New (used) car issue - opinions welcomed
Discussion
Hi people.
I'd really appreciate your input on this issue.
My parents recently bought an 06 plate Vectra 2.2 Direct Estate from a local dealer. The car drove well on the test drive, however, after driving the car home the gearbox has developed a pronounced whining noise. On investigation this appears to be a shortcoming of the M32 gearbox used in these and plenty of other cars. The car itself has only done 57,000 miles.
We've now had our trusted mechanic (a Vauxhall Technician) drive the car to his garage and he's come to the conclusion that a bearing needs replacing as it's a fault that will eventually break the gearbox (as confirmed by the huge thread on the VXR owners forum). He's also said that there were some brand new screws/bolts on the gearbox casing and it looks like someone has already had a look to see what's wrong. My suspicion is that they've decided it's an expensive fix and shifted the car on. It was probably the previous owner but either way the fault was there at the point of sale.
The dealer has already replaced the crank oil seal that left a puddle on the garage floor but he was initially unwilling to replace the bearing in the gearbox as it will come to several hundred pounds, suggesting an additive to quieten it down. The 3 month warranty that the car was sold with explicitly states that "All internal (gearbox) components including - Bearings" are covered. He has now offered a 50% contribution.
I'm of the impression that you wouldn't expect a car with 57K on the clock regardless of age to have a whining gearbox and it was sold with a fault that should be covered by the warranty.
Does anyone think it's unreasonable to expect the dealer to pay for the work that needs doing?
Thanks for reading!
I'd really appreciate your input on this issue.
My parents recently bought an 06 plate Vectra 2.2 Direct Estate from a local dealer. The car drove well on the test drive, however, after driving the car home the gearbox has developed a pronounced whining noise. On investigation this appears to be a shortcoming of the M32 gearbox used in these and plenty of other cars. The car itself has only done 57,000 miles.
We've now had our trusted mechanic (a Vauxhall Technician) drive the car to his garage and he's come to the conclusion that a bearing needs replacing as it's a fault that will eventually break the gearbox (as confirmed by the huge thread on the VXR owners forum). He's also said that there were some brand new screws/bolts on the gearbox casing and it looks like someone has already had a look to see what's wrong. My suspicion is that they've decided it's an expensive fix and shifted the car on. It was probably the previous owner but either way the fault was there at the point of sale.
The dealer has already replaced the crank oil seal that left a puddle on the garage floor but he was initially unwilling to replace the bearing in the gearbox as it will come to several hundred pounds, suggesting an additive to quieten it down. The 3 month warranty that the car was sold with explicitly states that "All internal (gearbox) components including - Bearings" are covered. He has now offered a 50% contribution.
I'm of the impression that you wouldn't expect a car with 57K on the clock regardless of age to have a whining gearbox and it was sold with a fault that should be covered by the warranty.
Does anyone think it's unreasonable to expect the dealer to pay for the work that needs doing?
Thanks for reading!
littleredrooster said:
All that jazz said:
Claim on the 3 month warranty included in the sale. Problem over.
If it's typical aftermarket warranty, it will not cover faults existing at the time of sale, nor will it come into effect until thirty days after sale.The M32 gearbox is s
t.
Give the supplying dealer a ring and explain the situation, if you get nowhere go to the warranty company and see what they say.
I know the Grande Punto Diesel has that gearbox and they can destroy the bearing on the standard power, but it is known to cause issues once they're mapped.
But I've heard that they can be repaired for about £400? So it may be worth seeing if something like the AA breakdown repair cover will cover it, if the garage and warranty don't want to know.
t. Give the supplying dealer a ring and explain the situation, if you get nowhere go to the warranty company and see what they say.
I know the Grande Punto Diesel has that gearbox and they can destroy the bearing on the standard power, but it is known to cause issues once they're mapped.
But I've heard that they can be repaired for about £400? So it may be worth seeing if something like the AA breakdown repair cover will cover it, if the garage and warranty don't want to know.
ging84 said:
i don't understand
the warranty will cover it but you want the dealer to pay instead?
Sorry guys, I think I probably could have explained it better. The warranty is not third party, it was provided by the dealer and is in the name of the company. He is not a mechanic and doesn't have the facilities to do the job on site so it would have to be fixed elsewhere anyway.the warranty will cover it but you want the dealer to pay instead?
Andy665 said:
So there was no whining from the gearbox at all on the test drive but after driving it home after collection there was?
Yes, that's correct. There was a period of about a week before they picked up the car whilst it was serviced and MOT'd.The car is still driveable but whining. What else would you expect from a Vauxhall. 
As someone else mentioned, the car has not broken down, so technically most dealer warranties would not cover this.
I think a 50% contribution from the dealer is reasonable, as I only recently got 30% cost back from dealer for a fault the RAC Warranty supplied did not cover.
As someone else mentioned, the car has not broken down, so technically most dealer warranties would not cover this.
I think a 50% contribution from the dealer is reasonable, as I only recently got 30% cost back from dealer for a fault the RAC Warranty supplied did not cover.
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