Fault with new van

[Kate McCartney]

Hiya

We purchased a new van 7 weeks ago. Two weeks ago it lost power and I took it to the dealership to have it looked at. They give me a date three weeks away to book it in to be looked at and told not to drive as this would null & void the warranty. Whilst driving home the assist message came on the van and I called Ford assist. Great service they were there within 30 mins – van taken back to dealership and assistance advised it should be sorted and returned within 48 hours – as codes showing it was an EDC fault and needed the onboard computer to be rebooted.
However, dealership first question was Did we purchase the van from them – No – well we can’t look at the van for three week. The van only has 1800 miles on it. I phone manufacturers Customer Service – they advised they would speak to dealership. Phone call two days later to say the van would be repaired and returned by at the latest Tuesday 29th Aug. Tuesday came and went I rang the dealership who advised they didn’t know what I was talking about and they were looking at the van today. They rang back to say it needed two injectors which were being ordered today (23rd Aug) – no contact by them so I rang Customer Services back they advised parts were on site and we should have van back by 4th September. It’s now the 5th Sept and I’ve been told today (after a long rant) that there is now something else wrong and they have no firm date for receipt of parts. My question really is how long do I give the dealership to repair this vehicle?? I have serious doubts about wanting the vehicle back as it seems to be having one thing after the other. Dealership don’t seem to care as we didn’t purchase it from them – where do we stand trying to have the vehicle returned to the manufacturer??

Thanks

[Stuart Masson]

Hi Kate. If it’s a business use vehicle (which most vans are), you are not covered by the Consumer Rights Act for rejecting the vehicle.

If it’s a new van with a clear-cut fault, you should be covered under the manufacturer’s new car warranty and a dealer should be happy to fix it as they can bill the manufacturer for whatever the problem is.

In many cases, calling the manufacturer’s head office to lodge a formal complaint against the dealership tends to get things hurried along. Without being rude, become the most annoying person in the world and keep chasing the dealer and the manufacturer until they fix the problem. Unfortunately, it’s often the only way to get things moving.

[Kate McCartney]

Thank you for the reply – it’s not a business van although my husband is self employed he brought it in his name not the company name – does this change our rights??
Thanks

[Stuart Masson]

Hi Kate. If it was purchased for personal use then you should be covered by the Consumer Rights Act. However, since you are outside the initial 30 days, the selling dealer is entitled to one chance to repair the vehicle after you formally give notice that you wish to reject the vehicle under the Act.

[Kate McCartney]

thank you

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