Car rejection nightmare!!

Boot28

This is a long story but I will try and condense it down as much as possible.

Late November 24 - Brand new lease car delivered

Early December 24 - (13 days after receiving) Car Broke down, RAC called but on the way the car started again, advised to contact Vauxhall ASAP to check over - Called Vauxhall, told earliest they could look at it would be over 4 weeks away in another town. Booked in and used car sparingly, avoided distances and motorway.

Xmas day - Car cut out again, dangerously in middle of road. Had help to push car, waited until following day to contact RAC. RAC came out, 47 different faults, unsafe to use and car was towed for the garage to look at. No courtesy car as RAC and Lease company say its up to vauxhall they can’t help, Vauxhall refuse, loads of messing around and had no car for weeks, xmas holidays completely ruined, days off work etc.

7//1 - Told car is checked and fine, had update and to pick it up. Used car sparingly again as I wasn’t confident with trusting it.

23/1 - Car cut out again, dangerously on a very busy ring road, blocking road for 2.5 hrs until RAC came. 

57 faults this time. RAC towed to same garage, told can’t have courtesy car. Had to walk 4.5 miles until able to get an UBER, during which time I called the lease company, told them I reject the car, they said they cant help with courtesy car as its vauxhalls responsibility, and will take 8 weeks to resolve complaint.

28/1 - Garage said car started working again straight away, can’t find no faults (despite them helping push the vehicle into a bay and having copies of RAC reports) asked me to pick it up. I refused. They called again a few days later saying they have fitted a part, but it’s now not working at all and they have to wait for vauxhall to tell them what to do next.

24/3 - 8 weeks after complaint started I finally have a call from the case handler, saying will reimburse me for hire car costs (£2600) , and put in rejection to vauxhall. Told them its created massive financial hardship with the hire car and still paying the lease asked them to refund ASAP

1/5 - tried several times to reach lease company and had multiple promises of a call back that day or the next, but never happened. No refund as promised. Vauxhall called, said car is now repaired after 4 parts being fitted (97 days in total) told them I rejected the car but will try contact lease company to advise.

5/5 - Finally lease company contacted, apologised hadn’t had a refund yet, I have to pick car up as vauxhall have refused my rejection as the car is now fixed, and I will have to pay storage fees if I don’t collect it. Said will sort refund asap. I told them I will pick it up due to threat of storage fees but It does not affect my right to refusal.

7/5 - Picked car up.

8/5 Car cut out again dangerously on a junction

9/5 I paid for independent inspection - 57 faults. Called lease company, told me they will get refund sorted in 48 hrs and send for Dekra inspection in 24hrs.

22/5 - Multiple attempts to contact them, promised a call next day etc, still nothing. 

Im seriously struggling to pay for hire vehicle (which includes a £750 deposit) being a single parent with my sons school at the other side of town with a full time job the car is essential to me. I realise now I have to go through the ombudsman but that can take 6-9 months when I have already waited 17 weeks since the complaint began. The stress and worry of this all is really affecting my health and I’m struggling, it’s between £650 - £1000 a month I am paying for Hire cars and the lease. The story is actually a lot worse (the same company I pay the lease to is the same company I’m paying to hire the car from) but I’ve condensed it at much as I can. Since November I only had full use of the lease car for 13 days. It has been in my possession for 45 days (rest at the garage)

Can anyone who has been through the same process say how long it took them for a resolution from the ombudsman or offer any suggestions about who I can contact to help me with this?

Much Appreciated!

marlot

I can't offer any advice, but wow - what a nightmare.  You've been so patient.

paul_c123

Can you post the RAC Reports with 47 faults and 57 faults in them?

daveyjp

Whilst there may be 47 or 57 faults recorded, this is merely a report of errors generated from what could  be a single component failure. Finding that component is where the skill lies.

For example if a brake pedal switch fails you can get a huge list of errors for ABS, stability control, cruise control etc etc as so many of a modern car safety components are governed by the signal from that one switch.  It doesn't mean all those components have an problem, change that one switch and all the errors disappear.

Boot28

paul_c123 said:

Can you post the RAC Reports with 47 faults and 57 faults in them?

I’ll post them asap tonight, have to figure out how to blank out the details!

Boot28

daveyjp said:

Whilst there may be 47 or 57 faults recorded, this is merely a report of errors generated from what could  be a single component failure. Finding that component is where the skill lies.

For example if a brake pedal switch fails you can get a huge list of errors for ABS, stability control, cruise control etc etc as so many of a modern car safety components are governed by the signal from that one switch.  It doesn't mean all those components have an problem, change that one switch and all the errors disappear.

Hi yes, unfortunately no one seem’s skilled enough to figure out what the issue is, RAC said he thinks it’s the inverter as the voltages was too low, Vauxhall dismissed it, then in the last repair when they had it for 97 days they said they have no clue, they are just following what Vauxhall technical are telling them to do in France/ Germany - it had an on board charger, wiring harness, finger actuator and a new traction motor fitted that I know of (it’s done 1100 miles…) Same fault happened after I was told to pick it back up, the independent garage say it looks like an ECU issue going by the huge amount of faults.
The worst thing is the vehicle just completely cuts out without warning when driving, if I’d of been on the motor way I’d of been screwed!

paul_c123

Its an electric. No wonder RAC are unable to diagnose, simply plugging in and printing off the results of a diagnostic scan by the sounds of it.

