Another SP6 casualty
Discussion
I am sitting here in rage.
I recognised the need for my car to have a 4 wheel alignment after banging a rear wheel against a curb. Steve of Silverstone Performance offered to check the alignment and as they are nearer than ****** TVR (where I bought the car) I booked the car in.
Today I drove the car up to SP and discovered what a good bunch of guys they are. This is where things start to go downhill!
Car gets driven in to the workshop. They try to fit the alignment guages onto the front wheels but find that I have the totally wrong size of tyre on the car!!!! I bought this from a main dealer and they failed to tell me about this!!! I could be dead! The effect this tyre choice could have on the handling of the car could be the difference between going round a tricky corner and meeting a solid object at speed. It was then discovered, that due to the wrong size of tyre, the wheel arch had been damaged by the wheel rubbing it away....I now have a hole in my front offside wheel-arch!
While the car was up on the ramp it was evident that the car was loosing oil from somewhere as it could be seen coating the chassis..probably a minor leak (we all thought) as I have noticed no big drop in the oil level when checking the level (as prescribed by the TVR manual). When SP start the engine to try and trace the leak they find that the leak is in fact the Head Gasket!!!
I have owned this car for 3 months. I have driven it on about 20 occaisions. I have checked both oil and coolant levels regularly...I have watched the guages like a hawk. I have let the car warm up properly before going any where near 3/4k revs....How could ****** TVR have let this car go?
We are trying to see if the TVR approved warranty covers this, but as it is fresh from a main dealer we feel that the ball may be in ******'s court.
I am really dissappointed...I have been really happy with the car and was looking forward to a long ownership. I fear that it may now sit in a garage for a long time before it is repaired....an expense that should not have occured!
I am pissed-off.
Ben
sorry, had to sort out the name and shame- feel for you and hope you get it sorted with the minimum of aggro.
>> Edited by on Friday 24th February 21:16
I recognised the need for my car to have a 4 wheel alignment after banging a rear wheel against a curb. Steve of Silverstone Performance offered to check the alignment and as they are nearer than ****** TVR (where I bought the car) I booked the car in.
Today I drove the car up to SP and discovered what a good bunch of guys they are. This is where things start to go downhill!
Car gets driven in to the workshop. They try to fit the alignment guages onto the front wheels but find that I have the totally wrong size of tyre on the car!!!! I bought this from a main dealer and they failed to tell me about this!!! I could be dead! The effect this tyre choice could have on the handling of the car could be the difference between going round a tricky corner and meeting a solid object at speed. It was then discovered, that due to the wrong size of tyre, the wheel arch had been damaged by the wheel rubbing it away....I now have a hole in my front offside wheel-arch!
While the car was up on the ramp it was evident that the car was loosing oil from somewhere as it could be seen coating the chassis..probably a minor leak (we all thought) as I have noticed no big drop in the oil level when checking the level (as prescribed by the TVR manual). When SP start the engine to try and trace the leak they find that the leak is in fact the Head Gasket!!!
I have owned this car for 3 months. I have driven it on about 20 occaisions. I have checked both oil and coolant levels regularly...I have watched the guages like a hawk. I have let the car warm up properly before going any where near 3/4k revs....How could ****** TVR have let this car go?
We are trying to see if the TVR approved warranty covers this, but as it is fresh from a main dealer we feel that the ball may be in ******'s court.
I am really dissappointed...I have been really happy with the car and was looking forward to a long ownership. I fear that it may now sit in a garage for a long time before it is repaired....an expense that should not have occured!
I am pissed-off.
Ben
sorry, had to sort out the name and shame- feel for you and hope you get it sorted with the minimum of aggro.
>> Edited by on Friday 24th February 21:16
Really sorry to hear this.
Firstly, do you have the full TVR warranty (sounds like you do). If so, it should get fixed with no quibbles.
Secondly, it won't take too long to repair if it goes to the right place - somewhere like TVR Power. The forums have reported a big reduction in the waiting list for engine work.
