Car warranty is this right

mumsonline_2

My car is less than 5 months old and the remote control key has fallen apart. It's one of those that flicks open and closed and the spring has fallen out the middle. The garage where we bought the car has told us we are not overed under the warranty and a new key will cost more than £200. I'm a bit annoyed with the car being so new I feel it should have lasted longer than this. The warrant states we are not covered for replacement parts that are subject to normal wear and tear -is under 5 months to fall apart normal? Should we fight this? Thanks!

vikingaero

If the dealer is being such a-hole over such a trivial and obvious issue then I would try another dealership where hopefully the service may be better.

bod1467

5 months for a key fob falling apart is a joke. You can take the SOGA route on this if necessary, no need to concern yourself with warranty. Up to 6 months the retailer must prove that any fault is not inherent, thus due to wear and tear etc. (The key is an integral part of the sale, thus covered by SOGA, in my opinion).

mumsonline_2

Thanks for your replies! If he doesn't sort it then we certainly won't be going back to him, it's the second new cars sale he's has from us too!

Labmanager

mumsonline I think you can buy a 'blank key' cheaply online (ebay?), get it cut and transfer the electronic gubbings over from the damaged key.

s_b

stop playing with it and it wont break

maninthestreet

What car make is this?

scottishblondie

5 months!! That is ridiculous. My car key (Volvo) has been working perfectly since 2002. It is the same spring open design, and I play with it a lot. Don't let them away with it!

Would the rule (part of the SOGA I think?) about faults within 6 months apply here? i.e. the key was inherently faulty since it's fallen apart after 5 months, so the OP is entitled to repair/replacement? I'm not sure, but someone around here should know?

aldredd

Is it a brand new car? If so, then absolutely it should last more than 5 months. But if it's just the spring, they should be able to repair it I'd have thought.

mumsonline I think you can buy a 'blank key' cheaply online (ebay?), get it cut and transfer the electronic gubbings over from the damaged key.

Depending on the make, not nearly as easy as this, as it's the 'case' part which contains the immobiliser chip, which can't be transferred, so needs a specialist car lock smith to link it to your car (this is different to re-linking the central locking part). From memory, I think I paid about £80 for mine to be programmed, on top of the £60 I paid for the blank, and £20 to have it cut and re-linked myself - so not much cheaper than going to a dealer it would seem!

withabix

If it was a brand new car and it is less than 6 months old, it is down to the car dealer to prove that the fault was not present at the time of sale, in accordance with SOGA.

Insist that it is dealt with by the MD of the dealership if you are getting nowhere with the nobheads in the showroom.

Name and shame the dealership here and then email the dealer a link to this thread.

visidigi

If the service manager won't help you would need to be going to the dealer principle to get resolution here...