We run a couple of Ford Galaxys.

 

One we bought new from the Plaistow branch of Dagenham Motors in East London back in 2005, on a 55 plate.

It's had it's service there every year so has main dealer history all from the supplying garage every single year.

 

This year we've been charged for a new sump due to the sump plug thread being stripped.

Now, baring in mind the only people ever to take the sump plug out or put it back are the people working for the Plaistow branch of Dagenham Motors it seems rather unfair that they expect us to pay for this.

 

Would you persue through small claims court?

The bill is around £400.

Is that one of the VAG engined Sharalaxies with the alloy sump? If so, I'm afraid this is a known "issue" of thread wear, and I give you 2 chances; slim and none.

If I had the time then yes out of principal I would pursue it.

 

How they can charge the customer for that when they are the only ones who have ever touched the bolt is beyond me.

 

Have you played the loyalty card with them? As in "I've been coming here for years and was considering buying some new vehicles from you but will have to reconsider" kind of thing?

 

Phil

It might be something for Ford themselves rather than the dealer. Assuming it's an alloy sump, this does tend to happen with age/use rather than bring damaged as such, we see it on the Volvos occasionally too.

If you doubt get anywhere with the dealer, escalate it to Ford and see what they say.

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You can pursue them but you are likely wasting your time.

 

You can not prove that you did not have an interim service/Oil & Filter change done by someone else or even yourself.

 

If they are not interest in your future custom, then their loss.

 

george

But surely if care is taken when removing and refitting the bolt it should never damage the sump?

 

It's usually down to some ham-fisted mechanic not threading it carefully back in and over tightening.

 

Phil

I have plenty of time because I just get other people to do stuff.

 

You can pursue them but you are likely wasting your time.

 

You can not prove that you did not have an interim service/Oil & Filter change done by someone else or even yourself.

 

It's never done over 8000 miles per year and the service interval is 10k miles or 12 months.

It has a full service history stamped in the book by the dealer every year.

 

I can't prove that aliens did come down, strip the vehicle and rebuilt it either, but that's also rather unlikely to have happened.

 

 

It's not the £400, it's the principle.

Not quite Phil. The sump is alloy, but the drain plug steel. You get bi-mettalic corrosion between the two which "wears" away the alloy thread.

Think I'd be writing to the owner of the Garage and raise your issues with him, ask for an appointment to see him

BossFox,  i am sure you can prove thats all it does. & it might well be.

 

There where Private Hire Car / Taxi,  White Plate Car owners in the Tayside area that were used to Clocking cars leased

to them as Private Customers,  

Not as cars for Gain or Reward, Commercial Use, Courier, Private Hire, Taxi, Courtesy Car, Deliveries etc.

but when DPF's came about, they went for DPF removal and the usual Plug in and Reset the Mileage.

they kind of got stuffed, and caught out by the Police & HMRC in this area at meter checks.

(Trading Standards also caught them selling Low Mileage Cars.)

 

Obviously you never do that,

but some in your area might do that or have in the past.

 

george

It's either the garages fault for cross threading or fords fault for supplying an inherently faulty part

Either way, try the dealer, then Ford, then small claims

You will win either way as you have never touched it and in their words it's 'been stripped', implying that someone has cross threaded it, implying that their at fault

Bossfox,  i am sure you can prove thats all it does. & it might well be.

 

There where Private Hire Car / Taxi,  White Plate Car owners in the Tayside area that were used to Clocking cars leased

to them as Private Customers,  

Not as cars for Gain or Reward, Commercial Use, Courier, Private Hire, Taxi, Courtesy Car, Courier etc.

but when DPF's came about, they went for DPF removal and the usual Plug in and Reset the Mileage.

they kind of got stuffed, and caught out by the Police & HMRC in this area at meter checks.

(Trading Standards also caught them selling Low Mileage Cars.)

 

Obviously you never do that,

but some in your area might do that or have in the past.

 

george

 

Completely not relevent or helpful to this thread, bring up what one or two private hire firms may or may not have done.

But thanks anyway.

