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Problematic Astra!

8 Posts

in Motoring
Just over 5 months ago I purchased a 63 plate Vauxhall Astra 1.4T [72k miles on click].
Recently following a spell where the car was suffering from vibrations and slight loss of power I put it into the local garage. They couldn't pinpoint the problem and changed the coil pack and spark plugs [which made the vibrations worse].
On advice I took it to a more specialist garage. 2 days later they confirm it is likely to be the flywheel and will have to strip out the gearbox. Then yesterday they confirmed that the clutch had gone!
I have a 6 month RAC warranty that covers me (loosely) and it will cover up to £65/hour labour and parts, but I will be out of pocket.
I have contacted the dealer directly and asked if they would support/cover the full cost. I have made direct reference to the Consumer Rights Act 2015 whereby within 6 months a seller has an obligation to offer a repair, replacement or refund for a faulty product provided the user has not done something to cause the fault!
The car has not done a lot of mileage since purchase as I generally work from home reducing my monthly mileage by around 500 miles. The garage it is currently in will email the costs involved to the dealer [around £1800 potentially to strip out the gearbox and potentially replace clutch and flywheel).
The process is exhausting but I have to try everything to get this sorted out cheaply.
Based on the circumstances what do people think of my chances of getting this done to my satisfaction through the Consumer protection or warranty angle?
Recently following a spell where the car was suffering from vibrations and slight loss of power I put it into the local garage. They couldn't pinpoint the problem and changed the coil pack and spark plugs [which made the vibrations worse].
On advice I took it to a more specialist garage. 2 days later they confirm it is likely to be the flywheel and will have to strip out the gearbox. Then yesterday they confirmed that the clutch had gone!
I have a 6 month RAC warranty that covers me (loosely) and it will cover up to £65/hour labour and parts, but I will be out of pocket.
I have contacted the dealer directly and asked if they would support/cover the full cost. I have made direct reference to the Consumer Rights Act 2015 whereby within 6 months a seller has an obligation to offer a repair, replacement or refund for a faulty product provided the user has not done something to cause the fault!
The car has not done a lot of mileage since purchase as I generally work from home reducing my monthly mileage by around 500 miles. The garage it is currently in will email the costs involved to the dealer [around £1800 potentially to strip out the gearbox and potentially replace clutch and flywheel).
The process is exhausting but I have to try everything to get this sorted out cheaply.
Based on the circumstances what do people think of my chances of getting this done to my satisfaction through the Consumer protection or warranty angle?
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Replies
Garage two says clutch and gearbox need substantial repairs but garage one didn't notice any symptoms to indicate this?
Seems very unlikely to me. I don't think that I'd trust either garage's opinion.
I would return the car to the dealer and let them handle it (I'm guessing they won't be happy but it is what it is).
As for reclaiming costs, I guess that depends on the warranty, what's covered and what's considered to be wear and tear.
I think you've got an uphill battle coming up tbh.
Good luck with it....
The second garage has much more sophisticated equipment and spent time doing the diagnosis over two days! They have excellent customer reviews.
I am trying to see if I can push the Consumer Rights Act onto the dealer rather than use the warranty as I want to minimise the costs to me.
According to my garage it is around 6 to 7 hours work to strip out/put back the gear box and fit replacements.
What does the warranty paperwork say about clutches and flywheels ?
You said this.
2 days later they confirm it is likely to be the flywheel and will have to strip out the gearbox. Then yesterday they confirmed that the clutch had gone!
Has the gearbox actually been removed to see which part has failed ?