And it sounds like the local Vauxhall dealer are clueless too.

There's a few electric specialists around, but at that age of car, and with a lease, you're better off out. Lease company should fully unwind the lease given the time the first instance of the fault occurred and the failure to resolve. But it looks like you might need to go down the complaint route, wait 8 weeks then get the Financial Ombudsman involved.

DrEskimo

It’s ridiculous you are not getting offered a courtesy car. 

I had an issue (not too dissimilar) with my Zoe that led to it being with the Renault garage for around 5/6 months. This was a 7yr old used car and I was offered a brand new Renault Megane electric that I had as a courtesy car whilst it was repaired. 

I would be pushing hard for one or equivalence from Vauxhall. 

Boot28

paul_c123 said:

Its an electric. No wonder RAC are unable to diagnose, simply plugging in and printing off the results of a diagnostic scan by the sounds of it.

And it sounds like the local Vauxhall dealer are clueless too.

There's a few electric specialists around, but at that age of car, and with a lease, you're better off out. Lease company should fully unwind the lease given the time the first instance of the fault occurred and the failure to resolve. But it looks like you might need to go down the complaint route, wait 8 weeks then get the Financial Ombudsman involved.

To be fair that RAC bloke who came out did try hard and was very knowledgeable as he bought and repaired his own electric car, and had his multimeter out etc, but Vauxhall just dismissed his findings saying the RAC software is worthless as theirs is a lot better (then saying there was no faults). Unfortunately Vauxhall don’t have a contract with RAC for courtesy cars, which is why I want provided with one - take that as a warning if anyone reading this is tempted to get one.

I refused the vehicle after the third breakdown back in January, after it had already been in for repair previously, I didn’t hear back about the complaint until the very last day of 8 weeks, saying they will put in the refusal to Vauxhall and refund me the hire car costs (over £2600 out of my pocket at this point) 5 weeks after that they still hadn’t refunded me anything, and said I needed to pick the car up as it’s now fixed and Vauxhall have refused the refusal, saying I’ll be charged storage fees. We are on the 17th week since the third breakdown and the complaint started, the hire fees are really mounting up now and to be having to start with the ombudsman at this stage is really stressing me out as it sounds like it will be another long wait before they can get anything done.

I’m honestly shocked how companies can just disregard the consumer rights act, it’s as though they want the ombudsman to be involved, which delays everything for everyone else

Boot28

DrEskimo said:

It’s ridiculous you are not getting offered a courtesy car. 

I had an issue (not too dissimilar) with my Zoe that led to it being with the Renault garage for around 5/6 months. This was a 7yr old used car and I was offered a brand new Renault Megane electric that I had as a courtesy car whilst it was repaired. 

I would be pushing hard for one or equivalence from Vauxhall. 

Tell me about it! I have tried hard, it completely ruined our Xmas having no vehicle, Vauxhall customer services would take the call, tell me someone would call me back or to ring the next day as an advisor not available… I’d call the next day and their lines would be closed for the weekend….

RAC said they can’t provide for Vauxhall as it’s down to them, in the end they did try hard and did manage to get some ‘Vauxhall accounts manager’ to authorise it and for it to be dropped off the next morning via something called free2move, son got all exited we could finally do some of our Xmas plans, the next day the car never showed up, called them back and they said there was an issue and will look into it and call back… which they never did.

I had a blood clot in my calf last year and was still recovering from it, I was left stranded in another town after the car was towed back to them the second time and had to walk 4.5 miles before I could find an UBER to get me the rest of the way home, they just didn’t care.

RAC and lease company state it’s the manufacturer to provide, Vauxhall garage said none was available, when one is I’d be charged £18 a day, that then changed to them saying they can’t provide one unless a part is on back order, saying it’s up to my lease company.

Vauxhall customer services said they can’t provide one until the garage has looked at it, then that changed to saying they can’t provide one as there has been no warranty claim submitted from the garage (despite parts being fitted), the garage said they can’t submit a claim as they are waiting for Vauxhall technical to tell them what to try next…. honestly hours and hours getting through to people on hold and I got absolutely no where it was so stressful. The lease company also suggested I should try push vauxhall harder, which I find ridiculous as it’s their car! 
At the beginning of the complaint 17 weeks ago they even described the whole situation as a nightmare in an email, that was before having the car away for 97 days, nearly £3k in hire payments and it breaking down again. 

I just wanted the money I’d lost from having to hire cars, and the lease ending as I genuinely can’t use that vehicle for fear of it cutting out dangerously again.

ontheroad1970

You are paying them to hire their car as it is by definition they should br giving you an alternative since you aren't getting what you are paying for (assuming it is a full lease and not a PCP)