Vauxhall Lifetime warranty no pay out now

[MrAEMiller]

Hello All

I have a Vauxhall Corsa with the much vaunted (at the time) Lifetime Warranty. Still valid. First owner. Been serviced every year by Vauxhall since it came out the factor. Developed a timing chain gasket issue picked up at service which Vauxhall now claim is not covered despite the Lifetime Warranty explicitly saying that the engine as a whole is covered. Tried customer service and threatening Ombudsman but Vauxhall won't budge. Think the only way to get them to pay out is to sue... Which I will be...

Just letting you all know. Be prepared



Cheers

Anthony

[Pezza54]

Please read the Vauxhall warranty terms and conditions. Gaskets and timing belts are not covered by the warranty

[MrAEMiller]

Untrue. The Warranty I have from then General Motors in 2013 simply treats the engine as one complete unit. There are no exclusions and no time limits https://www.vauxhall.co.uk/owners/in...-warranty.html

[MrAEMiller]

Yes I have read the new modern Stellantis warranty... More escapes than Colditz. Not worth the paper it's written on... but that's not what I signed.

[atticus]

Thank you for joining to inform us of your intentions. If you need further advice, you have only to ask.

[Pezza54]

I am not a mechanic so I can't say the cam chain is part of the engine
I have read it is not part of the drive shaft

[atticus]

This is a law forum!

[MrAEMiller]

For clarity it is the timing chain gasket - not the timing chain itself that went. All gaskets are solid pieces with the function of allowing the oil and coolant to run in close proximity without mixing. Thus they are not classed as wear and tare parts. They are exactly the parts The warranty is supposed to cover. The chain itself is fine.

[Pezza54]

On themotorombudsman.org website there is a case study dated December 3, 2018 regarding a failed gasket on a car with a lifetime warranty

The consumer had bought the vehicle new in 2012 and in 2017 an oil leak was discovered on the engine. The garage denied the warranty covered the gasket

The adjudicator did not uphold the customer's complaint. The customer asked for his complaint to be referred to the ombudsman for a final decision.

The ombudsman disagreed with the adjudicator and upheld the customer's complaint. I won't go into detail about the reasons for her decision as they are quite lengthy. Worth a read though.

OP should refer his complaint/claim to the motor ombudsman citing the 3.12 2018 ombudsman final decision. The ombudsman should be quicker than making a court claim and cheaper too

[Pezza54]

The ombudsman decided the gasket was not specifically excluded from the warranty, was part of the engine, and not subject to wear and tear (not a serviceable part)

[Huxie]

Nice find Pezza54 . Here’s a direct link for the OP:
https://www.themotorombudsman.org/ca...warranty-claim

[MrAEMiller]

Thanks. I had actually read the Motor Ombudsman report and already pointed it out to Vauxhall but they continued to just say "this part is not covered". Either they are stupid or being deliberately obtuse. I tried the Motor Ombudsman and they said it takes 6 months or more just for an administrator to look at it. Almost Herculean passive aggression. Ain't nobody got time for that. Can't hear, must be sued... Because unlike Vauxhall I can't keep my creditors hanging on on a floating timeline...

[Pezza54]

The average time from claim to county court hearing is now 52 weeks
The motor ombudsman states once they have received complete files the time to an adjudication decision is usually 90 days

If in a years time at the hearing, the judge asks you if you considered adjudication, are you going to answer yes I did but the motor ombudsman told me it would take 6 months?

[MrAEMiller]

They say they might get round to hearing it within 6 months and they might reach a decision within 90 days. There's a lot of mights there. Looking at 9 months either way. Perhaps if Vauxhall were engaging in the process the Ombudsman might be worth it but since they're blanking me... Could go all the way to the end, they could ignore me too and then it'd be 2 years to get anywhere..

[Pezza54]

What are your options?
Refer to the m. ombudsman who should uphold your complaint and instruct Vauxhall to repair the leak - no charge to you and legally binding on Vauxhall
or
Get the leak fixed and pay for the repair, then make a court claim to recover your money plus loss and expense. Will take longer, cost more and no certainty your claim will be successful
or
Keep topping up the oil, sell the car to a dealer or trade it in

The motor ombudsman can refer a business to ICAP if the business fails to comply with the code, such as refusing to take part in adjudication