Faulty Suspension Unit

Careful_with_that_Axe

Five years ago I bought a new, pre-registered Vauxhall Corsa which has 11 miles on the clock. At the time of purchase I also bought the extended warranty.

On the last MOT and service (before the warranty ran out) I was advised that one of the front suspension units was going to need replacing - this was an advisory item.

The warranty has now run out and they wouldn't entertain a claim under the warranty for an advisory items.

The car has done less than 11500 miles and I feel that this item should not be showing wear to the extent that it needs replacing on such a small amount of mileage.

I mentioned this to the main dealer I purchased it from and suggested that it would be down to them or Vauxhall to pay for the replacement and fitting and was just told "not gonna happen".

Am I wrong? Is it reasonable for this to need replacing so soon?

I do want to pursue this with Vauxhall to get them to cover the cost (or at least a proportion of) but am not sure where to start.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Strider590

Who MOT/Serviced it?

If you've been to crap-fit or similar, then there's probably nothing wrong and you can pretty much ignore what they say.

Also, "suspension unit" what the hell is a "suspension unit"? that's painfully vague! Do they mean shock absorber? (£50+fitting at the absolute most).

Suspension parts are "wear and tear" items, they're never covered under warranty... Especially on a 5 year old car! I mean... Would you go back and ask for new tyre's because one had a nail through it? no.

Careful_with_that_Axe

The car has always been serviced at the main dealer where it was purchased to maintain the integrity of the warranty.

If I have used an incorrect descriptor by saying "suspension unit", I apologise - I have no in-depth mechanical engineering experience and am a little bemused by your aggressive language.

My question is based on the fact that this has come up as an advisory item since the car had done as few as 8,000 miles rather than based on the age of the car.

mikey72

If it's the front shock absorber, and it's weeping, 5 years is about the shortest life you could expect. The low use can make it worse, if the car stands the rubber seals can dry out, then it wil get a pounding from all the potholes if it's local journeys.
Having said that, if it was advised before the warranty ran out, it would have seemed fair to have had it changed then. Was there a reason you didn't pursue it at the time? Is there a phone number or address on the extended warranty, and if that fails, an ombudsman to referee the claim, usually in the small print at the back?

flashg67

From experience in helping maintain a multi-marque fleet, I can (fairly) confidently state that Vauxhall won't cover shock absorbers after the first year unless they're leaking, in which case, you do have a chance under warranty & should speak to the warranty provider if the dealer won't help.

I agree with Strider in that they are classed as wear & tear items and age plays a factor as well as mileage.

Your problem is that I gather it's only an advisory on the MOT. The MOT regulations are open to interpretation by the tester so it could last for some time as it is, and not be deemed as 'failed' for warranty purposes.

EG. 5 years ago, I had an MOT advisory for some worn rubber gaitors which were perished, but not split. 5 years later, they've passed the MOT every year since without being replaced, and are still intact.

As I say, it's worth a chat with Vauxhall themselves, but don't hold your breath. There comes a point where you have to accept that things are just worn out, regardless of mileage - sorry!

Hammyman

Careful_with_that_Axe wrote: »

The car has done less than 11500 miles and I feel that this item should not be showing wear to the extent that it needs replacing on such a small amount of mileage.

Am I wrong? Is it reasonable for this to need replacing so soon?

Those 11,500 miles will have been virtually all town mileage. Short journey town mileage puts far more wear on the engine, gearbox, clutch, brakes, suspension and steering than doing 60,000 miles mainly on motorways and long journeys.

I've known the bottom end drop out of car engines with only 50,000 miles on as its all been short town journeys.

In fact low mileage town journeys cause so much stress that all manufacturers have a completely different service schedule for low mileage cars which is usually at half the mileage of one doing 10-12,000 miles a year.

Also they have rubber components and rubber seriously degrades by 5 years which is why many cambelts are not only changed on mileage but age.

Couple all of that with the crap state of repair of the UK road network over the last couple of years and its a surprise they last 11,500 miles.

Ones in rally cars may only last a few hundred km before needing replacing and I know there's stretches of road near me that have been in a similar condition to a rally stage.

Careful_with_that_Axe

That makes things a lot clearer for me - thank you. The car is an automatic and has not been left standing for any length of time; the journeys in it have tended to be short trips on country roads, rather than town driving.
The warranty would not cover advisory only issues but only cover parts that failed. I have never had a proper diagnostic on the problem, just a salesman at the main dealer saying "it's on its way out, shall I book it in to be done".

I have just booked it into a local independent garage that I have a lot of faith in for the next service and hope to have some decent advice from them regarding this.

It does look at though I was wrong to think that Vauxhall should be liable. My thinking was that 4 lots of suspension and one goes - must be a faulty item, but it looks as though I was wrong.

Many thanks for all the advice.

jase1

A lot really does depend on the component that is in question. Does the car actually feel wrong or is the fault on paper only at this stage?

From prior experience with Vauxhalls (older than yours), the suspension systems did seem to be something of a weak point generally. I wouldn't have personally expected a shock absorber to last less than 8 years/100,000 miles, but other components like springs and control arms are a different story.

For example the mid-1990s Astra was atrocious for getting through lower control arms (wishbones), and this trait extended to the Daewoo Nubira I've owned more recently (which is mechanically very similar and uses the same control arm component). Driving around town the handling became distinctly "woolly" within 15,000 miles or so. Although the bushes on the arm never actually failed an MOT, I was not prepared to tolerate the handling and ended up just replacing them every 18 months regardless of condition -- they would eventually cause accelerated wear on the inner part of the front tyres if neglected.

So I'm not entirely surprised by your report here.

The good news was that the wishbones were £22 a side, and took an hour's labour for both as part of a service. Not worth getting worried about.

This isn't necessarily the same fault as on your car of course.

Hammyman

Careful_with_that_Axe wrote: »

It does look at though I was wrong to think that Vauxhall should be liable. My thinking was that 4 lots of suspension and one goes - must be a faulty item, but it looks as though I was wrong.

Many thanks for all the advice.

You weren't wrong to assume it at all - I would expect most people would assume the same but quite rightly you came and asked for opinions and were given scenarios and explanations as to why it can happen.

Usually they fail one at a time. Its quite rare for two to fail at the same time however you may find another one or more fail within the next 6-12 months.

Careful_with_that_Axe

Thank you for that Hammyman and jase1. I can't remember where I got the idea from but I was worried it was going to cost me £400+ and I am on a very tight budget. I rely on my car absolutely so fear has been a factor stopping me investigating further.

I am slightly aware of a different feel on the front driver's side when I go over speed bumps etc, but have been really careful about avoiding taking anything like these at any sort of speed.

I feel much happier now about letting the garage I trust give me their opinion and advice now and am not so scared of potential costs.