Renault Warranty - Nightmare!!

[trophy176]

My drivers door on the Trophy is catching the bodywork and causing the paint to chip off on the door and body. I took it to my local franchised bodyshop and they said it would be covered under warranty but I would have to take it to Renault garage to get approved then past back to them.

Three Renault people have now looked at it and decided that the door is aligned but the plastic trim needs 'adjusting' because of this 'adjusting' it is not covered under warranty. When speaking to Renault Customer service they said that body work is only covered up to 2000 miles. Also because I was second owner I could not verify its previous history!!

I cant understand why this is not covered, if it is the plastic trim which is at fault. It means that Renault are churning cars out that wont last their full warranty and have a get out clause by identifying that work done comes under the term 'adjusting'.

Very peeded off at mo as to sort my self will cost £340 (Renault price so probably can find cheaper) and also noticed passenger door has started to chip as well. Lost my temper a bit on phone to Renault customer service as the girl could not understand my reasoning for 'adjustment'.

Any thoughts advice or do I just have to take this on the chin and pay for it?

I would post pics but I have reached upload quota!!

 

[SpaceMonkey]

Sounds like the door has dropped to me mate.
In which case I'd demand Renault do it under warranty.

 

[g40steve]

Every 182 marks in the same place, yours is just worse than others.

The touch up you used is a mile out also, get the proper one & use a cocktail stick not the supplied brush.

 

[trophy176]

By saying the door has dropped they will simply say it is an 'adjustment'.

Yeah plus the paint I used was a bit out so it does look worse!!

 

[Nik]

I would post pics but I have reached upload quota!!

Try again, I've increased all members attachment quotas from 50MB to 200MB now

 

[Cue]

yeh get the pic up as i can visualise what you mean, if the door alignment is out, they should adjust it under warranty, the fact your a second and not primary owner is irrelevant.

 

[DaveTrophy]

I take it this is what g40steve was showing us at FCS?

Seems strange that they all do it :? although I can't say I've noticed any marking on the passenger side - should I expect it to develop?

 

[son of solo]

dont get me started about the dealers in the toon...i'll guess and say it was scotswood road benfield that told you this...i wouldnt go back there again...
where is it catching.? just looked at mine ...seems ok thankfully
i have jeremy townsend's e mail address (main guy at renault sport uk) if you want to give him a try...
arnt the trophys meant to be hand built? you would think this wouldnt happen
can you post a pic?

 

[DaveTrophy]

They catch where the top corner of the door meets the roofline, chips a tiny bit of paint off - I'd never even noticed it until it was pointed out to me

 

[trophy176]

Hi guys here are some pics.

Doesn't look as bad on film!!

 

[trophy176]

In reply to son of solo, I started this whole problem off at Felling by pass, when I got no where with them I rang Renault Customer Service who told me to take it to the bodyshop. From there I was sent to Scotswood. On all occasions they have said it is warranty!!

 

[Cue]

i'll have to look at mine - passenger seat rarely gets any use so it may be fine...

 

[trophy176]

My passenger has just started to go in the same place on the door but no mark to the bodywork. Yet!!

Same here passenger in the Trophy is rarity.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

Thanks for the pics.....gonna check mine when she comes out @ the weekend.

 

[olliep]

mine does it

 

[Cue]

not found anything on the passenger door but the drivers door has some marks in this place..... only minor at the mo but i may do a home fix for it as i can't see reno actually fixing it.

 

[son of solo]

yeah i looked at mine again and its fine on both sides...working in engineering i cant see how the door can be dropped on that corner without moving the bottom mounting.
sometimes when the hinge pins wear the door drops but not the other way around.

since the door is welded to the hinge bracket which is then welded to the shell i cant see anyway to adjust the hanging angle...you would need to re-mount the hinge brackets to the shell...a massive,if not impossible job
nowt you can do,just have to live with it

i could be wrong,if you get it sorted let me know

 

[trophy176]

I am just putting the finishing touches on my letter to customer service which I ll post up when fin.

Does anyone have the address?

 

[trophy176]

Hi guys here is my letter that will be landing on Customer Services doorstep on Wed!!


