Ford warranty and 'trim'

[lim57]

Hello

I was wondering if any body had experience with claiming on the Ford warranty. Their warranty is 3 years but after the first year this excludes 

'Trim  and  Bodywork  –  Interior  trims,  glass  (heating  elements  are  covered),  seat  covers,  frames,  springs, headrests,  pads,  bumpers,  mouldings,  paint,  sheet  metal,  water  ingress,  weather  strips,  body  seals,  aerials  and wheels' 

It's understandable that they would exclude trim as this is a high wear item and any problems after the first issue are most likely due to wear and tear. But it seems to me that they will exclude anything inside the car under the guise of 'interior trim' . 

I ask as I am currently disputing a few interior items of the car which are not touch by a human being 99% of the time! 

Cheers 

[iantt]

what interior items and whats the issue thats now apparent that wasnt in the first 12 months?

 

[lim57]

I purchased the car second hand so couldn't say if these issues became apparent in the first 12 months. 

The first problem is that the cover for the sensors behind the rear view mirror rattles at low speeds. This is a part of the car which won't be touched so the problem shouldn't have been caused by a user. 

The second problem is that the gear shift gaiter is not as secure as it should be and so sometimes disconnects from the centre console when put in reverse. Obviously the gear shift gaiter moves around a lot when changing gears but this is normal use and should not be expected to cause damage. I wouldn't class this as an item of trim. Trim implies its primary purpose is cosmetic, the gaiter prevents egress of dirt and therefore performs the job of preventing damage to the gear changing mechanisms. 

The Ford dealership which I have taken it to has claimed that they are unable to know the full history of the car and therefore can not determine why these parts are causing issues. Having read around consumer rights the onus seems to lie with the company to prove that issues have been caused due to improper use or neglect. This is by the by if fords line is 'that is trim and as such not covered' 

[Jethro_Tull]

EU law gives you up to 6 years warranty, 2 years minimum, and is a statutory right.  May as well make use of it while were still in the EU...

 

http://www.mirror.co.uk/money/little-known-eu-law-gives-8586685

 

If they won't fix the faults, quote the regs.  If they still refuse download the papers for a small claims court hearing, fill them out, and had them to the dealer with a letter giving them 14 days to resolve the issue of you'll submit the claim to the court requesting the regulations be enforced.  I recently had to do this with a solar panel company, and within 72 hrs had a £1700 repair completed for free.

 

However, there is a big 'but'...  Each case is measured against a reasonable standard.  If you've just paid top money for a 10,000 mile car you're probably safe.  If you've knowingly bought a high miler it might be the case that a court would rule that its reasonable to expect high mileage 8 year old cars to have niggles, hence them being cheaper than low mileage used cars.  You don't state the age, mileage or price you paid, so its hard to judge that one.

Inside of 6 months the law presumes that the fault was present or developing at the time of sale, so the bally falls automatically in their court.

 

Unfortunately, used cars cost less than new ones for a good reason.

 

 

[Micro]

I believe that EU law is actually (at least partially) written into UK legislation (Consumer Rights Act 2015).

This law gives you up to 6 years to claim that something you have purchased is not fit for purpose, not as described, or not of satisfactory quality.

http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/regulation/consumer-rights-act

This claim is against the business that you purchased the car from (and therefore had a sale contract with), and is separate to the warranty Ford offer - and will probably trump it. I have tried and failed to even get a minimal reimbursement for my paint issue (tailgate trim rubbing on paintwork, known TSB for it, and obvious design fault but no recompense) from Ford under warranty...

As for the rattles - is the cover securely in place, connected by all tabs it should be connected by? You can try a piece of foam inserted behind it when you clip it in, just to put a little pressure on it. Even a small amount of travel for a piece of plastic against something else hard will make a racket over uneven surfaces.

If the gear shift gaiter is anything like the Mk 2.5s, is the plastic inner frame still in one piece and not bent or mishapen?