What to do about a new car problem
If you have a new vehicle, which is still under warranty, and you have a fault, you have two options.
Warranty
You can pursue the fault under your warranty. The warranty will usually have terms and conditions, which set out each parties’ obligations. It will also set out the process on submitting a warranty claim, which normally involves booking your vehicle into a main dealer for a diagnostic (check). Following on from this, the main dealer will submit a warranty claim to the manufacturer. If the manufacturer accepts the fault to be a defect, they will authorise a free of charge repair. If they do not agree it is a defect, they will refuse your claim and explain the reasons why.
Your consumer rights
You can exercise your legal rights but you will need to contact the seller who sold you the car. If you discover your vehicle is of unsatisfactory quality, unfit for purpose or not as described within the first 30 days, you can raise this with the seller and ask for your money back. You will be entitled to a full refund.
If you are outside of the first 30 days, the seller has one opportunity to repair or replace your vehicle. If you are reporting a fault within the first six month, it is presumed this fault was there at point of sale. The seller will need to prove otherwise. If outside of the first six months, you will need to prove this fault was there at point of sale.
The seller has only one opportunity to repair or replace and if this fails because the same fault persists or a new inherent fault has developed, you can ask for a price reduction, which means a partial refund but you keep your vehicle. Alternatively, you can ask for rejection, which is to return the vehicle and get your money back. Remember, the seller is entitled to deduct usage, which is usually the miles you have added to the vehicle.
How to submit a dispute to The Motor Ombudsman
The Motor Ombudsman is a certified Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) provider who can assist with disputes that arise between consumers and Code-accredited businesses.
Before you submit a dispute to us, firstly please ensure you have taken a look at the information about our process on the resolve a dispute page.
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