Ford focus mk2 - Warranty on car part

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Tue 29 Mar 2022 23:42
Ford focus mk2 - Warranty on car part - Smeders

Hi all,

Ive had a wheel bearing/Hub start to fail on my car after being fitted 14 months ago and not covering even 18k miles.

The seller on eBay has stated to me that it must of been fitted by a registered mechanic and a headed letter of proof for fitting and the fault is needed.

Ive never heard of such a thing before as I do most of the work on my car myself. Surely this cannot have any standing as the part should last a reasonable time and 14 months and under 18k miles for a hub is not that.

Any advice?

Cheers

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Wed 30 Mar 2022 07:37
Ford focus mk2 - Warranty on car part - paul 1963

Doubt you'll get very far, presumably it was a "good price" hence why you bought it?

Are all the suspension components on that corner in good order?

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Wed 30 Mar 2022 08:05
Ford focus mk2 - Warranty on car part - badbusdriver

Hi all,

Ive had a wheel bearing/Hub start to fail on my car after being fitted 14 months ago and not covering even 18k miles.

The seller on eBay has stated to me that it must of been fitted by a registered mechanic and a headed letter of proof for fitting and the fault is needed.

Ive never heard of such a thing before as I do most of the work on my car myself. Surely this cannot have any standing as the part should last a reasonable time and 14 months and under 18k miles for a hub is not that.

Any advice?

Cheers

Would the warranty on an older used car (most of which are not worth the paper they are written on) cover a consumable item like a wheel bearing?. I very much doubt it, and TBH I think it's madness to expect it!. If a tyre, which was legal when you bought the car 14 months ago, was now at or near the legal limit, would you expect the seller to replace it too?.

You say you do the work on the car yourself, a look on Ebay suggests a wheel bearing for a MK2 Focus will cost £30-60, so what's the problem?. Buy one and fit it.

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Wed 30 Mar 2022 08:07
Ford focus mk2 - Warranty on car part - kiss (keep it simple)

I think a Ford dealer might be a better bet, rather than a part off Ebay from a dubious source.

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Wed 30 Mar 2022 08:17
Ford focus mk2 - Warranty on car part - badbusdriver

I think a Ford dealer might be a better bet, rather than a part off Ebay from a dubious source.

May come as a surprise to you, but not all Ebay sellers are 'dubious'.

Also, you can choose which brand to buy. For example, a Borg & Beck wheel bearing will cost from £45 (to about £100).

Edited by badbusdriver on 30/03/2022 at 08:17

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Wed 30 Mar 2022 08:25
Ford focus mk2 - Warranty on car part - Brit_in_Germany

Or some anaymous person has a part for sale which they allege is a Borg & Beck wheel bearing but could just as well be a forgery. I no longer buy anything through the bay.

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Wed 30 Mar 2022 08:31
Ford focus mk2 - Warranty on car part - paul 1963

Or some anaymous person has a part for sale which they allege is a Borg & Beck wheel bearing but could just as well be a forgery. I no longer buy anything through the bay.

While I don't doubt there are honest sellers on the bay I personally wouldn't buy a safety critical part from there.

Think the op needs to move on and put it down to experience, go buy a new bearing from a motor factor or your local dealer.

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Wed 30 Mar 2022 09:30
Ford focus mk2 - Warranty on car part - Andrew-T

Or some anaymous person has a part for sale which they allege is a Borg & Beck wheel bearing but could just as well be a forgery. I no longer buy anything through the bay.

Of course you are welcome to boycott E-bay on principle. But most/many ads include a photo which can help you to decide. Purchases from E-bay are usually a cheap option (in which case you take rough with smooth) or something no longer available in the trade (like a wing mirror for a 25-year-old car). Caveat emptor.

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Wed 30 Mar 2022 10:20
Ford focus mk2 - Warranty on car part - Smeders

What warranty on a car? Think you've misunderstood what I'm asking..

The warranty is on the hub which I brought and fitted 14 months ago.

Comparing a hub to a tyre is a joke...

My issue is how can a wheel bearing fail after 14 months and then the seller who proudly offers a 24 month warranty, then turn around and start making up T&C's?

Euro car parts, GSF etc will deal with warranty issues without bother so thats why I've never heard of this it must be fitted and documented

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Wed 30 Mar 2022 10:22
Ford focus mk2 - Warranty on car part - Smeders

It was but it was the warranty that sold it for me.

All suspension components are fine on the f/o/s.

