.
So far, I've left it. I appreciate peoples responses here. I know if I want working aircon again, I'll have to pay up and be shafted by insurance for many years to come.
Part of me does want to get it fixed myself, just because I'm stubborn and I don't see why I should have to be shafted by insurance companies for years after this, but I do fear the consequences if found out!
I really don’t see the issue. Get it fixed cheaply, nobody will know or care. Remember, most car dealers, top to bottom, are not engineers, are under pressure, and don’t really care. The car will be moved on ASAP when you hand it back. Second, third or forth buyer ‘might’ be unlucky. So far, I've left it. I appreciate peoples responses here. I know if I want working aircon again, I'll have to pay up and be shafted by insurance for many years to come.
Part of me does want to get it fixed myself, just because I'm stubborn and I don't see why I should have to be shafted by insurance companies for years after this, but I do fear the consequences if found out!
stevemcs said:
In the last 4 years i cannot remember ever seeing a condenser where a stone has gone through it, at the moment we are seeing 3-4 cars per day for AC work.
Hmmm.... I bow to your practical experience, but it certainly crops up on forums (sometimes with pictures). VW fit shields to some models in some markets to prevent it happening - we had a mk6 Golf and there was one for that. Honda Jazz is another model we've owned where people in the US (Honda Fit there) were making their own screens having had condensers punctured.Surely they're not failing through corrosion in the warranty period?
Its almost like a weak spot on some condensers, VW Golfs at the moment seem to be about the pipes, specifically where the pressure sits in the pipe, although we have had a couple of condensers, some suffer from compressor failure. Passat's are usually compressors, Polos always condensers. Oddly we fit fit more condensers to VW's than the equivalent Audi, Skoda or Seat. We had 2 2018 Q6's last week both needing condensers, baring in mind we are just a garage that works on everything it was odd to see 2 in quick succession, being a main dealer I would expect them to see it far more than we do.
Most common cars for condensers are
Ford Focus mk3
R series Mini's (56/55 but not so much Countrymans)
Nissan Qashqai
Golf Mk 6/7
Most common cars for condensers are
Ford Focus mk3
R series Mini's (56/55 but not so much Countrymans)
Nissan Qashqai
Golf Mk 6/7
James_N said:
Tony1963 said:
Motability or your own car, it’s just the same. That’s motoring, I’m afraid.
Not really, because if it was my own car. I'd buy a condenser for under £100, get the FIL to fit it and then get my local aircon guy to regas it for whatever it is he charges.So far, I've left it. I appreciate peoples responses here. I know if I want working aircon again, I'll have to pay up and be shafted by insurance for many years to come.
Part of me does want to get it fixed myself, just because I'm stubborn and I don't see why I should have to be shafted by insurance companies for years after this, but I do fear the consequences if found out!
If you don't get it fixed and motability find it when the car goes back they will charge you for fixing it, most likely at main dealer rates, and potentially charge you for the time that the sale is delayed by the fix.
When it goes back will anyone ever look under the car - no. It will go to auction and will be sold as seen so no comeback from the next owner.
Use genuine parts and it won't even be noticed at service or if it goes back to Audi to have another aircon fault fixed.
When it goes back will anyone ever look under the car - no. It will go to auction and will be sold as seen so no comeback from the next owner.
Use genuine parts and it won't even be noticed at service or if it goes back to Audi to have another aircon fault fixed.
Dealer rates etc are not my experience of motability handbacks.
My dad has finally hung up his keys but the last 3 motability cars had loads of damage going back. Every one of them had had kerbed to death wheels and usually a scrape or two along with a very obviously dented wheel arch on one. It was marked down and he didnt get his £250 good condition bonus but that was all, no bills of any kind were sent, and he had no issues getting the next one delivered.
My dad has finally hung up his keys but the last 3 motability cars had loads of damage going back. Every one of them had had kerbed to death wheels and usually a scrape or two along with a very obviously dented wheel arch on one. It was marked down and he didnt get his £250 good condition bonus but that was all, no bills of any kind were sent, and he had no issues getting the next one delivered.
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