Friend of a friend bought a new car. (Not stating the brand because I don't know) Owned the car two weeks and the radiator failed. Apparently the manufacturer is aware they are having radiator complaints. The story is that the loss of the radiator caused the engine to fail and now the situation is the radiator is not available because there have been many failures and it will take six months for them to get the parts or a new engine. The Dealer wants $12,000 to make the repairs.
I suppose the failed engine could be blamed on the owner for running the engine too long after the radiator failed.
If it's new, it should be under warranty. Or, if his/her state has a lemon law, start the process of filing for relief. The American way would be to sue (or at least threaten to sue) the crap out of the manufacturer and dealer.
Bad situation. Not paying attention to the gauges or idiot lights indicating the engine was overheating is an operator error thing, and the dealer does have a leg to stand on regarding the engine. The crappy radiator and long or unknown lead time on a replacement is arguable in a lot of ways (loaner car, replacement car, lemon law, etc).
Not paying attention to the gauges or idiot lights indicating the engine was overheating is an operator error thing
True that. One have to try real hard not paying attention to anything for overheating to bring an engine to total failure. That being said, I wouldn't pay 12k for repairs out of pocket, I would probably talk to a lawyer at this point.
I believe that stupid people should pay for the result of their stupidity.
Examples of stupidity:
not opening the hood while at a gas station and taking a quick glance at the fluid leves (which for decades have been transparent), not paying attention to instrumentation, lacking the curiosity to investigate that stain under the car, (rads don't fail, they leak).
It seems to me that this a personal responsibility thing. The young couple should have had enough sense to stop driving the car and call for help. I don't know if it was him or her driving it but in either case they surely had a cell phone and could have pulled over and called somebody.
How hard do you have to push an overheated car to destroy the engine?
Seems like a good application for some sort of kill switch.
I suppose its the $12,000 combined with two weeks and a defective radiator that is bothering me. If you think education is expensive ... try ignorance.
I have been saying for years the schools need to teach a class called LIFE for want of a better name. How to get a Bank Account. How to write a check, how to get a credit card and pay the bill, How to measure something, How to drive, how to take care of a car. You get the picture...
I mentioned this to my daughter In law who is a Major in the Air Force and she lit up, saying they were discussing a class called ADULTING. Same thing.
So the people in this tragedy needed some lessons.
.while it's not what I would do, I can't get on with the idea that someone can buy a car that's new, drive it for two weeks, and anything really would be their fault when it's not caused by an outside issue (like, driving into a river or something).
Manufacturers have to make cars for people who could change the engine in them and they have to make them for people who could burn water with an ice cube.
why the car continues to drive with no coolant is beyond me, and I'd put this one on the manufacturer.
I have a good friend who bought a honda accord in the early 2000s. They supposedly never have initial issues. Hers was a manual and it wouldn't to into reverse (brand new). the dealer couldn't get reimbursement from honda, so both honda and the dealer denied that it was a problem. The dealer showed her how to get it into reverse by more or less bracing up and pushing with all their might to force the stick into reverse. My friend was physically unable to complete this operation. The dealer described it as not a problem and had to park her car such that it was either on a hill or didn't need to reverse. It took around 2-3 months and eventually, Honda replaced the whole car. But both the dealer and the manfacturer were going to run her through the wringer (wasting her time all the way) before fixing the issue.
My point in this case is if the manufacturer doesn't have an immediate solution, I would be surprised if anything other than legal pressure gets the dealer to do anything. and it would probably take an attorney to know if the law provides protection for buyers who ignore warning lights (maybe it would take case law to find the answer to that).
But I can't think of any good reason that anyone, no matter how dippy, should be forced to pay to fix a car 2 weeks old when the car itself caused the problem.
If they'd bought a Tesla, they wouldn't have had any of those problems: No radiator, no coolant, no overheated internal combustion engine, no weasley dealer network, etc.
That was my first thought...If it were me I would park it at the Dealer with a sign on it or take it the financer and put a sign on it. And a Lemon on the antennae.
I am nursing a 22 year old Mazda Pickup for as long as I can. My son gave it to me ten years ago. The heater core has failed. Turns out to be a major project to replace a heater core. Apparently when they build one they bring out a heater core and set it on the assembly line and then build the truck around it. The fix it, you just remove everything and then replace the core and then reinstall the rest of the truck. So, I am not repairing it, I use it for dump runs etc. I drive it with the heater turned off and carry several gallons of water with me. My expectations for that vehicle are a lot lower than they would be for a new car. If I had a two week old new car and it over heated I would be in somebody's face, or everybody's face. With a lawyer if necessary.
