Poor dealer experience
Discussion
Just back from the dealer having asked them to look into a dangerous wet braking issue on my 22 gt and they tested balance on the rollers and told me all is well! This is despite me saying they are fine in dry conditions. Eh?
Also my car has stalled on a few occasions when stopping and I explained it feels like a manual gearbox and not dipping the clutch. To which have been told it is the stop start although I told them I always disable it.
And to top it off the drivers door hinge clunks when closing (a well documented fault on this forum) to which was told they all do that!! WTF.
Also my car has stalled on a few occasions when stopping and I explained it feels like a manual gearbox and not dipping the clutch. To which have been told it is the stop start although I told them I always disable it.
And to top it off the drivers door hinge clunks when closing (a well documented fault on this forum) to which was told they all do that!! WTF.
To be fair, apart from the clunking door hinge my issues are not easy to diagnose without a decent drive in specific conditions, (hot traffic for the stalling and 20 miles of wet motorway for the brakes) which is my commute. They were busy and perhaps didn’t have the time. I dropped it off at 8am and they called me to collect at 10. I was just shocked to be fobbed off quite so clumsily. As if we don’t know when we are using the stop/start! Got me thinking about Supra.
Has it ever stalled in Sport or Track mode? This could at least narrow down whether it's related to the Stop/Start system, even if it is switched off it could be a software issue.
If the car pulls to one side under braking only when wet it'll be difficult to diagnose. Checking brake balance, then stripping and checking for uneven wear on all four corners is easy enough. If it all checks out then a brake bleed may be a good idea.
The door hinge or check strap clunking occasionally is common and do think it's just one of those things.
If the car pulls to one side under braking only when wet it'll be difficult to diagnose. Checking brake balance, then stripping and checking for uneven wear on all four corners is easy enough. If it all checks out then a brake bleed may be a good idea.
The door hinge or check strap clunking occasionally is common and do think it's just one of those things.
Only stalls in normal but 100% a mechanical/clutch release issue. If you have ever stopped a manual car without putting your foot on the clutch, this is my random problem.
I agree about diagnosing wet brake issues but question why not reported before on PH especially as the discs are so exposed to water with no back plates
I agree about diagnosing wet brake issues but question why not reported before on PH especially as the discs are so exposed to water with no back plates
Trying to use rollers to diagnose braking issues is a fallacy. In my Alfa Guiulia I had the rear pads stick on to the discs (obviously wet when I parked it up for a while). Part of the pads broke away when I moved the car. I told them to replace the pads but rather than listen to me the dealer ran all the tests on the rollers etc and assured all was in order. I had to tell them to remove and physically inspect them. Eventually when they did “you need to replace the pads sir”. Quelle bleeding surprise.
Dealers just are not used to customers actually having some knowledge about these things. I should have just done the work myself.
Dealers just are not used to customers actually having some knowledge about these things. I should have just done the work myself.
Quick update on my visit to Hendy Alpine Eastleigh this morning. Car is 3 weeks old and shortly after I got it home I noticed the driver side outside front brake pad had partly broken up so that only about 50% was in contact with the disc. Not a massive issue and probably down to the pad being stuck to the disc at the dealership for a while.
Anyway, took it in this morning expecting a new set of pads to be fitted and the disc cleaned up, however the technician wasn’t happy with this as has asked Alpine for authorisation for a set on new discs and pads which need to be ordered in.
So the issue wasn’t fixed this morning but I’m happy with the communication and the technician’s desire to be thorough with the fix, will just have to have another visit in a week or so.
On the plus side I picked up my Alpine rain jacket from Adam in the showroom
Anyway, took it in this morning expecting a new set of pads to be fitted and the disc cleaned up, however the technician wasn’t happy with this as has asked Alpine for authorisation for a set on new discs and pads which need to be ordered in.
So the issue wasn’t fixed this morning but I’m happy with the communication and the technician’s desire to be thorough with the fix, will just have to have another visit in a week or so.
On the plus side I picked up my Alpine rain jacket from Adam in the showroom
Thanks for the update. I know it’s early days for them but that bodes well. I will take my problems over for a direct comparison of customer service.
While you were examining the front brakes did you see if there was back plate fitted behind and surrounding the disc?
On my car the rear has them but not the front which seems odd.
While you were examining the front brakes did you see if there was back plate fitted behind and surrounding the disc?
On my car the rear has them but not the front which seems odd.
moto63 said:
Thanks for the update. I know it’s early days for them but that bodes well. I will take my problems over for a direct comparison of customer service.
While you were examining the front brakes did you see if there was back plate fitted behind and surrounding the disc?
On my car the rear has them but not the front which seems odd.
No problem. Didn’t really notice the back plate but then I wasn’t really looking for it, but will check next time I get the car out While you were examining the front brakes did you see if there was back plate fitted behind and surrounding the disc?
On my car the rear has them but not the front which seems odd.
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