Door seal on recently acquired car
Discussion
Hello,
Recently bought a car with this torn door seal evident on day of collection.
Noticed the car get damp around the carpet on that side after use during our inclement weather.
Car had to be recovered to dealer under an excellent warranty to fix an unrelated (but equally frustrating) issue.
Car has been out of my possession for 50% of ownership as a result (2 out of 4 weeks).
While the car was back, I asked for a fix for this issue and reaction was initially positive.
Dealer has since refused to fix it (they did switch the outer seal) saying it’s within expectation for some wear and tear on a car that’s 11 years old.
However, this fault / damage means water ingress (which can be a major issue issue in any vehicle) is very possible in a car I brought to use all year round (not a fair weather vehicle as such).
I’m just at / over the 30 days of ownership point, bought the car with an initial deposit on credit card.
Otherwise lovely vehicle, but what are your thoughts on my next steps? This experience has clouded my view of the car and I don’t think I’m being unreasonable to expect a car to not let in water…..
Recently bought a car with this torn door seal evident on day of collection.
Noticed the car get damp around the carpet on that side after use during our inclement weather.
Car had to be recovered to dealer under an excellent warranty to fix an unrelated (but equally frustrating) issue.
Car has been out of my possession for 50% of ownership as a result (2 out of 4 weeks).
While the car was back, I asked for a fix for this issue and reaction was initially positive.
Dealer has since refused to fix it (they did switch the outer seal) saying it’s within expectation for some wear and tear on a car that’s 11 years old.
However, this fault / damage means water ingress (which can be a major issue issue in any vehicle) is very possible in a car I brought to use all year round (not a fair weather vehicle as such).
I’m just at / over the 30 days of ownership point, bought the car with an initial deposit on credit card.
Otherwise lovely vehicle, but what are your thoughts on my next steps? This experience has clouded my view of the car and I don’t think I’m being unreasonable to expect a car to not let in water…..
Edited by 996Type on Monday 11th September 18:37
Additional thought process is that I’m within the first 30 days of ownership. If you don’t have access to the car for all that period (due to the car being broken down for half of it due to another issue), does this extend the returns rights you have as it was out of your control?
Thanks for any thoughts….
Thanks for any thoughts….
I’d prefer not to say what type of car at this stage, but the seal fix is going to be the best part of £800 as it’s a prestige model and gluing it back together isn’t really where I want to be.
Home repair might also muddy the water down the line if the issue continues (a bodged home fix might harm the case for replacement so I’m leaving well alone).
It’s a main supplying franchise dealer that I bought from and I take the point about an 11 year old car, but water is getting into the cabin as a result of the ragged seal and that’s a concern after owning for less than a month, so it’s moved from wear and tear to something that’s a fault at point of delivery? Dealer outlined the warranty doesn’t cover seals but again, damage was evident at collection, water ingress in first couple of weeks so warranty not relevant.
It’s the kind of car you want to be as reasonably sure / confident of as possible in terms of being an owner in my view so I went main dealer used prestige and full warranty, which to be fair was supplied with the car, and carried the cost of a more severe repair that was required after only 10 days of ownership and very few miles (to an excellent standard), but I lost the car for 2 out of 4 weeks of initial ownership as a result and I’ve missed out on many shakedown miles now that might throw up further issues.
Had I known I’d have had so many issues at such an early stage, I would have probably looked elsewhere to be candid, as it’s also taking a lot of time and energy I wasn’t expecting to have to spend at this level of car ownership or with this particular marque and I’m trying to ensure it doesn’t dent my owner experience.
Not sure if the above changes anything but just looking to gather views at this point.
I’ve put my concerns in writing to the supplying dealership and I’m a little upset customer experience wise that while the car was back with them for a fortnight 2 hours away, they disregarded this item that was flagged up in writing when the vehicle needed recovery as it represents a fraction of the cars value but seems to be creating a disproportionate view for me of the model / marque and support I might have reasonably expected when something else goes wrong, so trying to get a sense check on if my concerns are reasonable or otherwise within the first 30 days of ownership!
Thanks for any further thoughts….
Home repair might also muddy the water down the line if the issue continues (a bodged home fix might harm the case for replacement so I’m leaving well alone).
It’s a main supplying franchise dealer that I bought from and I take the point about an 11 year old car, but water is getting into the cabin as a result of the ragged seal and that’s a concern after owning for less than a month, so it’s moved from wear and tear to something that’s a fault at point of delivery? Dealer outlined the warranty doesn’t cover seals but again, damage was evident at collection, water ingress in first couple of weeks so warranty not relevant.