Fingers crossed it won't take too long. Better it happens now, in the crap weather and under warranty!!
Now, what is the history of the car? Did the last owner have any problems?
T/.
edited to say: I see you're in Bucks - whereabouts? There's quite a few T' owners in the area.
>> Edited by targarama on Friday 24th February 18:33
Firstly, do you have the full TVR warranty (sounds like you do). If so, it should get fixed with no quibbles.
Secondly, it won't take too long to repair if it goes to the right place - somewhere like TVR Power. The forums have reported a big reduction in the waiting list for engine work.
Fingers crossed it won't take too long. Better it happens now, in the crap weather and under warranty!!
Now, what is the history of the car? Did the last owner have any problems?
T/.
edited to say: I see you're in Bucks - whereabouts? There's quite a few T' owners in the area.
>> Edited by targarama on Friday 24th February 18:33
Targarama - Thanks for your response, it soothes the mind a little.
I'm not going to hold my breath on the warranty though... I think they may force it back to ******TVR and then ****** will go back to TVR. Could take a long time and lots of shouting.
I live near West Wycombe - very near the Churchill's shooting ground in fact.
If you want to meet up I know some great pubs!
Cheers
Beno
>> Edited by on Friday 24th February 21:18
I'm not going to hold my breath on the warranty though... I think they may force it back to ******TVR and then ****** will go back to TVR. Could take a long time and lots of shouting.
I live near West Wycombe - very near the Churchill's shooting ground in fact.
If you want to meet up I know some great pubs!
Cheers
Beno
>> Edited by on Friday 24th February 21:18
PTOTY said:
Targarama - Thanks for your response, it soothes the mind a little.
I'm not going to hold my breath on the warranty though... I think they may force it back to ******TVR and then ****** will go back to TVR. Could take a long time and lots of shouting.
I live near West Wycombe - very near the Churchill's shooting ground in fact.
If you want to meet up I know some great pubs!
Cheers
Beno
Let us know what the dealer says.
I'm out the other side of Wycombe, in Hazlemere - just off the A404 basically.
>> Edited by on Friday 24th February 21:19
PTOTY said:
Targarama - Thanks for your response, it soothes the mind a little.
I'm not going to hold my breath on the warranty though... I think they may force it back to ******TVR and then ****** will go back to TVR. Could take a long time and lots of shouting.
Cheers
Beno
Sounds like your mind needs soothing a little PTOTY
First.....have you actually spoken to Ian at ****** about your problems....
It doesn't sound like it to me....sounds as if all you have done so far is come on here shouting about it.
There is a no shaming and naming policy on this forum of which you should be aware and if you weren't I'm making you aware of it now.
To put this very much in perspective I have been a customer of ****** TVR for the last 6 years and I have nothing but the highest praise for their standards.
One thing I have learnt over those years is that ****** cannot and do not mind read.....
You have to tell them there is a problem if you want something done about it.
May I suggest that you pick up the phone to Ian Cunningham tomorrow and tell him about your issues.
PTOTY said:
I think they may force it back to ******TVR and then ****** will go back to TVR. Could take a long time and lots of shouting.
Beno
I would also suggest that shouting is no the way to resolve any issue...however bad you may feel it is....
Ian is a very up front guy who is more than helpful. He will be most concerned to hear of your problems. It is not at all in ****** TVR's interest to have anyone unhappy with their services as a main dealer.
But at least give them the chance to resolve your issues before coming on a public forum bad mouthing them.......
I hope you get the car sorted.....
YP
>> Edited by on Friday 24th February 21:21
PTOTY said:
They try to fit the alignment guages onto the front wheels but find that I have the totally wrong size of tyre on the car!!!! I bought this from a main dealer and they failed to tell me about this!!! I could be dead! The effect this tyre choice could have on the handling of the car could be the difference between going round a tricky corner and meeting a solid object at speed. It was then discovered, that due to the wrong size of tyre, the wheel arch had been damaged by the wheel rubbing it away....I now have a hole in my front offside wheel-arch!
