Used car and clutch warranty woes

FirebarUK

FirebarUK

FirebarUK

Soldato
Joined
9 Dec 2004
Posts
5,701
Location
Dorset
Hi folks,

Just wondering if anyone has been in a similar situation. We have a transit van which we bought about 3 months ago and have done 2000 miles in it. It's used and from a main dealer and the clutch has just gone. It appears that since it has a tow-bar attached, the owners before us probably pulled large jumbo jets and suchlike. Vehicle has 21000 miles in total.

Naturally clutch isn't usually covered under standard warranty terms because it's wear and tear item. What's the best way to argue for the dealer to pay for repairs? I'm of the strong opinion that it's very difficult to argue that we have caused the wear and tear when (a) the vehicle has done so few miles anyway and (b) we've done so few miles since we bought it.

Thanks in advance for perspectives/viewpoints/opinions.
 
Sadly I don't think you'll have much luck as you have driven it 2000 miles and you have no way to prove that you didn't cause the damage (though I'm sure you didn't!) - especially since the dealer may not even know the nature of the vans use before they acquired it... It could also be a manufacturing defect perhaps.

Interested to know the outcome though.
 
Can't see any other result than "sod off" on something like a clutch especially after 3 months, how do they know for those 3 months and 2000 miles you haven't been pulling freight trains?

I guess you could chance your arm and ask them to replace it on goodwill but imagine you'll get laughed out the office.
 
As above but you wouldn't really be chancing your arm, the worst they can say is no, so just do it.
 
I can't see them paying out - at all. Why would they? They don't know how you drive, or what you tow.

I've had a BMW where the female driver held the car on a multistory ramp with the clutch instead of the handbrake. - Destroyed it.

I've had elderly customers wearing their clutches out in a few thousand miles.

I've had customers who leave their foot on the clutch pedal and burn them out.
 
I see that more and more now for some reason (people resting on the clutch). You can litteraly smell the burning while behind them. I always worry and think it's coming from my engine bay at first :/
 
I briefly had a Volvo C30 2.0D on which the clutch started slipping a few months into ownership.

I approached the dealership, who said "bring it back when the clutch has actually gone and we'll take a look". I said "it has gone gone..it's slipping..and if I leave it much longer then you'll be outside your legal requirement to fix it".

The tone of the conversation very quickly went downhill..the guy started getting quite aggressive and suggested I was looking for trouble. I never did take the car back...ended up trading it in for a 330Ci.

If I were you I'd contact the garage and see what they say, but as others have suggested I don't fancy your chances. You'll probably end up paying to fix it or getting rid.
 
should be fairly easy, remove gearbox and clutch, inspect pressure plate/friction plate and release bearing for issues. if it turns out it is just the friction plate worn then down to driver, any other issues put a warranty claim in to see if they accept it

alex
 
Ignore the warranty. I'd fully expect that an 19k mile (+ the 2k you have done) vehicle would not have a knackered clutch, this is covered under the consumer rights act whether your warranty covers it or not.

I've used it to get a pair of lambda sensors & purge solenoid valve replaced on a 14 year old car with 130k on the clock with the parts alone being 15% of the cars value, I wouldn't think a main dealer would put up too much of a fight on a newish vehicle.
 
Why should a vehicle that's only done 19k miles be expected to not have a knackered clutch? It depends entirely on how it's driven... :confused: Especially a transit van with a towbar fitted.

OP, didn't it occur to you when buying it that the clutch may need replacing fairly soon?
 
Good luck with this, I know of (agency) drivers who've destroyed a clutch in a brand new HGV in less than 500miles, it's not hard to kill a clutch especially if towing which clearly this transit has been used for - the fact you've covered 2k since you bought it just gives the dealer wriggle room to say normal wear & tear.

Try by all means but frankly, your wasting your time imo.
 
MichaelAwkward said:
Why should a vehicle that's only done 19k miles be expected to not have a knackered clutch? It depends entirely on how it's driven... :confused:
Click to expand...

Exactly, if it's been abused and the previous owner had naffed it up and then shifted it on to a dealer who has then sold it with a knackered clutch then the dealer is liable to repair it unless they can prove that the OP has destroyed it all by themselves.

I know my last car did 240k on the original clutch, it was used to tow, my current one has 132k on the original.

So no, I wouldn't expect a clutch to only last 19k unless it has been abused by the previous owner, in which case the issue/damage is pre-existing and the dealer is liable to repair it.
 
you might expect to notice symptoms during the 3 months of ownership as opposed to sudden failure ?
sudden failure might indicate it is not the clutch plate though, and something that is on warranty - oil seal ?
( had an old BM clutch with defective/glazed-plate which was bad for months, before I relented and paid to have it replaced. )

Is there also the dilema that you do not necessarily want to pay main dealer prices for replacement, however, if it a warrantable fix, main dealer would honestly diagnose it.
 
Iamzod said:
Exactly, if it's been abused and the previous owner had naffed it up and then shifted it on to a dealer who has then sold it with a knackered clutch then the dealer is liable to repair it unless they can prove that the OP has destroyed it all by themselves.

I know my last car did 240k on the original clutch, it was used to tow, my current one has 132k on the original.

So no, I wouldn't expect a clutch to only last 19k unless it has been abused by the previous owner, in which case the issue/damage is pre-existing and the dealer is liable to repair it.
Click to expand...

But the OP has done a further 2k miles on it, and people can destroy clutches in much less...

If the clutch had gone the day after purchase, you'd have a point and it'd be worth fighting the garage to replace it. After 2k miles, no chance.
 
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