In July my Seat Arosa broke down. My garage said the throttle body needed to be replaced. They said on the phone it was £418 inc VAT. When I turned up to collect the car, it was actually plus VAT, so was nearer £500. I complained but the owner just said, you should have checked the price with me, not the apprentice. I paid it simply to get my car back, didn't know what my rights were.
Its broken down 3 times since, going into limp home mode, with exactly the same symptoms. They replaced the throttle body twice more but didn't know what was causing the faults. They spoke to the dealer, who didn't know. When it broke down last week, replacing the throttle body didn't make any difference. The garage ended up taking it to the dealers, which I agreed to. They didn't ring me at all throughout the time it was at the dealers, & next thing I know, the car is fixed but there's a bill of £213 from the dealers to pay.
Should the warranty cover this as it was the same as the previous fault?
2007-11-28 21:55:54 · 9 answers · asked by Anonymous in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
Forgot to say, the fault was actually a speed sensor, which the dealers replaced. The dealers said they wouldn't be able to tell if the throttle body actually needed replacing in the first place or not.
2007-11-28 21:56:56 · update #1
Already some useful info!! But my problem is that I used an independent garage (not a Seat garage) for the original repair & subsequent breakdowns, and it was my garage that decided to use the dealer as they didn't know what the fault was. They have paid the dealer, and now I have to pay them back. I had a look on the net and it says if I refuse payment then the garage has the right to undo the work and give the car back, or to keep it until I pay. Its so confusing! Seat UK say they won't do anything as its out of their warranty & I didn't go to a Seat garage first. Because I wanted to avoid paying a fortune, and the dealer's tried to rip me off before with an alloy wheel I didn't need!
2007-11-28 22:10:46 · update #2
Firstly, they should never have carried out ANY work on your car unless you had been told the price and agreed to have the work done.
If it's under warranty then you shouldn't have to pay a penny.
Phone Seat head office and speak to the highest person you can. Give them all the names of the people you've dealt with and tell them just how disgusted you are. Threaten them if needs be with Trading Standards, Watchdog etc. They should know better! They're taking you for a ride.
Next time you go in it might help to take a big bloke with you.
Being a woman in that environment is pretty interesting. I know a fair bit about cars and have seen so many mechanics and car salesmen try and take me for a ride thinking I know nothing! My tip is to do all your research first and never pay anything that you aren't happy with.
Good luck :)
2007-11-28 22:04:26 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 3⤋
you dont state how old the car is and wether it still is within the warranty period.
if the garage replaced the throttle body actually repaired the wrong item when you took to them you may have a claim against them. however you cannot prove it did not need replacing so you may have difficulty proving that.
the garage will say that the speed sensor is a completely different repair and you are liable for the costs.
you have no claim against the dealers because thy have in fact cured your problem by fitting a new speed sensor which was probably the cause of your first problem. on the face of it you will have to pay the second repair where they fitted the speed sensor was obviously faulty so pay up is the only answer
2007-11-28 22:29:05 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
The garage should have called you prior to authorizing the dealership to repair your car. If you want to be real picky, you can fight them on those grounds.
However, the bottom line is that your car IS fixed now, you DO have a new throttle body, and NO ONE can say for sure whether the throttle body needed to be replaced or not. Neither can anyone say when the throttle body would have broken down in the future, even if it didn't need to be replaced at this time.
I think I would just pay it.
2007-11-29 00:44:28 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
You do have recourse in law. It sounds like this car had an 'inherent' problem from when it was first sold to you ergo it was not 'fit for the purpose'. Basic Trading Standards Law. You have agreed to repairs and that makes things a bit awkward, but in law you can claim the money back for the value of the goods and the costs put out for repairs.
2007-11-28 22:12:56 · answer #4 · answered by outremerknight 3 · 1⤊ 2⤋
If the car is under warranty, the dealer has to fix it! No questions asked.! Do not take it to any backyard garage that will void the warranty.
2007-11-29 00:27:12 · answer #5 · answered by spammer 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
If you did not verbally authorize the additional repair amount at the dealer prior to repairs you do not legally owe the money.15 years automotive service and many trips to the courts have trained me when to charge a customer and when not to.
2007-11-28 22:55:02 · answer #6 · answered by STEVE P 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Ya, the process is called, R & R.
Remove and Replace.
You didn't say if it is new and under factory warranty. Third party warranties aren't worth much.
2007-11-28 22:03:25 · answer #7 · answered by ed 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Go to that lil'garage and tell them you want 213 big ones Right Now
2007-11-28 23:56:23 · answer #8 · answered by who 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Caveat emptor
2007-11-28 22:01:17 · answer #9 · answered by Barbara Doll to you 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