 

For your info this vehicle is not and never had been badged, inspected or run as a private hire vehicle.

Surprised you do not see It is totally relevant that customers are sometimes at it.

& that is why they are sometimes suspicious when a Customer says, only ever serviced by you.

 

One that sometimes happens is,

Someones with Insurance with limited annual mileage that need a Insurance Claim/Repair done , but they did extra miles since that shown on the last MOT,

they clock the car back.

 

Well some Businesses buy and lease cars Privately, they are SD&P insured cars not business/commercial

then Clock Back, and get Full Dealer Service History,  then sell that 180,000 mile car as a 10 year old 80,000 mile car.

Why some dealers are careful with what they are being told by honest customers

 

Or, they get a car serviced at the Dealership, for 7 years, then think i will use my friendly mechanic

or my own workshop this year, that mechanic messes up, and the owner thinks,

lets stick it in for a service and then blame them.

That is amazingly common.

 

With you as a good customer, i am surprised they are not interested in providing Good Customer Service,

and covering the cost of the repair

 

?? did you get the old sump from them to inspect?

? If all else fails can these sumps not be helicoiled and a bigger sump plug used.

Thats what happened with my Mk2 golf;sump plug re threaded

? If all else fails can these sumps not be helicoiled and a bigger sump plug used.

 

Just what I was going to say.

 

This being a dealership though they probably already replaced the sump...

To have a charge of £400 & be thinking about a 'Small Claims Court', the job must already be done.

 

BossFox,

having a Second Gallaxy of the same age, even if covering different miles,

but possibly which also has at least had as many Annual Services since 2005,

Have you considered with a Qualified Mechanic looking at the sump & plug on that Gallaxy, 

or has it already been in for its most recent service?

I guess the deciding factor is to establish whether it has been 'damaged' or if it is 'fair wear and tear' -you'd probably need to raise this issue above the level of the dealership, but if they can put it down to 'fair wear and tear' -which they will of course try and do, you'll be on your own since the car will be outside of warranty. You could try citing 'Goods not fit for purpose' especially if it is a known issue.

 

***Edit: did they also carry out the work prior to authorisation and can they produce the sump with the stripped thread?***

just play the ' im taking my business elsewhere' card and see where that gets you ?

I wouldn't be at all happy with the charge which a) seems to have been levied on work carried out without questions and their employees would have caused the damage and c) has all the hallmarks of a manufacturing fault (as others have mentioned its a fault with the alloy sump) 

 Approach the dealership management in the first instance and prove that you've taken all reasonable steps at resolution first. If you can prove you've been reasonable over and above then it sets you up better for court should it come to that.

 

Or you could emblazon what a shoddy product is it and park it on the road outside the dealership 

Doesn't say much for materials used to manufacture the sump, and absolutely nothing about the so-called mechanics...

What 2005 until now, what 8 years/ or eight times sump plug has been removed/ replaced.

Probably some ham-fisted so-called mechanic over-tightening sump plug did the worst thing possible.

 

Hard to prove, but lesson learnt, Good-Bye Dagenham Motors at Plaistow..

Ford wont give a stuff.

They didn't when Dagenham ford didn't bleed my brakes properly nearly killing me, nor when a rear bush failed wearing the tyre.

Ford admitted the tyre was damaged by the bush which was replaced under warranty, but left me with a bill for a new tyre.

As above...

Helicoil and new sump plug, and get the dealer to pay for it.

A good compromise IMHO.

It's less likely to happen again, as a bonus.

Maybe get the other one done at the same time?

Prevention better than cure and all that.

Personally I would park the Galaxy across the dealership garage doors and wait for the manager, I would then ask nicely for him to stick his invoice up his ass and ask to see the dimwit who stripped the thread on your sump so you can tell him what a dumb ass he is.

 

 I am certain this would result in an amicable outcome where they give you a new sump for free and you drive away. 

If it's a normal wear issue, IMHO it's a design fault as a sump shouldn't be damaged by normal servicing.

If it's not then it a fault of the persons doing the oil change.

 

Seems simple to me