hi newbie to this site...ive got a ford focus c-max,from motability got it from deleted. picked it up on the 15th- 12- 04 broke down on the way home.got rac to take it back to garage .next day was told by garage it was fixed and that it was an computer fault. on the way home it broke down again.dashboard lit up like a xmas tree. so we called garage to send a car out to us and to collect ours. its been in the garage since. its had a instrument cluster changed a new wiring loom and a new multi plug fitted. guess what ? the manager took it out for a 30 mile run took it back to the garage let it cool down for a hour.mobility specialist went to take it out and it broke down again. i was told today that the car will not be looked at again until jan 4th.....is this completely taking the michael or what? ive contacted motability today and they are going to ring me back in 48 hours because ive asked to reject the car. do you think this is right?
{Dealers name/location removed as it's irrelevant where you got it from. DD}
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I guess this is going to depend on how modified the car is.
If its not modified then you only need to give them a reasonable chance to put it right before you have the right to reject it. The term "reasonable" is coined by the laywers in parliament, so they have employment once they're voted out.
If the car is modified then they're going to have to be given more time to put it right before you can reject it, after all they don't keep a stock of specially modified cars.
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I read often, only post occasionally
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Doesn't sound unreasonable to reject it - the last thing someone in your position needs is a car that you can't trust. Has the dealer given you another car to keep you mobile?
I'm not familar with how Motability works - is your contract with them, or the dealer? If it's with Motability, then they should sort it all out for you.
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corolla next time i suggest
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Motability are the main buyers of the Ford C Max and should have tremendous clout. I'm getting worried as I've ordered a new 2.0TDCi Ghia C MAX to take delivery next week. What model is yours and what build? 2003/2004.25 or 2005? You have lost all confidence in the car and will NOT tke it back. Let them know you have will publicise the experience through the media (Ken Gibson or our hero Honest John. Just because you have a disability dosen't mean you accept shoddy treatment!
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Motability are in essence just another leasing company, so your contract is with them.
I'm not sure that you can legally reject the car as you don't actually own it. However, you have an agreement with Motability to provide you with a vehicle and currently they are not fulfilling their contractual obligations. You should point this out to them and tell them you do not wish to have the car back on the grounds it is proven to be unreliable.
If you were a private buyer Ford would have to replace the car under their Commitment scheme - if the car goes in for repair for the same fault 3 times and fails again you can request a refund or a replacement (see www.ffoc.co.uk for a number of C-Max owners who have invoked this) but I'm not sure that it applies to fleet purchases.
From my limited experience of dealing with Motability on behalf of a disabled relative, they seem to be very much on their customers side and will berate manufacturers and dealers into sorting problems out. If you do want rid of the car put it in writing and keep a copy of the letter.
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hi sorry to hear you are worried.my car is a 2.0 td zetec 2004 .25 which is the first quarter. if you get yours and it does this be worried it starts with "engine systems fault. reduction in speed. and reudction in braking force. if at any time it shows up on the screen take it to garage .yes ive lost all confidence in this car its a shame really its a nice looking car. apperently its a common fault. my friend i spoke to today says she has had the same problem.......ann
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I would suggest that you contact Motability Operations and get put through to the technical services department who are on the outskirts of Bristol. My partner had a Fiat Punto auto that was off the road for 50% of the 18months he had it. It had 1 new engine, 5 starter motors, 5 flex plates plus numerous electronics issues.
The dealer did their best. FIAT UK said that it cost more to fix than it did to make it in the first place. Neither wanted to swap it, so eventually we called Motability. They swung into action (aided by a 16page printout from the dealer) and took the car back and auctioned it. TBH I think the fact that it was heading towards 2 years old and out of full warranty and into insurance based extended warranty was a lot of the reason for that.
Back on topic, the guys in the Technical Services dept were brilliant. Contact them and if nothing else lodge a complaint with them. Oh and contact Ford Magic AND Ford Customer services too and make them aware, so if this is ongoing at least you can use it to your advantage further down the road.
In a cruel twist of fate, partner has bought using Motability HP a Mondeo Ghia X TDCi auto and it seems to be almost as reliable as the Fiat, and the service from the selling dealer has been dire.
Tony
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hi tony...oh my god! ive just sat here reading your reply and ive just said to my husband what has happened to all of the people who have qualifications to work in these garages? you just cant trust them. we are now waiting for motability to phone back on the 4th of jan because he wants to talk to everyone who has dealt with my car along the line. ive still got the motabilities specialists car and hes not having it back until i give him a date of a new car or to terminate the contract. at the end of the day im now disabled and i shouldnt be treated like a mug.
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Why do I get the sneaking feeling that certain dealers are palming off their lemons on Motability, in the hope that the end user will not be over-anxious to pursue a complaint? Someone tell me I'm wrong. Just before Christmas, while I was collecting my Renault after a service, I found myself talking in the queue to a Motability couple who had come a long way to my Renault dealer after some horrendous treatment in their own area.
