Warranty Issue - what are my rights?
Discussion
Evening folks.
Been a bit of a bad two days.
Bought a car last October, it’s been fine up until recently. EML coming on, limp mode. Switch off back on again - cleared fault.
Rang supplier (main brand dealer) and they suggested I contact the roadside assistance that came with the purchase. I did.
Technician turned up prompt last Thursday, he suggested a possible sticking turbo vane.
Advised I should get it booked in and get repaired under warranty as he is familiar with brand and support network.
In his words “ ok to drive” . Drove to work Monday and it sounded very sick. No warning lights or anything.
Spoke to dealer who’d had the report from technician.
“ fixed at roadside “
Drove to work Monday, there was obviously something mechanical not running smoothly. No warning lights.
I know my cars and mechanical physics.
The car dealer recommended I should not drive it anymore and call assist for immediate recovery back to them.
I did, and the recovery diagnosed blown Turbo. Or about to go, bearing failure.
Recovery back to dealer.
Cue a day off of work waiting for a hire car which took an age.
The main dealer is now telling me I now need to agree to a £500 fee to cover “Extra Diagnostic “ which may be covered under warranty.
My thoughts are the turbo has s
t itself
Dealer recovering some expense?
The dealer mentioned I’ve covered 10k miles since I bought it.
I’m like yeah, it’s not really your business. I bought a vehicle with confidence that it would last 12 months without failing.
Been a bit of a bad two days.
Bought a car last October, it’s been fine up until recently. EML coming on, limp mode. Switch off back on again - cleared fault.
Rang supplier (main brand dealer) and they suggested I contact the roadside assistance that came with the purchase. I did.
Technician turned up prompt last Thursday, he suggested a possible sticking turbo vane.
Advised I should get it booked in and get repaired under warranty as he is familiar with brand and support network.
In his words “ ok to drive” . Drove to work Monday and it sounded very sick. No warning lights or anything.
Spoke to dealer who’d had the report from technician.
“ fixed at roadside “
Drove to work Monday, there was obviously something mechanical not running smoothly. No warning lights.
I know my cars and mechanical physics.
The car dealer recommended I should not drive it anymore and call assist for immediate recovery back to them.
I did, and the recovery diagnosed blown Turbo. Or about to go, bearing failure.
Recovery back to dealer.
Cue a day off of work waiting for a hire car which took an age.
The main dealer is now telling me I now need to agree to a £500 fee to cover “Extra Diagnostic “ which may be covered under warranty.
My thoughts are the turbo has s
t itself Dealer recovering some expense?
The dealer mentioned I’ve covered 10k miles since I bought it.
I’m like yeah, it’s not really your business. I bought a vehicle with confidence that it would last 12 months without failing.
The dealer has not done a full diagnostic, hence the potential fee. In reality, the part & associated labour will be covered once the dealer follows warranty procedure & submits test results & full diagnostic for warranty approval.
Totally standard with main dealer warranties, just play the game.
Totally standard with main dealer warranties, just play the game.
Thanks pal.
Totally new territory me with this.
I’m more used to getting stuck and getting the spanner’s out!
Thank you very much for your reassurance.
Well received.
The car I bought is from a big brand, main dealer, with all the reassurance. That’s why I made the purchase.
Thanks again for your advice.
The recovery guy said the Turbo alone could be £2000 before fitting.
Totally new territory me with this.
I’m more used to getting stuck and getting the spanner’s out!
Thank you very much for your reassurance.
Well received.
The car I bought is from a big brand, main dealer, with all the reassurance. That’s why I made the purchase.
Thanks again for your advice.
The recovery guy said the Turbo alone could be £2000 before fitting.
Jim H said:
Thanks pal.
Totally new territory me with this.
I’m more used to getting stuck and getting the spanner’s out!
Thank you very much for your reassurance.
Well received.
The car I bought is from a big brand, main dealer, with all the reassurance. That’s why I made the purchase.
Thanks again for your advice.
The recovery guy said the Turbo alone could be £2000 before fitting.
Main dealer warranties are usually superb. Non main dealer/ aftermarket warranties not so.Totally new territory me with this.
I’m more used to getting stuck and getting the spanner’s out!
Thank you very much for your reassurance.
