Warranty Trouble

[MAGPIE]

Think you have warranty troubles....

Can see this dealer losing some servicing business out of this one, but as they say there is always two sides to a story.

Originally Posted by Stuff.co.nz

A couple have been charged with stealing their own car from their mechanic after a dispute over a repairs bill.

South Aucklanders Christine and Gary Foreman have accused the police of being heavy-handed and acting as debt collectors for Pukekohe Motors.

The Karaka couple got into a dispute with the garage, also known as Pukekohe Ford, last July after taking their $80,000 Ford Explorer in for a standard service.

Staff refused to return the keys and threatened to call police after the couple would not pay $126.37, part of the bill they believed was covered by a warranty.

The restaurant and bar owners say their children were frightened and crying during the scene at reception which shook and humiliated them.

They did not have another car big enough to fit their five children and a grandmother who lived with the family. So while Gary spoke to staff, Christine took their keys from a desk.
Last month, they were charged with stealing their car and depriving Pukekohe Motors of an interest in the vehicle valued at $595.85, the total repairs bill.

"I can't understand when the police are so stretched for resources they have the time to approach us in what is a civil matter," said Christine.

Gary said: "We said: 'Do you chase up Telecom bills as well?"'

Ford New Zealand's media relations manager Claire Ponton said the company could not comment while the matter was before the court.

A letter from customer relations manager Jan Todd in July said the car was no longer covered by its three-year warranty and had not been serviced every 15,000km as set out in the conditions. Ford could consider out of warranty requests on a case by case basis, and had since decided to cover the disputed part of the bill.

The Foremans said the problem should have been fixed when it was picked up during a previous service under warranty. They now wanted the entire bill cleared in compensation for the way they were treated.

They are due to appear in Pukekohe District Court on Wednesday.

Consumers' Institute chief executive David Russell said the row should have been sorted out in the Disputes Tribunal, rather than by police, who had "more pressing things to do with their finite resources". He said the Foremans had the right to expect a free replacement part, regardless of warranty, if it failed due to a manufacturing fault, not normal wear.

[shane3]

maybe I should take a copy of this with me tommorow when I go and see the guys at Etheridge ford to get my auto fixed in my FPV GT

[nb_351]

thats all well and good... but if you want to claim warranty, you are supposed to keep servicing your car to thier schedule... its classed as a loyalty to the dealer... if you go somewhere else to service your car, then something goes wrong "as waranty" and try and claim it, the dealer should be denying it... we get customers like that all the time at work, although they dont steal their cars or anything like that mind you... they should be told all this up front though i believe, not when the go to pick up their car and say... no that wasnt warranty, you now have a bill of $759... its a two way street really... same as they should tell customers the costs of services when they purchase their vehicle... i would be shocked if i went to pick up my car and got handed a bill for $1800 major service...

[ltd]

I agree, a friend who worked at ford told me of this one time when a woman from the bush brought in her Festiva after covering just over 40000klm without getting it serviced. The engine was hardly running and she wanted it replaced under warranty.
In the end, she ended up paying for the vehicle and court costs as she didn't understand why the car should need servicing every 10000klm.
Imagine being married to someone so technically benign like that. Sheesh.

[brenx]

Originally Posted by nb_351

thats all well and good... but if you want to claim warranty, you are supposed to keep servicing your car to thier schedule... its classed as a loyalty to the dealer... if you go somewhere else to service your car, then something goes wrong "as waranty" and try and claim it, the dealer should be denying it... we get customers like that all the time at work, although they dont steal their cars or anything like that mind you... they should be told all this up front though i believe, not when the go to pick up their car and say... no that wasnt warranty, you now have a bill of $759... its a two way street really... same as they should tell customers the costs of services when they purchase their vehicle... i would be shocked if i went to pick up my car and got handed a bill for $1800 major service...

It doesn't matter where you take your car for a service. As long as it meets the servicing schedule demands? Warranty is warranty.

Only Ford can supply a warranty claim hence taking it to a Ford dealer. If warranty could be claimed elsewhere. We'd all do it.

[brenx]

Originally Posted by ltd

I agree, a friend who worked at ford told me of this one time when a woman from the bush brought in her Festiva after covering just over 40000klm without getting it serviced. The engine was hardly running and she wanted it replaced under warranty.
In the end, she ended up paying for the vehicle and court costs as she didn't understand why the car should need servicing every 10000klm.
Imagine being married to someone so technically benign like that. Sheesh.

My Mrs did something along those lines. She covered 90,000k's in one year and never told me @ the 10,000k intervals. Well at 90,000k's with no service the engine was trashed. Fired it up one morning and it smoked out the whole street. Mrs drove it home the night before. I said to her "surely you'd have noticed the smoke on the way home last night?" Answer = no. It'd used around 500-1000mls of oil in 200k's. The back of the car was coated in oil, exhaust was full of oil etc etc.

I replaced the engine for $700. Shortly after the auto trans started playing up so we traded it for a 97 EL Falcon when they were almost new many years ago.

[FPV GT]

That's the thing that I cant understand....... Place of Purchase / Selling Dealer Warranty repairs.
The dealer I purchased my GT from are a pack of @?)KWITS. So I refuse to have any more dealings with them because.....
* car debagged, with gouging to bare metal
* not one interior light installed
* purchased accessories not installed
* low power steering fluid level, and run stains on resorvoir.
so much for pre delivery inspection
Plus lies, lies and deceit....

Fast foward to warranty work.
I chose another (closer) Ford dealer,... sorry we can not organise a courtesy vehicle becasue you did not purchase the vehicle from us. WTF I SAYAre you not all FORD, invoice the selling dealer then...

Another Ford Dealer BRAD GARLICK... this was for the shaker, they gave me a loan car without me having to ask.....

Regards
Paul

[gtfpv]

Originally Posted by ltd

I agree, a friend who worked at ford told me of this one time when a woman from the bush brought in her Festiva after covering just over 40000klm without getting it serviced. The engine was hardly running and she wanted it replaced under warranty.
In the end, she ended up paying for the vehicle and court costs as she didn't understand why the car should need servicing every 10000klm.
Imagine being married to someone so technically benign like that. Sheesh.

last i heard this woman got offered a job at FPV CUSTOMER SERVICE. :thebirds:

[Full Noise]

Originally Posted by nb_351

Although they don't steal their cars or anything like that mind you..

How the bloody hell can you technically steal your own car? A good lawyer, even a bad one would have a field day in court with this one. The dealer cannot refuse to give you your keys back.

I took my Fairlane in for a service to a Ford dealer in the western suburbs of Melbourne (1997) and gave them a list of things to check as well. When I returned to pick the car up they tried to charge me for removing the drivers window, checking and re-lubricating the window track. : I can do that myself, It’s only that it’s under warranty that I got them to check it. They checked on their computer and with a red face the service manager apologised. The point being, they could easily have fleeced a few bucks, $75 from memory out of me if I wasn’t sure about what was and wasn’t covered by warranty.

Cheers, Danny