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Fiat 500 Advise
I was hoping I could get some advise on what my rights are regarding a problem with my car.
In January this year I finally took and passed my driving test! Being nearly 30 years old I decided that I'd treat myself and pay a bit more on finance to get a nice car.
I purchased a used Fiat 500L from a well known dealership in February this year. The dealership had been recommended to me by a few people.
The car had done 18k and was 5/6 years old. I was told I had a year warranty and bought it via a hire purchase deal which would run over five years.
When I took the car for a test drive my partner believed he could hear an odd noise. He raised it with the salesman who said that the car had been fully checked and that there was nothing wrong; he also suggested that maybe it was just because it sounded different to my partners car. It wasn't a loud, concerning noise so we had no reason not to take what he said on face value (foolish, and a lesson learnt).
I've drove the car with relatively few issues, however after coming back from a week's holiday I found that the noise the car had originally made and that I had grown used to had become incredibly loud. It only happens in the lower three gears and stops when the clutch is down.
I also grew concerned that the brakes weren't working as they should so this being the most urgent issue I booked it into Halfords for a brake check. The brakes came back as fine (clearly I just had a panic) however they said they looked into the noise and believe the gearbox is screwed. Worst of all, they wanted nearly a grand to fix it!
Obviously I have called the dealers up and to their credit they were lovely. I dropped the car off this morning and am waiting on them to call me with what the damage is.
I've read through my warranty and it sounds like that if it's the gearbox it will be covered. Obviously I'm not an expert, the warranty isn't exactly black and white AND I don't quite know what the issue is. If it isn't covered in the warranty I'm totally screwed as I can't afford £1000 to get the car fixed.
Would someone be able to offer some advise on what my options may be if the fix isn't covered? I'm stuck with the car for the best part of five years because of the finance deal and I can't afford for it to not be on the road.
ALSO, whilst I'm asking
When we were going through the finance options I specifically said I didn't want a long financial arrangement. I told the salesman how much I could afford and he presented me with a deal that was much cheaper but for five years. When I told him I didn't want a deal that long, he told me that was all they did. I now believe this to be a total lie. Am I able to rearrange this with the finance company so that I'm making larger payments?
Thanks in advance to anyone who can offer some advise or even a kind word.
In January this year I finally took and passed my driving test! Being nearly 30 years old I decided that I'd treat myself and pay a bit more on finance to get a nice car.
I purchased a used Fiat 500L from a well known dealership in February this year. The dealership had been recommended to me by a few people.
The car had done 18k and was 5/6 years old. I was told I had a year warranty and bought it via a hire purchase deal which would run over five years.
When I took the car for a test drive my partner believed he could hear an odd noise. He raised it with the salesman who said that the car had been fully checked and that there was nothing wrong; he also suggested that maybe it was just because it sounded different to my partners car. It wasn't a loud, concerning noise so we had no reason not to take what he said on face value (foolish, and a lesson learnt).
I've drove the car with relatively few issues, however after coming back from a week's holiday I found that the noise the car had originally made and that I had grown used to had become incredibly loud. It only happens in the lower three gears and stops when the clutch is down.
I also grew concerned that the brakes weren't working as they should so this being the most urgent issue I booked it into Halfords for a brake check. The brakes came back as fine (clearly I just had a panic) however they said they looked into the noise and believe the gearbox is screwed. Worst of all, they wanted nearly a grand to fix it!
Obviously I have called the dealers up and to their credit they were lovely. I dropped the car off this morning and am waiting on them to call me with what the damage is.
I've read through my warranty and it sounds like that if it's the gearbox it will be covered. Obviously I'm not an expert, the warranty isn't exactly black and white AND I don't quite know what the issue is. If it isn't covered in the warranty I'm totally screwed as I can't afford £1000 to get the car fixed.
Would someone be able to offer some advise on what my options may be if the fix isn't covered? I'm stuck with the car for the best part of five years because of the finance deal and I can't afford for it to not be on the road.
ALSO, whilst I'm asking
When we were going through the finance options I specifically said I didn't want a long financial arrangement. I told the salesman how much I could afford and he presented me with a deal that was much cheaper but for five years. When I told him I didn't want a deal that long, he told me that was all they did. I now believe this to be a total lie. Am I able to rearrange this with the finance company so that I'm making larger payments?Thanks in advance to anyone who can offer some advise or even a kind word.
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Comments
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Additional: The car has now done 24500 miles, surely the gearbox shouldn't be on it's way out already?0
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In before the do-gooders slam you for having finance. (Take no notice of these people - your money you spend it how you want).
If you are still under the garages warranty you will be covered at all costs so don't worry.
Regarding the finance, I've never heard of a garage ONLY doing 5 years? Are you sure that's all they could offer you financially? Have they giving you the option of paying a final payment or returning the car?0 -
Thatsthespirit wrote: »In before the do-gooders slam you for having finance. (Take no notice of these people - your money you spend it how you want).
