Potential problem..
Discussion
So I've had my 2010 V8V for 2 months now and in that time I have done a total of 1000 miles. I have had a few issues with it but the latest issue was a squeal from the clutch when pulling away. No signs of the clutch not working correctly though. Booked it in with my local AM dealer to be checked. They have reported back a whole list of issues but the basics of it are the clutch and flywheel are heavily worn, cost to replace, £3k, not covered by warranty. Front pads 60% worn, Read pads 75% worn, advise replacement. Also an oil leak and an issue with a front wishbone, both of which will be covered under the manufacturers warranty. So basically I am looking at a £4k bill on a car I purchased as an Aston approved vehicle 1000 miles / 2 months ago. I have told my local Aston dealer to hold fire on the work and have emailed the dealer I purchased the vehicle from. I am waiting to hear back from them. Now am I being unreasonable to expect them to pay for at least the clutch to be sorted as I certainly wasn't expecting bills of this size so soon into ownership? The car has done 26k miles so the clutch probably is near the end of its normal life but being an Aston Approved vehicle I would of hoped the dealers would of known this and rectified any issues prior to delivery?
I have left any names out of this post as I want to give the dealership a chance to do what I think is the right thing to resolve this.
I have left any names out of this post as I want to give the dealership a chance to do what I think is the right thing to resolve this.
No, I brought an AM approved vehicle from a huge AM main dealer 
That dealer is not local to me which is why I took it to my local AM main dealer to check the squeal and this all came to light. Not only is it an AM approved but it still has its manufacturers warranty until end of October and then a further 1 year premium extended warranty.
That dealer is not local to me which is why I took it to my local AM main dealer to check the squeal and this all came to light. Not only is it an AM approved but it still has its manufacturers warranty until end of October and then a further 1 year premium extended warranty.smartmove said:
No, I brought an AM approved vehicle from a huge AM main dealer That dealer is not local to me which is why I took it to my local AM main dealer to check the squeal and this all came to light. Not only is it an AM approved but it still has its manufacturers warranty until end of October and then a further 1 year premium extended warranty.
Ahh, ok - now I understand! That dealer is not local to me which is why I took it to my local AM main dealer to check the squeal and this all came to light. Not only is it an AM approved but it still has its manufacturers warranty until end of October and then a further 1 year premium extended warranty.Well any AM Approved car should have a 140 point check performed on it and I would have thought you should have been given a copy of this when you bought the car. This should state that the car was sold to meet a minimum set of standards (including the checking of clutch, flywheel and brakes) and I would be very surprised if 1000 miles in 2 months could make any issue fall from meeting reasonable AM Approved standards to needing replacing under regular wear and tear.
Front brake pads need replacing at 60% worn however sounds like your local dealer trying it on!
I can't see that warrenty issues covered would be any different between the original dealer you bought from and your local dealer. If the car was certified as good just 2mths / 1000miles ago then I would expect the warrenty to cover all of your issues unless you have taken the car on a track - which looking at your profile is an obvious question to ask!?
smartmove said:
No, I brought an AM approved vehicle from a huge AM main dealer That dealer is not local to me which is why I took it to my local AM main dealer to check the squeal and this all came to light. Not only is it an AM approved but it still has its manufacturers warranty until end of October and then a further 1 year premium extended warranty.
On that basis I'd be pushing the supplying dealer AND the factory to sort it all out. That dealer is not local to me which is why I took it to my local AM main dealer to check the squeal and this all came to light. Not only is it an AM approved but it still has its manufacturers warranty until end of October and then a further 1 year premium extended warranty.None of that is "normal" wear and tear
My last Vantage went to a new owner with 23k at 3 years old on its original clutch, discs or pads and with plenty left on all of them.
No, haven't (and won't be) tracked the Aston, that's what I have the MR2 for
Apparently the 140 point check doesn't visually check the clutch as its labour intensive to get to it but they would "check it's function" on a test drive.
I was pretty confident that the selling dealer needed to put this right, just wanted to get some other opinions.
I will let you all know what the dealer comes back with.
