Hi @Glasgow_lad
I know the process in and out now!
I took delivery of a Renault Clio in October last year to replace a faulty Hyundai i20 which I’d had since April ‘25. Because time was of the essence with the Hyundai due to the faults and that I’d had it for 6 months, plus that Howards wouldn’t agree that there was a fault with the car, I had to pay the £250 “Early Termination” fee (Which is total bobbins and I would highly recommend chasing them for it to be waived if they want you to pay that) and that was that, I could pick another car.
20 minutes after I’d driven away off the Renault forecourt, the car refused to go in a straight line and was alarmingly veering to one side on the M5. I took it back, they claimed they’d fixed it, they hadn’t. Then the electrics failed on day two and left me with no cruise control and speed limiter or any form of parking assistance. Day three, the veering retuned whilst heading to Cornwall. Turns out that the entire front subframe was partially not attached on the driver’s side and was causing the whole front of the car to move under load, hence the veering to right.
The car was recovered to Renault Exeter once again, this time on the back of a low loader and we got straight on the phone to Motability.
They couldn’t believe the situation, and only really believed me when the RAC and previous Kwik Fit report came through. The dealer refused to acknowledge a fault, and sent me and Motability completely different information that was totally wrong and insulting.
I stated that under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, that the car wasn’t fit for purpose, and that the dealer had already had an opportunity to fix it on the day I picked it up and they failed to do so. That’s what the law says surrounding vehicles which have been purchased less than 6 months ago.
Over 6 months is a bit harder, as you have to prove that the fault was there before the 6 month period had ended. Anything else falls within the manufacturer’s warranty period, and is at the discretion of Motability and their respective teams who look into the cause and effect of the problem. My case was done under the CRA because it was 4 days old from new.
Motability dragged both a Vertu and a Renault UK bigwig to a meeting to discuss the situation as Vertu were dragging their feet on the whole ordeal and finally agreed after 6 weeks of no Clio that the car would be terminated under the CRA and would be returned to Renault UK. (It’s now up for sale if anyone fancies a death trap, numberplate WG75 OCP)
I was given a full refund of the Advance Payment, plus a months worth of my allowance as a gesture of goodwill. Oh and a box of nice biscuits from Renault UK as a half- arsed apology from them.
I got given three months to pick and be in a new car whilst being provided a hire car from Europcar. I now drive a ŠKODA Kamiq which I’ve had for three weeks.
My experiences are documented on this forum, just search for my username. I’m happy to help if you’ve got any more questions!