I don't post on this forum often but I read it every night and I would like to make a suggestion....
After three months of a wheel rubbing against and putting a hole in your wheel arch GET A DEAF AID!!
YP - I think you have miss-interpreted my post and my intentions for such a post.
I have every intent to talk to **** and I am very much hoping that they will be as helpful to me as they always have been. I have not accused them of not dealing with the problem as I have not discussed the problem with them, I am merely secound guessing the outcome of the call...and yes I was ranting and venting steam because I was annoyed....Not at *********....not at Silverstone Performance, but because I was just starting to really enjoy the ownership of the car and along comes a very big problem...it's frustration and I'm sure you've felt it.
I posted because I had to vent some anger and I wanted some feedback from fellow enthusiasts about what I could expect in response from the warranty firm, ***** and TVR themselves.
At the time of posting it was too late to pick up the phone to ******.
Tell me one thing - Why would ***** let me have the car with totally the wrong size of tyres on the front? An engineer said that he spotted it as soon as he walked up to the car...it's that apparent. For a car that is sold on its dynamic abilities, and as a first time buyer of a TVR I would have thought the handling of the car should be as sorted as possible.
Call me a cynic, but I'm going to await the response from my enquiries into the resolution of this problem...I held *** in high regard, they lost a bit of that respect in giving me an "un-sorted" car, I really do hope that they re-capture that trust and regard.
I always thought that this forum was an open talking space to air views, ask for advice and generally talk about cars. The posts are allowed to be positive and negative.
I appreciate your feedback and I will take it on board...I hope that this gets resolved quickly and in the most amicable of ways, after all that's in my best interests.
Regards
Ben
I have every intent to talk to **** and I am very much hoping that they will be as helpful to me as they always have been. I have not accused them of not dealing with the problem as I have not discussed the problem with them, I am merely secound guessing the outcome of the call...and yes I was ranting and venting steam because I was annoyed....Not at *********....not at Silverstone Performance, but because I was just starting to really enjoy the ownership of the car and along comes a very big problem...it's frustration and I'm sure you've felt it.
I posted because I had to vent some anger and I wanted some feedback from fellow enthusiasts about what I could expect in response from the warranty firm, ***** and TVR themselves.
At the time of posting it was too late to pick up the phone to ******.
Tell me one thing - Why would ***** let me have the car with totally the wrong size of tyres on the front? An engineer said that he spotted it as soon as he walked up to the car...it's that apparent. For a car that is sold on its dynamic abilities, and as a first time buyer of a TVR I would have thought the handling of the car should be as sorted as possible.
Call me a cynic, but I'm going to await the response from my enquiries into the resolution of this problem...I held *** in high regard, they lost a bit of that respect in giving me an "un-sorted" car, I really do hope that they re-capture that trust and regard.
I always thought that this forum was an open talking space to air views, ask for advice and generally talk about cars. The posts are allowed to be positive and negative.
I appreciate your feedback and I will take it on board...I hope that this gets resolved quickly and in the most amicable of ways, after all that's in my best interests.
Regards
Ben
slotypa said:
I don't post on this forum often but I read it every night and I would like to make a suggestion....
After three months of a wheel rubbing against and putting a hole in your wheel arch GET A DEAF AID!!
A very constructive comment - Thanks! Do you really think that I would have knowingly driven the car with the wheel rubbing on the bodywork? It could have only touched the body work during full lock and under load....the hole is not the point though...The more serious matter is the fact that the handling of the car was compromised...potentially dangerously. I am not happy to accept that. I assume that you would not be happy with just any old size of tyres on your car!
Please try to be constructive.
>> Edited by on Friday 24th February 21:52
PTOTY said:
Tell me one thing - Why would ****** let me have the car with totally the wrong size of tyres on the front? An engineer said that he spotted it as soon as he walked up to the car...it's that apparent. For a car that is sold on its dynamic abilities, and as a first time buyer of a TVR I would have thought the handling of the car should be as sorted as possible.