Apparently the 140 point check doesn't visually check the clutch as its labour intensive to get to it but they would "check it's function" on a test drive.
I was pretty confident that the selling dealer needed to put this right, just wanted to get some other opinions.
I will let you all know what the dealer comes back with.
Edited by smartmove on Friday 20th September 14:49
Would think you are covered by the "Sale of Goods Act"
http://www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/cgi-bin/glos/co...
"The law states that if you are claiming repair, replacement, full or partial refund within the first six months of ownership, the onus is on the trader to prove that the vehicle was sold without faults when you bought it. This is called the 'reversed burden of proof'. After six months, the burden of proof reverts back to you to provide evidence to support your claim that the vehicle was faulty when it was sold."
http://www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/cgi-bin/glos/co...
"The law states that if you are claiming repair, replacement, full or partial refund within the first six months of ownership, the onus is on the trader to prove that the vehicle was sold without faults when you bought it. This is called the 'reversed burden of proof'. After six months, the burden of proof reverts back to you to provide evidence to support your claim that the vehicle was faulty when it was sold."
If the rear pads are that worn, then definitely a replacement should have been done before sale, fronts are acceptable. If the clutch was not making that noise it may not have been found on the check, but in fairness I think all of us would be disappointed in a dealer car that had a knackered clutch. Good luck.
DAMIT said:
Would think you are covered by the "Sale of Goods Act"
http://www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/cgi-bin/glos/co...
"The law states that if you are claiming repair, replacement, full or partial refund within the first six months of ownership, the onus is on the trader to prove that the vehicle was sold without faults when you bought it. This is called the 'reversed burden of proof'. After six months, the burden of proof reverts back to you to provide evidence to support your claim that the vehicle was faulty when it was sold."
Very useful, will keep that to one side in case I need to start quoting from it to the dealer. I may also informally mention this to my solicitor in case they refuse to help.http://www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/cgi-bin/glos/co...
"The law states that if you are claiming repair, replacement, full or partial refund within the first six months of ownership, the onus is on the trader to prove that the vehicle was sold without faults when you bought it. This is called the 'reversed burden of proof'. After six months, the burden of proof reverts back to you to provide evidence to support your claim that the vehicle was faulty when it was sold."
The dealer has responded saying they need to collect the car so they can appraise it before they can agree to anything.
These so called multi point checks are usually not worth anything. They would have merely checked the brakes and clutch were operational and no detailed inspection or diagnostic checks would have been done.
I think you may find that they will say the clutch and brake wear is acceptable for a 3 year old 20 odd thousand mile car. Were any verbal comments made to you by the dealership at the time of sale?
I hope they look favourably upon your claim. I do believe that some of the repair costs if granted will be goodwill from the dealer as they do want to retain your satisfaction for future servicing etc.
If you have not already done so, I would also request a report on the condition of the brake discs.
Good luck!
I think you may find that they will say the clutch and brake wear is acceptable for a 3 year old 20 odd thousand mile car. Were any verbal comments made to you by the dealership at the time of sale?
I hope they look favourably upon your claim. I do believe that some of the repair costs if granted will be goodwill from the dealer as they do want to retain your satisfaction for future servicing etc.
If you have not already done so, I would also request a report on the condition of the brake discs.
Good luck!
AdamV12V said:
Well any AM Approved car should have a 140 point check performed on it ........ (including the checking of clutch, flywheel and brakes) ........
The dealer checking the clutch puzzles me.I know how to check for the early stages of clutch slip (high gear, revs, release clutch pedal, then if revs reduce gradually, the clutch is slipping).
However, can a mechanic somehow ascertain the clutch wear, without dismantling? If not, then presumably no one could ever tell that a clutch is nearly worn out, and will start to slip in 500 miles time.
Clutch life has been discussed on this forum, and there seems to be a very wide variation. I think some owners spoke about 65,000 miles, and more.
av185 said:
These so called multi point checks are usually not worth anything.
proven numerous times on hereThey are not doing them for the purpose they claim
More like a sales tool to "add value"
It seems to me there is a culture change needed at Aston;
From the machinist that does stitch a seat cover in a straight line
The assembly guy who cannot be bothered to adjust the handbrake
The paint shop guy who doesn't bother checking the panels cleanliness before spraying
The wet sanding/polishing guy who doesn't clean up after himself
The assembly guy who can obviously see panel fit issues when he puts them on
The assembly guy who fits a roadster roof that doesn't close fully
You get the idea!
