Rear window heater damaged on new car

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Wed 6 Nov 2002 09:39
Rear window heater damaged on new car - MatthewH
I bought a new Golf recently from a well known national car importer/supermarket. The other day I found that a couple of lines of the rear window heater element were not working, at the bottom of the screen. On closer inspection I saw that some of the conductive part of the heater lines has been damaged. I assume that when they were preparing the car they ripped off the old VW dealer sticker and replaced it with their own sticker, damaging the heater element in the process. I know there used to be a sticker in this position because it left an imprint on the screen which is clearly visible when the screen is misty.

What I would like to know is do I have a case against the car supermarket for replacing the rear screen? I know that the damage cannot be repaired under warranty, so I called them and they have asked me to bring the car in to be inspected by the workshop manager, which I will be doing on Monday. Am I likely to be fobbed off with "We didn't do it.", and if so what should I say to them? Strangely the customer services department said they weren't aware that they were removing the original dealer sticker and replacing it with their own.

Any help appreciated,
Matt
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Wed 6 Nov 2002 09:52
Rear window heater damaged on new car - Armitage Shanks{P}
Excuse me asking but how do you know the damage can't be repaired under warranty? Surely it is just a matter of replacing the rear screen? Persuading someone that you have a case for having it done may be the problem, IMHO! If you are stuck with a DIY repair there is some special paint which can be bought at Halfords and the like, which can be carefully applied to bridge the gap in an individual heating element/wire. Good enough my 10 year old car but obviously a bit vexing for you with a new car!
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Wed 6 Nov 2002 10:08
Rear window heater damaged on new car - MatthewH
The local VW dealer said that as it is physical damage rather than a fault, the warranty doesn't cover it. Is that true? If not, should I pursue this with Volkswagen?
What I'm wondering is that if I can prove the car supermarket was resposnible for the damage, should they be responsible for putting it right?
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Wed 6 Nov 2002 10:17
Rear window heater damaged on new car - MatthewH
Yes, that's what I thought.
I know that goods must be fit for the purpose that they were intended, and obviously my car is certainly fit for driving around, but does this 'fit for purpose' part cover things like 'rear window heater not fully working'?
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Wed 6 Nov 2002 19:21
Rear window heater damaged on new car - Floyd
Thanks A.S. - I was going to post a question about repairing heater elements. It's useful to know it can be done.
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Wed 6 Nov 2002 22:09
Rear window heater damaged on new car - The Watcher
As HJ says, it wont be covered by the warranty unless you can show it was not manufacturered properly. It appears to be damage rather than a fault.

You could used to buy little bottles of conductive paint which you could paint on to repair the broken elements from some car part shops IF the car supermarket refuses to replace it (and you don't want further hassle).
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