Van Timing Chain failure less than 114k miles from new

WhiteVanMan123

Tucosalamanca said:

WhiteVanMan123 said:

Grumpy_chap said:

With the information quoted by @Okell, then S75 can apply.
S75 can only make the card issuer liable to the same extent that the trader would be liable.  
The key now is establishing what the trader is liable for, if anything, and then considering S75 claim if the trader does not meet their obligations.

A solution that does not involve the trader or the credit card may still be best.
The OP has a quote of £10k from Vauxhall to repair the van.
Somehow, the OP needs to get alternative costs for a reconditioned engine, or engine rebuild, from an independent specialist.
This will at least help to inform the OP on their next steps.

Very vaguely I have been told (by peers) I can get a referb engine fitted for somewhere between 3k and 5k. I really don't wan't to spend that kind of money either though - for what I genuinely feel is a Vauxhall failure and responsibility.
With the options provided by Vauxhall, it is uneconomic to repair.

Have you been a van owner before?

I run a small fleet and have recently spent £7.5k on a new engine for a Transit Custom (previously posted on MSE) so feel your pain.

However, once over 100k miles, I generally expect at least one bill over £2k per vehicle and would allow for more on the highest mileage vehicles.
Vauxhall, specifically Vivaro's have a reputation for faults and almost invariably would need a new gearbox and/or injectors at around the 100k mark then happily plod on for another 100k before being scrapped or sold on.
I've had Vitos with expensive electrical faults and Navaras with jumped timing chains and other faults.
VW seem to be generally reliable but you pay such a premium at the outset, that I honestly don't think it works out any cheaper overall.

I think you'd need to be exceptionally lucky to run a van at these kinds of mileage with paying out tbh.

If I can buy a van and it only costs £1,000 per £10,000 miles, I think that I'm doing ok. You appear to have reached that point, so maybe sell on for spares/repairs and consider buying a new van?

Good luck with your claim, I suspect that Vauxhall won't be interested at this kind of mileage.

Thanks - interesting insights.

This is my first van. (Indeed my first motor vehicle of any kind for over 20 years).

I've been "shopping" new (used) vans this afternoon - strangely enough the Vito is top of my shopping list if I can get a used one with a 2 year warranty directly from Mercedes.

lincroft1710

I think your problem will be that with well over 100K miles on the clock, it will be difficult to prove other than wear and tear on a consumable.

WhiteVanMan123

lincroft1710 said:

I think your problem will be that with well over 100K miles on the clock, it will be difficult to prove other than wear and tear on a consumable.

But when you buy a new vehicle, you don't expect it to be uneconomic to repair after 114k miles through normal wear and tear?

Tucosalamanca

WhiteVanMan123 said:

Tucosalamanca said:

WhiteVanMan123 said:

Grumpy_chap said:

With the information quoted by @Okell, then S75 can apply.
S75 can only make the card issuer liable to the same extent that the trader would be liable.  
The key now is establishing what the trader is liable for, if anything, and then considering S75 claim if the trader does not meet their obligations.

A solution that does not involve the trader or the credit card may still be best.
The OP has a quote of £10k from Vauxhall to repair the van.
Somehow, the OP needs to get alternative costs for a reconditioned engine, or engine rebuild, from an independent specialist.
This will at least help to inform the OP on their next steps.

Very vaguely I have been told (by peers) I can get a referb engine fitted for somewhere between 3k and 5k. I really don't wan't to spend that kind of money either though - for what I genuinely feel is a Vauxhall failure and responsibility.
With the options provided by Vauxhall, it is uneconomic to repair.

Have you been a van owner before?

I run a small fleet and have recently spent £7.5k on a new engine for a Transit Custom (previously posted on MSE) so feel your pain.

However, once over 100k miles, I generally expect at least one bill over £2k per vehicle and would allow for more on the highest mileage vehicles.
Vauxhall, specifically Vivaro's have a reputation for faults and almost invariably would need a new gearbox and/or injectors at around the 100k mark then happily plod on for another 100k before being scrapped or sold on.
I've had Vitos with expensive electrical faults and Navaras with jumped timing chains and other faults.
VW seem to be generally reliable but you pay such a premium at the outset, that I honestly don't think it works out any cheaper overall.

I think you'd need to be exceptionally lucky to run a van at these kinds of mileage with paying out tbh.

If I can buy a van and it only costs £1,000 per £10,000 miles, I think that I'm doing ok. You appear to have reached that point, so maybe sell on for spares/repairs and consider buying a new van?

Good luck with your claim, I suspect that Vauxhall won't be interested at this kind of mileage.

Thanks - interesting insights.

This is my first van. (Indeed my first motor vehicle of any kind for over 20 years).

I've been "shopping" new (used) vans this afternoon - strangely enough the Vito is top of my shopping list if I can get a used one with a 2 year warranty directly from Mercedes.

