Crank Shaft gone in 181 car - out of warranty

B

BlueButton

Registered User
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Hi,

I'm hoping some of the motoring / consumer experts on AAM might be able to advise on the following:

My sister bought a petrol Opel Astra in 181 with 34 klms on the clock. It was a demo model.

She has had it serviced with the main Opel dealer since.

She noticed an amber light coming on last week & brought it back to the dealer, who says the crank shaft is gone.

It's now got under 49,000 klms on the clock and it had passed the NCT last August.

He's quoted her a whopping €9,000 to replace it and it's no longer under warranty.

Surely this shouldn't happen with such a relatively low kilometre reading?

Has she any comeback either with him or with Opel?

Many thanks,
Bluebutton
 
If the Crank Shaft broke the engine would not start. Do you have more detail on the actual issue. 9k sounds like main dealer price, she may get better value from a small independent garage for at worse case second hand engine.
 
9k seems excessive but I guess it depends on damage done to the engine. As above get a second opinion from an independent garage or mechanic
 
Would this not come under the ‘fit for purpose’ broader consumer rights rules?

i.e. if the backside falls out of your relatively new car just after the warranty expires, that’s not the end of it.
 
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Thank you so much for your replies.

To answer your queries:

The engine/car has no problem starting or driving, she drove it to the garage.

They said the crankshaft was moving more than it should and there was too much fluid around it.

It's an amber engine light (couldn't upload pic). It's the only light that came on.

Her car certainly isn't fit for purpose at the moment.

As it's a 181, I'm assuming the warranty is gone as the Opel warranty seems to be : Opel's new vehicle warranty ensures your peace of mind against material or manufacturing defects for three years (unlimited mileage for the first 24 months and subject to a total mileage limit of 100,000 kilometres from first registration).

Thank you,
Bluebutton
 
I can't help on the warranty piece, but get a 2nd opinion on the actual problem, and definitely another quote.
 
9K seems over the top even for a new engine. Unless it part of the shortage of parts, Ukraine, Brexit tax that everything has these days.
A bit of goggling seems that excess crankshaft float, can cause engine wear. That's if it is that problem. Also can be a sensor issue.
But I personally have no faith in dealers. Had too many bad experiences with them.
I think I would be getting an independent review and also contacting Opel themselves, see if they will intervene.
 
An Amber light is probably only the Check Engine light.
Not a Red light telling you to stop immediately.
Get an independent mechanic to plug a computer into the OBD port and see what codes come up.
Maybe it is a sensor to do with the crank shaft. It could be a faulty sensor.
 
From what I have read online a new crankshaft for an opel astra is available for less than 1k

Sensor should be less than 500

Crankshaft oil seal and oil plus labour should be around 500 (maybe)

a new engine if required (even a 2nd hand one) possibly 3k??

All in worst case you are looking at about 5k I would have thought. And that’s if it’s disasterous. Get a second opinion
 
That price sounds extremely high, but perhaps more importantly, that car is very young, to have had that problem, under normal driving conditions etc.

I'd be giving the dealer that I bought it from a lot of grief, to get them to go back to the manufacturer and get some sort of "godwill gesture", towards the cost of repair.

I'd also contact Opel directly myself, to apply pressure.

From personal experience, I can tell you that assistance can be obtained, I got 50% towards a sizeable repair, in times past (granted, different problem and different manufacturer).

If the dealer and Opel aren't playing ball, ask them if they are ready to get some free publicity on the Joe Duffy show, followed by a day in court!
 
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MrEarl said:
That price sounds extremely high, but perhaps more importantly, that car is very young, to have had that problem, under normal driving conditions etc.

I'd be giving the dealer that I bought it from a lot of grief, to get them to go back to the manufacturer and get some sort of "godwill gesture", towards the cost of repair.

I'd also contact Opel directly myself, to apply pressure.

From personal experience, I can tell you that assistance can be obtained, I got 50% towards a sizeable repair, in times past (granted, different problem and different manufacturer).

If the dealer and Opel aren't playing ball, ask them if they are ready to get some free publicity on the Joe Duffy show, followed by a day in court!
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Would agree with most of this approach.

Any warranty offered by a seller (of any product) is in addition to your statutory consumer rights. It’s reasonable that a five year old car, assuming it’s been regularly serviced and driven sensibly, should not require €9000 worth of repairs. A manufacturer can’t just point to the warranty and walk away.

In any event, I wouldn’t go near a main dealer for any servicing or repairs unless there was no option. Expensive and inefficient.
 
Salvadore said:
In any event, I wouldn’t go near a main dealer for any servicing or repairs unless there was no option. Expensive and inefficient.
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Have to agree. Official Dacia dealer wanted to charge me €60 to supply and fit a cabin air filter a couple of years ago during a service. A part that costs about a fiver and takes about 5 minutes to fit DIY. I politely declined their offer and did it myself.
 
ClubMan said:
Have to agree. Official Dacia dealer wanted to charge me €60 to supply and fit a cabin air filter a couple of years ago during a service. A part that costs about a fiver and takes about 5 minutes to fit DIY. I politely declined their offer and did it myself.
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assuming they even put it in/change the filter. I bought a car that had a service record/ receipt from a main dealer that showed the pollen filter was changed and charged for the month before. When I went to change the pollen filter myself the next year there was no pollen filter in there ..

This is a job most people can do themselves.
 
Laughahalla said:
assuming they even put it in/change the filter. I bought a car that had a service record/ receipt from a main dealer that showed the pollen filter was changed and charged for the month before. When I went to change the pollen filter myself the next year there was no pollen filter in there ..

This is a job most people can do themselves.
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I agree. At the time I had no idea what a cabin/pollen filter was so had to look it up and when I saw the retail price and the work involved in changing it I contacted them immediately telling them not to bother, thanks..
 
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