My magical V8 Vantage!!
Discussion
So, my V8V went in to a certain west London AM dealership last week for a small warranty job (the 12v charger socket in the center console wasn't working).
I went abroard for a few days, so due to the time difference and us missing one anothers calls, the car had to stay there longer than anticipated.
On my return I was informed by the dealer that the problem was related to "non-standard" wiring (he said "maybe a previous owner had an iPod or Parrot system hooked up in the past" - even though the car has Bluetooth!) Basically, he said it would cost £115 to fix (fuse and wiring corrected) and the warranty I paid circa £1500 to extend two months ago wouldn't cover it. This obviously pissed me off (it's the principle!) so I said I'd rather it didn't work then pay AM any more money.
The car was returned to me within a couple of hours. This was on Monday.
Today, just for the sake of it, I tried my in-car charger in the socket, and hey presto, it only worked!!
Now, what I don't get is this... does my car have miraculous self-healing powers, or am I right to be a little suspicious of the dealer and the story they gave me about the socket needing re-wiring at a cost of £115??!
Hmm. I wonder.
I went abroard for a few days, so due to the time difference and us missing one anothers calls, the car had to stay there longer than anticipated.
On my return I was informed by the dealer that the problem was related to "non-standard" wiring (he said "maybe a previous owner had an iPod or Parrot system hooked up in the past" - even though the car has Bluetooth!) Basically, he said it would cost £115 to fix (fuse and wiring corrected) and the warranty I paid circa £1500 to extend two months ago wouldn't cover it. This obviously pissed me off (it's the principle!) so I said I'd rather it didn't work then pay AM any more money.
The car was returned to me within a couple of hours. This was on Monday.
Today, just for the sake of it, I tried my in-car charger in the socket, and hey presto, it only worked!!
Now, what I don't get is this... does my car have miraculous self-healing powers, or am I right to be a little suspicious of the dealer and the story they gave me about the socket needing re-wiring at a cost of £115??!
Hmm. I wonder.
Yeah I thought that was a possibility too - which means they were trying their luck when on Monday morning they said "we can fix it, but it'll cost you £115"!
I'm not complaining, just somewhat intrigued by their behaviour, because somewhere or somehow, they weren't being totally straight with me!
I'm not complaining, just somewhat intrigued by their behaviour, because somewhere or somehow, they weren't being totally straight with me!
They wouldn't find something like that under an extended warranty check. Also, extra equipment fitted, not supplied by Aston themselves is not coverd under any Aston policy as it is not made or supplied by them so a warranty claim is not the issue here. If the car had been sold by the dealer and the fault reported back to them within a reasonable time scale then they would have fixed it FOC but as it wasn't they are under no obligation to do such a thing. This is one of the (albeit minor) issues with private sales. You'll probably find the tech fixed it because he didn't want to (or expect to) take it all apart again. Or he may have just changed the fuse to test the system and left it in along with the wiring for the bluetooth kit. If this car is an O7 my or earlier car that probably explains why it had an extra kit fitted as the standard system at that time was not so hot. (There's another thread explaining this)
At least it works. Don't blame the dealer though. You wouldn't go in to a solicitors, get half an hours advice and then expect to walk out without paying even though they didn't actually do anthing.
At least it works. Don't blame the dealer though. You wouldn't go in to a solicitors, get half an hours advice and then expect to walk out without paying even though they didn't actually do anthing.
Knights of Aston said:
They wouldn't find something like that under an extended warranty check. Also, extra equipment fitted, not supplied by Aston themselves is not coverd under any Aston policy as it is not made or supplied by them so a warranty claim is not the issue here. If the car had been sold by the dealer and the fault reported back to them within a reasonable time scale then they would have fixed it FOC but as it wasn't they are under no obligation to do such a thing. This is one of the (albeit minor) issues with private sales. You'll probably find the tech fixed it because he didn't want to (or expect to) take it all apart again. Or he may have just changed the fuse to test the system and left it in along with the wiring for the bluetooth kit. If this car is an O7 my or earlier car that probably explains why it had an extra kit fitted as the standard system at that time was not so hot. (There's another thread explaining this)
At least it works. Don't blame the dealer though. You wouldn't go in to a solicitors, get half an hours advice and then expect to walk out without paying even though they didn't actually do anthing.
point well madeAt least it works. Don't blame the dealer though. You wouldn't go in to a solicitors, get half an hours advice and then expect to walk out without paying even though they didn't actually do anthing.
Yep all very true, although I'd expect my warranty to cover half an hours worth of investigation in to a minor fault, regardless of whether something was done to fix it or not.
I'm obviously glad that the socket now works, just would've preferred for the process to have had a bit more clarity, that's all.
I'm obviously glad that the socket now works, just would've preferred for the process to have had a bit more clarity, that's all.
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