Evening all.

Just after a bit of advice really as I’ve never encountered this problem in all my years of motoring.

We’ve been having intermittent problems with our 2006 Renault Clio which the Mrs uses as a runabout to get to work. Lowish mileage (45k) 1.4 petrol, very well looked after. We’ve had the occasional problem in the last 4 months where the car won’t start (starter motor runs but engine won’t start) until you bang on the fuel tank and then everything runs ok. Local garage initially said the fuel pump was probably about to go but because of the cost of the work (quoted £500 in.c VAT) it was better to wait until it had completely died before going ahead.

Last week I was driving back from the shops and then the car cut out. Car wouldn’t start, no amount of banging on the fuel tank would help. AA called, car taken to local garage. No fuel going to engine. Definitely fuel pump, leave it with us.

I get a call a couple of days later. Fuel pump fitted, car starts, but is spluttering and misfiring. Not sure why, leave it with us.

A week later, we’ve changed spark plugs, coil pack, looked at everything, can get it running using our tuning system but it won’t run on the car’s own ECU (engine management computer). Needs to go to Renault for ECU testing and possibly a new ECU.

We arrange for the car to be towed to the nearest Renault service centre via our insurance company. They check the ECU, everything working ok. Spend 4 hours (£300 labour, typical dealership), can’t fine anything wrong. They take the new fuel pump out, disassemble it, there’s a massive crack inside the pump itself. This is apparently why the car will start but won’t fire properly.

I’ve spent the evening looking at consumer websites and apparently our issue is with the garage that fitted the pump. The pump is an original Renault pump, purchased from Renault apparently, so it should be a simple case of our local garage refitting a replacement working pump and Renault paying them to refit.

The problem is, where do we stand on reclaiming the costs of everything else (tow truck there and back to Renault garage, Renault labour to diagnose fuel pump crack, spark plugs and coil packs etc)? Fortunately I paid for the repairs on my credit card so apparently we have recourse through chargeback / Section 75 (goods not supplied). It all seems a massive hassle though and we are now currently without a car.

Has anyone else had any similar experiences? How did you resolve it?

p.s. accidentally posted in bike forum. Mods please move to chat. 🙂

You probably would have a better leg to stand on if the car was taken back to the garage who fitted the part as I am not sure you have any claim against them except to replace the faulty part.

Towing wise they will probably also say you should have had breakdown cover.

Not good news I’m afraid but their liability probably only covers making good something they supplied and fitted failing within a certain period.

Had an original flexi joint on the exhaust fail, local garage replaced it as a bu66er to get to, new flexi joint separated a week later, garage swapped it FOC and took up the issue with motor factor to cover his time refitting.

Edit: in your situation I would expect to cover the cost of the work at just one of the garages. The first has either failed to spot delivery of a damaged part or cracked it whilst fitting and just flung parts at it. They have outsourced diagnosis for a fault of their fitting.