Car out of warranty by one month and clutch gone

hupskip

I purchased a 161 Passat at the start of February which came with 6 months warranty. Obviously there was very little driving done in the months that followed. Last Thursday the clutch went in the car and had to be towed to the garage where it had to be fully replaced at a cost of 900euro.
The garage where I bought the car are saying they are not settling the bill. Have I any grounds for appealing this?
Thanks in advance

Stanford

Small Claims court

colm_mcm

Clutch would usually not have been covered by a used car warranty either way.

Rows Grower

Stanford wrote: »

Small Claims court

On what grounds would the case be taken?

The car is out of warranty and a clutch can go as a result of bad driving habits.

hupskip

Rows Grower wrote: »

On what grounds would the case be taken?

The car is out of warranty and a clutch can go as a result of bad driving habits.

I’m a very competent driver (or so I think), I have only put up 1,700 miles since I bought the car so I’m thinking this issue might have bee there when I was sold the car.

Stanford

On the basis that the car should have been sold in pmo, clutch failure is unlikely if the OP had not driven a lot in the interim and possibly the garage knew the clutch was badly worn but didn't want the expense of replacing it, I'm not saying this is true but it is the basis for grounds

Unfortunately, I think this is a case of just 'bad luck'. I would ask the sellers to perhaps offer something towards the cost as a goodwill gesture (offer to furnish the receipt as proof that you actually had to have the work carried out). If they say no, though, it's unfortunately just a bad luck situation.


To be positive, at least you now know the car has a new clutch and will alleviate any concerns about clutch issues in the immediate future

Stanford

Is the garage an SIMI member?

KaneToad

colm_mcm wrote: »

Clutch would usually not have been covered by a used car warranty either way.

I thought this too. Clutch, brake pads, tyres etc....all consumables - not covered by warranty...

Stanford

True, maybe OP will explain what happened to the clutch, clutches don't just stop working, they slip for a while to indicate excessive plate wear

Eoinbmw

If you did not notice anything wrong with the clutch when buying how would you expect the garage to know?

Stanford

An experienced mechanic would notice a high biting point

hupskip

Stanford wrote: »

True, maybe OP will explain what happened to the clutch, clutches don't just stop working, they slip for a while to indicate excessive plate wear

Last Thursday as I was driving the clutch starting sticking to the floor, when I got to the next junction it stuck to the floor and wouldn’t go into gear at all. The garage where I got it fixed said the plates were corroded and the whole clutch needed replacing

Eoinbmw

Stanford wrote: »

An experienced mechanic would notice a high biting point

Depends on the car really many new clutches model specific would have high biting points compared to others!

Stanford

Very true but I was referring to change in the biting point which might indicate plate wear

hupskip

On a separate issue, when I bought the car the NCT had yet to be done as there was the whole issue with NCT centers at the time and then Covid, when I contacted the garage where I bought the car in June about getting the NCT done as things were opening up again I got no response

colm_mcm

What sort of a setup did you buy from?

Doctors room ghost

Stanford wrote: »

An experienced mechanic would notice a high biting point

So should the person test driving it with intentions of buying it.a slipping clutch the same.
It’s an expendable part that can have its life shortened by bad driving habits.
The buyer must pay the bill.
At least the clutch is replaced now on a positive

whippet

My clutch went a few weeks back after 380,000km and I never noticed any slipping or had any warning signs and I know my car very well ... so It’s very possible that it wasn’t obvious

Rows Grower

Stanford wrote: »

On the basis that the car should have been sold in pmo, clutch failure is unlikely if the OP had not driven a lot in the interim and possibly the garage knew the clutch was badly worn but didn't want the expense of replacing it, I'm not saying this is true but it is the basis for grounds

You're dreaming if you think that will win a case in a court.

hupskip

Rows Grower wrote: »

You're dreaming if you think that will win a case in a court.

Have no intention of bringing it to court, but still feel aggrieved that I have to pay 900euro to replace the clutch in a car that I have driven 1,700 miles since I bought it

listermint

whippet wrote: »

My clutch went a few weeks back after 380,000km and I never noticed any slipping or had any warning signs and I know my car very well ... so It’s very possible that it wasn’t obvious

You might have got used to its crapness though...

Eoinbmw

Not saying you did but 1700 kms is a massive distance if your driving the ****e out of a car the garage does not know you from any other man off the street!

whippet

listermint wrote: »

You might have got used to its crapness though...

Quite the opposite .. new clutch and it drives the same

hupskip

Eoinbmw wrote: »

Not saying you did but 1700 kms is a massive distance if your driving the ****e out of a car the garage does not know you from any other man off the street!

