Hi, first time poster, please be gentle

I bought a 2008 Grand Voyager Ltd from a UK dealer late in 2010. It started leaking oil. I took it to the local Chrysler dealer (not the one I bought the car from). He said it was a warranty repair but he didn't have the part. "Go ahead and use the car" he said, "We'll call you when the part comes in"

After a week or so of driving and further oil leaks I got concerned and asked the local dealer if he'd confirm by email that the car is safe to drive. He was reluctant to do that, then changed his mind and said that the car wasn't safe. But, good news and bad news - the part in question had arrived. Bad news was he did not have the tool to fit it. The tool was on order and could take some time.

Because of the uncertainty he gave me a 2009 Grand Voyager to use as a courtesy car. Very decent of him. But that was two weeks ago. Now he wants that courtesy car back because he's got a buyer for it. My car is still in their workshop and not useable and he can't give me a date for when I'll get my car back. The best he can say is "sometime in April". I don't have confidence in his dates anymore. It could be may or June, or later. My car has been out of commission for two months already.

This model came out in 2008 - surely by now they must have tools to repair this model!

So my questions:
How long is reasonable for repair of a warranty fault?
What are my options in the current circumstances?
What recourse do I have for this long delay - my car has lost hundreds just in depreciation sitting on his forecourt.

 

Nobody?

OK, a different question - what's the longest time your car has been in for repair?

 

your questions are irrelevant if they are waiting on parts and or special tools then that's what they are doing

 

ALL my questions are irrelevant?

Wow!

So if a dealer keeps a car for a whole year - if that's how long it takes to get the parts and tools - that is acceptable? I suppose that's the line a dealer would take

Does anyone know what the legal position is?

 

There isnt one.....You are well within your rights to Tow or drive the vehicle to a different dealership at your expense or risk, but as far as a Reasonable amount of time...."There is none"

If they dont have it, then they dont have it....It isnt going to just simply fall from the sky .

2 Things.....You may have better luck with the selling dealership as far as "LOANER" coverage, since you purchased the car from them, and You may wish to contact Chrysler Customer service, which could very well be the same type of deal...If they dont have it, then they dont have it...

 

And I'd tow it to a different dealer if Chrysler could inform me who had the part and the tool. Apparently nobody in the UK does. Ridiculous!

There isn't a legal position? What a load of rubbish.

A warranty is a contract. Mine has terms and conditions and states that is subject to the laws of England and Wales. Without consulting a lawyer about interpretation of the small print I was hoping someone here could tell me what the legal position was.

Obviously you can't.

At the very least, under the warranty the company would undertake to effect such repairs within a reasonable time. If they didn't then the small claims court would take a presumption of reasonable time and would use its discretion to decide whether the dealer - acting on behalf of Chrysler - conducted the repair within a reasonable time. Excuses of not having the part/tool wouldn't wash in the court room. It's the company's responsibility when providing such a warranty to ensure the supply chain to meet its warranty commitments. Should the court decide that the repair took longer than it should have there'd be costs and damages - including for depreciation of the vehicle.

Anyway, thanks for your input as a Chrysler technician.

 

The key here is "What is considered reasonable"?

If No-one in the area has the part or the necessary tool, Then it is NOT UNREASONABLE to have a delay in returning your vehicle...

Your "Concern" is Not with the dealerships, but rather with Chrysler corporation.
Like I said, If they dont have it, then there is nothing that can be done until they DO HAVE IT. It is not just going to Magically fall from the Sky.

I do understand your point, But as a Technician, If I dont have what I need to fix the car, It waits in the lot until I do. All I can Do about it is wait Until Chrysler Ships it to my parts department.

Actually, ....You did say 2008? Here in the states, we were back-logged on rear brake calipers for 3 months on 08 T+C, and Caravans. Yes it upset alot of people, and caused alot of grief, But, I cant give you back your car with faulty brakes....So you just had to wait it out...

I'm sure there is a Europe division of Chrysler Corp...Call them and raise hell. It might speed things along or Maybe not....But holding the dealership accountable for something that is out of their control is Pointless.

 

I completely agree. My warranty isn't with the dealer, it is with Chrysler (though my consumer protection under the Sale of Goods Act is against the retailer). However, the dealer network is what Chrysler uses to interact with their customer base - whether it's sale of new products or performing warranty repairs. Chrysler doesn't do it directly. The dealer is Chrysler's representative/agent and it's between them and Chrysler to ensure the ability to perform the repairs Chrysler has extended warranties on.

My original post asked how long was reasonable and what my options are. I did not necessarily expect my options to be limited to action against the dealer, they could include making a claim on Chrysler itself as you now suggest.

We'll have to agree to disagree on this. To extend your argument ... if I owned a car manufacturing business I could take one simple step to ensure I never had to honour any warranty: just don't keep parts or tools in stock! Parts may occasionally run out of stock. To have never had the tools to repair this model is ridiculous.

Thanks for sharing that. Funny how dealers don't tell you about situations like this when they're trying to sell you a car.

As a technician I fully appreciate you can't do the repair if you don't have the tool. However, your employers (not you) have a joint responsibility with Chrysler to ensure stock and ability to repair.

 

There are things that we see in the dealer because we are there first hand I dont know how how many times a cust will walk in with a recall notice in hand printed out and its not in our system so we have no idea what needs to be done or parts ordered if needed.
Then something when they plan on a recall they get it out there as fast as possible but may not have the parts or the tools inroder to get it done its a fact of life

 

Without trying to sound like a Jackass....Think for a moment....

The car is broken and should not be operated in its current condition....What is the difference whether it is on a Repair lot awaiting repair, or in your driveway collecting Dust???

Ive seen on several occassions, (The Brake caliper incident I mentioned was Classic)where a Dealer Svc Manager would Just return the car "Unrepaired" and write the ticket as Voided due to parts availability......And released the car, leaving the customer "ON HIS OWN" so to speak.

Basically, The dealerships legal position at that point is .."The customer is aware of a potentially unsafe fault, but demanded the car back anyway"

YOU DO NOT WANT TO DO THIS!!!!!!!

A Polite and courteous phone call to Chryslers consumer relations department is probably your best bet.....Do not mention Lawyers, or law suits, or your rights, or any thing else of the sort.....Just explain your position...

Chrysler, as well as EVERY OTHER MFR, does NOT make their own Parts or tools, They depend on outside Vendors to supply them....(Very much like a Sears Clothes Dryer, that was manufactured by MAYTAG or WHIRLPOOL). The Tools are made by MILLER TOOL CORP, and can only be obtained thru a Chrysler Parts department. Honestly, There are literally Thousands of tools in the catalog, Some are sent to the dealer automatically, some are ordered in, and some are just plain Unavailable.

Do you have any Idea What it is actually that is leaking......???It is not unheard of to have a vehicle repaired at an independent shop, and have the invoice submitted to chrysler for re-imbursement.

Honestly, the salesman is The LAST person to Know about this. We see it in the service department because we have to repair them. In this particular instance, The Vans would come in at 6 or 7 thousand miles, needing rear brakes..... No -one knew about the calipers, until it became a wide spread incident.
No-Body would dream of replacing a caliper at 7K, so the parts supply was almost non-existent. By the time the problem was recognized, the vendor contacted, and the parts manufactured and distributed, It was a mess...