Vauxhall Full Warranty Issues

[grandpajoe]

Hi we have an Astra T D which is just 18 months old and is still on warranty. A couple of weeks ago the clutch packed in and with the help of the R A C I got it to the dealers. The RAC paid for the first 3 days for hiring a car and we had to pay £229 for the next 7 days. The dealership said they had no courtesy cars available and that they would NOT pay for a hire car. Do I have grounds to complain. Are they within their rights not to help when the car breaks down and is on full warranty ?? Thanks Chris

[dannyk13]

What does the warranty guarantee regarding courtesy cars?

[geevo]

It may get worse - the clutch is not normally covered by the warranty.


Why is clutch failure not covered?
Clutch failure is directly related to the way the car is driven, and poor driving style can reduce the lifespan dramatically. For this reason, manufacturers class the clutch as a consumable and exclude it from warranties.

Bad driving habits such as riding the clutch, holding the car on the clutch rather than use the handbrake and letting the clutch slip all mean that a car could go through several clutches in its life.

In challenging the fact that clutch failure is because of driver abuse, the AA offers the following advice:

“If the garage has repaired the car, but says the failure has been caused by driver abuse, then ask them for the old components and get a second opinion from another garage or mechanic. The garage is entitled to ask you to pay for the work before allowing you to take your car.

“If one of the components has broken and caused the failure, then you may be able to claim under the warranty. Regrettably, if there is no evidence of manufacturing or material defect, you will have to pay for the new clutch and cost of fitting.”

[grandpajoe]

The warranty allows for a courtesy car if one is available, they say. And the problem with the clutch was hydraulics the master cylinder failed.

[dannyk13]

//they say// ?. Have you visibly checked the warranty, or don 't you have it in writing?

[bhg481]

If it's the hydraulics you may be in with a chance of it being covered by the warranty as I can't see "Driver abuse" being a factor.

[geevo]

Ah, then the master cylinder is under warranty and so is any damage caused by its failure. In my opinion, and I'm prepared to be proved wrong, the matter of a courtesy car is at the discretion of the garage.
Hope it gets sorted to your satisfaction, grandpajoe.

[dannyk13]

No mention of a courtesy car here:-

https://www.vauxhall.co.uk/owners/insurance-and-warranty/warranty.html

[grandpajoe]

Yes and thanks to all that. It seems that the dealership only have to supply a car if they have one and at the mo' they are snowed under so we never got one. The clutch has been fettled and we didn't get a bill so I suppose we'll just have to live with the fees. If the problem had arisen in winter the dealership might have been able to do the job within the 3 days that the RAC lent us a car. Thank you all Chris