Doubting it too tbh but worth a shot as never heard of T&C's like this before

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Wed 30 Mar 2022 08:27
Ford focus mk2 - Warranty on car part - Brit_in_Germany

I am with the seller here. If the part was not fitted by a mechanic, there is no presumption that it was correctly fitted. For example, was it fitted by being whacked with a lump hammer or pressed in using an hydraulic press?

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Wed 30 Mar 2022 09:17
Ford focus mk2 - Warranty on car part - badbusdriver

Or some anaymous person has a part for sale which they allege is a Borg & Beck wheel bearing but could just as well be a forgery. I no longer buy anything through the bay.

Well I guess it could be an anonymous person passing themselves off as a well established race and rally preparation business in Leatherhead Surrey with a rating of 99.3% from 189,806 buyers.

But personally I doubt it, and if my purchasing a wheel bearing from them makes me reckless in your books, so be it!.

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Wed 30 Mar 2022 10:25
Ford focus mk2 - Warranty on car part - Smeders

I am with the seller here. If the part was not fitted by a mechanic, there is no presumption that it was correctly fitted. For example, was it fitted by being whacked with a lump hammer or pressed in using an hydraulic press?

Pressed in with a press. Not my first wheel bearing on the focus and the other front hub has held up fine for over 2/3 years now. That's why I'm I'm abit taken back by this one failing under 18k of use.

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Wed 30 Mar 2022 10:44
Ford focus mk2 - Warranty on car part - badbusdriver

Not my first wheel bearing on the focus and the other front hub has held up fine for over 2/3 years now.

If you have only owned the car for 14 months, how do you know this?.

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Wed 30 Mar 2022 11:19
Ford focus mk2 - Warranty on car part - Terry W

Many items we buy require it to be (a) properly installed, and/or (b) properly maintained.

Car warranties only work if service and use requirements are adhered to. To reduce risk of claim rejection it is best to use main agent.

Central heating boilers need servicing annually - even if there is nothing wrong. Law requires electrical and gas work to be properly compliant.

Some items include frankly daft requirements to minimise health and safety claim - eg: ladders, DIY kit,

My local garden centre gives a 5 year warranty on plant quality - providing you (a) keep the original receipt, and (b) plant and water correctly (not sure how you prove this)

The requirement of the seller of your wheel bearing to prove it has been properly fitted is reasonable - he may sell many items where a failure in fitting is (a) much more likely and/or (b) much more costly to rectify.

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Wed 30 Mar 2022 11:26
Ford focus mk2 - Warranty on car part - paul 1963

Not my first wheel bearing on the focus and the other front hub has held up fine for over 2/3 years now.

If you have only owned the car for 14 months, how do you know this?.

After pulling me up for not reading a post correctly the other day it's my turn!

The op stated the replacement bearing is 14 months old not that he had owned the car for 14 months!

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Wed 30 Mar 2022 11:42
Ford focus mk2 - Warranty on car part - Bolt

If bearing had been incorrectly installed there is a good chance it wont last long, certainly not 18k miles

Tolerances are so tight bearings would break up fairly quickly but dont see why proof of installation is needed

More likely lack of grease in the bearing caused it or bad bearings?

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Wed 30 Mar 2022 11:44
Ford focus mk2 - Warranty on car part - badbusdriver

After pulling me up for not reading a post correctly the other day it's my turn!

The op stated the replacement bearing is 14 months old not that he had owned the car for 14 months!

Fair enough.

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Wed 30 Mar 2022 12:50
Ford focus mk2 - Warranty on car part - Smeders

Not my first wheel bearing on the focus and the other front hub has held up fine for over 2/3 years now.

If you have only owned the car for 14 months, how do you know this?.

After pulling me up for not reading a post correctly the other day it's my turn!

The op stated the replacement bearing is 14 months old not that he had owned the car for 14 months!

Thank you! I've owned the car for 5 years...

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Wed 30 Mar 2022 14:33
Ford focus mk2 - Warranty on car part - kiss (keep it simple)

I wasn't saying all parts from Ebay are dodgy, but you do have to be very careful. Apparently there is a large problem in the quality of cam followers used when re-building some American V8 engines. Many reputable workshops are having their engines fail, and it's proving very difficult to get reliable followers from any source. At least a wheel bearing isn't too expensive, but still very annoying. Duff parts is nothing new. I replaced the rotor arm as part of a standard service on my old 1980 Fiesta, probably around 1985. It was Ford labelled from a local motor spares shop. It wore down within weeks and the car would barely run. Fortunately I kept the old one, so it went back in and worked fine until I sold the car a couple of years later.

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