If doing really high mileage, it's probably what I'd go for.
Other than a £1,000 electrical fault, my last Vito was relatively faultless until a gearbox failure at 265k. It was sold for spares on eBay, with plenty of interest.
I've always found Mercedes dealerships to be good (I know that others disagree). We had a Mercedes Citan on the fleet until it was written off in a rear end shunt. That was the most reliable and best value van we've ever had.

lincroft1710

WhiteVanMan123 said:

lincroft1710 said:

I think your problem will be that with well over 100K miles on the clock, it will be difficult to prove other than wear and tear on a consumable.

But when you buy a new vehicle, you don't expect it to be uneconomic to repair after 114k miles through normal wear and tear?

114K miles is a high mileage in less than 2 yrs and modern engines are complicated and failure of certain components can lead to catastrophic damage.

WhiteVanMan123

Tucosalamanca said:

WhiteVanMan123 said:

Tucosalamanca said:

WhiteVanMan123 said:

Grumpy_chap said:

With the information quoted by @Okell, then S75 can apply.
S75 can only make the card issuer liable to the same extent that the trader would be liable.  
The key now is establishing what the trader is liable for, if anything, and then considering S75 claim if the trader does not meet their obligations.

A solution that does not involve the trader or the credit card may still be best.
The OP has a quote of £10k from Vauxhall to repair the van.
Somehow, the OP needs to get alternative costs for a reconditioned engine, or engine rebuild, from an independent specialist.
This will at least help to inform the OP on their next steps.

Very vaguely I have been told (by peers) I can get a referb engine fitted for somewhere between 3k and 5k. I really don't wan't to spend that kind of money either though - for what I genuinely feel is a Vauxhall failure and responsibility.
With the options provided by Vauxhall, it is uneconomic to repair.

Have you been a van owner before?

I run a small fleet and have recently spent £7.5k on a new engine for a Transit Custom (previously posted on MSE) so feel your pain.

However, once over 100k miles, I generally expect at least one bill over £2k per vehicle and would allow for more on the highest mileage vehicles.
Vauxhall, specifically Vivaro's have a reputation for faults and almost invariably would need a new gearbox and/or injectors at around the 100k mark then happily plod on for another 100k before being scrapped or sold on.
I've had Vitos with expensive electrical faults and Navaras with jumped timing chains and other faults.
VW seem to be generally reliable but you pay such a premium at the outset, that I honestly don't think it works out any cheaper overall.

I think you'd need to be exceptionally lucky to run a van at these kinds of mileage with paying out tbh.

If I can buy a van and it only costs £1,000 per £10,000 miles, I think that I'm doing ok. You appear to have reached that point, so maybe sell on for spares/repairs and consider buying a new van?

Good luck with your claim, I suspect that Vauxhall won't be interested at this kind of mileage.

Thanks - interesting insights.

This is my first van. (Indeed my first motor vehicle of any kind for over 20 years).

I've been "shopping" new (used) vans this afternoon - strangely enough the Vito is top of my shopping list if I can get a used one with a 2 year warranty directly from Mercedes.

If doing really high mileage, it's probably what I'd go for.
Other than a £1,000 electrical fault, my last Vito was relatively faultless until a gearbox failure at 265k. It was sold for spares on eBay, with plenty of interest.
I've always found Mercedes dealerships to be good (I know that others disagree). We had a Mercedes Citan on the fleet until it was written off in a rear end shunt. That was the most reliable and best value van we've ever had.

I expect to do between 75k and 90k miles per year - so the unlimited mileage (or 200k mileage on used) from Mercedes looks a game changer for me.

WhiteVanMan123

So general consensus in here is that I'm being unreasonable/unrealistic in expecting to hold Vauxhall (or retailer) to account if I've managed to get over 100k miles from the vehicle?

Grumpy_chap

I don't think it is unreasonable to expect a new van to do an unlimited mileage in the first couple of years and not give any problems - far less a failure that results in a massive bill such as the case in this thread.

I think the challenge is establishing grounds for remedy that are supported by legal obligations.
I am surprised that Vauxhall have not come up with any kind of goodwill gesture.

WhiteVanMan123

Grumpy_chap said:

I don't think it is unreasonable to expect a new van to do an unlimited mileage in the first couple of years and not give any problems - far less a failure that results in a massive bill such as the case in this thread.

I think the challenge is establishing grounds for remedy that are supported by legal obligations.
I am surprised that Vauxhall have not come up with any kind of goodwill gesture.

Did you notice my response at 6:04pm where I added further detail? I think that email from my local Vauxhall garage, where they decline to do further diagnostics because it's pretty clear what the issue is, gives my case a pretty strong boost?

Of course, I don't believe I have any legal obligations against Vauxhall - my only contract is with the retailer (and thus the credit card company)

Money_Grabber13579

Was it a Vauxhall dealer who did the servicing and who told you that the timing chain would need replaced at 125k miles? If so, that would suggest that the 125k mile figure was based on Vauxhall’s service recommendations and the fact that it has failed before that would indicate, in my opinion, that it wasn’t sufficiently durable - they reckon it should last at least 125k miles but it didn’t. I don’t see that you have anything to lose by pursuing the credit card company and I’m a bit surprised that Vauxhall aren’t providing any sort of (goodwill) gesture.