Requesting help with car repair longevity

Ryan_Holden

Hi folks, I wonder if I can ask your advice. I have searched the forum but not found anything conclusive.

In February 2023 my car had two new rear suspension springs fitted because one had cracked and collapsed. The garage I used is a chain, not the OEM, and fitted a new part from Sachs.

This morning I heard an unusual knocking noise for around a mile and then the same spring has collapsed into the road.

Obviously I would expect more than around 2 years from a repair. But I don't know what my consumer position is with the garage.

I don't know if car parts are warrantied for longer than a year or what about repairs? Do I have any recourse here under any of my rights?

I imagine I won't, or at best I might be able to get a new part supplied but pay for fitting. But I would really like to know my consumer position so appreciate any help you can offer.

Thanks a lot,

Ryan

paul_c123

AFAIK they have 3 months by default. It was probably misfitted (ie the spring wasn't quite properly located on the suspension plate) and its accelerated the wear. Let me guess, you live in a street with loads of speed bumps?

Ryan_Holden

paul_c123 said:

AFAIK they have 3 months by default. It was probably misfitted (ie the spring wasn't quite properly located on the suspension plate) and its accelerated the wear. Let me guess, you live in a street with loads of speed bumps?

3 months makes it a moot point then.

There are several of those 'matched pair' speed humps in my area, the ones that sit central to each lane of the carriageway but I always get the wheels either side of it. 

I could never prove it was fitted incorrectly either, so I already suspect I have zero comeback.

Keep_pedalling

Age is not the only factor that needs to be taken into account, milage, pot holes and speed bumps all take their toll on the springs.

Ryan_Holden

Appreciate that input bud, I am not hands on with cars but I'm very familiar with them. I don't think any spring is sold as 'only use on flat roads' per say.

What I'm interested in is my consumer position, which I already suspect is non-existent.

Bigphil1474

You could give it a try but I suspect you'd get a no. I had a problem with my front lower arms on a Fiesta a few years back and the local indy garage I used guaranteed the parts for a year. They didn't last a year first 2 times so they replaced them for free. Ended up trading it in before they went again. I suspect had it been 2 years they would have been unable to help as they would be out of pocket from their supplier. Can't think of any consumer law that would help in this case.

SiliconChip

Your consumer position is that after 6 months the seller may (and probably will in this case) require you to show that the failure was due to a fault that was present at the time of purchase (I'm paraphrasing the legislation, others can provide you the actual wording if needed). That is usually done by getting an independent report showing an existing issue, for instance that the spring was faulty from the start. You'd have to pay for the report but if it supports your claim then you should be able to get the cost refunded. However, I think your chances of success are small unless there is an obvious fault, so it might be better just to suck up the cost of a replacement.

Iceweasel

I would assume you have receipts / invoice showing the work done and parts fitted.

Sachs are a top-rated manufacturer - a subsidiary of ZF who have an even higher reputation for quality, and aftermarket service.

Their parts normally carry a two year warranty.

Your first discussion should be with the garage / chain who replaced the springs, and then if they don't or won't help, escalate it to ZF Services UK whose headquarters are in Nottingham.

Tel: 0333 240 1123

Alderbank

I assume that you took your car to the chain and asked them to fix it, and they diagnosed the fault then supplied and fitted the parts to complete the repair?

You have rights, and these are found in chapter 3 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 which deals with a contract for a trader to supply a service to a consumer.

Your rights are for the trader to carry out the work with reasonable care and skill. If that is not done satisfactorily you have the right in regulation 54(3) to require repeat performance. In other words, if the original work was not up to scratch you can require them to do it again and do it properly this time. Tha Act says nothing about 3 months or any other limiting time, but as stated above many factors, such as the age and condition of the vehicle and the surfaces you drive on will all be relevant.

Your first step is to go back to the chain, Halfords or whatever, and see what they say. If they say it's all your fault or due to corrosion etc. you will need an independent report. An independent MOT station would be good for this. You are hoping for the report to say the part was fitted incorrectly or was not the right one for your model, or it has failed prematurely because the chain fitted a part of inferior quality.

Unless the car is quite new you will have had at least one MOT done since Feb 23. Were there any advisories about the suspension?
If not, the chain might argue that the quality of the work was satisfactory at that point and the damage was done after then.

Ryan_Holden

Thank you all for your input. 

I have to be honest, unless it is a very clear cut statement in my consumer rights in my favour then I am just going to go and have it repaired and mention it. It doesn't appear that it is, and so I don't want to enter 'the battle'.

I am not in the position, nor frame of mind, to enter protracted debates with the garage, arrange independent inspections or anything like that. I won't be able to prove it wasn't fitted correctly because it's just not there anymore and I don't want to sour my relationship with a garage that has been good to me with the car.

So I think I am best to just suck it up and have it fixed.

For reference, the car is a 2012 Golf with 141k on the clock, I've had it for many many years and it is my daily transport so I depend on it for work and social. 

Thank you again for your input on it. It was useful to me, and I hope someone else can find the thread useful in the future.

paul_c123

Probably worth asking the next garage to check the old/broken springs are Sachs items, they are probably labelled as such. If they're definitely not Sachs, you have recourse with the original garage.