Well received.
The car I bought is from a big brand, main dealer, with all the reassurance. That’s why I made the purchase.
Thanks again for your advice.
The recovery guy said the Turbo alone could be £2000 before fitting.
The only thing I would say is that the car would need to have adhered to the service schedule & not been modified.
What is the make?
darreni said:
Jim H said:
Thanks pal.
Totally new territory me with this.
I’m more used to getting stuck and getting the spanner’s out!
Thank you very much for your reassurance.
Well received.
The car I bought is from a big brand, main dealer, with all the reassurance. That’s why I made the purchase.
Thanks again for your advice.
The recovery guy said the Turbo alone could be £2000 before fitting.
Main dealer warranties are usually superb. Non main dealer/ aftermarket warranties not so.Totally new territory me with this.
I’m more used to getting stuck and getting the spanner’s out!
Thank you very much for your reassurance.
Well received.
The car I bought is from a big brand, main dealer, with all the reassurance. That’s why I made the purchase.
Thanks again for your advice.
The recovery guy said the Turbo alone could be £2000 before fitting.
The only thing I would say is that the car would need to have adhered to the service schedule & not been modified.
What is the make?
Apologies all for late reply.
Service manager has been back to me this morning. The turbo impeller on the induction side is showing signs that the blades are looking like it’s been ‘machined’ like it’s inducted something significant.
It is going to require a full 14 hour strip down to understand damage done down stream. They then say it will require inspection from an engineer (maybe from warranty insurer / provider to quantify if it falls under warranty.
Obviously I’ve not been anywhere near it to influence this failure.
The service manager is baffled as he’s never seen anything like it before.
I’m worried and feel physically sick.
Service manager has been back to me this morning. The turbo impeller on the induction side is showing signs that the blades are looking like it’s been ‘machined’ like it’s inducted something significant.
It is going to require a full 14 hour strip down to understand damage done down stream. They then say it will require inspection from an engineer (maybe from warranty insurer / provider to quantify if it falls under warranty.
Obviously I’ve not been anywhere near it to influence this failure.
The service manager is baffled as he’s never seen anything like it before.
I’m worried and feel physically sick.
OK.
Is the warranty the usual VW 2 year approved used one or a 1 year warranty?
Being a 2015 it might have a different warranty, but you would need to check the terms of the warranty.
What I am trying to get to the bottom of is if this car has the usual VW own warranty its very unlikely you are going to have anything to pay. Unless they can prove something like you drove it through a ford or had a re-map or something like that.
However if its a 3rd party warranty I would be a bit more keen on getting them to admit they are going to repair it before it goes forward. IYSWIM.
It sounds to me like they are saying they are going to remove the cylinder head.
Is the warranty the usual VW 2 year approved used one or a 1 year warranty?
Being a 2015 it might have a different warranty, but you would need to check the terms of the warranty.
What I am trying to get to the bottom of is if this car has the usual VW own warranty its very unlikely you are going to have anything to pay. Unless they can prove something like you drove it through a ford or had a re-map or something like that.
However if its a 3rd party warranty I would be a bit more keen on getting them to admit they are going to repair it before it goes forward. IYSWIM.
It sounds to me like they are saying they are going to remove the cylinder head.
Many thanks gotopzero.
The whole reason I bought the car from a main dealership was for the peace of mind, and the included support.
I’ve owned the VW brand since 1991 right through to present day, so I had every confidence.
It comes with 2 years VW approved warranty attached is detail from purchase date.
How can I say this? I get the impression that the maintenance department are more familiar with dealing with more mundane issues like general servicing, and a larger job of this scale is upsetting their throughput flow. And, totally unexpected.
Words said to me today from service manager: “ do you want to think about this before we proceed?”
Well what else can I do in all honesty? I believe I’m totally correct in trusting I’ve invested a considerable quantity of money in a vehicle that must be of merchantable quality - which is covered by their own guarantee.
Still massively frustrating, and hassle I can do without.
Interesting your comments on driving it through a Ford?
Following the purchase of the vehicle I called all the dealers who’d stamped the service book from newly supplied (for again peace of mind). One dealer told me the car had a new engine fitted after being driven through a flood.
