Dealer Avoiding Warranty

Apocalypse

Hi all

So I bought a car off a dealership there about a month ago.
Before I bought it I brought my mechanic up with me to check it out.
Car was ok bar a electrical problem where the passenger window and rear view mirror wont work , we mentioned this before buying and the dealer said he knew about it and had a part coming in from "Japan" , fair enough it was a Honda , but Japan ? really ?

So on the invoice he signed it had 3 months warranty and that this electrical component had to be replaced when he got it.
So here I am a month later , I have rang them numerous times with the usual craic of "of course I will ring you straight back etc.."

So what i'm wondering is , is he going to keep fobbing me off until the 3 months of warranty is up ? or can I say , fix the car or give me my money back ?



Thanks

(For Legal Discussion maybe mods ? Please move if need be , thanks)

colm_mcm

Seems a bit odd that two components in the door are not working. Was there any diagnosis done before supposedly ordering these parts?

bazz26

I think the time for phone calls has passed as it's too easy for him to fob you off while the clock ticks down on your warranty. You need to be in front of this guy and be a thorn in his side until he sorts it out. Light a fire under him.

BMJD

if the issue was reported within the warranty period then it should be resolved even if the warranty expires in the meantime

you could always get a quote to have it repaired somewhere else, then threaten to go down the small claims court route to try and get this guy moving

Atlantic Dawn

Drive down to him on a saturday afternoon when they are most busy and argue it out that you want a firm date for the fix. Parts would usually come from UK or Germany for Hondas, they are not usually directly shipped from Japan.

michael999999

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

Drive down to him on a saturday afternoon when they are most busy and argue it out that you want a firm date for the fix. Parts would usually come from UK or Germany for Hondas, they are not usually directly shipped from Japan.

Ya.

And tell him that you heard the problem your having with the windows can cause the car to breakdown (eg across the forecourt entrance) and see how long it takes him to fix it then!

FortySeven

Parts for Honda come from the UK or Belgium if available. It is not uncommon for parts to go on back order and for waiting times to be weeks. Parts can and do come from Japan on occasion but not directly. They go through the supply chain as usual.

Your warranty has been agreed, I assume you have it in writing. The agreement to replace the part has been made and should not be subject to the warranty expiring due to delays on parts delivery. I would confirm this with your dealer and ask for a written statement to this effect.

George Dalton

I would imagine the issue here is the price of the part rather than the availability. The Japan story is just an attempt to buy some time.

Is the car an Accord? The passenger window switch panel fails on them and causes this issue. It is a scandalous price from Honda so I reckon he is trying to get a secondhand part.

George Dalton

michael999999 wrote: »

Ya.

And tell him that you heard the problem your having with the windows can cause the car to breakdown (eg across the forecourt entrance) and see how long it takes him to fix it then!

I would consider this to be pretty bad advice. Threats or aggressive behaviour usually don't have the desired effect in resolving issues like this. In fact they often have the opposite effect. Going in all guns blazing threatening this and that will probably end up with the OP being told to eff-off in no uncertain terms.

Keeping the pressure on in a non-confrontational way thereby letting the dealer know that you aren't going to go away is more likely to get the result you want.

gibbon75

George Dalton wrote: »

I would imagine the issue here is the price of the part rather than the availability. The Japan story is just an attempt to buy some time.

The last time I had to order a window regulator for a 2004 Accord it was only available from Japan. It took about 5 weeks to get over here.
Unforunately Honda runs its supply chain very lean nowadays.
I've lost numerous parts sales due to this lately..

Apocalypse

Thanks for the feed back lads.

Yeah its an Accord , 2010 type S.

I have not fcuked them out of it yet , i've tried to remain polite and diplomatic but it seems like a waste of time.

Maybe the door was replaced at some point ? if the wing mirror and window don't work ?

Also the boot only seems to open with the key for some reason (button) , which my mechanic found odd.

mullingar

I think GD is right on this one that the dealer is hunting down a chickens tooth of a second hand switch.

Definitely don't go in guns blazing. Call in and talk to him and ask about a confirmed delivery date of the part. Also tell him politely that you wont be letting this go. Remember politeness is key.

