Warranty claim

parking_cowboy

I had the overhead control unit replaced on my car in late May 22, shortly before the 3-year warranty ran out at the end of that month. The fault was due to it making a whirring noise. The installation 2 days rather than 1 because they had problems installing it.

In August/September 2022 later I had issues where the alarm went off randomly, requiring a manufacturer roadside engineer to make some sort of change to temporarily fix it. He told us it was a known problem.

The issue went away for a while, but occasionally happened again. In February 23 the issue got quite bad. The car was recovered to the dealer, but they could not find a fault and simply updated the car software. 

The issue kept recurring.

Recently I took the car into another branch who traced the problem to the overhead control unit. They initially said I would have to pay 100% of the replacement cost (£600+) since the car was out of warranty and it was a part already replaced under warranty. They have subsequently offered to cover 50% of the cost.

Obviously my view was that on balance of probabilities the part was faulty when installed (i.e. problems installing, the alarm issue starting within 4 months). This is also not a part that is expected to last the lifetime of the car - it will not suffer wear and tear.

Any thoughts would be welcome.

SaverRate

Go back to them and make a counter offer. Most likely the contribution is from the manufacturer not the dealer so ask if they will increase the contribution. 

If the unit was installed May 2023 thats only just over a few IMO they should be doing it FOC

Edit - Who are the manufacturer? 

parking_cowboy

Mercedes. Their initial offer was 50% of the costs. I believe it should be 100% 

Grey_Critic

An item replaced during a vehicle manufacturer’s warranty is out of warranty when the vehicle warranty expires. You cannot have warranty on warranty. 

If a part has been replaced shortly before the warranty expired a manufacturer would normally consider a contribution as a goodwill gesture that may be up to 100% in some circumstances. Each manufacturer will have its own policy. 

I would suggest that once the fault is diagnosed then an appeal/request for help to the manufacturer. In some cases there may be a known issue which would influence their decision. A vehicle serviced to dealer specifications by a franchised dealer will help the decision.

WellKnownSid

As Grey_Critic says - I had a module replaced on my Mercedes replaced a week before the warranty ran out - they guaranteed it for a week!  Had I paid for a replacement out of warranty they would have given a 12 month warranty.

Only concern I would have in this case is that the fault isn't correctly diagnosed and they are simply firing up the parts cannon until the problem resolves itself.

Alanp

I had a new engine fitted to my car with literally weeks left on the warranty, I was told that when the warranty ran out, then so did any warranty with the engine, if your dealer has offered a contribution, then I would take it..

HillStreetBlues

I agree with there is not a warranty on a warranty, but the first repair should be fit for purpose.
If they replace a part that should last the cars lifetime, then if the replace part starts giving issues after 3 months keeps having issues, then there was something wrong with that repair.

Grey_Critic

HillStreetBlues said:

I agree with there is not a warranty on a warranty, but the first repair should be fit for purpose.
If they replace a part that should last the cars lifetime, then if the replace part starts giving issues after 3 months keeps having issues, then there was something wrong with that repair.

Whilst I might agree, the manufacturers have fulfilled the terms of the warranty -  If as a goodwill gesture they were to replace an item FOC there would be no warranty on it BUT if you are asked to make a contribution to the cost no matter how small then you would enjoy full warranty on it.

HillStreetBlues

Grey_Critic said:

Whilst I might agree, the manufacturers have fulfilled the terms of the warranty -  If as a goodwill gesture they were to replace an item FOC there would be no warranty on it BUT if you are asked to make a contribution to the cost no matter how small then you would enjoy full warranty on it.

I would be arguing that the manufacturer didn't fulfilled the terms of the warranty.
It's seems like a part that shouldn't fail in the lifetime of the car, certainly not twice in 4 years.
So although they replaced the part under warranty, they didn't find the root cause of the issue and that should have, as it was still in warranty then.

Grey_Critic

The joys of motoring. You can argue all you like they will simply say they have fulfilled the terms of the warranty.. In an ideal world nothing would fail - I bought Peigeot and had control unit fail - it was replaced under warranty then failed again at a cost of £300 13 months later and they said no. As I have said the joys of motoring - the more technology the more there is to go wrong