Why won't the dealer replace a faulty Octavia clutch under warranty?

A friend of mine has a two-year-old Skoda Octavia with about 11,000 miles on the clock. It is still under warranty. Recently on a short journey to the supermarket he felt the clutch beginning to slip, and by the time he got home (about three miles) it was overheated and smelled burned. To cut a long story short, the dealer has refused to replace the clutch under warranty, saying that it showed signs of bad driving, leaving my friend with a bill of over £800. Do you agree with us that the clutch must have been faulty, and if so what can we do to get the dealers to honour the warranty?

Asked on 24 August 2013 by AC, Bristol

Answered by Honest John
VAG only warrants clutches for six months or 6500 miles, whichever comes first. Another reader reported a similar failure and similar repair cost four days later. If he wants to take it further tell him to pay to have the clutch replaced and use www.moneyclaim.co.uk to attempt to claim the money back from the dealer. Best to use the dealer who originally sold him the car to do the work.
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