Warranty Help...

Styles · 17 Jan 2012 at 07:42

So I bought a 2006 Volvo S60 D5 from Johnsons of Gloucester 7 weeks ago and started the car this morning to find I can't even put it in gear because the clutch has gone.

I understand that Clutches are not covered under warranty because they are wear and tear items but I only bought the thing 7 weeks ago so where do I stand with this under warranty? I would have expected this to be picked up on their used car check?

Cheers

paradigm · 17 Jan 2012 at 07:46

So let me get this straight, you understand that a clutch is a consumable and thus not covered by the warranty, then ask where you stand with the warranty? :confused:

You've answered your own question, and the answer is "nowhere".

Whilst the "used car check" (whatever that is) might have thrown up a high biting point, the clutch worked. It most likely worked on your test drive too, so why didn't you negotiate a deal based on the high biting point?

Styles · 17 Jan 2012 at 07:47

Brakes aren't covered under warranty but I had these done on a previous car under warranty...

paradigm · 17 Jan 2012 at 07:49

You might get lucky and get it fixed as a gesture of good will, but I doubt it.

Also, brake pads and disks might be a consumable, but calipers, hoses, lines and hydraulic cylinders aren't so I guess "having these (brakes) done" under warranty could mean anything.

Styles · 17 Jan 2012 at 07:50

It was the discs and pads I had done under a previous warranty.

I have found out in the last couple of weeks that although the car was promised to be MOT'd and Serviced before handover this hasn't actually been done so I'm not even sure they've bothered to check the car.

paradigm · 17 Jan 2012 at 07:53

Styles said:
It was the discs and pads I had done under a previous warranty.

I would certainly class this as being extremely lucky rather than normality.

Styles said:
I have found out in the last couple of weeks that although the car was promised to be MOT'd and Serviced before handover this hasn't actually been done so I'm not even sure they've bothered to check the car.

So the car needs an MOT? Well I guess you can demand that part be done. Might go some way to arguing that the clutch needed doing, but as it was working before handover, it would likely have gone unmentioned anyway. Pretty sure a slipping clutch isn't an MOT failure anyway.

[TW]Fox · 17 Jan 2012 at 08:17

paradigm said:
It most likely worked on your test drive too, so why didn't you negotiate a deal based on the high biting point?

Why would a self adjusting clutch, fitted to almost all cars these days, have a high biting point for him to notice?

paradigm · 17 Jan 2012 at 08:35

[TW]Fox;21051654 said:
Why would a self adjusting clutch, fitted to almost all cars these days, have a high biting point for him to notice?

No idea, but my Leon's clutch currently has a high biting point, and it's self adjusting, I guess they can only adjust so far to compensate for clutch wear.

I know it's going to fail soon, so is booked in for a new clutch, but I would expect to see some clutch slip first if I were to continue driving it (in higher gears).

Styles · 17 Jan 2012 at 08:49

The clutch felt a little high but nothing terrible. It was absoloutly fine last night, but completely gone this morning. I've just been out to have another look and the clutch pedal is just 'sagging' about 3/4 of the way down and there's just no feel to pushing it down the rest of the way. I've had clutches go before but never overnight they're always been when i've been out and about before!

[TW]Fox · 17 Jan 2012 at 09:03

How come you still have that Leon?

paradigm · 17 Jan 2012 at 09:24

[TW]Fox;21051830 said:
How come you still have that Leon?

Long story short, I can't be bothered to get rid.

How come you still had your Mondeo for years?

Styles said:
The clutch felt a little high but nothing terrible. It was absoloutly fine last night, but completely gone this morning. I've just been out to have another look and the clutch pedal is just 'sagging' about 3/4 of the way down and there's just no feel to pushing it down the rest of the way. I've had clutches go before but never overnight they're always been when i've been out and about before!

If the pedal has dropped it could just as easily be a hydraulic problem (failed cylinder, fluid leak), of which the parts should be covered as they aren't consumable.

rodenal · 17 Jan 2012 at 09:27

Speak to the garage - A slipping or damaged clutch is a fault, any fault which could reasonably have been deemed to be present at the point of sale should be fixed by the trader in the first 6 months. If you bought a car then took it home and discovered 2 weeks later the pads were down to the metal (unlikely but some people really don't have much of a clue mechanically) the trader would be expected to resolve this - warranty or not.

They may well try and wriggle out of it but the Sale of Goods act states otherwise. First thing to do is call them and see what their stance on the matter is - don't even mention warranty or otherwise just tell them you purchased the car 7 weeks ago and the clutch is slipping, take it from there.

*edit just re-read, doesn't sound like the actual clutch is away to me but you'll still need someone to look at it for you*

This is the reason for buying from a garage and not a private seller - also the reason so many people try and hide the fact that they are trading

[TW]Fox · 17 Jan 2012 at 09:27

I didn't, my sister had it until it blew up then I got rid of it.

Styles · 18 Jan 2012 at 17:24

So turns out this wasn't clutch failure, but Clutch slave cylinder failure. They are replacing this under warranty. Apparently this is quite a common problem on this car!