Faulty suspension kit

peanuthead

Hi

I need some advice on this situation I find myself in.

I'm shaking with the rage and fright right now to be honest, which is probably a little OTT, but anyway, here's what happened:

I bought a suspension kit from an online UK store five weeks ago. When it arrived about a week later, I got it fitted immediately by a qualified mechanic friend as a nixer.

I have been driving around on it ever since. The car is a Ford Puma, 00, 1.7. I'm a female driver and while I'm not saying I always adhere to all the speed limits, I am by no means a girl racer, we're talking the likes of 90km in an 80 zone and such.

Earlier today I was coming out of a garage when I hit a pothole. Not a huge one but one you would feel. When all of a sudden I heard and felt this huge bang. I immediately knew something was wrong and turned down the radio.

I could hear a rattle. The car just didn't feel right. As I've no knowledge of cars I obviously thought straight away that the car was falling apart, hence the shaking with fright.

Got it as far as the OHs house and he had a look. When I got out though I could see that the back of the car was way lower than it should have been - the wheel arch was level with the tyre!!

He had a look. This is what he told me had happened, so I hope this makes sense: The spring perch was sitting at the bottom of the shock - the spring had fully extended. The spring perch had been ripped from the strut.

Basically, what he explained to me in terms I could understand was that two parts of the suspension that had been welded together and should have, by no means come apart, had.

He couldn't believe what he was seeing and didn't believe me that I just hit a pothole.

I am seething with rage now. Our friend who put in the suspension is collecting the car, he just so happens to have the old stuff that was taken out 4 weeks ago and he is going to put the old back ones in but he said I can't even drive it to him, he will have to come back and tow it.

The suspension cost me a modest 300euro. We bought it based on the positive reviews it got (a) online and (b) we have bought things from this site before that have been fine.

But I just want my money back. I know it might be very girly but I just couldn't accept a new set or replacement. I just can no longer trust their equipment in my car.

Can I get a refund? Do I have to take a replacement? Will they claim my issue is with the co.council?

Mods, I am going to put a duplicate of this thread in Motors, only because of the unique nature of the problem and the terminology involved. Please don't delete, I'm at my wits end. Have tried to call company but they're not open. Will email tomorrow and I'm going to take pics, which I will post here too.

thanks,
p.

keithclancy

peanuthead wrote: »

Hi

I need some advice on this situation I find myself in.

I'm shaking with the rage and fright right now to be honest, which is probably a little OTT, but anyway, here's what happened:

I bought a suspension kit from an online UK store five weeks ago. When it arrived about a week later, I got it fitted immediately by a qualified mechanic friend as a nixer.

I have been driving around on it ever since. The car is a Ford Puma, 00, 1.7. I'm a female driver and while I'm not saying I always adhere to all the speed limits, I am by no means a girl racer, we're talking the likes of 90km in an 80 zone and such.

Earlier today I was coming out of a garage when I hit a pothole. Not a huge one but one you would feel. When all of a sudden I heard and felt this huge bang. I immediately knew something was wrong and turned down the radio.

I could hear a rattle. The car just didn't feel right. As I've no knowledge of cars I obviously thought straight away that the car was falling apart, hence the shaking with fright.

Got it as far as the OHs house and he had a look. When I got out though I could see that the back of the car was way lower than it should have been - the wheel arch was level with the tyre!!

He had a look. This is what he told me had happened, so I hope this makes sense: The spring perch was sitting at the bottom of the shock - the spring had fully extended. The spring perch had been ripped from the strut.

Basically, what he explained to me in terms I could understand was that two parts of the suspension that had been welded together and should have, by no means come apart, had.

He couldn't believe what he was seeing and didn't believe me that I just hit a pothole.

I am seething with rage now. Our friend who put in the suspension is collecting the car, he just so happens to have the old stuff that was taken out 4 weeks ago and he is going to put the old back ones in but he said I can't even drive it to him, he will have to come back and tow it.

The suspension cost me a modest 300euro. We bought it based on the positive reviews it got (a) online and (b) we have bought things from this site before that have been fine.

But I just want my money back. I know it might be very girly but I just couldn't accept a new set or replacement. I just can no longer trust their equipment in my car.

Can I get a refund? Do I have to take a replacement? Will they claim my issue is with the co.council?

Mods, I am going to put a duplicate of this thread in Motors, only because of the unique nature of the problem and the terminology involved. Please don't delete, I'm at my wits end. Have tried to call company but they're not open. Will email tomorrow and I'm going to take pics, which I will post here too.

thanks,
p.

Sounds like a bad weld alright, the spring shouldn't burst through its mountings like that.

Without seeing it though, it depends on whats broken, i.e. if its the actual weld that broke then its a defective part, if the bolt sheared off then it could be because he re-used the bolts.

If its the part that failed then just send it back and get a refund.