It’s the kind of car you want to be as reasonably sure / confident of as possible in terms of being an owner in my view so I went main dealer used prestige and full warranty, which to be fair was supplied with the car, and carried the cost of a more severe repair that was required after only 10 days of ownership and very few miles (to an excellent standard), but I lost the car for 2 out of 4 weeks of initial ownership as a result and I’ve missed out on many shakedown miles now that might throw up further issues.
Had I known I’d have had so many issues at such an early stage, I would have probably looked elsewhere to be candid, as it’s also taking a lot of time and energy I wasn’t expecting to have to spend at this level of car ownership or with this particular marque and I’m trying to ensure it doesn’t dent my owner experience.
Not sure if the above changes anything but just looking to gather views at this point.
I’ve put my concerns in writing to the supplying dealership and I’m a little upset customer experience wise that while the car was back with them for a fortnight 2 hours away, they disregarded this item that was flagged up in writing when the vehicle needed recovery as it represents a fraction of the cars value but seems to be creating a disproportionate view for me of the model / marque and support I might have reasonably expected when something else goes wrong, so trying to get a sense check on if my concerns are reasonable or otherwise within the first 30 days of ownership!
Thanks for any further thoughts….
Edited by 996Type on Monday 11th September 23:00
I'm not convinced you've got much of a chance with this one and may well be relying on the goodwill of the dealer. It's a relatively minor fault typical of a secondhand car that you were fully aware of before taking delivery. It's probably a conversation you should have had before agreeing a purchase price.
Given that the car is eleven years old and that the damage appears to have been caused by shutting the seat belt buckle in the door shut I would simply cover the torn rubber with a layer of black gaffer , duck, or duct tape, whatever you choose to call it. Buy a brand of which you have heard, and replace as and when needed.Don’t throw money at this sort of problem.
If it's the car you discussed on your other thread then I can understand why you would expect the dealer to fix it but as others have said it could be deemed as being wear and tear on an 11 year old car. I think a probable outcome would be that you and the dealer both contribute to replace, with negotiation on percentage each.
11 year old car , its a wear and tear fault, think you might be on your own with this, and they proably also know the price, hence them not wanting to change it, did you not see it before you bought it?
From whats been said already, it is an expensive car, even more reason to make sure any faults are found before you buy tbh. and i would be suprised if the dealer is making a huge amount on the sale anyway £800 would make a big dent in any profit.
I would change it myself and move on really , second hand cars are always a bit of a gamble, and spending more doesnt change this.
From whats been said already, it is an expensive car, even more reason to make sure any faults are found before you buy tbh. and i would be suprised if the dealer is making a huge amount on the sale anyway £800 would make a big dent in any profit.
I would change it myself and move on really , second hand cars are always a bit of a gamble, and spending more doesnt change this.
Did you inspect the car before purchase, because if the tear was there this is something I would have spotted.
You say it was evident on delivery - did you mention it to seller then?
I think you are fishing for something when ultimately this is down to your own lack of diligence.
PS. This looks like a fairly generic inner rubber rather than a custom-shaped one. I reckon you will find a length f suitable replacement by comparing a cross section with pictures online. Indeed, you might even find that the same rubber is used on a significantly cheaper model of car and priced accordingly.
You say it was evident on delivery - did you mention it to seller then?
I think you are fishing for something when ultimately this is down to your own lack of diligence.
PS. This looks like a fairly generic inner rubber rather than a custom-shaped one. I reckon you will find a length f suitable replacement by comparing a cross section with pictures online. Indeed, you might even find that the same rubber is used on a significantly cheaper model of car and priced accordingly.
Edited by Evercross on Tuesday 12th September 07:15
996Type said:
Thanks everyone, good consensus and much appreciated. I’ll let you know outcome and what happens next. Cosmetically it’s not where I’d like to be but it’s the water ingress that of course is the main concern at this stage to me.
That door seal will not be letting that much in, I suspect your water leak is elsewhere Don't buy something like that door seal direct, it'll be generic seal material. Take yourself a picture of the seal end-on and have a rifle through the interwebs for the same stuff, you'll be able to buy it by the meter cheaply enough.
As for water ingress, as above that will hardly let anything in, if at all.
Are the windows dropping and moving back up when the doors opened/closed as appropriate? They should dip slightly down when opening, then push themselves a few mm over the seal when closed. Common DB9 issue where the window regulator module goes wrong.
As for water ingress, as above that will hardly let anything in, if at all.
Are the windows dropping and moving back up when the doors opened/closed as appropriate? They should dip slightly down when opening, then push themselves a few mm over the seal when closed. Common DB9 issue where the window regulator module goes wrong.
Edited by Krikkit on Tuesday 12th September 09:45
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