Rethink from Hyundai after rusting row on i10 Joe Finnerty
CASE STUDY Company agrees to inspection of rusty i10 after dealer fails to record corrosion at service The rising cost of residential parking permits is a real problem for many car owners
HOW long does it take for a car to get this rusty (right)? That’s the question bugging one Auto Express reader, who’s facing a £2,500 bodywork bill after Hyundai refused the warranty claim on this i10.
David Gray of Andover, Hants, bought the 2011 car from his elderly father in February. But he told us he was “very shocked” by the amount of bodywork rust when he collected it from Hawkins Motors in Truro, Cornwall, after it had been in for a service. He said: “It was on all four doors, the rear hatch and around the foglamp.”
Hyundai’s warranty covers rust from the outside in for up to five years, so David could claim. But Hyundai rejected this following an inspection. Its spokeswoman told us: “It is the owner’s responsibility to notify Hyundai of any vehicle faults at the earliest opportunity – as per the warranty booklet.”
David argued: “Hyundai has serviced the car every year itself and hasn’t noticed the rust, but expects my 87-year-old father to point it out. That’s unacceptable.”
We asked Hyundai why it would even have so much rust at five years, and its spokeswoman said: “Mr Gray lives on the seafront in Perranporth where the car will have been subject to the elements.” But the wording of the firm’s anti-perforation warranty – which protects against rust from the inside out – suggests it’s the dealer’s responsibility to record all paint defects at one of the dedicated 12, 30 and 60-month check-ups. It states: “During the course of the inspection, the dealer will indicate on the vehicle body matrix in the warranty booklet supplied with our vehicles those areas of external body damage apparent at the time of inspection.” Failure to rectify these could actually invalidate that warranty.
David said there’s no mention of rust in the car’s paperwork, either. A Hyundai spokeswoman confirmed: “Hawkins did service this vehicle and carry out the antiperforation checks. The last routine service was carried out on 26 March 2015. Hawkins doesn’t have any record of rust at the previous services or checks.”
Hyundai has now agreed to carry out another full inspection and David is waiting to hear what compensation he’ll be given. WE all know parking at shopping malls, town centres and hospitals can be an expensive business and if you’re staying for any length of time, it’s often cheaper to get public transport. But what about parking outside your own house?
Latest research suggests even this is becoming a cost too far for many motorists, with council parking permits rising by 51 per cent since 2011. And a report by insurance firm Esure reveals some unlucky motorists in Birmingham are having to shell out almost £800 a year to park in their own roads. Permits in Manchester, Edinburgh and Islington top £500, too.
In theory, residents’ parking is a great idea to stop commuters or school run parents taking up valuable spots in busy residential areas. But charging so much is simply unacceptable.
Understandably, councils are pushed for space as the number of cars is rising at a faster rate than available residential spaces. And that’s despite paid parking zones being expanded by more than half of local authorities in the past two years.
But, when you’re being charged more than the average insurance premium to park outside your own home, it’s beyond a joke. It gets worse, too, when you consider you’ve already paid for the car to be on the road in the first place via vehicle excise duty. Simply put, residential parking zones should make it easier, not unaffordable, for people to find spaces near homes.
The law states that on-street parking charges should be set to manage congestion and not raise revenue. On that basis, you have to wonder how councils can justify such high annual permit fees.
“Hyundai’s warranty covers rust from the outside in for five years, so David could claim”