Have got my last two cars from the same garage and know the salesman well. I don’t drive the ****e out of my car so I don’t understand how the clutch could have went!

Dravokivich

Stanford wrote: »

Is the garage an SIMI member?

Why would it matter? They aren't a consumer advocate group.

Eoinbmw

hupskip wrote: »

Have got my last two cars from the same garage and know the salesman well. I don’t drive the ****e out of my car so I don’t understand how the clutch could have went!

They should have looked after you a bit better as a repeat customer i guess youll remember that the next purchase!

hupskip

Eoinbmw wrote: »

They should have looked after you a bit better as a repeat customer i guess youll remember that the next purchase!

Exactly, think I will be shopping elsewhere next time

rustynutz

I always thought that clutch was not covered by warranty, even when buying a brand new car? Its classed as a consumable and can easily be destroyed in 1700km by bad driving (not saying that happened here).

I would still go back to the garage where you bought it and explain what happened and hope that the offer to cover some of the cost seeing as you are a repeat customer.

I would be taking a cap in hand approach though as opposed to all guns blazing

newmember2

How is this DIY?

colm_mcm

newmember? wrote: »

How is this DIY?

Cos that’s what the garage told him when he asked them to pay the bill.

hupskip

hupskip wrote: »

Last Thursday as I was driving the clutch starting sticking to the floor, when I got to the next junction it stuck to the floor and wouldn’t go into gear at all. The garage where I got it fixed said the plates were corroded and the whole clutch needed replacing

If it makes you feel any better (it won't, i know) but I had the same issue with a clutch before.


Worked 100% fine, then one time I put it down and it never came back up. Wasn't a €900 fix, for me, it was something to do with a cable or such, I think, but still set me back a couple of hundred if memory serves me correctly.

newmember2

I thought pedal on the floor would be master cylinder or something not the actual clutch.

beauf

I thought you won't notice clutch wear as much with modern self adjusting clutches. Mine went a year or two ago and started with slipping which just got worse over a couple of weeks.

biko

DIY - main forum

mickdw

beauf wrote: »

I thought you won't notice clutch wear as much with modern self adjusting clutches. Mine went a year or two ago and started with slipping which just got worse over a couple of weeks.

Ya alot of modern clutches have a self adjusting setup within the cover plate that will keep the biting point exactly where it should be.

Birka

@OP - do you fully trust the garage that said that it needed a full clutch replacement?

What make and model is the car?

krissovo

Birka wrote: »

@OP - do you fully trust the garage that said that it needed a full clutch replacement?

What make and model is the car?

This is the key point, your symptoms alone do not necessarily warrant a new clutch.

cpoh1

Could be a multitude of things that caused the issue that wouldnt show signs of wear such as release bearing, cable, slave cylinder failure. Wearing clutch plates causing slipping are one of the issues that show symptoms over time but are not necessarily the most common issue.

To be fair to the garage the car could be driving perfectly and not show any signs of issues. A couple of things in defence of the dealer:

1. 7 months is a long time post sale for someone to come back with an issue, regardless of Covid
2. Clutches would rarely if ever be included in a warranty as others have mentioned
3. Depending on the year and car involved €900 could be the entire profit for that sale

Henry Ford III

How many miles are on this car OP?

Clutches are consumable parts and can let go without warning. They aren't covered by warranty.

Spook_ie

Just as a POI, I used to drive a company car in the UK as a service engineer, had a very nice 1.6 Diesel Orion, however it literaly tore the middle of the clutch plate out after 40k or so. Only car I had it ever happened to so clutch failure can happen catastrophically even after relatively few miles

Wishbone Ash

Spook_ie wrote: »

.... had a very nice 1.6 Diesel Orion...

Jesus, if that's your idea of nice..........

Mad_Mike

I need to wake up and keep up with who is posting what!

Apologies

Cheensbo

What actually "went" in the clutch?

colm_mcm

Mad_Mike wrote: »

This here! ^^^^^

You have admitted here that it drives the very same now, with a new clutch as it drove before the clutch failed, so then HOW are a garage supposed to know it's going to fail? Also, the title of the thread, "Car OUT of warranty by one month and clutch gone"...

If it was me, I'd be sick, I'd be annoyed, but like yourself, I'd just have to accept it and move on

You’re not replying to the thread OP there!

Spook_ie

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Jesus, if that's your idea of nice..........

We are talking company cars 30 years ago

Mad_Mike

colm_mcm wrote: »

You’re not replying to the thread OP there!

Hahahahaha
At least ONE of us is awake! :D:D
Well spotted Colm