Discussion
Without meaning to detract from the T350c and Tamora, which are unquestionably great cars, I was wondering what 'faults' people have come to live with or that dealers cannot (or refuse) to fix.
I have:
1) Doors that leak (passenger side torrentially)
2) Offside window that whistles infuriatingly above 30mph and won't close above 40mph (fouls on roofline)
3) Digital speedo that fluctuates wildly (waiting for parts to fix)
4) Bonnet that's 'dropped' onto engine and worn through part of the fibreglass. Now requires a rubber wedge to be inserted between bonnet and wings to prevent further damage (dealer maintains that this is 'normal' and refuses to fix it). Windscreen wiper arm also fouls on bonnet.
5) Fuel filler that regurgitates/sprays petrol
6) Poor starting/idling (had the idle speed reset by dealer twice to no avail)
7) CD player that overheats and refuses to play CDs after prolonged driving
I must admit that in the 6 months that I have owned my T350c I have been disappointed by both the quality of the car, the number of faults that I'm expected to 'live with' and the dealer's customer service. For a £40000 car that's one and a half years old I was hoping for more.
Of course the car, when it's good, is fantastic but for me this makes the problems so much more frustrating.
There are many other problems and issues that I have had over the months and most have been dealt with unsatisfactorily by the dealer who sold me the car. Consequently I have written a letter of complaint and am currently looking for a replacement vehicle....the only problem now is I can't get more than £22000 for mine.
If anyone has any comment to add, it would be much appreciated. Like I said earlier, I don't mean to detract from the experience of owning a T350c and I certainly wouldn't dissuade anyone from buying one, I'm just interested to know how others have got on with theirs.
All the best,
Steve
I have:
1) Doors that leak (passenger side torrentially)
2) Offside window that whistles infuriatingly above 30mph and won't close above 40mph (fouls on roofline)
3) Digital speedo that fluctuates wildly (waiting for parts to fix)
4) Bonnet that's 'dropped' onto engine and worn through part of the fibreglass. Now requires a rubber wedge to be inserted between bonnet and wings to prevent further damage (dealer maintains that this is 'normal' and refuses to fix it). Windscreen wiper arm also fouls on bonnet.
5) Fuel filler that regurgitates/sprays petrol
6) Poor starting/idling (had the idle speed reset by dealer twice to no avail)
7) CD player that overheats and refuses to play CDs after prolonged driving
I must admit that in the 6 months that I have owned my T350c I have been disappointed by both the quality of the car, the number of faults that I'm expected to 'live with' and the dealer's customer service. For a £40000 car that's one and a half years old I was hoping for more.
Of course the car, when it's good, is fantastic but for me this makes the problems so much more frustrating.
There are many other problems and issues that I have had over the months and most have been dealt with unsatisfactorily by the dealer who sold me the car. Consequently I have written a letter of complaint and am currently looking for a replacement vehicle....the only problem now is I can't get more than £22000 for mine.
If anyone has any comment to add, it would be much appreciated. Like I said earlier, I don't mean to detract from the experience of owning a T350c and I certainly wouldn't dissuade anyone from buying one, I'm just interested to know how others have got on with theirs.
All the best,
Steve
Sounds a little bit unlucky to me.
The fuel filler problem has been around since day one and despite some revisions to the design it still seems to spit petrol at people.
I've not had any whistling from the doors or windows except at motorway speeds and event then it's faint. Your dealer should sort this out for you; I would think that it's likely to be one of the door seals. This would also explain the water leaks you're getting.
Digital speedo errors might be the common speed sensor problem and it sounds like that might be the part you're waiting for.
Interesting comment about the bonnet dropping. I haven't heard of this one but I'll have a look in the morning to see if it's happening on mine.
The fuel filler problem has been around since day one and despite some revisions to the design it still seems to spit petrol at people.
I've not had any whistling from the doors or windows except at motorway speeds and event then it's faint. Your dealer should sort this out for you; I would think that it's likely to be one of the door seals. This would also explain the water leaks you're getting.
Digital speedo errors might be the common speed sensor problem and it sounds like that might be the part you're waiting for.
Interesting comment about the bonnet dropping. I haven't heard of this one but I'll have a look in the morning to see if it's happening on mine.
