Used car from trader - broke down after 170 miles/2 days!

[b1gdeano]

Good Evening,

 

I am having a few issues with a car I bought on the 26th August

 

It is a 2009 Vauxhall Insignia 2.0t 4x4 SRI

 

Picked up the vehicle from the trader at approx 5.30pm on the Tuesday evening, drove it 75 miles home and all seemed well

 

Wednesday evening on the way home from work in it a message appeared on the dash stating "service charging system" and illuminated the battery icon

 

Arrived home and turned off and then back on and the message had gone - oh well I thought, will check that later

 

Thursday morning and evening on way to and from work the same thing - message appeared - Decided would look at the battery at the weekend as possible worn as per other cars I have owned

 

Friday Morning same thing again, except this time it started throwing all other error messages and illuminating all other lights as it steadily shut down all non essential systems - pulled over and turned off - car dead, no attempt to crank, nothing

 

RAC called and got car started via boost pack and attached multimeter to battery and diagnosed possible alternator fault as reading were 11.3 -11.6 volts - keeping the booster on the car managed to get it to local mechanic

 

Mechanic tested the alternator which seemed fine and was outputting the correct amp on the bench, but will not charge battery in car. Took it to another mechanic who has better diagnostic kit and will run some tests on it tomorrow to try determine what the fault is

 

Car came with a 3 month RAC warranty, to which I say isnt worth the paper its printed on! There is a £300 limit on the repair, including parts/labour & VAT! The alternator is dealer only and costs £523.81 inc VAT!

 

I rang the dealer to tell them about the breakdown to which they said I have to deal with warranty - I stated the warranty is not sufficient and they are required to put it right. After days of chasing them they are saying they can supply the part, should it be the alternator cheaper than I have been quoted, to which I stated they must be quoted for the wrong part as I have been quoted the same from 3 different dealers and told the same amount by all three! They said they will check and let me know - that was Tuesday evening. No word today.

 

I am now waiting for the diagnostic report - if it is something simple and cheap I dont mind paying to get the car on the road again, but £540 + labour is too much after just 170 miles!!

 

I just want advice on how I can approach this with the trader - they seem adamant I have to use the warranty, which I dont want to as they will not cover the whole amount. Dependant upon the outcome of the diagnostic I will be taking it back up there on Saturday morning, and demanding they fix it.

 

Should I take a formal letter with me stating they must repair or refund me?

 

Not sure how to tackle this one to be honest!

 

Sorry for the long post, just wanted to get as much info out so can get the best advice possible

[DragonFly1967]

I can't really offer any advice on your dealer/warranty problem. But alternators for a 2009 Insignia can be bought on eBay for as little as £70. And whilst I wouldn't trust most eBay sellers as far as I could throw them It might give you a 'guide price' for looking around for a Vauxhall breakers in your area. They'll usually give a guarantee that the part works (if it doesn't you can take it back for exchange/refund).

 

As I said, it doesn't really help with your dealer/warranty problem, but might be a useful 'plan B' if all else fails.

[b1gdeano]

I can't really offer any advice on your dealer/warranty problem. But alternators for a 2009 Insignia can be bought on eBay for as little as £70. And whilst I wouldn't trust most eBay sellers as far as I could throw them It might give you a 'guide price' for looking around for a Vauxhall breakers in your area. They'll usually give a guarantee that the part works (if it doesn't you can take it back for exchange/refund).

 

As I said, it doesn't really help with your dealer/warranty problem, but might be a useful 'plan B' if all else fails.

 

Problem is that the alternator for this model and engine is dealer only - Cannot be purchased from a car factors and no re furbisher I spoke to has ever repaired them. There is a component in them that is proprietary apparently and the ECU controls it. Dealer or salvage unit it seems!

 

On that note I am on the hunt for a salvage unit should it prove to be that to get it sorted......

[DragonFly1967]

If there's an element of ECU control over the alternator, you might also face the issue of it being "coded" to the specific vehicle. If it is, it's a B***** con, and would mean that Vauxhall (and their dealer network) have effectively got you over a barrel.

 

If the alternator has been bench tested, it should be putting out a minimum of 13.8V (ideally around 14.3V) to properly charge the battery. If it is, have a good hard look at the battery, it might not be taking, or holding a charge. It'll be a much cheaper option than an alternator from a main dealer

[rebel11]

Hi b1g

 

Have a read of the follow information:-

 

http://www.shetland.gov.uk/tradingst...cardealers.pd f

[b1gdeano]

Thanks for that

 

Thats a very good booklet - depending upon the results of the diagnostics today if the car is going back on Saturday I will be printing some of those pages of to backup my case that THEY should be repairing this not forcing it to be done by the less than adequate warranty cover they provided...

[rebel11]

Let us know how you get on and if you need more input.