Kia warranty - 11 weeks in the garage and still not repaired

paddyisis

I would really appreciate your advice. I bought a Kia Niro from a private car dealership (Roxburgh) in April, 3 days before the end of the 3 month warranty they supplied me with it died - Hybrid System Fault. I called them and they said because it has a 7 year Kia warranty it has to go to Kia first for them to sort it out. 

I called my local Kia franchise (Evans Halshaw) who couldn't fit the car in for 10 days so I booked it in and paid to get it recovered to them on the day it was booked in for.

Three weeks later they still hadn't even looked at it, advising me that they were short staffed, I contacted Kia head office who said because Evans Halshaw are a franchise there wasn't much that they could do but they would contact them.

Eventually Evans Halshaw said that they'd sent a diagnostic report to Kia and they had located the fault and ordered a part from Kia but that it was on back order so they didn't know how long it would take. Two weeks ago I contacted them for an update and they told me that they'd fitted the part but it hadn't solved the problem so they would have to go back to Kia to ask them to diagnose the fault again.

They will have had the car for 11 weeks on Saturday and we are still no closer to the problem being rectified.  We had a holiday booked in August and needed a car to get there so as both Evans Halshaw and Roxburgh had said that I didn't qualify for a courtesy car I had no choice but to buy another car, obviously at huge expense which I used a credit card for - I didn't worry about that too much at the time as I expected the car to be fixed within a couple of days (seems ridiculous now but I felt that I had very little choice).

I have lodged formal complaints with Roxburgh, Kia and Evans Halshaw and they have all basically blamed it on the other parties - Roxburgh say it's Kia's problem, Kia say it's Evans Halshaw's problem and Evans Halshaw say it's Roxburgh's problem - the reality seems to be that it's only my problem ! I have stated that I don't feel that 11 weeks is a 'reasonable' timeframe to repair a car under warranty but they have told me that there is no definition of 'reasonable' and that basically, it takes as long as it takes, I asked Evans Halshaw if it got to 6 months would they look to financially reimburse me, they replied 'no'.

I bought the car using a personal loan so I have no protection from a credit card or car finance point of view. I'm at a loss as to what to do both now, and when the car is eventually returned to me - I don't want it back but quotes from Carwow etc., say that if I sell it I'll lose upwards of £3,000.

I'm now paying for two cars which is extremely difficult for me, as I said I thought I would only be in this position for days, I didn't envisage it still going on months later.

I've contacted Citizens Advice and they've just told me to lodge formal complaints which I've done but with no real response.

Any help you can offer would be greatly appreciated. 

fimacdoodle

Wow - terrible service. Have you gone to see the manager at evans ? In person. I always found them pretty receptive.- parts are in short supply for newer 'green' cars.
My friend had the same problem with a new kia - lots of teething problems and sat in a garage for too long - so nothing new there.

ididgetwhereiamtoday

Very few people will read the OPs post for obvious reasons. 

born_again

A Warranty does not equal a faster fix. So it will take as long as it takes.

Kia warranty

Limited liability

Under this warranty, Kia are only liable for the repair or replacement of original parts by an authorised Kia dealer that are defective in material or workmanship. Kia are not liable for any costs that may incur getting to a dealer, supplying a replacement car or as a result of being without the car during warranty repairs.

Extra expenses and damages

Kia won’t reimburse for any financial loss or other damages. For example, loss of use, lodging and car rentals, travel costs or loss of earnings.

Any temp car comes from dealer. Which are in very short supply now.

In many ways you have dropped lucky that the car still had a Kia warranty, as many 2nd hand coming from 3rd party dealer do not, as the car has not been serviced as it should have been. In this case 10,000 miles or 12 months which ever is 1st from date of registration.

Which would have left you with a very expensive bill.

Ultimately your consumer rights are with the garage you bought the car from. No one else.

chrisw

You didn't 'have' to buy another car, you could have hired one. But I agree, terrible service and it's not just Kia, but I don't know what the answer is.

paddyisis

ididgetwhereiamtoday said:

Very few people will read the OPs post for obvious reasons. 

Apologies but it's not obvious to me ? 

paddyisis

chrisw said:

You didn't 'have' to buy another car, you could have hired one. But I agree, terrible service and it's not just Kia, but I don't know what the answer is.

I felt it would be the most cost effective option at the time, I'd already spent around £300 on taxis to get to and from work and get my children to their various clubs. I (obviously incorrectly) assumed that the car would quickly fixed as that was what the impression that the garage was giving me. I also knew that I wouldn't want the kia back.

sheramber

paddyisis said:

ididgetwhereiamtoday said:

Very few people will read the OPs post for obvious reasons. 

Apologies but it's not obvious to me ? 

No paragraphs makes it difficult to read

born_again

paddyisis said:

chrisw said:

You didn't 'have' to buy another car, you could have hired one. But I agree, terrible service and it's not just Kia, but I don't know what the answer is.

I felt it would be the most cost effective option at the time, I'd already spent around £300 on taxis to get to and from work and get my children to their various clubs. I (obviously incorrectly) assumed that the car would quickly fixed as that was what the impression that the garage was giving me. I also knew that I wouldn't want the kia back.

So why take it to a 3rd party garage, who are not part of the purchase.

If you did not want to keep the car, then it should have been left with the dealer you bought the car from to deal with. 

paddyisis

fimacdoodle said:

Wow - terrible service. Have you gone to see the manager at evans ? In person. I always found them pretty receptive.- parts are in short supply for newer 'green' cars.
My friend had the same problem with a new kia - lots of teething problems and sat in a garage for too long - so nothing new there.

I've tried to but the twice that I've been they haven't been there. I've tried to contact them by phone but never receive a call back. I think I'll take your advice and try again, thanks 

paddyisis

born_again said:

paddyisis said:

chrisw said:

You didn't 'have' to buy another car, you could have hired one. But I agree, terrible service and it's not just Kia, but I don't know what the answer is.

I felt it would be the most cost effective option at the time, I'd already spent around £300 on taxis to get to and from work and get my children to their various clubs. I (obviously incorrectly) assumed that the car would quickly fixed as that was what the impression that the garage was giving me. I also knew that I wouldn't want the kia back.

So why take it to a 3rd party garage, who are not part of the purchase.

If you did not want to keep the car, then it should have been left with the dealer you bought the car from to deal with. 

The dealer I bought it from refused to take it back, they said that kia had to deal with it. As its quite a distance away I wasn't prepared to risk paying to get it recovered there and then having to pay again to get it taken to a kia garage