Car can’t be repaired HELP!

Jesgilm

I bought a 2015 Hyundai i20 in May last year (2018). I went for a Hyundai for peace of mind with their 5 year warranty.

Before Christmas about November time I started with problems starting the car. It wasn’t too bad to begin with and I just put up with it but in the new year jan/Feb time it got much worse and was sometimes taking upto 5 or 10 minutes to get started.

I’ve been into the local approved Hyundai dealerships service department now 6 times, each time they think they have solved the problem but because it doesn’t come up in the diagnostic tests, and it is intermittent, they don’t know exactly what is causing it and never really know if it is solved.

The dealership have been patient and polite every time but I have had to have a courtesy car 3 out of the 6 times which costs me money for the insurance (£12.50). I’m an apprentice/student and can’t afford to be paying this every time.

Part of the car was on finance, I don’t know the name of the finance but it is where you own the car from the start and have a set interest and set monthly payments.

What are my rights? I really don’t know what to do now, I’m just so fed up of taking it in over and over again for it not to work. I have video footage previously and plan on getting more recent videos. The dealership have seen the fault when it was in once, when it failed 9 times in a row, but as I say it’s intermittent and it doesn’t seem to be linked to weather of how long it has been off. Sometimes it starts and goes straight off again.

Please help!

AdrianC

You don't mention who you bought it from.

You'd had it six months before you started to have the issue, so this isn't really a consumer rights question relating to the purchase. It's one of the dealership simply failing to fix the car under the manufacturer warranty - I presume there's no question about the cost being covered by the warranty? Have you taken it to a different Hyundai dealer? Have the problems been escalated by the dealer to Hyundai UK?

If you bought the car from the dealership who are failing to sort it, then your best bet may well be to push the dealer to give you a favourable buy-back price that treats it as if the fault was not present.

If you can't afford £37.50 across six months for courtesy cars, then why are you financing a relatively expensive car that's still depreciating steeply?

Jesgilm

I don’t really appreciate how judgemental you are being; I’m 24 and had saved majority of the money for the car before I started my course. Also, regardless of what I earn and can afford I shouldn’t have to pay for a courtesy car when the problem is not my fault. I bought the car specifically to last a long time, which made more sense than buying another older car that kept breaking down. I have a mortgage on a house with my partner and bills to pay, but the point is that I shouldn’t have to keep paying insurance on a courtesy car because the car should be working by now. I don’t know whether this was a problem before, maybe you could tell me how I can find out if any previous owners had the same issue? To begin with, as I said, it wasn’t much of a problem because it was irregular and not really affecting me. And yes they have had a Hyundai technician down twice, and this will be the third time. I have paid for a car that isn’t fit for purpose, that is still under warranty. No one has any idea what the fault is. The car was bought from another verified dealer. Now can you please actually give me some advice rather than judge my financial decisions?

AdrianC

Jesgilm wrote: »

I shouldn’t have to pay for a courtesy car when the problem is not my fault.

They are under no obligation to provide a courtesy car at all.

You could have bought your insurance from a company who covered courtesy cars automatically. Perhaps, when your policy is up for renewal, you could consider that if it's important to you?

I have paid for a car that isn’t fit for purpose

Woah, hold on... Because the fault started outside of six months from the date of purchase, it's up to you to prove it was present at the time of sale.

The car was bought from another verified dealer.

By "verified dealer", do you mean a Hyundai franchise?
Did you take it to them for the fault to be fixed? If not, then that's another strike against this being a consumer rights question. Focus on the actual issue.

Now can you please actually give me some advice

You've had it. Stop focussing on one minor point in the post, and look at the entirety. Being melodramatic over a very minor expense over six months doesn't help your case one bit.

Jesgilm

Regardless of the money I’ve paid or the dealership I bought it from my car is on finance. I’d like to know how that works for cover. As I know it does.

AdrianC

I repeat, for the last time, since you're ignoring me... This is not a consumer rights issue relating to the purchase. It's simply the dealership being incompetent in repairing under warranty.

Focus on the actual issue.

B'sides, from what you've said, it's entirely likely you simply have a loan to cover the purchase price.

Mr.Generous

The problem with modern cars and dealerships is over reliance on technology. They will be trying to diagnose the fault by computer, its not always spot on. Sometimes taking a step back and looking at all the symptoms an old school mechanic will identify the correct problem and sort it.

Every little detail might help. Does it not start when hot or when cold? Is it after or during rain? Is the battery ok? Does it run well when it is going? What have they done so far? has it had a service inc spark plugs changed?

Nothing more annoying than a car that lets you down.

macman

The first step is to take it to another dealer. 6 attempts is far too generous. If no joy with that, escalate to Hyundai UK, with a view to a buy-back or substitute vehicle. And, in the meantime, a free service and MOT might be worth requesting.
As for the courtesy car, the clue is in the word 'courtesy': because it's still under the manufacturer's warranty doesn't give you any entitlement to a free alternative vehicle.
Going in demanding 'your rights' isn't a wise approach.

Jesgilm

Well then, I will also repeat- for the last time. I have finance on 10% of the car. The other half I saved and paid for. I’m not asking for all the possible reasons I can’t do anything. I’m looking for all of the possible reasons I could do something. Or what I can do. You know, do I have the right and am I able to find out if there has been a fault in the past? I don’t necessarily want a refund. I like my car, I want this car. But I can’t keep up with it not working. I need a car that works. I don’t understand how that is so difficult to understand.

AdrianC

"I only want answers that suit my preconceptions. I'll stamp my foot at anything else."

bigisi

Jesgilm wrote: »

do I have the right

No.

Jesgilm wrote: »

and am I able to find out if there has been a fault in the past?

Possibly.