Complaint re. fault

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get0ut, Aug 28, 12:09am
Hi.Who would I approach re. a complaint about a fault in my 2001 car!(Imported, NZ new.)Would it be the manufact. or the dealer!TIA.
mugenb20b, Aug 28, 12:13am
What's the fault!
tazcsv, Aug 28, 12:15am
This should be good.
get0ut, Aug 28, 12:19am
Rear door handle broke 12 months after purchase.Drivers door handle has now done the same."Unusual"the manufact. told me - can't be that unusuall if it has happened to me twice!Also told me that the plastic used overseas tends to be brittle - !!.Costs $ 230.00 + each time to replace.
esprit, Aug 28, 12:20am
Your bank, so you can withdraw some of your money to pay to fix the fault.
splinter67, Aug 28, 12:21am
Dont be so rough on your door handles what do you expect the car is 11 years old
fiatracer, Aug 28, 12:21am
look carefully for any other faults - brittle plastics, scratches, anything at all. Get quotes for every single issue you find, then take them all the the dealer and request they fix every fault. After all, it's only 11 years old.
get0ut, Aug 28, 12:25am
So cars made now are crap!
If I had known it would have cost and extra $250.00 p/a, plus insurances, when I bought the damn thing, I wouldn't have bothered.
A "reliable" make too - hahaha.
therafter1, Aug 28, 12:30am
And the reliable make is !
hamhonda, Aug 28, 12:57am
exactly! what is this "reliable" car!one mans reliable car can be anothers piece of shyte.
bjmh, Aug 28, 1:02am
the Japs bin cars after 6 years,maybe that tells you something
tigra, Aug 28, 1:05am
LOL. The dealer is going to love this on an 11 year old import. Still he might decide to buy in lots more for all the NZ ones that are going to break.
thejazzpianoma, Aug 28, 1:36am
Someones been reading the Dog and Lemon.
kazbanz, Aug 28, 1:54am
Where do you get that "reliable information" from--the wonderfull book of urban legends!
Or is it from your many recent trips to japan!
The days where japs got rid of cars when the shaken was due went over ten years ago.
Last month I saw cars for sale from the 1980's and a fair few 6-8 yerar old cars being purchased for the local market.
YES the japs do cherry pick -wanting low km and top condition cars but they still buy second even third hand cars,
primemeat, Aug 28, 4:50am
3 year old Nissan Navara has done the same. Rear door and $250 each :(
cpnnz, Aug 28, 4:58am
Sounds like the 'story' they probably give everyone. Most likely have them in stock and sell plenty of them. $230 does not sound too bad for a new door handle for any modern car.
brapbrappy, Aug 28, 5:13am
Gulp!Its comments like that that make garages and manufacturers think they can charge the earth.Consider for a few dollars more you can buy a 32" LCD TV with all its electronic intricacies and minaturisation. A realistic price for a door handle should be $25 not $250
kazbanz, Aug 28, 5:17am
OP theres a bunch of car dealer types and mechanic typeslurking around this MMB.
Why not tell us what year,make,model the car is so we can tell you if indeed it is a commonly heard of fault. If its not then its possible something else is wrong with the car to make the door hard to open OR you are a bit rough with the handle of course
get0ut, Aug 28, 5:32am
Okay - at the risk of being shot down in flames again.
Toyota Vitz, 2001.
I am a 59 kg female - not much brute force behind me.
kazbanz, Aug 28, 5:43am
Sorry to tell you but I haven't heard of a generic fault with Vitz doorhandles like you describe. This points to option 2 or 3
Id suggest calling into a panelbeater to establish if theres an issue with that door.
Otherwise is it possible some %$%$%$ is deliberately doing it!
get0ut, Aug 28, 5:47am
The first time it happened on the rear door, opened by a 14 y.o female, seen by myself, the second time was when I opened the drivers door - not deliberate acts - thank goodness.
saxman99, Aug 28, 6:54am
Depending on exactly which bit broke, a new door handle for that car is $20 US on ebay.
poppajn, Aug 28, 6:55am
XF Falcon,s were bad for that too. Just a plastic handle though.
kazbanz, Aug 28, 7:00am
AHH ok thats a bit different from what you implied--ie a repeat fault of the same component.Logic says if the part has just failed recently then you expect 10 years lifespan from each doorhandle not the 12 months you implied.
Sorry I wasn't being clear. The actual final break was the lil lady -fairy nuff But leading up to it some animal type might have had a go at the handles.
Im saying is In my experience the issue isn't a common/normal one for a toyota Vitz
cpnnz, Aug 28, 7:28am
Have done a few Vitz door handles of that type ( 1999 on ).
Of course they can break due to being pulled a bit hard, and also if you have the habit of locking your door without using the key or remote, by pushing the central lock button in the car, holding the handle open while closing the door to allow you to leave all doors locked. This seems to put the handle under more stress than usual use. A $20 plastic welding job has been sufficient in all cases for a lasting repair.