Warranty Cover

tombrown

I wont go into all the details, but here is a quick summary of my situation, and I am wondering what rights I have under the 3 year new car warranty.

I purchased a "new" (ex display model) car in October 2022 and had the dealership fit a tow bar in March 2023. Since then I have had an intermittent problem with one of the reversing sensors (beeping/flashing when there is no obstruction). It got so bad once that the car emergency braked when reversing into empty space.

The car has been in & out of the dealer multiple times & they seem incapable of fixing it. I get that it is difficult and, as it is intermittent, hard to diagnose, but it is still an issue and not one I feel I shoudl just put up with having bought the car nearly new.

What would be the next steps if they cannot fix it? What are my legal rights in this situation? Could I, for example, demand a replacement vehicle? :)

sumo12

Short answer, you'll find it difficult to reject a car based on a faulty parking sensor

I'd be inclined to go to another dealer. Most factory fitted parking systems, especially if linked to safety system /AEB like you mention, can be diagnosed electronically. They should be able to detect a code for the defective sensor and replace it. Sometimes the parking sensor is damaged by impact too, so be prepared for that - even if you didn't cause it.

Or stick with the dealer you have and escalate to Aftersales Manager or Dealer Principal and voice your dissatisfaction with their inability to fix the issue.

good luck!

bazz26

I'd imagine if the dealer fitted the tow bar and the current issue is related to that fitting then the responsibility is with the dealer to resolve it. I couldn't see how the car manufacturer would replace the car in those circumstances. I wouldn't be accepting the dealer shrugging their shoulders and saying they don't know what else to do. If they followed the fitting to the letter of the manufacturer then it should be up to them to work with the manufacturer to resolve the issue. It sounds like they just don't want the hassle.

I also don't think involving another dealer is going to work. Another dealer won't want to get involved in this, they will tell you go back to the dealer who fitted the tow bar.

User1998

Did they charge you for the towbar? If so I’d get a refund for the towbar and go some place else to have one fitted correctly

tombrown

The dealer tells me they have hooked it up to all their diagnostic systems, even the time they had it when the fault was active, and no fault was registered. It seems clear to me they are using hopeful guesswork to fix it.

The last time they tried they gave me a screenshot of the "DISS Report" in which they had stated the complaint was "trailer not recognised when attached" - when I complained they had clearly got the complaint wrong, they said they had to put that down to authorise the application of a software patch … so obviously they wanted to apply a patch targeted at solving one problem in the blind hope it would solve mine.

I have now gone to the car manufacturer, in parallel with going to the dealer. Lets see where that gets me.

There has to be some way forward - surely they cant just say "we can't fix this" and expect me to live with it?

tombrown

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122531702#Comment_122531702

I am pretty sure there is nothing wrong with the tow bar, my suspicion is they somehow damaged the sensor or its cabling when they fitted it, but they have so far resisted replacing them as they say they "will not get paid" by the Car OEM for doing that without 100% proof it is the problem. So getting someone else to fit the tow bar is unlikly to solve the issue, but it will invalidate the warranty

In some way I am glad I got them to fit the hitch - if I had gone 3rd party there wouldn't even be a warranty discussion about the sensor.

zg3409

There is a real possibility the car is detecting the towbar as an object close to the car and warning the driver. The reverse sensors were not designed with a tow bar fitted. I am not sure if you would accept the sensors disabled until the car is sold/tow bar removed?

Some models if towbar have a removable head, either easily or by unbolting part of the towbar. Can you remove part of the towbar for a few months and see if fault occurs?

Many newer cars have special modes that need to be enabled when towing. This disabled the reverse sensors when say a caravan is attached. I assume they do this by detecting the connector for the trailer lights are plugged in and so car goes into special towing mode. If you have a trailer then fit lights, put car in reverse and see if reverse sensors are disabled. Modern cars are much more complicated with the lights communicating over the can bus rather than a wire for each bulb. Often a special hardware interface is needed for each model car to talk to the car computer.

My 4 quick fixes would be

1. Remove tow bar or tow bar head
2. Get a tow bar with a removable head
3. Disable reversing sensors until car is sold
4. Engage a towbar specialist, this is their daily job and there is one or 2 in Dublin that know their stuff.

Note fake emergency braking while reversing is common enough with ultrasonic sensors if they detect say tall grass or similar they may jam on brakes.