When the VW assist technician who came to my house last week, and plugged in the diagnostic, I asked if there was any history of this, he replied there was absolutely nothing in the vehicle history relating to this.
The engine number on the cam cover matches the log book number - however a cover is easy to change.
I think it could be one of two things. (1) the dealer mistook the vehicle and the information he gave me was incorrect or (2) the vehicle may have had a shonky second hand lump fitted at wherever.
My thoughts are: the car has run superbly up to now, so I’m minded that this isn’t a hangover from a possible flood incident. It’s run for 10 K miles since purchase perfectly.
Whatever has hit them turbine blades to cause an affect similar to ‘Machining’ was obviously rather tough as I imagine they are extremely robust pieces of engineering - they have to be.
Most importantly I believe my consumer rights should be protected in this sad situation.
Bitterly disappointed.
The whole reason I bought the car from a main dealership was for the peace of mind, and the included support.
I’ve owned the VW brand since 1991 right through to present day, so I had every confidence.
It comes with 2 years VW approved warranty attached is detail from purchase date.
How can I say this? I get the impression that the maintenance department are more familiar with dealing with more mundane issues like general servicing, and a larger job of this scale is upsetting their throughput flow. And, totally unexpected.
Words said to me today from service manager: “ do you want to think about this before we proceed?”
Well what else can I do in all honesty? I believe I’m totally correct in trusting I’ve invested a considerable quantity of money in a vehicle that must be of merchantable quality - which is covered by their own guarantee.
Still massively frustrating, and hassle I can do without.
Interesting your comments on driving it through a Ford?
Following the purchase of the vehicle I called all the dealers who’d stamped the service book from newly supplied (for again peace of mind). One dealer told me the car had a new engine fitted after being driven through a flood.
When the VW assist technician who came to my house last week, and plugged in the diagnostic, I asked if there was any history of this, he replied there was absolutely nothing in the vehicle history relating to this.
The engine number on the cam cover matches the log book number - however a cover is easy to change.
I think it could be one of two things. (1) the dealer mistook the vehicle and the information he gave me was incorrect or (2) the vehicle may have had a shonky second hand lump fitted at wherever.
My thoughts are: the car has run superbly up to now, so I’m minded that this isn’t a hangover from a possible flood incident. It’s run for 10 K miles since purchase perfectly.
Whatever has hit them turbine blades to cause an affect similar to ‘Machining’ was obviously rather tough as I imagine they are extremely robust pieces of engineering - they have to be.
Most importantly I believe my consumer rights should be protected in this sad situation.
Bitterly disappointed.
I would be deeply shocked if this isn't all covered by VW warranty provided through a main dealer, it sounds like it might have eaten a stone or bolt that was dropped down the intake. Could be a simple service job gone wrong earlier in its life that hasn't really caused issues until now.
Trustmeimadoctor said:
Honestly I'm shocked that VW would retail a car that had had its engine replaced that's a stick it through auction job and also supposed they resold a car that's possibly 9 years old!
This ^But they did. Whether they carried out due diligence like myself is questionable. The replacement engine could be a total Red Herring - but it’s odd. Dealers tend to remember this stuff.
Agreed on age of car, but they obviously had confidence in what they were supplying as part of the deal.
But it was maybe quick deal, clean up, fast profit.
I can have a little look through the history of the car to see any information regarding the previous engine replacement if you feel comfortable enough PM'ing the vehicle details as I work at VWG headoffice. I can have a look in the morning for you if you were curious about anything the retailer has told you.
One thing I would say but it's not gospel or from a manufacturers stance is that if used car warranty are aware of a previous engine replacement and a new turbo was not replaced, they could potentially say that the fault was pre-existing and they would not support under their policy. It would be a harsh decision given the nature of the fault and the time and distance the vehicle has covered but It's not unfamiliar to see decisions like this.
Charging you for diagnosis before a warranty decision is confirmed is fairly common practice with some retailers. Not all of them do it and it does depend on history, the report roadside assist or whoever else has made a brief judgement call before they have had chance to properly diagnose themselves. It's probably wise to pay it if you can to get through the process quicker, you could argue it but that will delay the strip down quite drastically whilst various other parties get involved to resolve the complaint.
