2 week old PCP car fault - advice needed

Miss___J___

I am newbie here. I need some advice as I am so confused and upset.
I bought a brand new convertible car on a PCP agreement.
2 weeks after I took possession of the vehicle, a fault developed with the mechanism that closes the roof and the roof was unable to lock in. I dropped it off at the dealership and it turns out that this is a major fault that will require the whole roof mechanism to be replaced.
The dealership offered me a courtesy car but are expecting me to pay the excess. If I were to have an accident in the loan car, I would have to foot the excess charge bill. Considering the reason I need the loan car is because of a manufacturers fault after 2 weeks, I do not believe that I should have to leave my debit card details with the loan company. Should I not be provided with a courtesy car with full insurance coverage and zero excess liability by my car company while my brand new car is waiting for parts from overseas and then fixed? Or am I being unreasonable?
So far the dealership and their roadside assist (who organise these loan cars) have rejected my request and customer services are, apparently, unable to help. What do I do?

paul_c123

You could reject the new car outright, but you probably waited a while for it and still want it? If they're repairing your car, you don't have a legal entitlement to a courtesy car so anything is better than nothing there.

Does your existing insurance not already cover the courtesy car? Sometimes the policies are worded to allow it.

QrizB

I am newbie here.

Welcome to the forum.

You seem to have posted your question twice. In-between them there is a reply that you might like to read.

The dealership offered me a courtesy car but are expecting me to pay the excess. If I were to have an accident in the loan car, I would have to foot the excess charge bill.

If your convertible was not faulty and you had an accident in that, you would need to pay your own excess. How is this any different?

Should I not be provided with a courtesy car with full insurance coverage and zero excess liability by my car company while my brand new car is waiting for parts from overseas and then fixed?

As the previous reply says, there's no obligation for the dealer to provide you with a courtesy car at all.

If you don't like the car they've provided, or don't want the risk of paying their excess in the event of an accident that's your fault, simply give the courtesy car back to the dealership and make your own arrangements for transport while your convertible is being repaired.

Miss___J___

Hi Paul _c123. Thanks for your reply. I am checking my insurance document but can’t find any wording that says the insurance policy covers anything other than my new car. I was considering rejecting but have given them the opportunity to fix things.

Miss___J___

Thanks QrizB. You make a valid point.

daveyjp

The certificate of insurance is what you need to look at for something like the following:

The insured vehicle

The vehicle registration mark described above or

1. any vehicle loaned to the policyholder for a maximum of seven days from a garage, motor engineer or vehicle repairer

while the vehicle registration described above is being either serviced, repaired or having an MOT test.

2. any vehicle loaned to the policyholder or, any other person entitled to drive as described in permitted drivers, by the

insurer’s nominated supplier as a result of a claim under this policy:

i) whilst the vehicle registration described above is being repaired

Miss___J___

Thank you Daveyjp. That really helped. I have now located that section and it does include cover for a courtesy car.

born_again

I'm going to guess this is a warranty repair. As such many manufactures do not offer a temp car, that is down to dealer & very few now actually a supply of cars, so in effect you are getting a hire car & as such a excess to pay on the ins. Unless you want to risk without paying that in the hope you do not have a accident.

Yes you could reject the car as it is faulty within 30 days. Talk to the dealer about that. Then you can source another new car.

eschaton

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82057925#Comment_82057925

That seems to be how insurance works these days. I had a hire car from Europcar last year whilst my car was being repaired after a non fault accident. I5 wasn’t insured by Europcar but under my own insurance.

Courtesy cars for servicing like the one I had a few weeks ago are sometimes insured by the dealer and if so you agree to their excess level.

I rejected a car myself years ago and during all attempted repairs and the subsequent wait on a replacement, the insurance was under my own. Back then you’d ask your insurer to provide a cover note for the loan car. You would struggle to get anywhere to give you a loan car with no excess payable. If you were driving your own car then you wouldn’t be driving with no excess payable.

Miss___J___

Thank you born_again and eschaton for your replies. Yes it is a warranty issue. It’s the first time I’ve ever bought a new car so it’s been a steep learning curve. I don’t think I can face starting from scratch again (by rejecting the car). I will let them fix it and hopefully all will be fine. If the problem recurs or any other issues develop I will reject it (if it is within the remaining 30 days of right to reject). I think the 30 days are on hold for now while the car is at the garage?

Bandy2023

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82058620#Comment_82058620

Yes, the clock is paused while it's with them.

You've given them one attempt to repair it, that's all they're legally allowed to and you can still reject after 30 days.

Up to 90 days should be pretty straightforward in your case.

Of course if the repair is fine for months on end and then goes wrong again, your right to reject has effectively gone.

What you really want to happen is that if the fault is going to re-appear, it does so quickly and then your strategy is clear.