Watchdog We get behind the stories that affect you
Joe Finnerty Demise of the tax disc has led to a worrying rise in untaxed cars on the road
Chris Cuthill’s MG suffered a host of issues just weeks after delivery
‘No faults’ on new MG3 that left owner stranded ■ CASE STUDY Reader is perplexed as independent report fails to find faults on problematic MG3 Martin Saarinen
AN independent inspection is sometimes the last resort for troubled motorists to try to persuade a manufacturer to act, but they don’t always quite work out. Chris Cuthill of Newtongrange, Midlothian, decided to obtain an independent survey on his 2014 MG3 after his dealership found ‘no mechanical faults’ with it. “Within the first week of ownership the suspension started to clunk and I was hearing a squeal when driving at 60mph. All of this was made even worse by the discovery of rust and cracked paint on the roof and around the windscreen,” Chris said. Dissatisfied with the condition of his new car, Chris took it to Phoenix MG in Linwood, Renfrewshire. The dealer found the squeal coming from the auxiliary belt, which was replaced under warranty. However, only three days later, Chris was stuck on the side of the road as the new belt had snapped. “I had to call my breakdown provider for the first time in 13 years,” Chris said. He felt MG hadn’t delivered him a car that was up to standard, and wanted to reject the vehicle. MG, however, concluded there were no mechanical faults with the car, the rust issues had been solved by a repaint, while the clunk in the suspension was described as a “characteristic of the car” by an MG
22 Special Issue
BAD START
Corrosion and snapped belt were among MG3’s problems
“Three days after auxiliary belt was replaced, Chris was stuck on side of road as new belt had snapped” spokeswoman. Chris contacted Auto Express for help, and simultaneously proceeded with an independent inspection of his MG3. Unfortunately for Chris, the report agreed with MG’s verdict – no manufacturing defects were found. Auto Express, however, made the point that while
the vehicle is fault free, it has still been a burden for Chris, and a goodwill gesture would be appropriate given his continuous use of the MG dealer network. MG agreed, and decided to give Chris the next two services for free, on top of the £200 he was paid in compensation for the rust problems. An MG spokeswoman said: “While no faults were found with the car, we still want to do the best we can for our customers, which is why we have offered Mr Cuthill the next two services free of charge.” Chris concluded: “While not exactly what I had wished for, this does give me peace of mind when it comes to my next service.”
IT’S a year since the tax disc was officially scrapped, and the latest figures suggest it’s causing owners a fair few problems – while costing the Government millions. After a 93-year stint on the nation’s cars, the disc was ditched in a crusade against red tape by Government officials last October. It wasn’t all plain sailing, though, as we exclusively reported in Issue 1,377 how, in the first six months since abolition, DVLA enforcement cases for untaxed vehicles had doubled. Fast-forward to October 2015, and things haven’t got a whole lot better. It’s estimated around a million drivers are untaxed, and with the average car tax standing at £170 a year, that’s a lot of money not finding its way to HM Treasury coffers. It’s hard to imagine that scrapping the tax disc has meant motorists are making a conscious decision not to tax their vehicles, thinking they can get away with it, though. So what can it be blamed on? Could it be as simple as out of sight, out of mind, and without that physical disc motorists are simply forgetting to tax their cars and leaving themselves open to a £1,000 fine? Sure, the DVLA still sends its V11 reminder forms when tax is due, but with so much else to remember – including insurance, MoT and servicing – vehicle excise duty seems to have fallen to the back of many people’s minds. How can you avoid forgetting? Why not set up a direct debit, or schedule a yearly alert on your phone? Or you could even make a DIY tax disc and stick it in your window, so there can be no excuses come renewal time. Joe_Finnerty@dennis.co.uk @AE_Consumer
“Around a million drivers are untaxed. That’s a lot of money not going to Treasury” www.autoexpress.co.uk