One thing I would say but it's not gospel or from a manufacturers stance is that if used car warranty are aware of a previous engine replacement and a new turbo was not replaced, they could potentially say that the fault was pre-existing and they would not support under their policy. It would be a harsh decision given the nature of the fault and the time and distance the vehicle has covered but It's not unfamiliar to see decisions like this.
Charging you for diagnosis before a warranty decision is confirmed is fairly common practice with some retailers. Not all of them do it and it does depend on history, the report roadside assist or whoever else has made a brief judgement call before they have had chance to properly diagnose themselves. It's probably wise to pay it if you can to get through the process quicker, you could argue it but that will delay the strip down quite drastically whilst various other parties get involved to resolve the complaint.
"Words said to me today from service manager: “ do you want to think about this before we proceed?”"
What the hell does this mean? Is he hinting that your decision could mean you are possibly going to be forking out £3k to put in a new turbo?
I would be asking that everything is covered by their official warranty. Get clarification.
As to your rights, speak to your local Citizen's Advice Bureau. https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/
You may want to refer to them for the correct and legal way to proceed so you don't accidentally do something that means the dealership has a get-out.
Hopefully, it will go smoothly and you're worrying about nothing but it's better to be prepared and know where you stand.
What the hell does this mean? Is he hinting that your decision could mean you are possibly going to be forking out £3k to put in a new turbo?
I would be asking that everything is covered by their official warranty. Get clarification.
As to your rights, speak to your local Citizen's Advice Bureau. https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/
You may want to refer to them for the correct and legal way to proceed so you don't accidentally do something that means the dealership has a get-out.
Hopefully, it will go smoothly and you're worrying about nothing but it's better to be prepared and know where you stand.
Evening guys, the service manager called me 10 minutes ago and explained that they have found the cause.
A small grub screw has been sucked in and mangled the turbine blades. The origin of the screw is unknown.
The manager can’t understand how it has run perfectly for 10 K miles, then sucked it up - and neither can I to be honest. I do 300 miles a week up and down dale
I’ve informed him this evening about the alleged engine change and he is going to look into it. (By myself checking it all out through service history).
He can see nothing of it on vehicle history.
I’m still minded this could be duff info about the engine change
A small grub screw has been sucked in and mangled the turbine blades. The origin of the screw is unknown.
The manager can’t understand how it has run perfectly for 10 K miles, then sucked it up - and neither can I to be honest. I do 300 miles a week up and down dale
I’ve informed him this evening about the alleged engine change and he is going to look into it. (By myself checking it all out through service history).
He can see nothing of it on vehicle history.
I’m still minded this could be duff info about the engine change
JSVWPH said:
I can have a little look through the history of the car to see any information regarding the previous engine replacement if you feel comfortable enough PM'ing the vehicle details as I work at VWG headoffice. I can have a look in the morning for you if you were curious about anything the retailer has told you.
One thing I would say but it's not gospel or from a manufacturers stance is that if used car warranty are aware of a previous engine replacement and a new turbo was not replaced, they could potentially say that the fault was pre-existing and they would not support under their policy. It would be a harsh decision given the nature of the fault and the time and distance the vehicle has covered but It's not unfamiliar to see decisions like this.
Charging you for diagnosis before a warranty decision is confirmed is fairly common practice with some retailers. Not all of them do it and it does depend on history, the report roadside assist or whoever else has made a brief judgement call before they have had chance to properly diagnose themselves. It's probably wise to pay it if you can to get through the process quicker, you could argue it but that will delay the strip down quite drastically whilst various other parties get involved to resolve the complaint.
Pm’dOne thing I would say but it's not gospel or from a manufacturers stance is that if used car warranty are aware of a previous engine replacement and a new turbo was not replaced, they could potentially say that the fault was pre-existing and they would not support under their policy. It would be a harsh decision given the nature of the fault and the time and distance the vehicle has covered but It's not unfamiliar to see decisions like this.
Charging you for diagnosis before a warranty decision is confirmed is fairly common practice with some retailers. Not all of them do it and it does depend on history, the report roadside assist or whoever else has made a brief judgement call before they have had chance to properly diagnose themselves. It's probably wise to pay it if you can to get through the process quicker, you could argue it but that will delay the strip down quite drastically whilst various other parties get involved to resolve the complaint.
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