Two weeks ago i bought a 55 plate 1.6 tdci ford focus that had covered 29,000 miles, from a small independent dealer who told me the car is under ford warranty until november, when the car is three years old. I booked the car into my local ford rapid fit centre for a major service a week after buying it, i was told by the by them that doing this will keep my warranty evven though the car is missing a stamp in its service history. They informed me that there is oil on the turbo, indicating an oil seal failure and the car needs to be checked out at the main ford dealership next week. When i collected the car from its service, the ford mechanic told me that my warranty wont cover the work that needs to be done, but if i complain to customer services and explain that i am a loyal ford customer and have always had my cars maintained by ford(and he would vouch for that), then they may pay for it. He later said to tell them that the turbo is not a seviced part and therefore should be replaced without charge. how true is this? I would be extremely gratefull for your opinion where i stand with the warranty, and for any advice on what to say to ford if the is any dispute.
thanks.
|
Two weeks ago i bought a
HJ has a very useful part on this site called FAQs- see FAQs tab above
To save you some trouble, this is the one you want:
www.honestjohn.co.uk/faq/faq.htm?id=43
"... during the first six months: ... the consumer does not have to prove the goods were faulty at the time of sale .. "
Edited by jbif on 09/08/2008 at 23:01
|
|
|
|
should you not be going back to the garage that recently sold you the car. Any weariness after that is down to them, not you.
|
|
|
|
What services has the car had in its lifetime or what one has been missed ? If the warranty has been voided (which i think it probably has), the dealer who sold it to you will still be liable for its repair/replacement as you have only had it 2 weeks !
|
|
it missed its 2nd year/20000mile service. the guy at rapid fit said if i have a major service done, ford will keep my warranty valid, is this likely?
|
|
To be honest it being 9000 miles overdue for an oil change is pretty grim news on a turbo diesel in my opinion
|
do i have a leg to stand on taking it back?
|
Probably not, unless he mislead you over the service history/Ford warranty issue, but he is liable for having it repaired.
I would let him know of the problem, then wait to see if Ford are going to replace it under warranty (best option, genuine Ford parts etc !), before getting him to sort it.
|
|
|
|
If the service interval for a Focus 1.6TDCi is 10,000 miles* then missing the 20k service and doing it at 29k means it is 19,000 miles since the oil was changed. Warranty? What warranty?
But whoever sold it to you should sort it out I would think. But why buy a car that is popular that is nearly 20k overdue for a service. See if you can get the money back and go elsewhere because something else could always go wrong.
I put a * because my Mondeo TDCi had 12,500 service interval.
Edited by rtj70 on 09/08/2008 at 23:31
|
I thought service intervals for this car are every 12500 miles or annual whichever is sooner.
The question is has the turbo problem occurred as a result the missed serviced ?
If Ford say they are willing to honour the warrantee and fix the turbo issue subject to the car have a full service then go for it, at least you'll know you will have a properly serviced and fully functioning car as a result.
|
Is there any easily visible access to the cambox on this engine, via the oil filler?
I`m just thinking that if there`s no evidence of sludging, or cam wear, it may have either had an oil change sometime, or the oil has held up.
Or alternatively, it may indicate the opposite and the need to offload it back, or onward in some way.
|
Couple of thoughts
The service interval on these is 12.5K, although this one is so far over I don't think that helps much.
It's really up to the supplying independent to sort this, they are quite capable of taking the car to a Ford dealer for warranty work.
There's a danger here the supplying independent will try and wriggle off the hook by blaming the Ford dealer for causing the problem by messing up the service.
Ridiculous? Of course, but many companies - and individuals come to that - will try anything to avoid a bill.
|
If I were buying a used car I would check the service record. There are dozens of used Focus' out there with full service history. Let the buyer beware.
Having said that, I would take it back to the supplying dealer and demand a repair, or better still my money back. If they will not do that, perhaps you should get a solicitor involved.
|
You need to get to a "sorted" state of affairs, like this I would think:
You say this was bought two weeks ago "from a small independent dealer who told me the car is under ford warranty until november"
Short series of questions:
Do Ford confirm it's actually still under warranty?
If no then
Seller mislead you, his problem, money back or whatever. Sorted.
If yes then
Is problem normally covered under warranty?
If yes then
Get Ford to fix. Sorted.
If no then
Back to seller as fault is his problem in such a short time scale, presumed to have been present at point of sale. Sorted.
If you arrive at this point without reaching a "sorted" then seller is wiggling. If he does then it's
Write and ask for money back, wait a few days, sorted, or if not then
Tell him it's Trading Standards, wait a few days, sorted, or if not then
Write and say you will issue Court proceedings (done very easily online at a cost of a few tens of pounds which you get back when you win, and no costs if you lose, whatever seller might say), then actually issue them. (Assuming it goes via what used to be called small claims because the money isn't huge.) Sorted.
Edited by Dipstick on 10/08/2008 at 14:14
|
Excellent advice but everyone should be aware that if you try to contact your local Trading Standards these days you are directed to an outfit called Consumer Direct who are a commercial (if government sponsored) telephone advice service who will point you to template letters etc. Speaking to a Trading Standards Officer is well-nigh impossible. Er, unless you're a trader.
So don't expect Trading Standards to weigh in on your behalf.
|
Speaking to a Trading Standards Officer is well-nigh impossible.
No its not. I've contact my local TS a couple of times with (non-car-related) problems. Earlier this year I called them, got straight through to TS officer. Got some useful advice and she entered details of my complaint into their computer (in case they got more complaints about the same company).
For the OP - this is not your problem, its a problem for the garage that you bought the car off. If the fault is confirmed then contact the dealer and get them to fix it. If they refuse then send a carefully-worded 'Letter Before Action' giving them 10 working days to resolve the problem, with the promise of court action if they won't help.
Start polite but be firm at the first sign they are messing you about. Don't fall into the trap of waiting for promised phone calls that never happen. Put it in writing and stick to your guns.
They may turn out to be very helpful of course, and sort it immediately.
|
Where do you live?
This is from Hertfordshire Trading Standards:
"For further consumer advice, please contact Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06. Their lines are open Monday to Friday from 8am-6.30pm and Saturday from 9am-1pm. See Consumer Direct's website for details of call charges."
"For consumer enquiries and for businesses who are acting as a consumer our advice service is operated by Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06. Minicom users can call 08451 28 13 84."
|
|
|
|
