Dealer Dispute?

neilo2009

Hi All,

Long time lurker , first time posting.

Just wanted to know if anyone has ever had a dispute with a dealer in terms of a car you bought and if so how did you get it resolved? I bought a 2nd hand car on HP from a reputable dealer early this year and so far the car has been back in to them 3 times in 6 months, during one of these instances the car was off the road for 2 weeks. The 12 month warranty will be up in a few months so if anything goes wrong then I'll be footing the bill. I asked the dealer to extend the warranty but they just advised that I could do this myself at my own expense.

I'm at the stage now where I just can't trust the car and would like them to take it back or offer a replacement. The dealer obviously don't want to play ball and my solicitor advises mediation with the dealer and SIMI could be best route. Has anyone any experience of this?

thanks.

Tipsy Mac

How old is the car? Some manufacturers give 3,5 or 7 year warrentys.

Anan1

What went wrong with the car? I ask because sometimes in these cases the problem is with the dealership's service centre rather than the car itself. I'm afraid I can't help you with the legal end of things myself.

neilo2009

Thanks for the replies. The car is 07, came with a 12 month warranty. The first and most major fault came about through a suspected leak in the boot (before I bought it) which corroded some of the internal wiring - which led to the car pretty much losing all power.

It was a big job to fix, hence the 2 weeks off the road - thankfully it was under warranty! The subsequent 2 issues relate to the steering column, probably not so major but I'm just concerned that I've got a monday morning car on my hands!

EPM

If you give a make people might be able to advise on the seriousness and the probability of these problems reoccuring.

neilo2009

It's a BMW 318i SE (Auto)

ismynametoolong

Sue them !
Honestly they fixed your car what do you want

EPM

ismynametoolong wrote: »

Sue them !
Honestly they fixed your car what do you want

:rolleyes:

OP, a petrol 3-series is usually pretty reliable. The wiring thing was just unfortunate to be honest and would be a long job to complete if say they had to replace the wiring loom or something. If that and the steering column were repaired properly, there is no reason not to expect the car to be unreliable. If it was me, I'd insist getting an extended warranty from them for peace of mind.

neilo2009

Thanks EPM, I will push for that - although they have already said they won't pick up the tab for the extended warranty which is what really pi**ed me off to begin with!

Cheers.

Drummerboy08

I'm not too sure you'll get an extended warranty, and I'm not sure your entitled to one either.

The garage have stood by the car and their warranty - the problems you describe sound like minor issues. What exactly is wrong with the steering column? Its not as if the car has blown turbos, or head gaskets, or having massive gearbox failure.

I think your asking a bit much, because unless the problems you describe are huge reliability issues, why has gone wrong with the car?

A water leak, and a steering column issue. Not huge IMO (Unless the steering problem is related to the rack, etc).

mickdw

Your car is most likely fine although I would be wary of further electrical probelms depending on how the repair was carried out. If you are not happy with it, why not try to sell it on and replace it with something else.

neilo2009

Some fair points above, good to get some context. I know at the end of the day it's a machine and things can break and go wrong I just didn't expect these issues to come up in such a short space of time after buying it. And given that I'm shelling out for it every month and will be for some time, I want to know that it is reliable or at least have the peace of mind of an extended warranty.

The issues may seem minor to some but when you've 2 small kids to ferry around and you're off the road 3 times in 6 months it starts to grate. Last 2 cars have been from the same garage and I had no issues so this is unchartered territory.

The dealer has it at the moment so I'll know what the diagnosis is later today......hopefully positive.

Anan1

I've had vaguely similar issues with BMW myself, also regarding a 2007 E90. I found BMW Ireland quite unhelpful, ended up paying €750ish for an extra years warranty. TBH, this is what i'd advise you to do too. Just make sure it's a BMW rather than a dealer warranty, and make sure to take it out before the current warranty expires.

Scouserfan

The dealer is honouring the warranty that you got when you purchased it.
You would have a case if it was the same problem which was re-occurring, and even at that you must give them 3 opportunities to fix same.
If dealers knew cars were not going to break down EVER, then there would be no need for warranty at all !
As a technician in a main dealer once said to me while I was complaining about car breaking down " I didn't f**king make it, but if you stop moaning to me I will try to fix it" - looking back I think he was right. They dont have a crystal ball and as long as it isn't something that should be fixed during standard maintenance or when they are preparing car for sale, they should be offered a chance to repair car at no expense to you.
I was also told at that time that when you are given a replacement car during warranty work, that the dealer foots the bill for this, even if vehicle is under manufacturer's warranty.