Call me a cynic, but I'm going to await the response from my enquiries into the resolution of this problem...I held ****** in high regard, they lost a bit of that respect in giving me an "un-sorted" car, I really do hope that they re-capture that trust and regard.
I always thought that this forum was an open talking space to air views, ask for advice and generally talk about cars. The posts are allowed to be positive and negative.
Actually Ben, the naming and shaming rules, whilst I understand they have to be there to protect Ted's commercial interest, do mean that you may not get to see the positive and negative sides of a subject.
Steve.
>> Edited by on Friday 24th February 22:37
PTOTY said:
YP - I think you have miss-interpreted my post and my intentions for such a post.
I always thought that this forum was an open talking space to air views, ask for advice and generally talk about cars. The posts are allowed to be positive and negative.
I appreciate your feedback and I will take it on board...I hope that this gets resolved quickly and in the most amicable of ways, after all that's in my best interests.
Regards
Ben
If I misintepreted your post it would have been because the way it was written.
You had obviously not spoken with the dealer in question before posting.
This forum is an open talking space to air views and you are entitled to do that...but not name and shame...which I see has been corrected now.
It is most unfair to the dealers, most of whom will not contribute to the forum to give their side...understandably.
It's good to hear that you intend to approach the dealer in an amicable fashion.....
Those that know me on this forum will know that I am always against shouting at anyone to resolve an issue....
and my profile says that I will always balance an argument....
I suppose it comes about because I own my own business and occasionally I get it wrong and it's counter productive to have someone yelling at me when I'm quite happy to sort their problem for them.....
Thankfully it doesn't happen that often....
Sorry to hear about your TVR.....I hope it gets sorted soon.
YP
Bogie
I picked the car up from the main TVR dealer with these tyres on - If anybody should have known the correct tyres for driving at high speed in a TVR it is them... It is their responsibility to ensure that I leave them with a car that should perform properly.
I am new to TVR....and I am learning all the little tricks that help with ownership, however, I have owned a few sports cars in my time and I most definately understand tyre pressures, sizes, and speed ratings. What I failed to do was to check something that I assumed a main dealer would do. I assumed that the main dealer would ensure I would have the car with the correct size of tyre at the correct PSI.
If you went to any main dealer to buy a car you were new to, prepared by them, would you:
1 - walk around the car checking the tyre specs, over and above checking the tread depth??
2 - Go home and research the tyre specs to ensure they were correct??
I doubt it - there is a level of trust involved.
If these were the types of checks that have to be done when purchasing a TVR from a main dealer then I doubt that a car would ever get sold....you'd be checking the type of oil they put in it...How the hell would you know otherwise if the dealer tells you that the car should be running 15w/40 and that's all that's ever been in it, without taking an oil sample and doing some research...this forum alone seems to come up with a myriad of different oil types that people use and have been recommended.
My point - I trusted the dealer. They let me down. I will not be so assuming in the future.
I picked the car up from the main TVR dealer with these tyres on - If anybody should have known the correct tyres for driving at high speed in a TVR it is them... It is their responsibility to ensure that I leave them with a car that should perform properly.
I am new to TVR....and I am learning all the little tricks that help with ownership, however, I have owned a few sports cars in my time and I most definately understand tyre pressures, sizes, and speed ratings. What I failed to do was to check something that I assumed a main dealer would do. I assumed that the main dealer would ensure I would have the car with the correct size of tyre at the correct PSI.
If you went to any main dealer to buy a car you were new to, prepared by them, would you:
1 - walk around the car checking the tyre specs, over and above checking the tread depth??
2 - Go home and research the tyre specs to ensure they were correct??
I doubt it - there is a level of trust involved.
