Faulty wipers

The consumer’s issue:

“I asked the dealership to fix my faulty wipers, but after numerous attempts and paying them over £1,000 to replace the wiper relay, motor and junction box, they failed to rectify the issue. The business recommended more repairs, but this was too expensive, so I took the car to another garage where they fixed the fault by replacing the wiper relay at a cost of around £100. I am therefore seeking a refund for the £1,000 I paid, but the dealership claims that they haven’t done anything wrong.”

The accredited business’ response:

  • The customer initially said that their wipers were not parking correctly, and only once mentioned that they were not working.
  • We replaced the wiper motor, and the wipers were functioning and parking properly. We believe this shows that we correctly resolved the initial complaint.
  • Later, the consumer came back stating that the wipers were not always working and would only activate when the car was turned off and on again. Therefore, we replaced the junction box and wiper relay.
  • We cannot explain why the other garage found the original blue wiper relay when we replaced it with the new style green wiper relay. Therefore, we would be happy to refund the cost of the repairs by the other garage.

The adjudication outcome:

  • The Motor Ombudsman adjudicator found that the original wiper relay had not been replaced. Therefore, the dealership had failed to follow the correct diagnostic process for repairing the fault as stated by the customer.
  • As such, the repairing dealership was directed to provide the customer with a full refund for the repairs.

Conclusion:

  • The customer and accredited business accepted the outcome as recommended by The Motor Ombudsman adjudicator, and the case was closed.