How many goes at repairing car should I give my garage?

[iandjm]

Hey,

As you have probably read on here my Ibiza has a starting fault, and is currently at the garage for the third time, to hopefully get it sorted. So far Seat and my dealer have not shown any signs of knowing what the fault is, or how to cure it.

How many visits to the garage and how long would you think it acceptable for your dealer to try to rectify a fault on your 12 week old car?

I was just wondering at what point I should step things up a bit, and complain further? I have already drafted a letter to What Car.

So far I have spoken with the owner of the dealership, who to his credit arranged a loan Ibiza, which I have been driving for a week now. I have also spoken to Seat, who were pretty useless and took no real interest.

I know the dealer is doing their best to help me, but to be honest I want to be driving the car I purchased, not a garages courtesy car.

Ian

 

[golfgtipaul]

hi, i rejected my peugeot 207gt in 2007 after the garage tried 5 times to fix it. I thought it was dangerous so had no choice but to reject the car. I took the car, left the keys and told them they had 1 week to come up with a solution which didnt include my car back. They left it a week but then called me in to the garage to discuss it. The dealer principle was an arsehole and tried all ways to get me to have the car back. Eventually after it got heated i told him either he gave me my money back or i was off to the solicitor after the meeting. Again he got arsey but relinquished. I got most of my money back but because the car was 4 months old i lost about 400 quid which i was just happy to get rid of the car.
I will never buy a car from robins and day ever again due to my bad service. I hope you get it sorted but dont dispair as long as you have given them a reasonable amount of chances to rectify then i think you can reject it under the sale of good act.
good luck paul

 

[bigman75]

Sorry to read of your troubles. I must say after 3 visits to the garage I'd be bloody furious!

It's great that the dealership appears to be on your side.

To read that Seat as a company didn't show any interest is unbelievable.

I get the impression you're pressing the garage/dealer?

Keep doing it. If you end up becoming a pimple on their bottoms, so be it. You may wish to send your letter but it's hard to know what would come of that. Apart from the satisfying feeling of venting your spleen of course!

All the best with it mate and heres hoping it gets sorted for you.

Cheers

Andy

 

[m0rk]

Ask the dealer how many times they should be given before they will take it back from you

Just out of interest, but it'll set them their own deadline, which might play in your favour

 

[iandjm]

Sorry to read of your troubles. I must say after 3 visits to the garage I'd be bloody furious!

It's great that the dealership appears to be on your side.

To read that Seat as a company didn't show any interest is unbelievable.

I get the impression you're pressing the garage/dealer?

Keep doing it. If you end up becoming a pimple on their bottoms, so be it. You may wish to send your letter but it's hard to know what would come of that. Apart from the satisfying feeling of venting your spleen of course!

All the best with it mate and heres hoping it gets sorted for you.

Cheers

Andy

Cheers Andy,

I am mighty hacked off with it. Once you loose confidence in your car it difficult to get it back. Especially when everytime you get int i, you have to prey it starts. Weird that i sold a great reliable Leon to get it, incase it became unreliable!!

OOOOh well

Ian

 

[goble]

Whats the exact problem with it?? Turns over but wont start , doesnt turn over?? etc??

 

[iandjm]

Hi,

The problem is like this...

The engine just turning over and the engine flooding. I tried on and off for 20 mins. My car has been back to the dealers twice already. No definate fault found and all connectors tightened up just in case.

I called Seat assistence and was told they should be out to me within 3 hours!!! I live on the Isle of Wight and nowhere is more than 20 mins away. Impressive..... not.
So at this point I opened the bonnet and whacked the ecu and fiddled with any connectors I could find. When I stopped doing this I heard a little motor/punp run for a few seconds and stop.
I got back in and tried the engine, it started very roughtly with all the dashboard warning lights still on and the revs limited to 1800 rpm. and terribly rought idling. It stank of petrol too. I let it run for a few minutes then stoped it, restarted it and it ran fine and all the warning lights went out one by one.

Ian

 

[goble]

Yer thought so. Cranking but not firing. Tell them to take out the instrument cluster and the orange connector on the left hand side of it then strip down the connector and you will find the pins are not correctly fitted.Whixh I think is top row 3rd across. This controls the immo to ecu comms. They should be able to see the status of this by channel 40 on guided functions

Before you ask yer I work for a dealer and have seen this before.

 

[iandjm]

Yer thought so. Cranking but not firing. Tell them to take out the instrument cluster and the orange connector on the left hand side of it then strip down the connector and you will find the pins are not correctly fitted.Whixh I think is top row 3rd across. This controls the immo to ecu comms. They should be able to see the status of this by channel 40 on guided functions

Before you ask yer I work for a dealer and have seen this before.

Now that is interesting!! Its a random fault. Prob only happens every week or so. Would the problem rectify itself after 30 mins:? Will tell the garage tomoz. I did not realise the immobiliser allwed the starter to run, not no spark.

Apparently they have another 1.6 with an identical problem too

Cheers Ian

 

[goble]

Yer intermittent connection.When they first came out I had one causing havoc lol

 

[iandjm]

Wicked, Really appreciate your help. Apparenly the dealer has ordered in a patch box that enables the loom to be rung out. I wonder how long it would take them to find it if I did nto tell them lol. Weird Seat know nothing about it tho

Ian

 

[goble]

a patch box wtf???

 

[iandjm]

a patch box wtf???

Im a radar engineer and thought just that lol

Its what Seat technical recommended lol

 

[Nath.]

^^^^^^^^^I'm an elecrical and mechanical field service engineer, not that that makes me any better than the next man..........It's a box of tricks that monitors all the input/outputs and can bus goings on with the car. they then download the results and hope to get a clue as to what's going on.

 

[iandjm]

Hi,

It looks like they are ordering a new ECU today. Apparently they have already had the instrument panel out and checked the connectors. It really does sound like the ECU, as every single warning light shows up on the dashboard when the starting fault is there. I think the ECU is having a brainstorm. OOh apparently the throttle body is fed with a voltage form the ECU (should be 4.8V?) and yesterday despite the ECU having power, no voltage was being output.

Maybe we are getting somewhere at last

Ian

 

[iandjm]

An Update!!

Hey,

I am currently out of the country, but my Ibiza will be delivered at my house for when I get back. The new ECU is fitted and the car has been tested daily, with no fault codes showing. Its been cleaned and refueled. It will be interesting to see if this is the end of the saga.

Is it worth asking Seat for a free service for all the trouble?

Ian

 

[nightflight]

definitely worth asking.

as my aunty used to say, if you dont ask, you dont get.