If brand new and they are willing to testify they did not notice the warning light in this new unfamiliar car they may well get it repaired for free in arbitration.
My neighbor had a Prius and had a problem on vacation while climbing a long hill. There may have been an uphill pass of a truck but that's immaterial.
Anyway, something on the electric side of the drivetrain went pear shaped and the car was out of commission for at least a month or two. There is a scheduled service for the inverter which I'm guessing got skipped because, hey, it's electric. I believe the inverter got toasted and there were no replacements available.
Agree that Teslas have no radiators but they are not exemplars of reliability.
The problem with idiot lights is they get ignored because they can be anything from "cylinder 3 fuel trim out of range" to "your engine is about to melt."
A 2 week old car has no excuse to fail like that. That's what the warranty is for.
I've owned a few brand new cars and a lot of old ones in my 80 years.
IF the owner damaged something on the vehicle (poked a hole in the radiator etc.) prior to the engine issue he could be held responsible for the damage.
Since the radiator issue was a manufacture's fault ALL subsequent damages fall on the manufacture.
If this was my car and the dealer is saying the owner is responsible the next discussion would be between the dealer, manufacture's representative and my attorney. (Possibly with a media representative also present)
I would bet the car would be repaired with an apology at zero cost!
If you carry the water because the heater leaks and you don't need the heater you can just bypass the heater by joining the inlet/outlet hoses which will eliminate the leaking problem. However, if you need the heater sometimes this won't work.
This old joke illustrates how I personally feel about people who don't pay attention
to what is going on around them.
Customer: Because there’s a power outage.
Tech Support: A power… a power outage? Aha! OK, we’ve got you licked now. Do you still have the boxes and manuals and packing stuff your computer came in?
Customer: Well, yes, I keep them in the closet.
Tech Support: Good! Go get them, and unplug your system and pack it up just like it was when you got it. Then take it back to the store that you bought it from.
Customer: Really? Is it that bad?
Tech Support: Yes, I’m afraid it is.
Customer: Well, alright then, I suppose. What do I tell them?
Tech Support: Tell them you’re too stupid to own a computer.
I have a friend with a similar truck and problem. He has bypassed his heater. I bought a heater that plugs into the power port formerly known as a cigarette lighter. The heat output was pitiful. You could get more heat rubbing your hands together. I gave the heater to my friend. I just don't drive the truck much in cold weather. Dress warmly. The worse problem is the defrost does not work and in fact makes things worse. Nothing like blowing warm wet air onto a freezing windshield.
My problem is I am torn....Maybe you can't fix stupid, but you can help the ignorant. Maybe somebody at the dealership could have clued them in to the radiator problem. Maybe when they took delivery some junior bird man could have sidled over to them and said, "You need to know there is sometimes a problem with the radiator of these cars and if that heat light comes on you need to pay attention and park it."
Many years ago I bought a Toyota Diesel pickup the dealer had used as a truck to fetch parts and run errands. 2 Years old and 28,000 miles. Drove it about 10,000 miles and the transmission got glitchy. Back at the dealer, they drove it in a circle and said, yep, it's the trany, they put a converted gas engine with a regular gas trany and the torque curves don't match. We replace them all the time under warranty, but your warranty ended at 36,000 miles. We can get the rebuild kit and fix it but it will cost you $1,200. Good news is you won't have the problem again.
I thought about it for a few minutes and said, you replace these for free for people who are irresponsible, don't take care of them, drive them hard and rip it up in less than 36,000 miles? But because you lightly used this one for two years and I babied it and got it past the warranty, you think I should pay for it? Nope, think about it, talk to Toyota, but if you don't fix it properly at no cost to me, I will be back with my Lawyer and Channel 12. They fixed it, free.
That truck was three years old at that moment. On a car two weeks old I would be even more adamant.
...there's an assumption that because the radiator is trash in 2 weeks, the new buyer will have a clue that something is really wrong with the car. They probably won't, and if someone is required to understand the inner workings of a car and say "well, it says it's hot, so that must mean X, Y and Z", then ...well, that's not reality.
I think it's reasonable for the average person to say "I have a car that's 2 weeks old. I can't understand why anything would make it go kaput in 2 weeks. I bought it from the dealer and put the key in it and pushed the pedal, and I didn't smash the gas or smash the brakes all the time. I figured it should just drive".
Friend of friend needs a lawyer now. The car is virtually totaled, since the fixings are not available, and he must have some car to carry on with life. Go after the company for replacement or refund. Surprised there is not a class action already organized.