Thanks for the reply, what's actually happening with the bonnet is that the offside bonnet 'vent' was rubbing on the airbox, spraying fibreglass dust all over the engine bay and eventually rubbing through the fibreglass and paint until it was visible on the exterior.
The reason that the dealership gave for this is that the bonnet has 'dropped' onto the engine but they said it could not be fixed or adjusted (and refuse to accept responsibility)
As for the windows and doors problem, they are adamant that they cannot do anything, stating '....if we re-adjust things, something else will go wrong...'
To give you an idea of what I've endured during my ownership and issues that may be common or not:
1) Car delivered with no oil on dipstick at all....not even a smudge
2) Heating and ventilation broke down leaving me with no heating or fan for 4 weeks whilst I waited for a part to arrive. This wasn't fun during November/December!
3) Windscreen washer repeatedly failed to work. I found the problem to be the hose leading from the reservoir, which would not stay on the bottle. The dealer fixed it, but charged me for labour and new hosing.
4) Doors dropped (both sides), scuffing door sills and ultimately became almost impossible to open. After much wrangling, the dealership accepted responsibility and had the doors and sills resprayed and adjusted at no cost to myself.
5) But an hour after I got the car back, the passenger door wouldn't close. I was 50 miles away from the dealership by now and they suggested that I drive back to them with the door taped to the car. Obviously I told them this was totally unacceptable and spent half an hour pushing and pulling it until the door closed. Turns out that the doors had been adjusted but the locking pin hadn't been resited.
6) This made me realise that the car was sold without any breakdown cover!
7) Timing chains and valve clearances needed adjusting at the 18000 mile service, leaving me with a bill for £1100.....this was work that was (apparently) done during the 12000 mile service (which the dealer performed before delivery of the car). I suspect that this wasn't the case, as I informed the dealer that the engine sounded rough at the 12000 mile service and they told me 'not to worry about it'. When I got it back from the 18000 service it had magically disappeared.
8) Carpeting in the passenger footwell is loose and falls into the footwell
9) The bonnet/door/window etc.... problems as mentioned ealier
10) I can't tax the car as it hasn't been registered by the dealer (and I hadn't realised that the V5 never came)
I think I'll stop there before I bore everyone to death!
I know, by reading the archives that others have suffered worse misery and I don't want to sound like I'm moaning unnecessarily, but like I said ealier, I expect more from a car that I bought for over £35000.
All the best for the New Year,
Steve
The reason that the dealership gave for this is that the bonnet has 'dropped' onto the engine but they said it could not be fixed or adjusted (and refuse to accept responsibility)
As for the windows and doors problem, they are adamant that they cannot do anything, stating '....if we re-adjust things, something else will go wrong...'
To give you an idea of what I've endured during my ownership and issues that may be common or not:
1) Car delivered with no oil on dipstick at all....not even a smudge
2) Heating and ventilation broke down leaving me with no heating or fan for 4 weeks whilst I waited for a part to arrive. This wasn't fun during November/December!
3) Windscreen washer repeatedly failed to work. I found the problem to be the hose leading from the reservoir, which would not stay on the bottle. The dealer fixed it, but charged me for labour and new hosing.
4) Doors dropped (both sides), scuffing door sills and ultimately became almost impossible to open. After much wrangling, the dealership accepted responsibility and had the doors and sills resprayed and adjusted at no cost to myself.
5) But an hour after I got the car back, the passenger door wouldn't close. I was 50 miles away from the dealership by now and they suggested that I drive back to them with the door taped to the car. Obviously I told them this was totally unacceptable and spent half an hour pushing and pulling it until the door closed. Turns out that the doors had been adjusted but the locking pin hadn't been resited.
6) This made me realise that the car was sold without any breakdown cover!
7) Timing chains and valve clearances needed adjusting at the 18000 mile service, leaving me with a bill for £1100.....this was work that was (apparently) done during the 12000 mile service (which the dealer performed before delivery of the car). I suspect that this wasn't the case, as I informed the dealer that the engine sounded rough at the 12000 mile service and they told me 'not to worry about it'. When I got it back from the 18000 service it had magically disappeared.
