What compensation, if any, should I ask Vauxhall for?

DKLS

photome wrote: »

why havent you asked/insisted the garage lend you a larger loan car

then there wouldnt have been any issues

This +1

When my garage offered me a Peugeot 206 as a courtesy car, I sat in it and saw that the pedals had been designed for dainty french feet not my size 11 clod hoppers, I could hit two pedals with one foot but no chance for one so I raised it as an issue, Garage dude agreed and gave me the keys to a mondeo.

bigpat

“
why havent you asked/insisted the garage lend you a larger loan car

then there wouldnt have been any issues
Originally posted by photome
”This +1

OK, maybe I was long-winded about it and it wasn't clear, but I DID complain that the Corsa is too small. I didn't do this right away because I thought it would only be a few days and i didn't think it was worth creating a fuss. But Corsas are what they have. Or so they tell me!

bigpat

Herzlos wrote: »

I don't think you've got any claim with the Mondeo, it'd have failed anyway, and with 5 cases you'd probably have used that even with the Astra on your drive.
.

No, we had booked the Astra in for parking at Gatwick and up until the day before we flew I was still hoping I'd have it back in time. The old Mondeo was definitely a fall-back position and I had to ring Purple Parking and get them to amend the booking at short notice.

I suppose that's the point I should have insisted on a hire car but I'm not clear how that would have worked when we were leaving home at 1am, booked in for parking at 4:30am and expecting to leave a car parked for 10 days. At the time, the Mondeo seemed the most reasonable option, if we weren't going to miss our holiday into the bargain.

burlington6

How much do you want?

I bet you have a figure in your head

Mercdriver

As the holiday loomed, I would have told them that if they couldn't get me a bigger car on loan, that I would hire an astra sized car and charge it back to them. If they refused to pay, a letter before action and then money claim online.

That is all by the by now.

What do you want to receive from them? Decide what it is and write a letter stating briefly and clearly what you want from them to resolve the issue. Avoid hyperbole and put your point across in a clear and succint way.

Edited to add: Might be worth sending a letter to Vauxhall too since it was worrk being undertaken on their behalf.

loskie

I think as the recall work would be being done on behalf of Vauxhall then in the case Vauxhall as well as the dealer may have a part to play.

AdrianC

loskie wrote: »

I think as the recall work would be being done on behalf of Vauxhall then in the case Vauxhall as well as the dealer may have a part to play.

Vauxhall's liability extends to the recall. An electronic problem arising from that is not directly related to the recall.

I presume this is the recall in question :- http://www.dft.gov.uk/vosa/apps/recalls/searches/expand.asp?uniqueID=112B41EB0593CA7780257F5C004A84A5&freeText=Blank&tx=

So the recall did require the vehicle electronics to be worked on. It's entirely possible that the work was done without the battery being disconnected - so as not to lose radio codes etc - and a voltage spike may have killed the ECUs from that. Given that it's a six year old car, there may have been pre-existing corrosion of connectors which could also have contributed to the problem.

The dealer are not responsible for parts supply delays from either Vauxhall's UK stores or from Germany, and are probably just as frustrated at the escalation of what should have been a quick and simple job as you are, OP. But nor are GM themselves responsible for problems arising from lack of stocks of what's not a commonly-required part on an older vehicle.

bigpat

burlington6 wrote: »

How much do you want?

I bet you have a figure in your head

I don't and that's why I'm here asking for advice. I really have little idea whether it should be a fiver, £50, or £500. I don't want to ask for anything outlandish, but neither do I want to be fobbed off with a "sorry" when the time comes

bigpat

AdrianC wrote: »

ed to the recall.

The dealer are not responsible for parts supply delays from either Vauxhall's UK stores or from Germany, and are probably just as frustrated at the escalation of what should have been a quick and simple job as you are, OP. But nor are GM themselves responsible for problems arising from lack of stocks of what's not a commonly-required part on an older vehicle.

So neither of them are responsible? They break a component that had been working perfectly fine and between they take seven weeks and counting to replace it. That can't be reasonable can it? But yes, I can easily see that we could get into a game of "not our fault, their fault". All I know is I'll never darken their door again!

AdrianC

bigpat wrote: »

So neither of them are responsible? They break a component that had been working perfectly fine and between they take seven weeks and counting to replace it. That can't be reasonable can it?

The dealer are fixing the car, free of charge. The delays are not in their control. They are providing you with a car, free of charge, for the period yours is unavailable.

We do not know what caused the failure - it may have been avoidable human error, it may have been a pre-existing fault on your car that didn't show until the work was done.

Modern cars are massively complex - the fault here lies with the central computer that controls almost all of the car's electronics. Changing part of the wiring that feeds into it has either caused or exposed a problem which has taken that computer out. The recall is because a predictable mechanical failure can cause electronic problems which can damage the computers, and even cause a fire. Remember that cars are also a very hostile environment for electronics, with muck and moisture, together with heat and vibration. That central computer - for a car that's now six years old, half way through a typical life expectancy - is not a part that would need to ever be replaced on the typical car. It seems that there is no stock centrally, and they are on back order with Opel's supplier.

All I know is I'll never darken their door again!

Which will not help one bit, because the dealer are not the root cause of the delay. By all means, sell the car and buy a non-Vauxhall.

This may actually be your easiest way to resolve this. Ask the dealer if they will give you a reasonable offer for it now, as if the problem did not exist, in order to close this ongoing issue. I'll bet they'll jump at it.