And lets not forget the dealers techs who let all these pass PDI's!
Oh and then we can start a list of cock ups by dealers
When you do the factory tour they push hard the "fact" ANYONE in production can stop the line for quality issues
It seems no one does!
It feels to me like they all believe they are doing what they say, but no one actually has the pride and ownership to do it. (or the management won't let them/listen?)
"All it takes" is for the individual person to ensure they are proud of their work
I say "all it takes" but that is a a big thing to achieve across a whole organisation
mikey k said:
proven numerous times on hereThey are not doing them for the purpose they claim
More like a sales tool to "add value"
It seems to me there is a culture change needed at Aston;
From the machinist that does stitch a seat cover in a straight line
The assembly guy who cannot be bothered to adjust the handbrake
The paint shop guy who doesn't bother checking the panels cleanliness before spraying
The wet sanding/polishing guy who doesn't clean up after himself
The assembly guy who can obviously see panel fit issues when he puts them on
The assembly guy who fits a roadster roof that doesn't close fully
You get the idea!
And lets not forget the dealers techs who let all these pass PDI's!
Oh and then we can start a list of cock ups by dealers
When you do the factory tour they push hard the "fact" ANYONE in production can stop the line for quality issues
It seems no one does!
It feels to me like they all believe they are doing what they say, but no one actually has the pride and ownership to do it. (or the management won't let them/listen?)
"All it takes" is for the individual person to ensure they are proud of their work
I say "all it takes" but that is a a big thing to achieve across a whole organisation
Whilst Porsche and Ferrari dealers can have their limitations, I think that broadly they provide better customer support although no doubt someone will shoot me down on that. Guess its the subject of another posting which may well have been covered already.
mikey k said:
It seems to me there is a culture change needed at Aston;
After your list, just add 'To be sorted' and there you have it, the Job Description for Dr Bez's successor.You clearly have a good understanding of the detail Mike. Are you available? Hopefully your package could be matched (any currency of course, Middle East, Italian or German) and every day you can choose your company car.
mikey k said:
I say "all it takes" but that is a a big thing to achieve across a whole organisation.
Yes, but I am sure that you would relish the challenge.Not sure which management style would work best. Could try Alex Ferguson or possibly Brian Clough. On second thoughts though ......
When you get started, please remember, the PH people are very willing to help you, and keep you informed about everything that is still wrong. Pricing is quite a hot topic, but you begin with whatever you feel is most important.
I would of course offer myself, but I might be washing my hair when the board meetings are due.
av185 said:
mikey k said:
proven numerous times on hereThey are not doing them for the purpose they claim
More like a sales tool to "add value"
It seems to me there is a culture change needed at Aston;
From the machinist that does stitch a seat cover in a straight line
The assembly guy who cannot be bothered to adjust the handbrake
The paint shop guy who doesn't bother checking the panels cleanliness before spraying
The wet sanding/polishing guy who doesn't clean up after himself
The assembly guy who can obviously see panel fit issues when he puts them on
The assembly guy who fits a roadster roof that doesn't close fully
You get the idea!
And lets not forget the dealers techs who let all these pass PDI's!
Oh and then we can start a list of cock ups by dealers
When you do the factory tour they push hard the "fact" ANYONE in production can stop the line for quality issues
It seems no one does!
It feels to me like they all believe they are doing what they say, but no one actually has the pride and ownership to do it. (or the management won't let them/listen?)
"All it takes" is for the individual person to ensure they are proud of their work
I say "all it takes" but that is a a big thing to achieve across a whole organisation
Whilst Porsche and Ferrari dealers can have their limitations, I think that broadly they provide better customer support although no doubt someone will shoot me down on that. Guess its the subject of another posting which may well have been covered already.
Gassing Station | Aston Martin | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff