6 month old car with "rattle" - advice please

BananaramaMel

In defence of french cars...I've got a 10 year old 106 which I've had for nearly 2 years and it has never broken down.It's been to London and back twice in the last few weeks and no rattles..nothing.But then again it doesn't have a roof you can put down (wish it did sometimes).

Wig

I still don't understand, why they keep saying they have fixed it, what exactly are they doing to it?

Is the rattle intermittant? or once it comes back is it then constant? If it is constant they must be doing something to stop it, it would be one hell of a coincidence if 11 times you have had it repaired and this so-called "constant" rattle has gone away of its own accord 11 times just coincidently at the same time the car was with them.

cyclonebri1

Wig wrote: »

I still don't understand, why they keep saying they have fixed it, what exactly are they doing to it?

Is the rattle intermittant? or once it comes back is it then constant? If it is constant they must be doing something to stop it, it would be one hell of a coincidence if 11 times you have had it repaired and this so-called "constant" rattle has gone away of its own accord 11 times just coincidently at the same time the car was with them.

Standard reply to get off the premisies:mad:

And they think we won't be back? Shwarzeneger smilie anyone?

wdyw

Just had the rattle on my French convertible cured this morning (off side rear corner so checked for loose object in boot and hood mechanism and then got under the thing......) - shock absorber had worked loose.

cornerstone13

Every time the car goes in, the garage try something different and the rattle goes away. They use the analogy of a jigsaw puzzle - everything will fit together beautifully eventually, but it takes a while to find the right piece. Within a day or maybe a bit longer (depending on how often the roof goes up and down) of the car being back with me, the rattle returns.

My (simple?) suggestion to them was that they raise and lower the roof a few times before calling me to tell me it's ready. They assure me that's what they do - so why does the rattle come back each time I drive it; maybe not immediately but certainly within a few days.

When the aftersales manager suggested that he drives the car round for a few days this time, I was very pleased as I think I'm becoming paranoid about it. The technician has been out with me in the car, he thought he had pinpointed where the rattle was coming from and the car was with the garage for another 3 days for him to fix it - when I picked it up there was no rattle but within 20 miles of me driving and one "raise & lower" of the roof, the rattle .............. was back (Arnie, eat your heart out).

And that's really what I wanted to know from you good people - am I being taken for a mug with the car just keep going in; is the garage being reasonable to keep trying to find the fault and providing me with loan cars all the time or should/could they do more; is there anything else I can do to make the situation better

lincroft1710

Can you find out exactly what the garage have done each time they've looked at the car?

looby-loo_2

My MIL had this problem with hers. After about six trips to the garage they found her lipstick in the door storage pocket.

goldspanners

looby-loo wrote: »

My MIL had this problem with hers. After about six trips to the garage they found her lipstick in the door storage pocket.

i hope they charged her for the 6 times they looked at it then.:eek:

Wig

cornerstone13 wrote: »

And that's really what I wanted to know from you good people - am I being taken for a mug with the car just keep going in; is the garage being reasonable to keep trying to find the fault and providing me with loan cars all the time or should/could they do more; is there anything else I can do to make the situation better

As I see it they are being very good about it. My worry would be when the warranty runs out what happens then?

I don't see it as being a serious fault, it could be, but we don't know if it is a symptom of something serious. Short of rejecting the car, I don't see what you can possibly do to get anything more than what you have been given. I have already warned that rejecting the car could be very expensive and you might not win because the rattle may not be seen as serious enough to warrant rejection.

I hope after those 20 miles, you turned around and returned it to the garage?

You still have not said that once the rattle has returned, if it is constant or intermittant, if it is intermittant how long can the periods in between the problem rearing its head again be? If it is constant, then how the heck do they get it to go away every time without knowing what the cause is? It just does not make any sense.

What speed/ road surface/ direction of travel is necessary for the rattle to show itself?

hewhoisnotintheknow

my 406 doesnt rattle or squeek, neither did my mothers faultless 9 year old 206

you get good and bad cars with all of them, i wont go into the hell i had with a vw or audi!