Battery free of charge

I’d like your opinion on my complaint to FIAT Group Automobiles UK Ltd. I bought a £35,000 FIAT based motorhome last year and after 1,700 miles the battery has failed despite a 3-year battery warranty. Have you suffered anything similar during your ownership of your FIAT 500?

Asked on 12 June 2010 by ID, Horsham

Answered by Honest John

Firstly your claim is not against FIAT. It is against whoever sold you the car. Secondly, the reason for failure is abuse of the battery. The vehicle was apparently in storage or under construction for the first 6 months, after which it only did 1,700 miles. The only way to keep a battery in decent condition with that relative lack of use is to leave it on a trickle charger. (I.D., later wrote back that FIAT had supplied a new battery.) My FIAT 500 is now 2 years old and nothing at all has gone wrong with it.

Tags: buying consumer rights legal issues

Dear Honest John,

Please help me choose my next car. I would like it to have:

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