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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 BAD START
Corrosion and snapped belt were among MG3’s problems
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.”
Joe Finnerty
Demise of the tax disc has led to a worrying rise in untaxed cars on the road
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
Concern as speeding offences on rise again
■ New figures confirm increase of 25 per cent in past 12 months
Joe Finnerty
SPEEDING offences have risen by more than a quarter in the past 12 months, according to Ministry of Justice (MoJ) statistics.
There were 148,426 cases in 2014 – up 28 per cent year-onyear and two per cent since 2004.
Vehicle insurance offences have also risen over the past 12 months, according to figures released by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM). There were 118,254 court cases – up seven per cent on 2013. However, since 2004, these are down 84 per cent.
Sarah Sillars, IAM chief executive, said: “We can see from these figures that as the UK comes out of recession, traffic levels have risen, speeding appears to be becoming more prevalent and casualties are rising again.
“The Government and police cannot afford to take their eye off the ball and more visible policing is key to ensure people don’t think they can get away with speeding.”
Court cases related to drinkdriving and phone use have both fallen in the last year, while there’s been a drop of vehicle registration and excise licence offences of 314 per cent in the past decade.
Sillars added: “On a positive note, the joining up of databases across agencies and the increased use of number plate recognition cameras means some motoring crimes have fallen in big numbers.”
DRIVING DOCTOR
Paul Ripley
www.drd.uk.com
@drpaulripley
THE use of telematics is growing at an unprecedented rate. Gone are the days where ‘driver assessment’ relied on an instructor compiling a report. It’s the same for ‘online driver assessments’, which are largely worthless, as users are presented with a series of questions.
It’s easy to get every answer correct and appear the perfect driver! It’s folly to imagine that an ‘online’ assessment can truly offer a reasonably accurate result on actual driver behaviour behind the wheel.
With telematics, we get a realistic reflection of ‘actual’ driving attitudes, as it monitors everything a driver does. Their historic and current driving abilities, safety and behaviour can be downloaded into the data system and analysed to offer a score. But this is where the telematics value chain stops, as monitoring alone can’t deliver remedies. Evaluation is no substitute for education.
Drivers who know they are being monitored are on their best behaviour to obtain a good score... it’s human nature. So why do fleet managers or insurers expect drivers to improve their score without offering quality driver feedback which relates to the captured data? Do this and you can target specific weaknesses and improve driver safety beyond belief.
Inbox What do you think? Contact Martin Saarinen
HOT TOPIC All-new MINI Clubman
FROM: jetronic63 AS an owner of the first-generation Clubman, I find the second-generation car hideous. The defining MINI characteristics have been swept away with this one. Instead of a compact, efficient and a fun car, we’re left with a bloated marketing exercise. FROM: Will86 I THINK the Clubman gets too much abuse from people who have never even owned one. I had one for seven years and it was fantastic. We even managed to fit a dishwasher in the back. I’ll hold my judgement on the new one until I actually have a go in it.
IN THE CLUB
Some readers are big fans of new Clubman, but others are unconvinced
Join the debate at www.autoexpress.co.uk
■ “I saw it in the flesh at the Frankfurt Motor Show and loved it. It was my favourite ‘good surprise’ of the entire show.” beniot9888 ■ “I think MINI may have gone a bit too far with the new Clubman. I see it as being impractical and not very user-friendly.” tom ■ “It shows promise. All the marketing gimmicks aside, we could be looking at a genuinely practical car.” Ken Hayes
Bring back Anglia badge on the new Ka Time to rethink fines for driving uninsured
FROM: Colin Martin I LIKE the Ford Ka replacement (Issue 1,389). The idea of a more spacious and practical Ka is the right direction for Ford. With the name still up for discussion, I’d like Ford to call it after some of its earlier models, such as the Anglia or Escort, perhaps.
Two-mile roadworks will leave us in a jam Taxing issue over wrongly seized cars
FROM: Paul Webber THE new Government plans to divide roadworks into two-mile stretches seem counter-intuitive to me (Issue 1,390). Call me old-fashioned, but I’d rather just get it all done with at once, rather than waste my time going from one two-mile jam to the next. Anyone else feel the same way? FROM: Gary Scales THE £300 fine for drivers caught with no insurance is too low (Issue 1,388). A better idea would be for the fine to be equivalent to the offender’s insurance premium. That way they would have to pay the insurance premium one way or the other.
FROM: John Treherne DALE Walker is not alone in having his vehicle towed away by police using ANPR due to errors with the DVLA’s tax database (Issue, 1389). I had mine towed, too, and it appears an E-mail confirmation of the tax receipt is not enough for the police. The DVLA must address this.
Useful Contacts
THE following provide help with motoring problems. Some services are free, others charge a fee or operate on premium-rate lines (p), while some offer advice for members only (m).
Legal
AA: 0906 010 1300 (p) RAC: 0870 5533 533 (m) Which?: 01992 822 800 Consumer Direct: 0845 404 0506 Local Trading Standards Local Citizens Advice Bureau Used car inspections
AA: 0800 085 3007 RAC: 0800 085 2529 Technical advice Car registration/history
HPI: 01722 422422 AA: 0800 316 3564 DVLA: 0300 790 6802 RAC: 0800 975 5867 Traffic information AA: 09003 401100 (p) RAC: 09003 444999 (p) Problems with dealers
Motor Codes: 0800 692 0825 Consumer Ombudsman: www.consumerombudsman.org RMIF: 0845 839 9205 (m) Scottish Motor Trade Association: 0131 331 5510 Problems with makers
Motor Codes: 0800 692 0825 Financial problems Financial Ombudsman: 0800 023 4567 Safety concerns/recalls
