How long can dealer hold car for Repair...

[Olu-60]

Hi All...

 

I took my car to a Honda Main dealer and after 2 tries and guess work they came up with a hefty bill and final diagnosis of the fault!!! (Fingers crossed) The car is 4years old and I have to pay for the repair & warranty direct happens to not cover just the electrical that is the problem here, big regret taking out their policy!!!

 

The issue now is that I was told by Honda it will take 8weeks for the parts to arrive, they stripped me of their courtesy car and said it is on back order that is why it will take that long, is this acceptable!!! I have had a call from the service manager who was rude & had a lot of attitude and not really interested in my car but the return of his courtesy car! He did mention he will try and speed things up!!! (Piece of string situation there). He did threaten that if I requested for them to put the car together (completely stripped at the moment) it will cost me double to have it stripped again to carry out the repairs. The car incidentally is Honda's flagship car!

 

Are there any suggestions as I am carless and appear to be at their mercy for now, can the part not be air-freighted even if its going to be sent from Japan or the States!

 

Thanks & any suggestion to push them will be appreciated, I do not think contacting Honda is going be added value though...!!!

 

Regards

Olu-60

[sailor sam]

Hi and welcome to CAG.

 

I'm a bit busy atm but i'll try and get the ball rolling so we can advise.

 

Your post is a liitle vague. It would help if you told us what the fault is, what part(s) we are talking about what model car it is and how long you have had it. Also, did you buy it from this dealer? You mention that you have a warranty so have you gone through the t & c's to sere what it does/does not cover?

 

Please Note

 

 

The advice I offer will be based on the information given by the person needing it. All my advice is based on my experiences and knowledge gained in working in the motor and passenger transport industries in various capacities. Although my advice will always be sincere, it should be used as guidence only.

 

 

I would always urge to seek professional advice for clarification prior to taking any action.

 

 

Please click my reputation 'star' button at the bottom of my profile window on the left if you found my advice useful.

[Olu-60]

Hi & Thanks for your prompt reply...

 

It is a Honda Legend 07 on 56 Plate...They said it is the main fuse box draining the battery, has 3 but the main one in the engine compartment is to blame according to them, I have been written this AM by Warranty direct they do not cover fuse boxes, bought the car privately with full history from someone who bought it from Honda...

 

Its not so much the warranty issue here but the dealer saying it will take 8wks for parts to arrive, no courtesy car and the downright can't be bothered attitude..I can't be without a car for 8wks...To add I have called Honda (Main) this morning and they promise to find out what is happening and get back to me & gave me an incident ref num, this may push the dealership!!! We wait and see...

 

Thx for you help...

 

Regards

Olu-60

[Surfer01]

I am no mechanic but it seems a strange fault. In a normal electrical enviroment I woudl suspect a capcitor leaking to earth draining a battery. Have you joined a Honda online forum and made any inquiries? You probably woudl get better advice on that type of forum regarding the fault and then the legal issues coudl eb delat with on here. Most of these add on warranties do not seem worth the money that you pay as we found out £200 later! We were lucky!

[Olu-60]

Thx surfer01 for the comments, YES! Not worth the paper they print the policy on, took out highest policy which they told me covered electricals only to...! Well, finding out £600 later in real regret, would always tell people to shun them from now on, not worth it! The slight issue I found is that most forums that know much about this car is in the States as its more popular there as Acura RL! Although I have seen a lot of the later model civics with similar issues of battery draining on other forums (Mainly diesels) here in the UK, Should have stuck to a simple car or a luxury car by "Luxury" car manufacturers

[Surfer01]

As the warranty company have not been able to honour their side of the warranty you can report them to the Insurance Ombudsman, but before you do this you will need to get it in writing from them that they will not cover do the repair. You may also be able to claim back the full amount if it goes to the Insurance Ombudsman.

[Olu-60]

I will follow up on that, thanks...

