VW golf water pump failure after 21 months/ 19500 miles.

rdty21

Hi,

Merry christmas,

Well that's a great start to xmas..... Leaking water pump. We bought the car from a dealership in march last year. Part of the agreement for the sale was that the water pump and timing belt would both be changed before I accepted the car.

I have a receipt for the parts being bought and fitted by the dealership.

Well today I have been brought home on a recovery truck as it sounds like the bearings have gone in the water pump.

We paid the balance of the car on a debit card......( I know :doh:)...... And from what I can find, the visa protection is limited to about 3 months after purchase.

I am going to phone the dealership tomorrow to see where they stand. But I'm not 100% sure if I would be covered under the sale of goods act??

From my point of view less than 2 years and less than 20000 miles is not a satisfactory amount of time for a water pump to last. I'm fairly sure it should be at least double that if not more before it is scheduled for replacement.

Does anybody know where I might stand with this and how I should go about it.

Thanks in advance,

Richard.

forgotmyname

It should last longer, But moving parts can fail for lots of reasons.

How old is the car? Did they also replace all the tensioners?

Correct antifreeze, Checked the strength of it?

rdty21

The car is a 56 plate golf that had been traded in at a fiat dealership. A new w.pump and timing belt (Kit I think) has been invoiced internally as they did the work in their own garage.

From what I can gather, with the w.pump having been replaced last March, the coolant too would have been changed at the same time. I will need to check on a recent service if the strength was checked. Nothing was mentioned.

frugal_mike

I think the relevant legislation is the Supply of Goods and Services Act, but in the case of goods that are not of satisfactory quality that act appears to be equivalent to the Sale of Goods Act.

If the fault in the water pump is inherent (i.e not caused by fair wear and tear or misuse) then you can require the dealership to repair or replace the pump at their cost. They effectively get to pick which option is cheapest for them. If both of those options are impossible or disproportionately expensive they can offer you a partial refund, reduced to take account of your usage.

Since it is more than 6 months since you purchased the water pump then technically it will be assumed that the fault is not inherent. The dealership might refuse to do anything until you prove the fault is inherent, for example by getting a report from an independent mechanic. Ask the dealership first though, they may just fix it without getting you to do that.

Oh and if the fault is due to the installation not being carried out correctly then I believe the Supply of Goods and Services Act covers that too.

The dealership has to provide the remedy at their cost and without causing significant inconvenience.

rdty21

Thanks for the replies. I have been in touch with citizens advice this morning and they have said I should defiantly go down the SOGA route. I have been in contact with the garage concerned, but the manager I need to speak to isn't in until tomorrow. Since I've owned the car I have done just below average mileage, which would mean the water pump has been subjected to just below average miles aswell. Fair wear and tear??

frugal_mike

I don't know what the reasonable life of a water pump would be, or what servicing it needs (if any). You might want to ask on the motor forum (still in the home and play section I think).