More Car Warranty Dramas

I own a mid-size hatchback that is just coming to the end of its 5 year warranty. In the last few days the car has developed a grinding noise with the clutch engaged and the car put into gear.

This morning I took the car to the dealership for investigation. They advised me that it needed a new clutch assembly, cable & bearing $1100 all up. I reminded them that the car was still under warranty (received a one month warranty extension due to Covid-19). They looked into it and advised me that the repairs would be carried out under warranty as soon as they had ordered in the parts.

I left and went home but 30 minutes later they called me back and said only the bearing is covered under warranty ($400) and I will have to foot the bill for the rest ($700).

Obviously I'm a bit annoyed that when I'm at the dealership it is all covered under warranty, then when I leave everything changes.

Do you think its worth taking this further with the Service Manager or contact the manufacturer customer care?

Comments

  • +10

    Clutch is a wear item. The thrust bearing would also almost be considered a wear item.

    It is a bit cheeky though that they said they would replace the bearing but seem to want you to foot the bill for the labour to remove the gearbox.

    Just say you will pay for the new clutch while they have to gearbox out to replace the bearing.

    • +1

      Dear OP
      So the service guy made a mistake.
      Give the guy a break.
      Whats covered under warranty is clearly explained in the service manual.
      Read it first before you pick on somebody.
      Wear and tear items are excluded.
      eg Tyres, brakes, clutch plate, pressure plate

      And you should only foot the bill for the wear and tear parts and labour directly associated with fitting those parts (once the gearbox has been removed/replace UNDER WARRANTY) as Pegaxs implied above.
      Any labour covered under warranty such as removing and replacing the gearbox in order to replace the bearing is just that and should not be charged to you.

      Mind you as pegaxs also said, I agree that the bearing is also a wear and tear part which would normally be replaced with the clutch.

  • Car brand/model? Kilometres traveled? Urban stop/start traffic?

    You're fortunate that the dealership didn't resort to the usual way of dealing with things: blame the user/you're not doing it right/they're all like that. I would take whatever offer they're giving unless you can get a better quote elsewhere. Clutches are wear items.

  • +1

    Buy the replacement clutch and take it back to them and just be like, while you've got the bearing assembly out don't suppose you could chuck this in there.

  • +4

    Your car is still under warranty. The dealer is obliged to abide by the terms of that warranty so find a copy and read it. It will outline what the dealership has to cover under warranty and what it doesn’t.

  • What car brand/model is this? how many kms?
    You probably can get the whole thing done for 700 elsewhere, but I'll get it done at the dealership for that price.
    You can try contacting the manufacturer, but likely they will say that a clutch is a wear item…

  • As stated, Clutch is definitely a wear item. I would ask for a breakdown of the Repair Costs, just to make certain that you're not paying the full cost of gearbox removal and installation.

  • What is the $700 made up of?

    Clutch is normal wear and tear and not covered by warranty. If they're replacing the bearing under warranty (again IMO not a warranty item) then I'm curious what the breakdown of the $700 is. I'm assuming clutch plate, machine flywheel and labour but that should be minimal given they have to do most of the work in order to replace the bearing anyway so just make sure they're not charging you labour for the whole job.

  • Whats the written quote say?

  • Modern car with a clutch cable? Also $1100 for the whole job? What sort of car is this?

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