Its only after niceties fail that you resort to legal tactics but never aggressive tactics.

Chris_Heilong

gibbon75 wrote: »

The last time I had to order a window regulator for a 2004 Accord it was only available from Japan. It took about 5 weeks to get over here.
Unforunately Honda runs its supply chain very lean nowadays.
I've lost numerous parts sales due to this lately..

Thats nuts, I had Toyota Ireland order JDM parts from Japan before and they arrived in a matter of days.

FortySeven

mullingar wrote: »

I think GD is right on this one that the dealer is hunting down a chickens tooth of a second hand switch.

Definitely don't go in guns blazing. Call in and talk to him and ask about a confirmed delivery date of the part. Also tell him politely that you wont be letting this go. Remember politeness is key.

Its only after niceties fail that you resort to legal tactics but never aggressive tactics.

Sorry but what evidence have you to go making claims such as this? I work in a large dealership with many franchises (including Honda) as a parts advisor and we categorically do not use secondhand parts unless they are supplied by the customer. It is not worth the hassle or the loss of our customer base to even think about doing this.

Parts do (very commonly) go on back order. This includes Ford, BMW and any other brand. I have seen me waiting for parts for weeks from manufacturers, including simple things such as a 1.6 diesel oil filter for a focus. (one of the most common parts in Ireland) There are many reasons this can happen. I spend my entire day explaining this to people.

Coming on here and making baseless claims like this is just guessing and is the worst kind of slander. If you don't know, don't comment. Period.

mullingar

Did anyone say main dealer?

Used car dealers buys second hand parts all the time.

FortySeven

mullingar wrote: »

Did anyone say main dealer?

Used car dealers buys second hand parts all the time.

Dealership implies main dealer.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car_dealership

coolbeans

FortySeven wrote: »

Dealership implies main dealer.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car_dealership

No it doesn't and quoting Wikipedia doesn't change that. A car dealer is a trader in cars second hand and/or new. I think you jumped the gun with your long post before establishing this important detail. Used car dealers will often source a used part for whatever reason.

billy few mates

Just ask him to confirm that the warranty clock doesn't start ticking on these items until he gets the parts.
Once he's done that nail him down to an end date, if he doesn't stick to it tell him you'll get it done elsewhere and send him the bill, if he refuses to pay that take it to the small claims court....

Keep the pressure on, everything in writing, records of the phone calls, witnesses if possible, always unfailingly polite....

FortySeven

coolbeans wrote: »

No it doesn't and quoting Wikipedia doesn't change that. A car dealer is a trader in cars second hand or new. I think you jumped the gun with your long post before establishing this important detail. Used car dealers will often source a used part for whatever reason.

Perhaps it is because I'm from the UK, dealership means main dealer over there. Anything else is a trader or a used car salesman. Anyway, I'm not particularly interested in getting into the intricacies of the English language on someone elses thread.

If he bought it off a main dealer I would have to assume that all is above board and legit. If he bought it off a used car lot then there is a chance he may get a second hand part but to be honest. I can get used parts as fast as or faster than I can new ones so the delay is still not a relevant issue. It's not like we have to go walking around yards looking for bits anymore. Most scrap dealers do daily delivery runs and they are searchable online through a central database for available parts so I doubt that this is the case. Unless the salesman is hoping one will be written off in the next month or so. Which is again, unlikely.

gibbon75

Chris_Heilong wrote: »

Thats nuts, I had Toyota Ireland order JDM parts from Japan before and they arrived in a matter of days.

Before the global economical meltdown the delivery from Japan was always spot on 10 working days.
But Toyota is much better when it comes to their supply chain,but it is a bigger company also.

Apocalypse

Sorry , yeah it was from a second hand dealer , not a main.

The first time I rang him , about a week after I bought it , he said "yeah I got that part in , I will get back to you with a date".

Ever since then it has been "I'll check with the workshop when they have an opening etc.."

I don't know if its a big job or labor intensive to fit this electrical part ?

If it a case of , he has my money and doesn't care about the warranty ?

bazz26

As said earlier, time to go in and speak to him directly. It's too easy to be fobbed off over the phone in the hope you get fed up and get it fixed somewhere else.