If you are still under the garages warranty you will be covered at all costs so don't worry.
Regarding the finance, I've never heard of a garage ONLY doing 5 years? Are you sure that's all they could offer you financially? Have they giving you the option of paying a final payment or returning the car?
Well that's irresponsibly inaccurate advice. What if the problem is caused by wear to the clutch as a result of misuse during the car's past?
What if it's wear in the gearbox due to a lack of maintenance during the car's past?
They won't be covered 'at all costs' for sure.0 -
BeenThroughItAll wrote: »Well that's irresponsibly inaccurate advice. What if the problem is caused by wear to the clutch as a result of misuse during the car's past?
What if it's wear in the gearbox due to a lack of maintenance during the car's past?
They won't be covered 'at all costs' for sure.
Because I had a £1500 replacement around 5 years ago, under guess what, a years warranty. with a Fiat/Alfa garage.
I had the exact same issue, except I took it straight back to them, and low and behold it was covered.
Why are you reading so much into a warranty? If I was a garage and I had somebody come and finance a car off me long term (5 years) and they returned the car within months with a problem I'd get it done out of pure decency and rep.0 -
One example of good service by a franchised dealership does not a pattern make.Thatsthespirit wrote: »Because I had a £1500 replacement around 5 years ago, under guess what, a years warranty. with a Fiat/Alfa garage.
I had the exact same issue, except I took it straight back to them, and low and behold it was covered.Why are you reading so much into a warranty? If I was a garage and I had somebody come and finance a car off me long term (5 years) and they returned the car within months with a problem I'd get it done out of pure decency and rep.
And right there is why you are not a garage. If you were, you'd be out of business in three months.0 -
Would someone be able to offer some advise on what my options may be if the fix isn't covered? I'm stuck with the car for the best part of five years because of the finance deal and I can't afford for it to not be on the road.
Why don't you wait for the garage to report back before you start panicking.0 -
Additional: The car has now done 24500 miles, surely the gearbox shouldn't be on it's way out already?
At 18,000 miles on a 5/6 year old car? Very possible as its either spent its time being stood or doing short journeys around town which wears the hell out of a car compared to sitting in 6th gear on a motorway at 70MPH. My bet is the latter especially given the noise is in gears 1/2 and 3 which are the ones that'll be most used on town driving. Driving a mile to the store my car does more gearchanges than it does on the 30 mile A road run to work. A car doing local pizza takeaway deliveries will do more gearchanges in 3000 miles a year than my car which has spent most of its life doing long runs has done in 100,000 miles.
Unfortunately this is a lesson in why low mileage cars aren't usually a good thing. The good news is that if the car is under warranty it'll be covered for a gearbox fault and given that it is only happening in those gears it suggests that it is that rather than a clutch which is classed as a consumable so not covered by warranty.0 -
BeenThroughItAll wrote: »One example of good service by a franchised dealership does not a pattern make.
And right there is why you are not a garage. If you were, you'd be out of business in three months.
A little courtesy goes a long way with garages and dealerships.
The idea of selling a car with little mileage is the rarity of something like that happening high, but unfortunately for the garage they lost that one.
I apologise for throwing the term 'at all costs' loosely around but generally speaking, problems shouldn't start occurring on a car that's not even done 20k. Disclaimer; they do and I know they do but I'm trying to look at it from a garages point of view.0 -
Did not expect bickering over a question but thanks everyone who helped out FYI the car has a full service history and ticked all the boxes they needed to.
I've heard back from the dealers and its the input shaft seal that has gone. They were quite sketchy on the details which is frustrating however I got the general jist of things.
It's taken them all day to get the warranty company to give them permission to open the gearbox up. Now they can see for sure what is wrong with the car they need to wait for them to say if they will or will not cough up for it. Unfortunately this means I wont get my car back until Monday at the earliest. They are also unable to provide a courtesy car as they don't have any available.
Whilst I think it is perfectly logical to be concerned about what is happening to a car that I'll be paying for for a fair few years, I'm also responsible for looking after my Grandfather who came home Wednesday following a knee replacement. Whilst he doesn't need lifts anywhere I do need to get to him, do the shopping etc etc. Just super inconvenient.
@Thatsthespirit I even raised it with the salesman who said he'd ask. Clearly I've been taken for a bit of a spin with that! Found out today that the guy doesn't work there anymore...0 -
Thatsthespirit wrote: »A little courtesy goes a long way with garages and dealerships.
The idea of selling a car with little mileage is the rarity of something like that happening high, but unfortunately for the garage they lost that one.
I apologise for throwing the term 'at all costs' loosely around but generally speaking, problems shouldn't start occurring on a car that's not even done 20k. Disclaimer; they do and I know they do but I'm trying to look at it from a garages point of view.
Funny how you're happy to take my post at face value here, but decided to PM me abuse and accuse me of bullying.0
This discussion has been closed.
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