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Shaun N

1 reviews | Active since Nov 2012

23 Feb 2021, 20:39

Renault looking for reasons to decline warranty claims

So in 2020 I bought a 2017 Renault Duster from CHM Menlyn (now Silverlakes) and received excellent service. The car received its 60 000km service and all was well. Early on I noticed that the Bluetooth was not connecting to my phone correctly as I could listen to music from my phone but during calls, the recipients could not hear me. The car was booked in at Motus Nissan/Renault in Menlyn as the passenger side speaker was also loose. They fixed the loose speaker but gave no feedback on the speaker condition or why it was loose in the first place. Neither could they fix the Bluetooth issue as I needed to update the system. Note that they did not do this form me as they, first of all did not know how (should the dealers not know how?) and secondly they could not provide me with the correct details as to how I could do it, only that I should do it on my own. Thanks to a Google search I found the details on the Renault UK website and updated the system myself and the Bluetooth system is now working perfectly. I later found the same details on the Renault SA website though it was a more complex procedure to find the links there! Later, by November the driver side speaker started to pop and crackle at random times and the passenger side speaker was loose again. By February this was enough to drive me crazy and I booked the vehicle in again, against my better judgement at Motus Menlyn to have the problem looked at, I also also asked them to look into the loose cable hanging below the car, the massive leak the car had with the floor being totally soaked after the long rains recently and the boot lock mechanism which was w=very hard and difficult. I was met with hostility for asking these to be looked into as I assumed this would be covered by the warranty. They were apparently not and I was made to pay R981,95 to have this looked at. The cable was the handbrake cable, which was fastened again but not in the way it should be as the clip for this is attached to the gastank and the entire tank had to be replaced for a new clip, the lock on the boot was lubricated as it was completely dry and the water was apparently due to the front windshield gutter being blocked by leaves which caused water to enter through the air ducts. The speakers were found in a state that replacement is necessary (why was this not said the first time?) and a warranty claim was made to Renault SA so the speakers could be replaced under warranty (the only thing the warranty would cover). Copies were made of my service booklet and a motivation put forward, I would hear the result in a few days. I was not worried as the car was seviced at all the correct milages and so far the warranty had covered (some) issues without problem. I have to mention that the first time the car went in at Motus Menlyn they did what I asked and I did not have to pay anything, where the second time, still under warranty, I had to pay. After a few days I heard from the service advisor again regarding my warranty claim. It had been declined and my warranty s****ped for the remaining 2 years as the car was not serviced correctly. The car was serviced 3 time in 2017 (15 000km, 30 000km and 45 000km - rental vehicle) but the remaining 15 000km that lead to the 60 000km had a time of 2 years spanning between it as the rental company stored and then sold the vehicle in that time, the car was threrfore not serviced annually for that time as was expected by Renault. I only bought the car after that time and was told everything was above board, Renaut Midrand who provided the vehicle to CMH did also not disclose this information to CMH who was also kept in the dark with me about the true history of the vehicle. I feel it is totally unfair of them to not only to discard the warranty claim for the speakers, but also in affecting my warranty because of previous errors that were not made by me. I did not mind paying for the last trip to Motus but the no-care attitude they showed and the attitude from Renault is not acceptable. I feel as if they were rather looking for reasons to make me pay and decline my warranty claim, rather than helping a client and making a good impression. I am so satisfied with the vehicle, regardless of the issues so far. But the actions from Renault SA and Motus Menlyn are enough to push me away as a future client. This seems to be a trend in the Motor Industry as i have met the same "looking for reasons not to fix / pay out" when a vehicle has issues at Peugeot, Audi and BMW. Rather than focusing on client satisfaction, they would rather damage their image. None of these brands will see me at their doorstep again. The worst thing is, I was already looking into the new Renault Duster before this, but this is enough to make me reconsider that thought. Motor corporations wonder why independent service stations are *****ing their clients, look no further - it is your attitude towards clients that are pushing us to look for dependable and friendly service elsewhere.

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