The Garage 353

INDUSTRYNEWS
During the first half of this year, issues stemming from a vehicle service and/or repair conducted
by a business, accounted for the second largest proportion of disputes (around 20%) brought to
The Motor Ombudsman by consumers after new and used vehicle sales complaints (40%).
raised by vehicle owners. However, service and repair disputes on
electric vehicles have increased very slightly year-on-year from
1% to 3% of complaints, as these vehicles grow in number, with
hybrids following a similar trend, increasing from 2 to 3% between
the first half of last year and this year.
The average monetary value attributed to the preferred
resolution by consumers to help bring their dispute to a close,
was £3,675 for the first six months of 2023, up year-on-year from
£3,010 for the same period last year. This can be explained by
rising inflation, and the increasing cost of replacement parts and
labour rates. The relatively high resolution figure itself can be
attributed to the fact that some complaints resulted in the need
for a replacement engine, which is often the most expensive part
of a non-electric vehicle to repair and replace, as shown by the
following case example:
This equally highlights a greater number of consumers exercising
their right to turn to a free alternative dispute resolution service, to
try to conclude their concerns in a fair and impartial setting, rather
than pursuing often more expensive legal recourse as the first port
of call.
To apply for accreditation to The Motor Ombudsman’s Motor Industry
Code of Practice for Service and Repair, visit
www.TheMotorOmbudsman.org/join.
Principal vehicle service and repair
issues reported by consumers
(01 January - 30 June 2023)
*The figures marked in brackets denote the percentage of overall service and repair issues reported to The Motor Ombudsman by consumers in each category during the first six
months of 2023. Please note the list of issues reported on this graphic is not exhaustive.
Consumer B said: “I accepted a quote from the garage for
£1,500 to service my car and to fix an oil leak. Once work had
started, I was then informed by email that my car was no longer
a running vehicle, and that I now needed a new engine that
would cost me in the region of £11,000. I am a business owner
and father of three children, meaning I can simply could not
afford this kind of repair. As I got no help from the garage to get
my car back on the road, I eventually had to sell it for parts. My
car was valued at £14,000 when it went in, and came out as a
non-runner worth just £6,000.”
The impact of high repair bills may be accentuated in
circumstances where consumers may be considered to be
potentially vulnerable, as illustrated below by the complaint
submission received by The Motor Ombudsman. In cases such
as these, where challenging conditions have been identified,
The Motor Ombudsman will look to prioritise these disputes for
resolution to keep any potential personal inconvenience and
stress to a minimum:
Consumer C said: “My car has been returned to me, and it’s
not working at all, and does not start. I have not been supplied
with a courtesy car either and, as a disabled person, I am
forced to stay at home, and the little savings that I had, have
been spent on hiring a car and paying for taxis to attend my
medical appointments and treatment. My mental state is just
declining, as I have no money to pay for alternative repairs, and
I am basically stuck at home because I cannot walk even to the
nearest bus stop due to severity of my back pain. I would like to
ask you, in fact beg you to help, because I am just desperate.”
In light of consumers not wanting to be out of pocket, especially
when faced with expensive repairs during times of increasing
pressures on household incomes, a free-of-charge repair
emerged as the most sought-after request to bring a dispute to
a close (28% of those who stated a preferred remedy). This was
closely followed by compensation (24%), and a full refund (20%)
for work that had already been paid for, and was considered substandard
in the eyes of consumers.
Looking ahead to the second half of 2023, and The Motor
Ombudsman expects the impact of the ongoing cost of living
crisis to drive an even higher volume of cases than previous years.
1
2
Drivetrain
issues (57%)
• Replacement ement water pumps
subsequently causing cambelt
failures
•
Bolts being dropped in the turbo
during repairs and causing damage
•
Sealant getting into engine coolant
during repairs
•
Fuel injectors snapping in engine
cylinder heads
•
Exhaust pipes being secured ed to
bodywork ork with cable ties
•
Oil leaks caused by 'O' rings not being
replaced ed during servicing
•
Engines with stretched timing chains
being replaced ed unnecessarilyessarily
Customer service
issues (19%)
•
Being charged for the most e
xpensive
replacement ement parts
•
Delays to the delivery of replacementement
parts
•
Being charged for ser
vicing and MOTs
when cars were e deemed a write-off
•
Being billed to keep old parts
removed ed from vehicleses
•
Being charged for par
ts that did not
fix the problem or for w
ork not
carried out
• Vehicles es being taken to third-party
garages without the owner's
permission
Businesses not being able to provide
pre-arranged courtesy cars
3 Chassis
issues (8%)
• Fitting of differ
ent sized tyres to the
rear axles of vehicles
es
•
Shock absorbers s being damaged
during brake pad replacementsements
•
Calipers leaking brake fluid after
repairs
• Fitting of incorrect brake discs
leading to brake failures
•
Businesses losing locking wheel nuts
Average consumer claim value relating to a
service and repair complaint
(Jan - Jun 23)
£3,675
(£3,010 in H1 2022)
4 Exterior
issues (8%)
5 Electrical
issues (6%)
6 Interior
issues (2%)
Diesel (53%)
Petrol (41%)
Hybrid (3%)
Electric (3%)
www.TheMotorOmbudsman.org
• Vehicles es sustaining bodywork ork damage
whilst in the care of a business
•
Windscreen wipers being fitted
incorrectly and causing bonnet
damage
•
Scratched paintwork due to screws
not being securely ely fastened
• Fitting of misaligned sunroofs and
wind deflectors causing wind in the
cabin
• Parts being replaced ed when the fault
was in software giving false error
codes
•
Battery replacements ements causing faults
to show on dashboard d screens
• Damage to fuses and wiring looms
after cars have been cleaned
•
Software updates rendering the
infotainment and t
ouchscreen
systems unusable
•
Software updates causing drops in
fuel consumption
• Rear lights not working foll
owing
repairs to vehicle e wiring
•
Software issues during charging unit
replacements ements preventing enting vehicleses
from startingting
•
Bases of seats being replaced ed with
differ
ent shaped cushions
• Vehicles es being returned to customers
with scratches on the steering wheel
•
Businesses chipping centre e consoles
on customer vehicleses
•
Instrument cluster mileages es being
wiped during recall work
Consumer service and repair complaints
by fuel type
(Jan - Jun 23)
THE GARAGE 9
8,9 Industry Insight TMO.indd 2 27/07/2023 12:20