I think the garage broke our car!

Keeley_P

hi guys,
I'm hoping you can help with this, as me and the OH aren't particularly mechanically-minded!

OH's car is a 51-plate fiat punto, we bought it last year for his job, and it's covered by a 12 month warranty. Just recently, an engine warning light came on - according to the manual it was something to do with the fuel injection system? - so we thought we'd bung it in to the garage and get it fixed while the warranty was still valid.

All hunky dory, got a call today to come pick it up, OH goes round to the garage only to be told that the clutch has "packed in" (garage's words, not mine!) while driving it round from the mechanics to the dealer!!!!

The clutch apparently isn't covered by the warranty, so we're now looking at the best part of £250 to fix this. Which we can't really afford.

I know its probably highly unlikely and just our rubbish luck, but is there any chance that something the garage did has caused this? Just clutching at straws!

(pun not intended but then I noticed and it made me smile!)

Thank you!

Keeley

marksandsparx

its not un heard of for a clutch to go suddenly.. perhaps there were warning signs that you may have missed?

CaptainKidd

Have you or your husband actually tried driving it to see if the clutch is knackered? Had you's noticed anything funny with the clutch before you put it in the garage? It could just be unlucky that it happened with them but i would actually want to drive it first to see for myslef.

Keeley_P

Well it didn't even make it back to the garage for us to pick it up, so I think it's pretty well gone. The guys at the garage said the clutch was riding high, but its always done that since we've had it - and it was okay to pass their service 9 months ago.

As you say, it could just be really bad luck, but we're slightly peeved that the car went in for essentially a new fuse and now the whole clutch needs doing.

bigjl

A clutch has nothing to do with a service, they may adjust it if it can be adjusted, but I thought the Punto has a hydraulic clutch, don't know much about Puntos to be honest.

There is an outside chance that the garage driver was given it the "Stirling Moss" treatment, but in all honesty would you blame the garage if the brakes started grinding when they drove it a couple of miles or would you think the brakes where on the way out beforehand but the noise did just start.

Even if they did check and adjust the clutch 9 months ago a clutch is a consumable item, they don't last forever, in fact I have seen brand new cars go through a clutch in 9 months from new, the driver only ever drove in central london and they weren't the most sympathetic.

The problem with your Punto isn't so much what you or the garage have done to it, but how it was treated before you bought it.

The fact that the clutch was at the top means the clutch was almst certainly on the way out for a good little while.

On the positive side, you now have a Punto with a new clutch which should be easier to sell in a year or so.

Though if I was to put a new clutch in a low value car like a Punto then I would keep it another two years to make sure I get as much benefit of that new clutch as possible.