Problem with new car (Vauxhall Astra)

mistry_2

Hi,

I just took delivery of a new car. when I ordered it I asked for a armrest to be fitted (i do a lot of motorway miles), they fitted the armrest at the dealer, but it looks like a poor after thought, and whats worse is, it's attached to the centre console with a couple of screws and and the whole thing comes out. exposing the insides of the centre console and screws used to hold it in place.

I've spoken with the garage and they say it's fitted correctly, and there is not much they can do. where do I stand with this? I dont think its acceptable to pay £160 for an armrest that falls out.

on another note, having just done a long journey, I found my left leg numb as if something was pressing against it in the seat. can the seat need bedding in? I've had new cars before and never had this problem. (i've not mentioned this yet

Any advice would be greatly welcome

gyzmo

I know you said "new" but is it from a dealer or a private seller? Your rights (and enforcement of them) will vary greatly depending on which one it is.

mistry_2

its a company car which was ordered through a UK vauxhall dealer.

deanos

Can you take pics of the rest ?

As for seats they dont need bedding in ive just got a brand new VX Combi van and the seats are very comfy from the start, i would definately complain as it wont get better

mistry_2

i'll take some pictures this afternoon/evening and post a link

chrisw

Can you look round other similar cars with armrests and see if they all look the same?

Does the seat tilt backwards and forwards as well as slide? That could be causing the pressure on your leg.

mistry_2

The seat does go back and forth, as well as up and down and the front part of the seat also goes up and down, i've tried playing with all the settings but unfortunalty it doesn't help. Thank fully they have agreed to look at that.

As for looking at other cars, I used to have an Astra before, and the armrest was factory fitted and was part of the seat, so the leather and plastic matched. and it also folded away. I'm not sure why they scrapped this and went down this route, but I was expecting the same style of armrest. I've not seen any other cars with this fitted.

Heres a couple of pictures to show what I mean, the first shows what it should look like (although the plastic and the leather do not match):mad: . The second shows it fallen apart and what is exposed. The slightest nudge seems to move it out of place, someone shuffling in the back, the passenger moving about or even me just leaning on the extreme front or rear of the armrest.

1.

2.

deanos

Definately dodgy, and it dosent even match that would really wind me up , looks like it clips in and the weight of it makes it unstable, definately get them to replace with the correct colour, possibly also needs a new plastic bit with the ashtray in it as it looks like the clips are broken

chrisw

I have to say it looks awful - like an aftermarket one which has been shoved into the cup-holders.

mrme

:eek: Get back to that dealer, if they say thats how it should be tell them to stuff the car if thats the standard of quality!

mistry_2

It's definalty a poor after thought, but I think your right the clips just aren't designed to hold the weight of an armrest. None of them are broken I've checked. So i'm not really sure what thay can do. But either way it's booked in to be looked at tomorrow, so I'll see what they say.

I'm really shocked as the car costs 24k after all the extras, and it turns out like this. I've had Vauxhalls in the past so really surprised by lack of quality, but this will be a true test to see what service they offer.

I'll let you know how I get on.

P.S. I'm not sure I can tell them to shove it, being a company car.