If these were the types of checks that have to be done when purchasing a TVR from a main dealer then I doubt that a car would ever get sold....you'd be checking the type of oil they put in it...How the hell would you know otherwise if the dealer tells you that the car should be running 15w/40 and that's all that's ever been in it, without taking an oil sample and doing some research...this forum alone seems to come up with a myriad of different oil types that people use and have been recommended.
My point - I trusted the dealer. They let me down. I will not be so assuming in the future.
"1 - walk around the car checking the tyre specs, over and above checking the tread depth??
2 - Go home and research the tyre specs to ensure they were correct?? "
errrmm..yep - I know what tyres should be on any car I own even down to recommend brand...I would want to make sure the previous owner hasnt put some cheap rubbish on ...its a good way to tell if its been owned by a tight arse or not
Sorry - Im not having a dig ...and Im sure everything will get sorted under warranty and you will be a happy TVR owner again soon
...anyway - what tyres has it got on it? I cant believe for one minute theyve put some truck tyres on there
theres only really about 2 sizes and 2 or 3 brands that should be on it...I cant believe they are that far out in size etc to be dangerous...Im sure we can put your mind at rest on that one.
2 - Go home and research the tyre specs to ensure they were correct?? "
errrmm..yep - I know what tyres should be on any car I own even down to recommend brand...I would want to make sure the previous owner hasnt put some cheap rubbish on ...its a good way to tell if its been owned by a tight arse or not
Sorry - Im not having a dig ...and Im sure everything will get sorted under warranty and you will be a happy TVR owner again soon
...anyway - what tyres has it got on it? I cant believe for one minute theyve put some truck tyres on there
theres only really about 2 sizes and 2 or 3 brands that should be on it...I cant believe they are that far out in size etc to be dangerous...Im sure we can put your mind at rest on that one.
PTOTY said:
Bogie
If you went to any main dealer to buy a car you were new to, prepared by them, would you:
1 - walk around the car checking the tyre specs, over and above checking the tread depth??
2 - Go home and research the tyre specs to ensure they were correct??
I doubt it - there is a level of trust involved.
I'm sorry...but the answers to both those questions is a resounding YES!
To be honest if you have owned a few sports cars in the past..I'm amazed that you didn't check those details either...out of interest if nothing else!
YP
bogie said:
sorry to hear about your engine....but I am amazed that you dont even know what the correct tyres are for your car....do you even check the pressures every week before driving it at high speed? !!
If a TVR dealer is selling a car they should check it out before they hand over the keys and take the money. Assuming it was a retail sale, to justify their margin to turn it around they would have to do at least basic checks which would include taking the wheels off. If in the process of doing so they did not see the tyres were fouling the arches and they were unsuitable for the car then they are at fault - end of subject.
Any retail customer should be able to walk in to a showroom, buy a car, drive it out and assume it will not need to be inspected before driving it. What each driver does or checks after that is another story.
Ribol said:
sorry to hear about your engine....but I am amazed that you dont even know what the correct tyres are for your car....do you even check the pressures every week before driving it at high speed? !!
If a TVR dealer is selling a car they should check it out before they hand over the keys and take the money. Assuming it was a retail sale, to justify their margin to turn it around they would have to do at least basic checks which would include taking the wheels off. If in the process of doing so they did not see the tyres were fouling the arches and they were unsuitable for the car then they are at fault - end of subject.
Any retail customer should be able to walk in to a showroom, buy a car, drive it out and assume it will not need to be inspected before driving it. What each driver does or checks after that is another story.
Have to agree, the one main reason people buy from a dealer, and the premium that comes with it, is surely for piece of mind, you are paying the extra in the knowledge that the 'professionals' will be handing over to you, after you've parted with your very hard earned cash, a quality, checked and safe product. If you have to check the car over yourself, and spend hours researching, what on earth is the point in paying the premium at a dealer?
It seems some people think that the poor hard done by dealer is always the victim of the customer who has just handed over tens of thousands of pounds - how dare we expect the product to be perfect after handing over, what equates to some as two years salary!
>> Edited by chris watton on Saturday 25th February 12:34
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