10-10-20

There are two things at play here:

Either (1) you had a failure due to a product defect which exhibited itself when you hit a bump, or (2) you damaged the product when you drove over a defective surface.

As the equipment is new, your initial complaint should be with the supplier of the the product, and your job will be to convince them that the defect was related to a faulty product/weak weld.
So, set about this by documenting the defect & the suspected cause. Have your mechanic document his actions and the defect from his perspective; then see what their response is.

peanuthead

Thanks thats good advice, but am I being naive or stupid when I ask, even if I did damage the product when I went over the defective surface (pothole), that is what suspension is all about, no? Surely their product should be able to withstand potholes, its not like I drove the car off a cliff!!

Not trying to be smart, just trying to put my way of thinking across.

Will post pics within the hour.

ejmaztec

Would this be a question of the supplier looking for an engineer's report, certifying that the kit was fitted correctly? They could be awkward devils.

Sponge Bob

Lot of these parts sold online are COUNTERFEIT from China. I would let Ford see this component too. Dangerous counterfeit suspension components could kill someone.

ejmaztec

Sponge Bob wrote: »

Lot of these parts sold online are COUNTERFEIT from China. I would let Ford see this component too. Dangerous counterfeit suspension components could kill someone.

I suppose the likelihood of that being the case depends on who the UK supplier was, but the OP hasn't mentioned any names.

keithclancy

Sponge Bob wrote: »

Lot of these parts sold online are COUNTERFEIT from China. I would let Ford see this component too. Dangerous counterfeit suspension components could kill someone.

How do you mean counterfeit ?

Pattern Parts are a big market in the UK and widely used, the like of Avis/Hertz/Sixt would service their vehicles with them.

There are 'poor quality' parts that come from China, which are not to Original Equipment specification.

Even the Car Manufacturers themselves don't make alot of the parts, e.g. a Clutch and Flywheel on a Mondeo/Volvo/Seat/VW/Skoda would be made by Sachs or LUK.

Parts can fail, simple as, just return it if its defective and get a refund/new one. No one was killed.

What exactly did you buy from this crowd in the UK ?

The Part for that Ford Puma:
Ford puma 1.7 16v. mot.mha/mhb 92kw 09-1997 t/m 08-2002

Is coming up with the spring as a seperate component.



Did you buy it all as one unit, or did your friend have to assemble it ?

What exactly sheared off ... was it a bolt and if so was it the original bolt or a new one?

ejmaztec

keithclancy wrote: »

How do you mean counterfeit ?

Pattern Parts are a big market in the UK and widely used, the like of Avis/Hertz/Sixt would service their vehicles with them.

There are 'poor quality' parts that come from China, which are not to Original Equipment specification.

Even the Car Manufacturers themselves don't make alot of the parts, e.g. a Clutch and Flywheel on a Mondeo/Volvo/Seat/VW/Skoda would be made by Sachs or LUK.

Parts can fail, simple as, just return it if its defective and get a refund/new one. No one was killed.

What exactly did you buy from this crowd in the UK ?

The Part for that Ford Puma:
Ford puma 1.7 16v. mot.mha/mhb 92kw 09-1997 t/m 08-2002

Is coming up with the spring as a seperate component.



Did you buy it all as one unit, or did your friend have to assemble it ?

What exactly sheared off ... was it a bolt and if so was it the original bolt or a new one?

Counterfeit auto-parts have been available from the Far-East for decades, bearing the names of reputable manufacturers, and packed in identical boxes/wrappers etc. On the surface, they look okay, but after fitting, they don't last five minutes.

These are completely different to pattern parts, which are okay replacements.

keithclancy

ejmaztec wrote: »

Counterfeit auto-parts have been available from the Far-East for decades, bearing the names of reputable manufacturers, and packed in identical boxes/wrappers etc. On the surface, they look okay, but after fitting, they don't last five minutes.

These are completely different to pattern parts, which are okay replacements.

Fair enough, but its just necessary to make the distinction before going off and losing the head with the supplier over counterfit parts

In fairness I've seen original parts via Ford and Volvo fail within weeks of fitting, namely a Dual Mass Flywheel going after 3000km and a timing belt tensioner failing after about 3 months.

ejmaztec

keithclancy wrote: »

Fair enough, but its just necessary to make the distinction before going off and losing the head with the supplier over counterfit parts

In fairness I've seen original parts via Ford and Volvo fail within weeks of fitting, namely a Dual Mass Flywheel going after 3000km and a timing belt tensioner failing after about 3 months.

Yes, it's probably counter-productive throwing the word "counterfeit" into the mix and making wild assumptions.:D

Even with genuine parts, things are bound to go wrong on occasions for one reason or other, but with the dodgy stuff it happens every time. Fortunately, I've only been shown these parts after they've been revealed for what they are, and have never bought any myself.

peanuthead

Am I allowed to mention the company I bought from?

