Things to look forward to in 2012 and beyond:
- never ever EVER buying another Peugeot.
- never ever EVER buying another Peugeot. And here's why:
I bought a brand new Peugeot 2007 in April 2009. In 2010 it starts to break down. Spontaneously loses its acceleration, and an engine warning light comes on. Then it seems to get better, by itself. But I take it in at the end of the year when it goes again. Everything fine, apparently - they just reset the warning light (i.e. turn it out). A little while later, it goes again. I take it in again. They (the Peugeot dealer I bought the car from) say they've fixed it. But it goes again. I take it in again. It goes again. I take it in again. But this time, they've definitely fixed it. That was this last September. Last week, I take it in for its service. The next day... it goes again. Even worse than before. The car's still under warranty. If this were a washing machine, they'd have replaced it if they couldn't fix it. But oh no. This is a CAR... one doesn't do that for cars. So far as they're concerned, I can just bring it back each time it loses its acceleration, and we can go on indefinitely like that. I bring it in. They tinker. I take it away. It fails. I bring it in.. and so on until the sands of time have run out. But hey - they're the official Peugeot dealer. They know what they're talking about. And if they say it's acceptable to have me keep going for a few months until the engine fails, then I guess it must be. And it's probably just coincidence that these are the same people who, when they replaced two of my tyres earlier this year managed to leave three of them with such low pressure that the low-pressure warning light lit up. I was so stupid that it took me a while to figure out what was wrong - it never occurred to me, as I drove back from the garage, that they'd not known to pump up the tyres to the right pressure. So... no. I'm never ever EVER going to buy another Peugeot.
And just so you know, a guarantee means they'll repair it, but if they can't, there's a legal obligation to replace it. A warranty means they'll undertake to repair it but there is no legal obligation to replace it. That's why cars come with warranties and not guarantees. What's a little murky is whether Evans Halshaw (oops, I wasn't supposed to name them) are in breach of the warranty through not having actually repaired it. In which case, for the cost of considerably more than a new car (which I can't afford anyway), I could take them to court. Yeah, right. I'm better off saving for a new car.
Oooh. I SO needed to vent! Phew. All done. I feel much better now.
I may not want another Peugeot, ever, or even EVER... but I do want one of
these. Who wouldn't?