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hey all lease car owners get treated like rubbish compared to private buyers
company car culture is killing good service
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Disagree, I'm a company car driver and so far I have had pretty good service from both VAG and BMW ! Plus I get 48hr test drives, valeting, courtesy bus to/from work etc, etc
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courtesy bus
hey i get a courtesy car
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hey all lease car owners get treated like rubbish compared to private buyers company car culture is killing good service
They treat lease car owners like rubbish if you try to sort problems out yourself, because it's not your car.
Get the lease company to sort it out, that's a big part of what you pay them for. The bigger one's have a huge amount of clout, and even the smaller ones (like the one we use) seem to be able resolve issue's quickly.
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The odd thing about our FIAT was that we special ordered it with the £75 remote locking option so that we didn't get one that had been sat at Portbury docks for 6 months or more! Ironic eh?
The FIAT dealer actually were competent, they always had it in and sorted in a reasonable time but the same components then failed again. Only after it went did we find out that instead of fitting new parts they were using reconditioned units where possible. Anyway, its behind us now.
The Mondeo is just about acceptable, every few weeks it goes into limp home mode. Leave it for 20mins and its then fine again. The dealer redid the engine management system twice, so when it happens again it's going to a different dealer! The sales side of the dealers were dire though. You'd think as part of Ford Retail UK they'd be nice and efficient. Oh well, we live and learn.
Good luck with your C-Max.
Tony
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well the motability manager called me today and ive been completely fobbed off. i feel like going to the garage and causing a nuisance of myself. he wants me to wait until another 10 days so they can do a road test.apparently the car is running but they are hoping it will break down again.
i dont know what to do next except to seek legal advice.he said hes acting in my best interests, but come on its 3 weeks to the day theyve had the car. and also hes says that the garage are being good to me by giving me their car. but as i stressed , im paying for a car im not using.also i mentioned the various laws and my rights and he shook them off.he said if i want to terminate the contract the garage would take the car tonight and i would be left without a car and also if i were to go for a car with someone else it would take months for the paperwork to get sorted......to say im fed up is beyond words.
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best advice is dont pay, they are in breach of contract, make sure you have a clearly worded rejection letter sent of recorded delivery, and keep a copy, you are probably wasting your time trying to do it verbally, stop the payments, if they owe you money give them 10 days to pay or threaten summons in the letter - write the letter to chief exec of motability not the contact centre
go see a solicitor
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bet you a toyota dealer could have a yaris or corolla on the road within the week, paperwork nonsense
depending on your credit history payment schemes can be set up the same day also
you may not get the discount motabilty could give you, but you'll be driving a car that works!
stop your direct debit to motability, money is one of the few weapons you have
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compain to the charity commissioners about how carp a service associated with a registered charity is, copied to some leading press
copy your letter to cheif exec to some of
Patrons
The Rt Hon Tony Blair MP
The Rt Hon Alistair Darling MP
Baroness Hollis
The Rt Hon Michael Howard QC MP
The Rt Hon Lord Jenkin
The Rt Hon Charles Kennedy MP
The Rt Hon Lord Morris of Manchester AO QSO
Tony McNulty MP
The Rt Hon Lord Newton OBE
The Rt Hon Andrew Smith MP
The Rt Hon Baroness Thatcher LG OM FRS
ha ha, as an ordinary disabled driver writing a few letters you would be surprised how much of a stink you can cause
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Neil Johnson, the Chairman of Motability Operations
Mike Betts is Chief Executive
The Lord Sterling of Plaistow GCVO CBE Chairman of Motability
Motability Goodman House, Station Approach, Harlow, Essex CM20 2ET Tel: 01279 635999
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I?ve today cancelled the contract. I?ve given the garage until the 14th to supply me with a new car of same spec or I'm walking. The tech guy has said that the car isn?t reliable. And it?s unpredictable. So I've been told by motability to look at other dealers so I?m going to do that tonight.
{Shouting amended. DD}
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ive looked at a vauxhall zafira it was ok but it looks like a suitcase on wheels! im also looking at a picasso they look pretty smart. anyway motability have said that i should start to look for a new car as this garage have messed me about for too long
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I have a very good friend on Motability. He gets perfectly good service from the dealer, it's just paperwork gets a bit complicated when somebody backs into the car and drives off - for instance.
What I might say with advantage to someone is that having had Micras before with satisfaction, he finds the new Micra (new within the last month) most acceptable, with a big yes to what he now calls the proper automatic transmission, and the adaptability of things generally; he has full manual controls.
All I can say is, it's tiddly (now called Mick!).
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Toyota Yaris Verso or ordinary Yaris
Nissan Micra
Suzuki ignis
Toyota Corolla
dont get another fiat
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hi ive now purchased a megane scenic.after many weeks of having trouble with my garage. motability told me to find another dealer so i found renault.the car is really nice. motability are sending me a letter to sign just to say that weve terminated the contract with ford. im glad its finished.ive just need to keep the car i have from ford until i get my new car in 6 weeks.
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motability are sendingme a letter to sign just to say that weve terminated the contract with ford. im glad its finished.ive just need to keep the car i have from ford until i get my new car in 6 weeks.
Will you really be able to keep the Ford for 6 wks once you terminate the contract?
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apparently motability have said that ford will answer to them if they try to get the car back.he said that its up to motability to keep me in a car
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