As for the questions about what exactly I bought - I'm not avoiding them, I just don't actually know. The receipt says 'shocks and springs' - They were purchased by my mechanic friend on my behalf, but I have the receipt here.

Del2005

peanuthead wrote: »

Am I allowed to mention the company I bought from?

Better not to be safe.

As for the questions about what exactly I bought - I'm not avoiding them, I just don't actually know. The receipt says 'shocks and springs' - They were purchased by my mechanic friend on my behalf, but I have the receipt here.

They won't deal with you. Your friend has to call, you have no contract with the company.

peanuthead

Okay well thats no problem, he can do it. We were advised by someone in the ECC to email them and give them an opportunity to respond that way (don't know why), so I'm going to write the mail, he's going to add in the technical stuff and he will send it for me.

he has no problem getting in touch on my behalf anyway, but thanks for pointing that out, saves me looking stupid!!

Pictures are coming I promise, OH is meeting friend this evening to get them from him.

Del2005

peanuthead wrote: »

Okay well thats no problem, he can do it. We were advised by someone in the ECC to email them and give them an opportunity to respond that way (don't know why), so I'm going to write the mail, he's going to add in the technical stuff and he will send it for me.

he has no problem getting in touch on my behalf anyway, but thanks for pointing that out, saves me looking stupid!!

Pictures are coming I promise, OH is meeting friend this evening to get them from him.

Your creating a written record of your contact with the company. If you need to go further then you can send on this email to the relevant people, much easier then trying to remember what was said over the phone.

peanuthead

Hi all. I wrote to the company. This is what I said.

Good Afternoon.

My name is XXXXXXX and I am writing to you to complain about a product that I bought from your website on 24th March 2011.

I bought 4 GMAX shocks and springs for my Ford Puma from your website five weeks ago. Upon receipt of them one week later I had them fitted to my car. I was very impressed with the delivery time and was happy to have my new suspension fitted within a week of it's arrival.

My suspension was fitted by a qualified mechanic. However, on Monday evening, while driving I hit an average sized pot-hole in the road, causing my car to make a huge banging noise. I instantly knew something was not right and I stopped driving immediately. When I got out of my car I could see my rear wheel arches were level with my tyres. Upon checking the back suspension it became clear that the spring perch was sitting at the bottom of the shock - the spring had fully extended. The spring perch had been ripped from the strut.

This suspension was only one month old and clearly faulty. My faith in the product that I bought from you is now gone and as a result of that I no longer feel safe having any of the four shocks and springs on my car. I feel very lucky not to have been injured myself in the process but cannot help worrying about the potential danger my safety was in while driving with this product fitted on my car.

This is a serious issue that could have caused me serious harm. It is my belief that by keeping the other 3 springs and shocks on my car I am still in danger of said harm. I am seeking a full refund for the entire set of shocks and springs I bought from you.

Furthermore, I would like to point out to you the further personal and financial trouble this problem has cost me. I have had to spend money getting my car towed to a garage, I have had to pay to have the faulty suspension removed and my old suspension refitted so that I wouldn't be without my car. I will also have to pay postage costs if you decide you want me to send you the suspension and I will also have to pay out labour costs for a second fitting when I eventually buy a second set of springs and shocks. All of this is going to cost me money which should not be at my expense.

I can supply photographs of the fault in the suspension while it is still on my car if needed.

Please reply to this message immediately as failure to do so will result in me taking this matter to the European Consumer Centre.

Yours,
XX XX

They replied with this:

Hi Sorry to hear about your problem but pot holes can do a lot of damage its worth whilst putting a claim in to the local council for damages to your car but if you send us up pictures of the shocks we can speak to the manufacturer and see what they can do for us.
Cheers

This is what I have ready to send back - is it okay?

I think that you must agree that being able to withstand the effects of pot-holes is the point of suspension. If the parts were second hand or old I could understand, but brand new parts - which are supposed to be of a higher spec than average - should not deteriorate as easy.

Suspension is a vital part of any car and it has to meet safety requirements and standards surely. I am afraid that I do not accept that my local council are at fault here as I am confident that they would agree that although pot-holes on our roads are not desireable, they are a reality and 4 week old suspension should be able to handle them.

The pictures are attached.

Thank You.



Thanks for reading.

Welease

I responded to your thread over in motors, but just in case you don't see it..

The UK Sales of Good act differs from the Irish one in one major point which people are incorrectly referring to here.. In the UK with goods less than 6 months old, its up to the retailer to prove that the goods were faulty.. not you..

http://www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/wirral/support/support1.htm
"[FONT=Arial, Chicago]Proving the fault
Under the Regulations where a fault occurs with goods within 6 months, starting on the date you took delivery, and you request a repair or replacement, or if that fails, a full or partial refund, then you do not have to prove that the fault exists. The trader must prove that the goods were not faulty in disputed cases. After 6 months has lapsed, you will have to prove that goods are faulty, for example by obtaining an experts report."[/FONT]