8) Carpeting in the passenger footwell is loose and falls into the footwell
9) The bonnet/door/window etc.... problems as mentioned ealier
10) I can't tax the car as it hasn't been registered by the dealer (and I hadn't realised that the V5 never came)
I think I'll stop there before I bore everyone to death!
I know, by reading the archives that others have suffered worse misery and I don't want to sound like I'm moaning unnecessarily, but like I said ealier, I expect more from a car that I bought for over £35000.
All the best for the New Year,
Steve
T350Ste said:
1) Car delivered with no oil on dipstick at all....not even a smudge
You're checking the oil level when the engine is hot, right? It would be shocking for the dealer to sell you a car with low oil. But from what you've said, I guess this could have happened...
On the whole you seem to have had a lot of niggles (and couple of big gripes) which could be expected from a new car. However, since you say it has done >18k miles then I don't understand how these weren't caught earlier by the previous owner. In any case for 35k I would still expect the dealer to at least fix the smaller ones.
Ah well, we shouldn't be grumpy this early in the year. Time to go and go for a drive to remind yourself why you bought it, I think!
Agree totally unacceptable level of probs Steve. As Rebelstar says, most are lingering issues that should have been sorted for original owner.
Mine had lots of minor adjustments & fixes at 6mth service, inc. new heater fan, but since then been 100% A1, except for long-awaited new speedo sensor.
Tough break, sympathies.
Mine had lots of minor adjustments & fixes at 6mth service, inc. new heater fan, but since then been 100% A1, except for long-awaited new speedo sensor.
Tough break, sympathies. Thanks for the kind words, I'm glad you don't think I'm being unreasonable. I doubt though, that I'll get much in the way of sympathy from the dealer.
If anyone has any suggestions as to how I should manage the complaint from hereon and how I might recoup a reasonable price for the car, these would be very much appreciated. Nearly £15000 depreciation in 6 months is hard to swallow.
Happy New Year to all,
Steve
If anyone has any suggestions as to how I should manage the complaint from hereon and how I might recoup a reasonable price for the car, these would be very much appreciated. Nearly £15000 depreciation in 6 months is hard to swallow.
Happy New Year to all,
Steve
That's the best price I've been able to find so far, both part-ex and an outright cash sale to a dealer.
I'm sure I would get more in a private sale, but I don't really have the time to spend in this manner.
The car is red bull blue, 19k miles, air con, leather/alcantara interior, single cd, rear speaker upgrade, FTVRSH and the exterior is unblemished, other than a few small stone chips on the front and very slight kerbing of the nearside front wheel.
I'm starting to think that even though I'm really annoyed with the car and the customer service I've received, it's worth more to me than it seems to be to anyone else!
Is it normal that a used TVR is sold by a franchised dealer with no breakdown cover? I found that particularly amazing.
In response to rebelstar, I check the oil when it's hot (>80), on level ground and after most journeys. They seem to have a problem handling oil at that dealership as after the 18000 service I checked the level....it was about 3 inches from the screw top of the dipstick and the car was promptly dumping oil all over the garage floor.
Steve
>> Edited by T350Ste on Saturday 1st January 12:27
I'm sure I would get more in a private sale, but I don't really have the time to spend in this manner.
The car is red bull blue, 19k miles, air con, leather/alcantara interior, single cd, rear speaker upgrade, FTVRSH and the exterior is unblemished, other than a few small stone chips on the front and very slight kerbing of the nearside front wheel.
I'm starting to think that even though I'm really annoyed with the car and the customer service I've received, it's worth more to me than it seems to be to anyone else!
Is it normal that a used TVR is sold by a franchised dealer with no breakdown cover? I found that particularly amazing.
In response to rebelstar, I check the oil when it's hot (>80), on level ground and after most journeys. They seem to have a problem handling oil at that dealership as after the 18000 service I checked the level....it was about 3 inches from the screw top of the dipstick and the car was promptly dumping oil all over the garage floor.
Steve
>> Edited by T350Ste on Saturday 1st January 12:27
Just read through your tale of woe Daggart, mine's not really on a par with yours (just thank goodness you're still alive).
From searching the archives it seems that alot, if not most people who've owned modern TVRs have had problems that have caused significant annoyance and which, on occasion, have seemed downright dangerous.
I for one, would gladly pay more for a reassurance of reliability, or at the very least that problems could be rectified by dealers.