[sailor sam]

Warranty aside for a minute, I would be contacting Honda UK explaining that I have a car manufactued by them which is only 4 years old and has full service history. I'm a little suprised that it has developed this fault to which I am told by your dealer will take 8 weeks to obtain the necessary parts to rectify. In the meantime, I am expected to be without a car as the dealer has taken back my courtesy car. This, I have to say is not the experience I had expected from purchasing such a young vehicle made by a supposidly world leading manufacturer. While I appreciate that the car is outside it's manufacturer's warranty, I would at the very least expect the dealer to provide me with a courtesy car given the un-acceptabley length of time to obtain the required parts. I would therefore invite you to investigate the possibility in arranging for the dealer to continue to provide me with a courtesy car untill such time my own car is repaired. This may go some way in restoring my confidence in your customer relations and service.

 

I would suggest you contact them by phone with the above dialogue and if neceassry, put it in writing also. As for the warranty; you havn't stated what it says in the t & c's concerning what components is covered. I am referring to the terms as stated on the warrant docs which were provided to you when you took out the policy.

 

Please Note

 

 

The advice I offer will be based on the information given by the person needing it. All my advice is based on my experiences and knowledge gained in working in the motor and passenger transport industries in various capacities. Although my advice will always be sincere, it should be used as guidence only.

 

 

I would always urge to seek professional advice for clarification prior to taking any action.

 

 

Please click my reputation 'star' button at the bottom of my profile window on the left if you found my advice useful.

[Olu-60]

Hi Salior Sam...

 

Many thanks for this, I have been onto Honda HQ as suggested after this posting along the lines you mentioned, they verbally expressed the same concern about the time scale the dealership gave and promised they were chasing this and will try and resolve asap, I will be emailing or faxing your suggestion (good enough as a letter) with the reference number they gave me today as an addition to the call to have some form of documentary evidence?

 

Regards & Thanks...

[sailor sam]

Hi Salior Sam...

 

Many thanks for this, I have been onto Honda HQ as suggested after this posting along the lines you mentioned, they verbally expressed the same concern about the time scale the dealership gave and promised they were chasing this and will try and resolve asap, I will be emailing or faxing your suggestion (good enough as a letter) with the reference number they gave me today as an addition to the call to have some form of documentary evidence?

 

Regards & Thanks...

 

Good idea. In any event you need to start putting things in writing and keeping copies in case you need evidence further down the line but for the moment i'm obvioulsy thinking about the time of the year because I know that the trade 'shut down' is quite generous (for those in the trade) so we need to get you a car sorted out pronto. Honda UK ought to be in a position to authorize the dealer to provide you with one. What about the warranty question though?

 

Please Note

 

 

The advice I offer will be based on the information given by the person needing it. All my advice is based on my experiences and knowledge gained in working in the motor and passenger transport industries in various capacities. Although my advice will always be sincere, it should be used as guidence only.

 

 

I would always urge to seek professional advice for clarification prior to taking any action.

 

 

Please click my reputation 'star' button at the bottom of my profile window on the left if you found my advice useful.

[Olu-60]

Hello Again, thanks for the update...As I mentioned in the original post I have a warranty with Warranty Direct (ExtraCare Level), I did insist I wanted one that covered all the electrics, SAT NAV etc etc over the phone during the purchase in which they said it did, obviously it is not covered...It's a difficult one to prove because the have written saying the repairs are not covered under my policy but I have the highest policy available, wonder that may be!!!...The issue is, if I had known a bit more about these things, I may have found out they actually did not cover what was claimed over the phone...I still may be wrong, I have a copy of the policy docs but I wish I understood what I was looking at really...

[sailor sam]

Hello Again, thanks for the update...As I mentioned in the original post I have a warranty with Warranty Direct (ExtraCare Level), I did insist I wanted one that covered all the electrics, SAT NAV etc etc over the phone during the purchase in which they said it did, obviously it is not covered...It's a difficult one to prove because the have written saying the repairs are not covered under my policy but I have the highest policy available, wonder that may be!!!...The issue is, if I had known a bit more about these things, I may have found out they actually did not cover what was claimed over the phone...I still may be wrong, I have a copy of the policy docs but I wish I understood what I was looking at really...

 

Somewhere your policy will detail what is covered (and what isn't). You may have to go through it with a fine tooth comb. At the end of the day it's an insurance policy and as such it will be covered by all sorts of hiden clauses. I would of thought that as you have insisted on a warranty which covers ALL the electrics, then it is likely that the warranty should indeed cover this problem. If necessary, take it along to your local trading standards office and get them to take a look.

