Warranty claim on a car battery

[Roman Moroni]

I bought a Bosch battery from an established company with a very good reputation in October 2023; the battery came with a 4 year warranty. It had to go back in July as it wouldn't hold its charge.

The Company admitted they had originally supplied me with the wrong specification battery (74Ah instead of 80Ah although I don't believe this was the cause of the problem) even though I'd given them the registration of my car and confirmed the make & model.

The Company has agreed the old battery is defective & will be replaced under the Bosch warranty.

The cost in 2023 was @£115, the new one cost £180 which I had to buy while the old battery was being tested.

I'm not looking to take the mickey but I feel I should be refunded some/all of the cost of the new battery as there's a £65 difference. Am I right or am I being a bit delusional?

[smokey mow]

If the battery had died in the first few months I may look at things differently, but as you’ve had 3-years use out of the old battery and are now getting it replaced for a higher capacity battery for £65 after all that time I’d consider it to be a pretty good deal.

[bladebloke]

Roman Moroni said:

I bought a Bosch battery from an established company with a very good reputation in October 2023; the battery came with a 4 year warranty. It had to go back in July as it wouldn't hold its charge.

The Company admitted they had originally supplied me with the wrong specification battery (74Ah instead of 80Ah although I don't believe this was the cause of the problem) even though I'd given them the registration of my car and confirmed the make & model.

The Company has agreed the old battery is defective & will be replaced under the Bosch warranty.

The cost in 2023 was @£115, the new one cost £180 which I had to buy while the old battery was being tested.

I'm not looking to take the mickey but I feel I should be refunded some/all of the cost of the new battery as there's a £65 difference. Am I right or am I being a bit delusional?

The latter, I'm afraid. A manufacturer warranty is never going to be on terms that they will reimburse you for what you spent (any of what you spent, that is) if you chose to acquire a replacement product yourself rather than allowing the manufacturer to repair or replace the original.

[Sheepshanks]

Was the new one the 80Ah version?

Bosch warranty is supposed to be free replace but that might only apply in their service centres, and obviously it would only be like-for-like.

Generally, seems to be a thing to just refund for faulty goods now and it’s tough luck if it’s gone up in price in the meantime.

[Roman Moroni]

smokey mow said:

If the battery had died in the first few months I may look at things differently, but as you ve had 3-years use out of the old battery and are now getting it replaced for a higher capacity battery for £65 after all that time I d consider it to be a pretty good deal.

Ok, thanks

[Roman Moroni]

bladebloke said:

The latter, I'm afraid. A manufacturer warranty is never going to be on terms that they will reimburse you for what you spent (any of what you spent, that is) if you chose to acquire a replacement product yourself rather than allowing the manufacturer to repair or replace the original.

My issue is that I would never have one for a like for like replacement due to the original battery not be the 'correct' one.

Thanks for your opinion/comments

[Roman Moroni]

Sheepshanks said:

Was the new one the 80Ah version?

Bosch warranty is supposed to be free replace but that might only apply in their service centres, and obviously it would only be like-for-like.

Generally, seems to be a thing to just refund for faulty goods now and it s tough luck if it s gone up in price in the meantime.

Brand new 80Ah; but as commented above I would never have requested a like for like

[vw_99]

We always offered the choice of like for like swap, but that means warranty still runs from date of original purchase.

Or if prefered another make or upgrade but pay the differance. This means a new purchase invoice and a credit for old one. Meaning a new warranty start date.

This was not just on batterys at a motor factors.

So i would be asking if the new battery has the 4 year warranty with it

[bladebloke]

Roman Moroni said:

My issue is that I would never have one for a like for like replacement due to the original battery not be the 'correct' one.

Thanks for your opinion/comments

But do you think that is somehow Bosch’s fault?

It’s important to think about who is who here, and keep them separate.

The warranty that you’re now claiming under is from Bosch, the manufacturer. A manufacturer warranty is something that’s offered on a voluntary basis and therefore only provides whatever cover it’s terms say it provides - which is why I said earlier that it’s not going to be on terms that provide for you to be reimbursed if you have chosen to go out and buy a replacement instead of letting the manufacturer repair/replace. The fact that you bought the wrong model originally isn’t relevant to what you’re entitled to under the warranty.

The company you bought the original from is who your contract for the purchase was with. It sounds like they had a hand in you purchasing the wrong model. In theory you could have a claim against them for breach of that contract, by virtue of the battery being defective (and/or that it wasn’t fit for purpose, because they supplied you the wrong one for you vehicle) but I think it’s fair to say chances of that succeeding are slim to very slim, so many years after purchase.

As such, you’re left with whatever the manufacturer warranty offers, which isn’t going to be any reimbursement.

Would love to be proved wrong, but doubt I will!

[Roman Moroni]

vw_99 said:

We always offered the choice of like for like swap, but that means warranty still runs from date of original purchase.

Or if prefered another make or upgrade but pay the differance. This means a new purchase invoice and a credit for old one. Meaning a new warranty start date.

This was not just on batterys at a motor factors.

So i would be asking if the new battery has the 4 year warranty with it

Hi, yes the new (Bosch) battery comes with a 4 year warranty although the car will probably be sold in the next 12 months. Obviously the old one only had the remaining 15 months or so left when it was returned.

[Roman Moroni]

bladebloke said:

Roman Moroni said:

My issue is that I would never have one for a like for like replacement due to the original battery not be the 'correct' one.

Thanks for your opinion/comments

But do you think that is somehow Bosch s fault?

It s important to think about who is who here, and keep them separate.

The warranty that you re now claiming under is from Bosch, the manufacturer. A manufacturer warranty is something that s offered on a voluntary basis and therefore only provides whatever cover it s terms say it provides - which is why I said earlier that it s not going to be on terms that provide for you to be reimbursed if you have chosen to go out and buy a replacement instead of letting the manufacturer repair/replace. The fact that you bought the wrong model originally isn t relevant to what you re entitled to under the warranty.

The company you bought the original from is who your contract for the purchase was with. It sounds like they had a hand in you purchasing the wrong model. In theory you could have a claim against them for breach of that contract, by virtue of the battery being defective (and/or that it wasn t fit for purpose, because they supplied you the wrong one for you vehicle) but I think it s fair to say chances of that succeeding are slim to very slim, so many years after purchase.

As such, you re left with whatever the manufacturer warranty offers, which isn t going to be any reimbursement.

Would love to be proved wrong, but doubt I will!

Thanks very much for your insightful post. In my mind I can't apportion 100% blame on either party although I'd be looking more towards the supplier rather than Bosch themselves due to them selling me an incorrect product

I'm going to draw a line under the whole thing putting it down to experience.

Thanks once again for every ones views & opinions

[TonyF1]

You d be taking the mickey. You ve got like for like on the actual battery, incidentals such as buying a battery is down to you. Maybe talk to supplier and get a cash alternative on a new battery would be my approach.