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Hello, so this is a bit of a long one.
I am the owner of a Peugeot 208 which has suffered a catalogue of issues since I purchased it.
I got the car at the end of April 2017, and started having problems with the clutch pretty much straight away. Apparently this is very common for the model, with the bite point being very high and regularly reviewed as unmanageable and problematic. This caused a lot of issues with stalling, which were reported withing the first month, to which the dealership replied that I needed to "settle in" to the car.
I had also started to note a smell I characterised as being "plasticky" and reminiscent of burnt hairdryer- it transpired that this was the smell of a burnt clutch, which I would be come way too familiar with.
The car was taken in twice in a period of just over a week, both times no issues were recorded, and I was told it was likely driving style. I indicated that I wanted to reject the vehicle at this stage, and was then led through the song and dance of a part exchange that went nowhere, partly due to rejection for finance on the higher balance, as clearly I was in negative equity on the finance, and I could not handle the issues direct with the finance company, as the finance was provided as an unsecured loan rather than car finance, so I had no rights to take it up with them.
I had all but given up, but then described the issues to a friend who was an ex-mechanic; he said it sounded like an over worn clutch, that he would expect on a car several years older with 90,000+ miles on the clock. The car has done 42,000 miles to date, 10,000 ish mine. I took the vehicle for independent review, and in five minutes of driving, the mechanic told me that the friction plate was excessively worn and probably would fail in 3-6 months, based on my current mileage.
Then, last week, I noticed the clutch pedal wasn't going all the way up and the car was revving way to high, and the clutch smell, which I didn't know was clutch, had resurfaced. It seemed like the clutch pedal wasn't going up all the way to the bite, which was causing the clutch to slip. Whilst I was driving, the engine cut out and lights came on on the dashboard. This was the final straw for me.
So I have taken this back to the dealership and am pushing forward with rejection. They haven't responded specifically to the rejection, but started telling me that had I reported the issues within a month or two, the first 500 miles, they would have looked to repair or replace at no cost, but the time and mileage means they can't rule out that it's my wear.
My understanding of this, however, is that any issue raised within the first 6 months is assumed to have been present when I took ownership of the vehicle, unless they can prove otherwise. And even if I had to prove it, this is a car which is commonly sighted for having an unmanageable clutch, which is prone to slamming plates, juddering at low gears, causing lurching and "kangarooing" and making any driver fumble like a learner. Surely, even in the absence of a mechanical fault, this precedent of issues should show that excess wear on the clutch is likely due to a design fault on the vehicle, rather than individual driver error? Also, with clutch and gear issues experienced and reported from the get-go, surely they have no basis to say that it was a wear issue caused by me?
For interest, the other issues experienced on the car:
As to issues with the dealership:
I just want done with the car and the dealership, and as far as I can see, it's pretty cut and dried that this is a case of a vehicle which was below the standard one would expect of a 2 year old car with 30,000 miles on the clock, and shouldn't be burning through a clutch. There's plenty of evidence to say that this was either a mechanical issue, or a wear issue caused by design flaws and potentially the previous owner. Is there anything else I need to do to cement the rejection and get my money back?
I am the owner of a Peugeot 208 which has suffered a catalogue of issues since I purchased it.
I got the car at the end of April 2017, and started having problems with the clutch pretty much straight away. Apparently this is very common for the model, with the bite point being very high and regularly reviewed as unmanageable and problematic. This caused a lot of issues with stalling, which were reported withing the first month, to which the dealership replied that I needed to "settle in" to the car.
I had also started to note a smell I characterised as being "plasticky" and reminiscent of burnt hairdryer- it transpired that this was the smell of a burnt clutch, which I would be come way too familiar with.
The car was taken in twice in a period of just over a week, both times no issues were recorded, and I was told it was likely driving style. I indicated that I wanted to reject the vehicle at this stage, and was then led through the song and dance of a part exchange that went nowhere, partly due to rejection for finance on the higher balance, as clearly I was in negative equity on the finance, and I could not handle the issues direct with the finance company, as the finance was provided as an unsecured loan rather than car finance, so I had no rights to take it up with them.
I had all but given up, but then described the issues to a friend who was an ex-mechanic; he said it sounded like an over worn clutch, that he would expect on a car several years older with 90,000+ miles on the clock. The car has done 42,000 miles to date, 10,000 ish mine. I took the vehicle for independent review, and in five minutes of driving, the mechanic told me that the friction plate was excessively worn and probably would fail in 3-6 months, based on my current mileage.
Then, last week, I noticed the clutch pedal wasn't going all the way up and the car was revving way to high, and the clutch smell, which I didn't know was clutch, had resurfaced. It seemed like the clutch pedal wasn't going up all the way to the bite, which was causing the clutch to slip. Whilst I was driving, the engine cut out and lights came on on the dashboard. This was the final straw for me.
So I have taken this back to the dealership and am pushing forward with rejection. They haven't responded specifically to the rejection, but started telling me that had I reported the issues within a month or two, the first 500 miles, they would have looked to repair or replace at no cost, but the time and mileage means they can't rule out that it's my wear.
My understanding of this, however, is that any issue raised within the first 6 months is assumed to have been present when I took ownership of the vehicle, unless they can prove otherwise. And even if I had to prove it, this is a car which is commonly sighted for having an unmanageable clutch, which is prone to slamming plates, juddering at low gears, causing lurching and "kangarooing" and making any driver fumble like a learner. Surely, even in the absence of a mechanical fault, this precedent of issues should show that excess wear on the clutch is likely due to a design fault on the vehicle, rather than individual driver error? Also, with clutch and gear issues experienced and reported from the get-go, surely they have no basis to say that it was a wear issue caused by me?
For interest, the other issues experienced on the car:
- Entertainment system cutting out
- Parking sensor failure
- Gears grinding and hopping out
- Spongy brakes causing a loud squeal
- Whilst driving at 60mph, a message came on the dashboard, stating to "stop immediately" due to an oil pressure fault. This was later determined to be due to the oil filler cap not being correctly fitted, resulting in a loss of 1.5 litres of oil. Whilst they fervently denied that this issue would have had anything to do with the dealership, they paid for the oil, and time. Not something one would do if it wasn't their fault. Also, it makes sense that the oil was lost slowly over time rather than all in one go, as no oil was in the engine bay or noticed pooling on the drive
- Car pulls to the right- consistently enough that this has worn the front driver's side tyre smooth on the outer rim, this has been an issue from day one, which was mentioned, but not noted as it was believed to be due to cross-wind. The consistent wear and my further tests show that it is a real issue with the wheels, present from day one
- Tyre pressure sensor failure- recovery agent pumped both front tyres, telling me they were very low.
As to issues with the dealership:
- Drove my car at 85 mph in a 50 mph zone, nearly got my insurance cancelled
- Have cost me around £400 in "courtesy" vehicles and lost work - due to increase with the latest incident
- Attempted to pressure my dad to take finance in his name for a vehicle I would be using- which is fraud unless specifically done as an accommodation deal
- General attitude and dismissiveness.
I just want done with the car and the dealership, and as far as I can see, it's pretty cut and dried that this is a case of a vehicle which was below the standard one would expect of a 2 year old car with 30,000 miles on the clock, and shouldn't be burning through a clutch. There's plenty of evidence to say that this was either a mechanical issue, or a wear issue caused by design flaws and potentially the previous owner. Is there anything else I need to do to cement the rejection and get my money back?
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