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Used car warranty advice - £700+ bill

investme
investme Posts: 106 Forumite
Part of the Furniture 10 Posts Combo Breaker
edited 13 October 2015 at 4:31PM in Motoring
Hi all,

First off let me just say i'm definitely not new to cars, must be on 30 odd by now and a bit of a petrolhead. I am however new to buying a car from a dealer and with any warranty. All of my previous vehicles have been from private sales.

Anyway, I bought a car on the 24th of July from a dealer. The car was sold as mechanically sound and was supposed to have been thoroughly checked over and serviced prior to sale. They gave me a 3 month warranty on the car through Warranties 2000. The receipt simply states "warranty", and i was also given a leaflet explaining their 'gold' level of cover.

The clutch has started slipping very badly, when these go on this car they require the dual mass flywheel and the clutch to be changed. The parts alone are £500 + labour.

I rang the warranty company today and they've stated i only have the standard level of cover, not 'gold' which covers clutch problems.

Where do i stand on this? Is there anything I can do chase the dealer? As you've probably worked out, my warranty is up shortly too.

I am reluctant to take it in for a 'proper' garage repair, as the cost will be astronomical for labour. I'm quite handy myself and would tackle the job with a friend and just pay for parts however i am concerned if i do this that i would have no luck trying to claim any of it back a i would not have a proper receipt for the work.

From research i was doing, i believe the car should be fit for purpose (i.e. the clutch not imminently about to die) for 6 months after purchase. I did have a template for a letter mentioning a buyers rights etc. to use to threaten a small claim if needed but i can't seem to find it.

Any advice appreciated! Thanks

Comments

  • HHarry
    HHarry Posts: 940 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 500 Posts Name Dropper
    Invest,

    The issue with the warranty level is an argument to have with the garage, but without a level being specifically documented I fear it will be a struggle.

    Would the clutch definately be covered? Normally wear and tear items are excluded - which is how these after market warranty companies manage to off-load some claims.

    You might be able to argue that a clutch should last more than 6 months if it was a brand new car, but if it was second hand then you haven 't got much chance. What year and how many miles is it?

    Who knows how a previous owner has driven it - and whatever checks the Dealer does, they won't have taken the gearbox off to measure the clutch wear, before selling it on.

    See if you can get a goodwill contribution from the Dealer?
  • Marktheshark
    Marktheshark Posts: 5,841 Forumite
    Seventh Anniversary 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    You can almost set your watch by the ,mileage a DMF clutch lasts in modern cars and seeking proof the DMF has been done when it is around the mileage can save a small fortune.
    I do Contracts, all day every day.
  • You can almost set your watch by the ,mileage a DMF clutch lasts in modern cars and seeking proof the DMF has been done when it is around the mileage can save a small fortune.


    Cobblers. Complete and utter scaremongering cobblers.
  • forgotmyname
    forgotmyname Posts: 32,755 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    The clutch will probably be wear and tear so not covered and they wont pay towards a DMF when it has not failed.

    It makes sense to change it all when paying for it yourself, but for a warranty they will only replace the part that has failed.
    Censorship Reigns Supreme in Troll City...

  • bigjl
    bigjl Posts: 6,457 Forumite
    I doubt the dealer will pay up for a clutch and DMF

    You also don't have to change both as they can be assessed for wear.

    It is also possible to ruin a clutch in a very short period of time.
  • forgotmyname
    forgotmyname Posts: 32,755 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Ex MIL killed a brand new clutch in 7000 miles (Fiesta). reversing off the drive every morning at maximum revs may have contributed to its early demise.
    Censorship Reigns Supreme in Troll City...

  • peter12345678910
    peter12345678910 Posts: 479 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary 100 Posts Photogenic
    edited 14 October 2015 at 5:18AM
    You can buy a fly wheel from eBay for as little as 130 or over 300 if it is a bmw. You can then halve the price maybe.... Also you can exclude traveling costs which are included in Labour costs.
    When you look into an abyss, the abyss also looks into you. Nietzsche

    Please note that at no point during this work was the kettle ever put out of commission and no chavs were harmed during the making of this post.
  • arcon5
    arcon5 Posts: 14,099 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Contact the dealer and ask them to look in to it. Your warranty is in addition to any statutory rights you may have.

    What car is it and what mileague?
  • Hintza
    Hintza Posts: 19,420 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    arcon5 wrote: »
    Contact the dealer and ask them to look in to it. Your warranty is in addition to any statutory rights you may have.

    What car is it and what mileague?

    I think this is the route to go, SOGA (or whatever the new equivalent is). Even then it might be a struggle (wear and tear item).

    You aren't by any chance in IAM? That might help (ie unlikely to be riding the clutch).
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