I am writing to you with grave concern in relation to your Customer Service, Warranty and ultimately the build quality of your motor vehicles. I currently drive YK55 LDL which is a Renaultsport 182 Clio Trophy number 176/500. This is not my first clio, in fact it is my third but sadly it is the only one to give me hassle.

My current vehicle, YK55 LDL, was bought second hand from the previous owner who had owned the vehicle from new. A main reason for buying this car was the fact that it had warranty till September 2008 thus giving me piece of mind in my purchase. After owning the vehicle for a month I became concerned that the passenger seat rattled and that the drivers door had begun to catch upon the bodywork. I took my concerns to the local Renault dealer Benfield Renault, Felling Bypass, Gateshead. However, this was a less than memorable experience where I was told that a rattling seat was normal and should “get used to it!â€Â￾ and that the door catching was down to me and that I had caused it with lack of care.

I was upset by these remarks and decided to seek a second opinion from an independent agency. They advised me that I should follow up this problem directly with Renault Customer Service, which I did and you told me to take the vehicle to Benfield Bodyshop in Newcastle. Due to being quite a busy time of year for me it took me three weeks untill I had the chance to visit the bodyshop. On arrival there I was advised that this was a manufacturer fault and therefore a warranty issue. However, I needed to take the car to a franchised Renualt dealer in order to have the claim validated. My next stop was Scotswood Road Benfield Renault. It must be highlighted here that the customer service at this dealer at least tried to do their job and help me out. Upon arriving at the garage and explaining the problem (again!) the mechanic in charge of warranty came and had a look at my vehicle. However, he informed me that even though he thought it was a warranty issue he could not validate the claim as he was for mechanical only and not body work. Upon being informed of this I was told to return after the weekend where they would endeavour to get a bodywork mechanic to validate the claim.

On my return to the dealership the vehicle had to be left at the garage for four hours while the bodywork was inspected. On my return I was told that Renault was unprepared to repair this defect in the car door. I was informed it would not be covered under warranty as it was an adjust and adjustments can only be done within the first 2000 miles and not the full 3 years that the warranty claims to cover. The issue I have with this situation is that the door is in line, it has not been dropped or bent by any other force. What needs adjusting is the plastic which buffers the door from touching the bodywork. This opinion has been supported by all parties who have viewed the vehicle but because it is seen as an adjustment it will not be covered under warranty.

Consider the following scenario, which also links to my rattling passenger seat, if the passenger seat is loose and the only way to make it safe is to either tighten the bolts or replace them would this be seen as an adjustment to? Would this not be covered under the warranty as well? If it is not Renault are, therefore, producing faulty vehicles that are not safe for British roads. And ultimately not honoring the warranty which comes with the vehicle.

It is clearly an issue of quality in this case and it is sad that I have had to write a letter after having had no clear response from your customer service advisers and when questioned to where I should go next with my query was given the answer “there is nothing else you can doâ€Â￾. It is also interesting to note that upon my vehicle the passengers door has begun to catch the bodywork to in a near identical manner to the drivers side.

The issue of warranty is also a concern for myself, how can a large multinational car manufacturer offer a 3 year warranty and then allow get out clauses so that it does not have to bear the responsibility of quality issues that arise a year and a half later after production? The manufacturer should honour its responsibility to ensure that for the warranty time in question, the manufacturer ensures that the customer who drives its vehicle is happy in the longevity of the quality of their product which is purchased.

At present, even though, I am upset I still admire the Renaultsport range and was considering a purchase of a Megane R26 in March 2008. However, this quality issue, poor customer service and shocking warranty has a left a sour taste in my mouth when I consider buying a Renault again. What happens next time? If I buy a Megane R26 and the turbo fails, or the suspension breaks? All of which for no fault on my part but the manufacturing process will the warranty be valid? These are question that must be considered given my past experience with the Renault product. It is sad to see that Renault has recently improved the appeal of its product range, however, it seems that you are yet to improve the whole experience which comes with purchasing a vehicle. So it looks like I will be visiting a Subaru, Honda or Audi garage in March 2008 and not a Renault garage.

I wait with baited breathe for your response.

Yours truly,




Christopher McCabe

 

[Cue]

it'll be interesting to see what responce, if any, you get.. good luck with it.