 

Please Note

 

 

The advice I offer will be based on the information given by the person needing it. All my advice is based on my experiences and knowledge gained in working in the motor and passenger transport industries in various capacities. Although my advice will always be sincere, it should be used as guidence only.

 

 

I would always urge to seek professional advice for clarification prior to taking any action.

 

 

Please click my reputation 'star' button at the bottom of my profile window on the left if you found my advice useful.

[heliosuk]

What could go wrong in a fuse box??????????? Only thing I can think of is bad terminals which is easily got over on a tempoary basis. Pull connectors out and fit in line fuse until the new box is available. However it's highly unusual for this type of failure to occur, especially on a Honda so has the dealer actually got to the bottom of this??

Very few warranties cover electrics though but the definition as to what is electrics is always left open I note and perhaps unfairly in this day and age.

[sailor sam]

What could go wrong in a fuse box??????????? Only thing I can think of is bad terminals which is easily got over on a tempoary basis. Pull connectors out and fit in line fuse until the new box is available. However it's highly unusual for this type of failure to occur, especially on a Honda so has the dealer actually got to the bottom of this??

Very few warranties cover electrics though but the definition as to what is electrics is always left open I note and perhaps unfairly in this day and age.

 

Hi helio,

 

The OP stipulated when taking out the policy that he wanted the electrics covered (inc the sat nav) apparently and was told (all be it over the phone) that it would be so. The dealer it seems is being far from helpfull and has left the OP without a car with the prospect for 8 weeks and just before christmas!

 

Please Note

 

 

The advice I offer will be based on the information given by the person needing it. All my advice is based on my experiences and knowledge gained in working in the motor and passenger transport industries in various capacities. Although my advice will always be sincere, it should be used as guidence only.

 

 

I would always urge to seek professional advice for clarification prior to taking any action.

 

 

Please click my reputation 'star' button at the bottom of my profile window on the left if you found my advice useful.

[Olu-60]

Somewhere your policy will detail what is covered (and what isn't). You may have to go through it with a fine tooth comb. At the end of the day it's an insurance policy and as such it will be covered by all sorts of hiden clauses. I would of thought that as you have insisted on a warranty which covers ALL the electrics, then it is likely that the warranty should indeed cover this problem. If necessary, take it along to your local trading standards office and get them to take a look.

 

Please Note

 

 

The advice I offer will be based on the information given by the person needing it. All my advice is based on my experiences and knowledge gained in working in the motor and passenger transport industries in various capacities. Although my advice will always be sincere, it should be used as guidence only.

 

 

I would always urge to seek professional advice for clarification prior to taking any action.

 

 

 

Please click my reputation 'star' button at the bottom of my profile window on the left if you found my advice useful.

 

I have a Trd Std office on my street funny enough and I have called already today to see them before the end of the week, but it's a long shot, like heliosuk rightly pointed out, these warranties are vague on what they refer to as electrics...!!! we wait and see on that one...btw letter email to Honda and acknowledged already...advice on documentation noted as well...thx

[Olu-60]

Hi helio,

 

The OP stipulated when taking out the policy that he wanted the electrics covered (inc the sat nav) apparently and was told (all be it over the phone) that it would be so. The dealer it seems is being far from helpfull and has left the OP without a car with the prospect for 8 weeks and just before christmas!

 

Please Note

 

 

The advice I offer will be based on the information given by the person needing it. All my advice is based on my experiences and knowledge gained in working in the motor and passenger transport industries in various capacities. Although my advice will always be sincere, it should be used as guidence only.

 

 

I would always urge to seek professional advice for clarification prior to taking any action.

 

 

Please click my reputation 'star' button at the bottom of my profile window on the left if you found my advice useful.

 

Hi Both...

 

Thx for clarifying this Sailor Sam, Helio the car is a Honda legend 07, the number of gadgets in the car and the wiring is out of this world (did not realise what was under the dash & divider panel until I saw the car stripped myself), enough to control a space ship!!! The only problem is this one aint flying anywwhere in its present state The fuse box suggestion may not work as the box itself is riddled with extremley complicated circuit "boards", IC's etc...hence, honda will not even want to consider by passing etc as you suggested, I think...now thats my non technical opinion...

 

Regards

[traffer]

Those warranties are tricky. They, like most vehicle warranties, after the first year, do not cover anything that fails due to water ingress. Water ingress probably causes more electrical failures than anything else.

