We have a Hyundai bought two years ago, with an aftermarket two year warranty. We’ve had it serviced at our regular garage ever since buying it; we’ve had a good relationship with them over the years until now. When we had the car serviced 18 months ago, the garage told us the glow plugs needed replacing, which we agreed to. The plugs fitted were not Hyundai plugs. At the service this year we found the plugs had failed again, and agreed to have them replaced, with the same plugs as before, under the warranty supplied by the plug manufacturers. Recently we noticed problems starting the car and took it in. The garage seemed to think the plugs were at fault again but have been unable to remove them and do not want to risk snapping them by using excessive force. At the moment we have a working car, but one that may have problems in years to come because of repeated cold-starting.

Our position is that if there is a problem with being unable to remove the plugs so soon after fitting them, then the garage must be at fault in the way it fitted them last time. We also don’t think the garage made sufficient investigations into why there were repeated failures of the plugs in the past. Both of these suspicions have been reinforced by discussions with Hyundai dealerships who have suggested that the plugs were fitted cross-threaded last time, and also that there is likely to be a prevailing electrical problem causing the plugs to burn out.

We would like the car to be fixed, we would prefer to maintain a decent relationship with the garage, and we’d like to come through this with minimal financial outlay and mental stress. Our position is that as the garage has removed and fitted the plugs twice in the last 18 months, the usual caveats about plugs fusing/corroding into place don’t apply, and it is more likely that the garage fitted them incorrectly. I’m led to believe and I can believe it, that they are in an inaccessible location, and are therefore difficult to work with, increasing the likelihood of incorrect fitting. The garage denies the possibility of this.