Shock over used parts in warranty ‘fix’

If parts need replacing on your new car, you’d expect the dealer to fit them fresh out of the box. But we were surprised to hear that’s not always the case. Readers Sue and James Jennings told us their seven-month-old Toyota Yaris SR had a used gearbox installed after the original broke recently.

The couple, from Sale in Cheshire, said they only made the discovery when a Toyota engineer came to inspect the replacement box, because it wasn’t engaging its gears properly when cold.

To their amazement, his report revealed that the unit – fitted by local franchise RRG Altrincham – had come from a car on the garage’s forecourt. James said: “The gearbox was not from the factory, as I was led to believe, but taken from a registered model. I have no idea if that is legal or acceptable.” We called the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) to find out.

A spokeswoman told us: “It’s usual practice for dealers to fit reconditioned or new parts when they are carrying out warranty replacements – but not second-hand ones.”

When we called the dealer to find out why it had fitted used parts, a member of staff in the service department said: “We don’t replace new parts with used ones under warranty.”

Confused, we rang Toyota for an explanation. Its spokesman admitted: “The replacement box was taken from one of the dealer’s demonstration cars.

“Usually, new parts would be used in a warranty repair, but this was a goodwill gesture by the showroom.” However, he added that the donor vehicle had only around 20 miles on the clock, and said the customer had approved the gearbox, having test driven the car it was in.

But the Jennings deny this. Sue said: “The only time I went out on a test drive with their mechanic was in my car. I did borrow a Yaris, but that was a loan vehicle, which I had while mine was in the garage, and it had done around 1,000 miles!” Toyota advised the couple to book an inspection if they are still unhappy with their car.