Toomey Renault. My car is unusable after product recall and garage want £600 to fix!

[mrs_j0]

Hi,

I'm really hoping for some advice as I'm at my wits end. I'll try to be brief:

Got letter last year for product recall for Renault Scenic (53 plate), software reload on electric handbrake. Forgot about it as handbrake no problem. Got 3 error messages on dashboard over the last 2 months saying 'check handbrake', but handbrake still always worked. Got round to booking car in for this software upgrade, garage said it didn't matter atall that I hadn't done it straight away. Took car in last thursday, waited for 2 hours while they did it, and drove home, about 6 miles. When I got home, the handbrake wouldn't come on and the car did a high pitched bleeping until I'd shut it and locked it. Worrying! Rang Toomey's back and they said to bring the car back but that they would need it for a whole day, the earliest I could do this was Monday as I had to get a lift there and back. Took it in Monday. Went to collect it Monday night, they said they hadn't fixed it, didn't know what was wrong with it, and that they would ring me back the next day. They rang on Tuesday afternoon (after I'd rang them twice) to say that the handbrake computer was broken and I needed to pay £604 for a new one. I told Toomey's "absolutely not" and to get back to me when they'd sorted this out. Next morning got a call from a Renault customer services manager who maintains, after several hour long phone calls, that it is purely coincidental that the handbrake computer broke after their software reload and that I have to pay to have it fixed. I'm not one to suffer bullies and stood my ground. Renault have offered me 50% off but are adamant the fault is coiincidental, which I said is catagorically not fair - I'm still paying £300 to get my car back to how it was. Renault came back and said Toomey's would give me £50 off. But that's still not fair, is it?? I know it's a fairly old car, but isn't it the fact that I gave them a car that was fully working and they gave me a car back that didn't? They are not budging and I just don't know what to do. My car is in the road, unusable, and I don't have £300 to fix it. But if I don't fix it I'll get £300 scrap for it. Sorry, that wasn't that brieft but please, any advice?

thanks so much

[sailor sam]

Hi And welcome to CAG.

 

This one will need the opinions of others so bear with us. Can I ask when you got the letter for the original recall? The reason i ask is that they may use this as their 'get out of jail free' card. If you went all the way with this and ended up in the small claims court, I can see them using the argument that you did not take the car in within a reasoanble time scale to get the 'softwear up grade' work carried out which has resulted in this failure. The fact the handbrake worked fine will probably not be accepted as a reason not to respond to the recall. They will further argue that you waited for there to be a problem before you booked the car in. Yes, I am aware that they told you that wasn't an issue but I bet you havn't got that in writing. What puzzles me though is the fact that you have driven this car (presumably) around for the best part of 10 years before learning of a problem. Then after receiving the letter, you start getting problems with the exact component which is the cause for the recall!

 

In a nutshell I think that you may have a problem legally depending on what the recall notice said in relation to how soon the work should be carried out. Clearly this would of been work carried out outside of the manufacturer's warranty thus there would be certain conditions attached to it. The burden will be now on you to prove that the fault is not coincidental to the recall.

 

as I say, we need other opinions. Renault is not my speciallity.

[mrs_j0]

Thanks so much for the reply - not quite what I wanted to hear but extremely useful and realistic.

We received the letter in March 2011 and it does say 'Urgent Safety Recall'. It states there is an issue with the electronic parking brake which in extreme circumstances may cause the activation of the brake whilst driving. And it says 'even if you don't detect a problem with the vehicle, it is still important to contact a Renault Dealer'. There is no mention of timescale. (Let me know if you need mroe detail of the latter.)

I have been driving this car for nearly 5 years with no issues until just before Christmas. Before I got it, there had been another product recall on it, to do with the electronics on the dash this time, which resulted in a new dash board.

Again, thanks so much for your help

[sailor sam]

Thanks so much for the reply - not quite what I wanted to hear but extremely useful and realistic.

 

Thank you, i'm sorry I can't give you more hope.

 

We received the letter in March 2011 and it does say 'Urgent Safety Recall'. It states there is an issue with the electronic parking brake which in extreme circumstances may cause the activation of the brake whilst driving. And it says 'even if you don't detect a problem with the vehicle, it is still important to contact a Renault Dealer'. There is no mention of timescale. (Let me know if you need mroe detail of the latter.)

I have been driving this car for nearly 5 years with no issues until just before Christmas. Before I got it, there had been another product recall on it, to do with the electronics on the dash this time, which resulted in a new dash board.

Again, thanks so much for your help

 

As I said earlier, lets hope s few other caggers come in with their opinions so hold fire for now. Conniff for example knows what he is talking about. I must admit my gut feeling is that you may have to take the offer from Renault but I would certainly have another go at them by reminding them that your car is approaching 10 years old so you may be in the market for a new one soon...

[heliosuk]

The recall that applies to this fault is that on a few cars it is possible for the handbrake to apply without warning. This is as a result of a software glitch and only affects a small number of cars.

 

Usually the fault is identified on the production lines very quickly so they will take a number before and after the VIN where the fault is identified and ask the dealers to check on service etc. Warranty complaints/claims are monitored for around 4 years of use and after that parts sales. This gives an indication of the size of the issue.

 

In order to get the identified cars owners to respond, the notice is always sent as urgent. Recall notices are also not sent out where there is definately a problem but where it is suspected there might be a problem.

 

The recall in your case updates the software to ensure that the handbrake cannot apply automatically.

 

The software update is literally just a correction to the code and has no real affect on the control unit other than command it to do some things at a certain time.

 

From your description, it would seem that there has been a hardware failure in the unit and it wouldn't have made any difference if the reacall action had been carried out before the failure. The fact that the recall update did not work is most probably due to the failures you have described. I do not think the update would have cured it.

 

So on balance, it would seem that irrespective of the recall, the unit had failed which you admit. Software cannot lead to a physical failure within the control unit which is what you seem to have experienced. Therefore take the offer from Renault or get a used unit fitted and reprogrammed to your car and ask them to update to latest level. I can't see you have a claim against them.

 

Having said all of this, Toomeys are not known for the expertise of their service department so would suggest taking it Renault East London...I seem to remember a factory owned outlet near Stratford. Ask them to do a hard reset and see if it will download. If not then the unit will have failed officially.

[dannysport]

Renault East London are near Ilford just off the A406

[loobyloo0302]

I've just noticed this thread, and although I can't provide you with any useful information, you aren't alone with this problem. I had my 2005 grand scenic recalled for the handbrake fault, which at the time was already booked in for the dashboard fault (where everything on the dashboard disappears, including speedo, petrol gauge etc). I recieved my car back, then a short space of time after, I was unable to use my handbrake on any slight hill, or even in a slight groove in the road. I too got the high pitched bleeping sound and also as if the handbrake was trying to apply itself but wouldn't. I joined the renault forum and made the complaint, spoke to customer services manager, but eventually had to give it up, but only when both my key cards decided that they did not want to be recognised in the card reader anymore, and so I had to get rid. But I've now got a zafira, thats proving to be pretty much on par with the scenic

[ihaterenaultgrandscenic]

there seem to be this same parking brake failure with the grand scenic, is there a way i could take renault to court or bring to general notice about the failure of the hand brake and also d flooding of the foot well in the scenic...{my one dont even have no sun roof} yet my parking brake has just failed and also renault said water has accumulated in the foot well. me car is a2006 model. The dealer wants 470pounds just to drain and investigate .