 

With respect to the problem s you had, once started did the car run OK?

 

Replacement parts can and do take a long time to appear, perhaps the problem could be fixed by a good electrical specialist.

[Olu-60]

Those warranties are tricky. They, like most vehicle warranties, after the first year, do not cover anything that fails due to water ingress. Water ingress probably causes more electrical failures than anything else.

 

With respect to the problem s you had, once started did the car run OK?

 

Replacement parts can and do take a long time to appear, perhaps the problem could be fixed by a good electrical specialist.

 

Hi Taffer...

 

Once started it ran very well, they could not pin it on the alternator in that case, after the battery was changed it will last anything between 18-24hrs before draining too low to start the car. My slight worry as Helio pointed out is, have they gotten to the root of the problem? I have learnt fast that these technicians (dealers manily) rarely put on their thinking cap beyond the instuments they plug into the cars (No disrespect intended for most of the good ones)...I expect to hear back from Honda today otherwise calling them by noon to find out what is happening. Again a mate told me (hearsay, can't confirm) a lot of these flagship cars carry technology and parts usually from the same suppliers that are used in their smaller cars 2/3 years down the line, I guess Honda reliaility may be in for a rude shock if this were to be the case on their 09+ cars if this is not an isolated incident...Then again one may be wrong on that assumption...

 

Regards

[traffer]

A good auto electrician should be able to find out where the battery is draining down to. It is a process of elimination, removing relays then fuses to find out which circuit is drawing current that should not be drawing current.

 

If the part is on back order for that length of time, it could mean 3 things:

 

1. The part is rarely if ever a problem so no stock in the spares network

2. There is a common problem and the spares supply cannot keep up with demand (Honda should admit this if pushed and if so a bit of goodwill would not be out of place)

3. There is a problem with the part and it is undergoing modification so none are available.

[smed]

Has the battery been tested - not just a "put the meter whilst running" type check, but a proper check on each cell - dying batteries can cause all sorts of wierd and wonderfull problems (just ask any Jasg S Type owner)

[Olu-60]

Has the battery been tested - not just a "put the meter whilst running" type check, but a proper check on each cell - dying batteries can cause all sorts of wierd and wonderfull problems (just ask any Jasg S Type owner)

 

Battery was changed at the 1st visit, problem still persisted...

[Olu-60]

Many thanks for all your input and contributions, a bit obvious ones I missed due to the whole confusion behind the issue, anyway....

1. Honda (Central Office) called this morning; a nice & helpful lady is dealing with the case. She updated me and said has pushed the parts dept and the part should be arriving in Europe on the 26th of Dec and they expect it to be in the UK by the 2nd of Jan (errrr.....what ever happened with the original order that it was going to take 8wks!!!), anyhow...

2. She has instructed Service dept where car is according to her to provide a rental car for me which she said may take about 2 or 3 hrs to arrange and the rental company would be calling directly, at this time of the year, fingers crossed...if they do not call by 3pm I can call her to chase it up...

Good news all round BUT did it have to come to this with the biggest dealership of a reputable brand!!! I thought to myself, did I upset anybody by being a smiling, easy going customer...or maybe that’s where the problem is...

NB: Rental company just called as I was typing this...

[sailor sam]

Well at least you should have a car over the christmas period so a little bit of good news!

 

Please Note

 

 

The advice I offer will be based on the information given by the person needing it. All my advice is based on my experiences and knowledge gained in working in the motor and passenger transport industries in various capacities. Although my advice will always be sincere, it should be used as guidence only.

 

 

I would always urge to seek professional advice for clarification prior to taking any action.

 

 

Please click my reputation 'star' button at the bottom of my profile window on the left if you found my advice useful.

[Olu-60]

Well at least you should have a car over the christmas period so a little bit of good news!

 

QUOTE]

 

Yes S-Sam, it's is really bad timing!

 

I have been advised by someone to check all the electrics thoroughly, if need be go with someone with the knowledge of these things when I pick up the car as I have mentioned they stripped the car to bare metal and if any issues not let them fob me off anymore with excuses or extra costs...good advice that!!! I already have someone lined up for the job. I will keep you all posted re the repairs and all in case it gets interesting!!!

 

Thx for your input...Merry Christmas...