Has there been any co-ordinated action to bring all of these cases to the attention of TVR collectively? With a new owner of the company it may actually attract some attention, but perhaps that's expecting too much.
Steve
From searching the archives it seems that alot, if not most people who've owned modern TVRs have had problems that have caused significant annoyance and which, on occasion, have seemed downright dangerous.
I for one, would gladly pay more for a reassurance of reliability, or at the very least that problems could be rectified by dealers.
Has there been any co-ordinated action to bring all of these cases to the attention of TVR collectively? With a new owner of the company it may actually attract some attention, but perhaps that's expecting too much.
Steve
Steve - sympathy for your troubles mate. Hope you get a result in '05. Im about to take ownership of my T350, your tales are certainly a heads-up.
Couple of things strike me. Your dealer sounds absolutely appalling. I'd think about getting a second opinion. There are plenty of 'trusted' dealer recommendations around this site, probably one not too far from you.
Also - the amount you've been offered for your car. That can't be right. I have just bought a £32,000 car that is similar in age to yours (about 2 years). A few less miles though. Im pretty sure my dealer didn't buy it in for £22,000 (I bet he wish he did). Surely he must have payed around £28,000 for it?
All the best.
Andrew.
Couple of things strike me. Your dealer sounds absolutely appalling. I'd think about getting a second opinion. There are plenty of 'trusted' dealer recommendations around this site, probably one not too far from you.
Also - the amount you've been offered for your car. That can't be right. I have just bought a £32,000 car that is similar in age to yours (about 2 years). A few less miles though. Im pretty sure my dealer didn't buy it in for £22,000 (I bet he wish he did). Surely he must have payed around £28,000 for it?
All the best.
Andrew.
Thanks for the comment, unfortunately £22000 is the best I've been able to get from anyone so far. If I could get over 25k for it I'd be overjoyed.
You share my thoughts on the dealer. They were ok when dealing with my Tuscan (which I also bought from them) but I have never been satisfied with their approach since I've had the t350c. The service department seems to have gone downhill in the last 6 months in a big way.
All the best of luck with your t350, I hope all goes well,
Steve
You share my thoughts on the dealer. They were ok when dealing with my Tuscan (which I also bought from them) but I have never been satisfied with their approach since I've had the t350c. The service department seems to have gone downhill in the last 6 months in a big way.
All the best of luck with your t350, I hope all goes well,
Steve
You have my sympathy Steve.
Unfortunately, this seems about par for the course of owning a T350.
I'm not about to start the arguments again, and I know there are plenty of good ones out there, but its shocking just how much of a lottery it is when buying one. For the record, I suffered about 90% of your problems, plus some other "quirks" of having the targa roof.
Hope you get some satifactory resolution.
All the best.
Unfortunately, this seems about par for the course of owning a T350.
I'm not about to start the arguments again, and I know there are plenty of good ones out there, but its shocking just how much of a lottery it is when buying one. For the record, I suffered about 90% of your problems, plus some other "quirks" of having the targa roof.
Hope you get some satifactory resolution.
All the best.
Thank you for all the comments so far.
I just don't know, though, how to get satisfactory resolution out of this.
If I could have the car fixed properly so that it performed as it should, I would be happy and the amount that I'm losing in depreciation wouldn't be an enormous issue.
The way I feel at the moment is that it's not worth emptying my pockets into a car that costs so much to run in terms of time, money (and sanity) but will never be right. And the attitude of the dealer just makes it worse.
Consequently I've written a letter of complaint to the dealer and will copy a letter to TVR. That's all, it seems, I can do.
Without meaning to sound too militant, I would hope others who have recurrent problems with their cars do the same. The more that we say 'it's a TVR, live with it', the less notice the company will take, after all we're the ones who ultimately decide if they succeed or not.
The reason I asked about co-ordinated action is that when I owned an Elise a couple of years ago, a number of us on the BBS helped to force Lotus to recall their cars due to floor corrosion problem that afflicted many.
If anyone has any suggestions about where I could go from here, I would be very grateful.
Steve
I just don't know, though, how to get satisfactory resolution out of this.
If I could have the car fixed properly so that it performed as it should, I would be happy and the amount that I'm losing in depreciation wouldn't be an enormous issue.
The way I feel at the moment is that it's not worth emptying my pockets into a car that costs so much to run in terms of time, money (and sanity) but will never be right. And the attitude of the dealer just makes it worse.
Consequently I've written a letter of complaint to the dealer and will copy a letter to TVR. That's all, it seems, I can do.
Without meaning to sound too militant, I would hope others who have recurrent problems with their cars do the same. The more that we say 'it's a TVR, live with it', the less notice the company will take, after all we're the ones who ultimately decide if they succeed or not.
The reason I asked about co-ordinated action is that when I owned an Elise a couple of years ago, a number of us on the BBS helped to force Lotus to recall their cars due to floor corrosion problem that afflicted many.
If anyone has any suggestions about where I could go from here, I would be very grateful.
Steve
T350Ste said:
Thank you for all the comments so far.
I just don't know, though, how to get satisfactory resolution out of this.
If I could have the car fixed properly so that it performed as it should, I would be happy and the amount that I'm losing in depreciation wouldn't be an enormous issue.
The way I feel at the moment is that it's not worth emptying my pockets into a car that costs so much to run in terms of time, money (and sanity) but will never be right. And the attitude of the dealer just makes it worse.
Consequently I've written a letter of complaint to the dealer and will copy a letter to TVR. That's all, it seems, I can do.
Without meaning to sound too militant, I would hope others who have recurrent problems with their cars do the same. The more that we say 'it's a TVR, live with it', the less notice the company will take, after all we're the ones who ultimately decide if they succeed or not.
The reason I asked about co-ordinated action is that when I owned an Elise a couple of years ago, a number of us on the BBS helped to force Lotus to recall their cars due to floor corrosion problem that afflicted many.
If anyone has any suggestions about where I could go from here, I would be very grateful.
Steve
You're dead right Steve. I guess I took the easy way out and just sold the car, albeit costing me about 12k.
I ended up using TVR Power for mechanical stuff. Problem is that there are limits to what they can do (i.e. mechanical) - for anything else my car ended up going back to the factory. Don't know if these are options for you?
Thanks for the reply neil.b, TVR Power would be better for me. I've heard good things about them and they're closer to me than the unmentionable dealer that I purchased the vehicle from.
As I bought the car from another dealer though, I'm not sure how costly the correctional work would be (the warranty covers very little). It's an avenue I'll explore when they open again, haven't got much to lose now!
Thanks,
Steve
As I bought the car from another dealer though, I'm not sure how costly the correctional work would be (the warranty covers very little). It's an avenue I'll explore when they open again, haven't got much to lose now!
Thanks,
Steve
T350Ste said:
Thanks for the reply neil.b, TVR Power would be better for me. I've heard good things about them and they're closer to me than the unmentionable dealer that I purchased the vehicle from.
As I bought the car from another dealer though, I'm not sure how costly the correctional work would be (the warranty covers very little). It's an avenue I'll explore when they open again, haven't got much to lose now!
Thanks,
Steve
They are very good, but alas, were very popular and busy because of it. Not sure what the situation is down there now they've been given a much bigger role in the organisation. They were hiring people a while ago so perhaps waiting times are better.
this is a very sad thread
it is very easy for dealers or TVR to see this as 'typical PH gossip'.
However, i hope that someone higher up is listening as it's ruining/sustaining TVR's reputation and needs to be adequately addressed.
Comments like these cannot be passed over or pathologised by glib categorisation of the complainants.
I wouldn't run my company like that.
I hope you folks get some satisfaction.
J
it is very easy for dealers or TVR to see this as 'typical PH gossip'.
However, i hope that someone higher up is listening as it's ruining/sustaining TVR's reputation and needs to be adequately addressed.
Comments like these cannot be passed over or pathologised by glib categorisation of the complainants.
I wouldn't run my company like that.
I hope you folks get some satisfaction.
J
T350Ste said:
they're closer to me than the unmentionable dealer that I purchased the vehicle from.
Aren't we allowed to mention the name of a dealer on this website if we have bad experiences of a dealer?
I would have thought that would be one of the most valuable resources to have on this site, perhaps to have a dedicated Dealer feedback forum, where both good and bad reports can be posted?
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