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Guest Ginette

I need a moan

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Sorry, I need a moan. Today has been rubbish - started OK and then fell apart.

 

My car was serviced on Friday and also needed its first MOT. The Toyota dealer wouldn't pass it on the grounds that the front passenger seatbelt is frayed. So they ordered another one which should arrive on Tuesday. My MOT is due today. So that was all right because it hadn't actually failed and I can drive it straight down there tomorrow to get the MOT, legally.

 

But at lunchtime today the garage rang to say the part wouldn't come in until next weekend so because of the Bank Holiday, the MOT can't be done until NEXT Tuesday. That's a whole week without a car. I have 6 people in my family so we need the people carrier to get around together. On BHM, we are due to go to Rochester, where DD3 is singing in the cathedral. We can't go without the car as getting there by train will I think be rather complicated. Also I may have taken my mother who is disabled, so train not a possibility for her either.

 

I have looked at the seat belt several times and can't find a fray at all. :evil: So I thought I might be able to get an MOT on the high street somewhere. I went to a couple of garages this afternoon but they couldn't fit me in. As one was in the road my mother lives in, I called in and got stuck there for an hour, thus using up all the time I had left before needing to be home for end of school. :evil: Now I am disgruntled, fed-up and cross. :(

 

I want to go back to Toyota and ask them to show me the fray, but now I can't do that today and tomorrow it wouldn't be legal. I have tried to find a seat belt from somewhere else, but haven't been able to. Another garage, which we have used before, told us that if Toyota can't get one, then no-one will be able to; so that's not worth wasting time on either.

 

The only MOT I could book for tomorrow clashes with a recorder class which I teach, so I will have to cancel that. And DD1 needs to be driven to college earlier in the day for her A2 German paper, which I can't do legally either.

 

Although I don't use my car much, I do need it for some things and to have it snatched away from me like this is a bit devastating. I feel really down now and :wall::wall:

 

Thanks for listening!

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Oh Ginette, what a complete pain. I couldnt last a week without a car and I dont see why they should expect you to either. :evil:

 

Havent they offered you a courtesy car? When we have our landrover mot/serviced/repaired we get a courtesy car.

 

You carry on and have a good moan and get it off your chest.

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Oh, Ginette, I don't know what to suggest, but that's unbelivably bad service from Toyota. I'm another who would be desperately stuck without a car for any length of time :oops: , we do rely on them so much don't we. No wonder you're frustrated and feeling in need of a moan. I do hope you can work something out.

If you're still struggling on BHM PM me, I'm free and not that far from Rochester, so I can offer to pick you up and drive you around a bit. Problem is my car's quite small, only space for 3 passengers, so not very useful, but if you're stuck I could get you & DD there. (Actually 4 passengers if I drive the embarrassing thing that hubby calls his car :roll::roll: ).

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What a nightmare for you.

 

I couldn't drive last week because I had labyrinthitis and was reeling around like a drunk. I can understand how limiting it is to be without your car. I even had to go on a bus to see the delectable James Martin as I'd promised my daughter I'd get her a signed copy of the book.

 

I try to be good about walking to work and shopping locally....but there are times when using the car is necessary and it is like having your right hand (or in my case left!) cut off to be deprived of it....especially for such a naff reason.

 

And WHY DON'T GARAGES KEEP SPARES!

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I didn't realise Egluntine, hope it's better now.

That is so annoying Ginette.

Did you ever see my Toyota garage moan?! :oops: In short they messed me around over a weekend test drive really badly, then the salesmam who never even bothered to meet me had a go at me for buying a car from a sister dealer. OH complained to the manager.

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Oh Ginette what a nightmare! I would be so :x too.

 

I would explain your situation & ask for a courtesy car and see where you get, if that fails im sure that as the part is on order and everything else has passed the test the garage could give you some sort of wavier for a few days :?

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Thank you all.

 

Sarah - you made me smile, for which I am really grateful. :)

 

KateA - you are so kind. Thank you. I haven't really thought about it too much yet, just disappointed because we were all going to go and Rochester is such a lovely olde town. Evensong is at 3:15 so it wouldn't even be too long a day.

 

I feel really miserable now and panicky. DD1 is 18 in 12 days' time and is haveing a 'get-together barbeque' thingy at home. At the moment all I can see is a messy garden, a messy house, me with no idea on what food to do or when I will prepare it (as I have to be out the day before) and now no car. So I can't go to the shops very easily and also the car is taking up valuable time when I could/should be doing other things. DS is off school on Friday so I only have 3 more days.

 

Generally, I cope with anything and everything. But just sometimes, things feel too much and then I shut down completely in a sort of depression. :( hopefully I'll pick up tomorrow!

 

 

 

That was how I felt earlier, but the system kept going down and I couldn't post it. I have just been preparing some young singers for an exam and now I feel a bit better. :)

OH has had a look too and he can't see a fray either. I am going back to Toyota tomorrow morning to ask them to show me the 'not-good-enough' seat belt. This is the FIRST MOT! I've never had a bad seat belt before and this car is only 3 years old. Your reactions on here have helped me to feel annoyed rather than beaten, so thank you friends! :)

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Hi Ginette, I don't know how you pay for the car ( hope that doesn't sound rude), but we have a Nissan Xtrail and Citroen Berlingo on a payment scheme & after 3 years, you have the option to pay it off and keep the car or have a brand new one. It works very well for us, but I just wonder if Toyota are trying to get you to have a new car??? Watch out, cos they sound like they are conning you!

 

Beware!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Emma.x

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I read this thread as "I need a Man" :lol:

 

Poor you,what a frustrating situation :roll:

I couldn't be a week without a car either - in fact I don't think I could go a day,which is a bit of a sorry state of affairs :?

Hope things sort themselves out.

 

Me too Sarah! :roll:

 

Sorry to hear about your bad day Ginette - would you like to borrow my van?

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:D Thanks Clare!

 

Things have changed a bit now. We have found the fray! And it's on the driver's side, not the passenger's. :evil: That's not what they told me - and I drove 270 miles on Sunday! :evil:

 

Does anyone know about MOTs? Now that everything is logged on a computer system, would all MOT centres know that my car had failed a test and why? Assuming that information is available on the system, I don't think I can go anywhere else and get one.

 

So I'll have a go at Toyota and ask them if there really are no seat-belts available in this country. If there are, then surely one could be transported down here before 29th May? If I can't get one, then I am indeed stuck without a car. :cry::evil:

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I was just going to post Ginette - I think it is all computerised now to stop people being able to go from garage to garage until they find someone willing to pass a car which maybe should have failed.

 

I really can't see why they can't get hold of a seat belt :? Ask them if it is safe to drive while you are waiting - and if it is legal to do sa as you are waiting for Toyota to get their act together. You have actually taken the car for its MOT so perhaps you have a short time of grace in this situation?

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Well, progress!

 

OH rang the garage this morning to ask where the belt was coming from - and perhaps we could go and pick it up ourselves? Also to say that the service is terrible and our car is off the road for 10 days because of it. He asked the poor man how we were going to get around at the weekend, seeing as there were 6 of us. The Toyota man offered to put us in touch with their rental section! Previas are at least £100 a day to rent! OH got him to agree to sharing the cost of the rental. :D

 

The seatbelt is coming from Japan or Belgium, he didn't know which. He said we were welcome to fly out and get it but he hadn't a clue where to send us when we got off the plane! They have checked with all Toyota dealers in the country and there are NO Previa seatbelts anywhere at all!! :shock: Apparently there aren't many Previas on the road - and they don't make them any more.

 

Then OH got a phone call to say that my car is booked in for Thursday this week, a courtesy car is also booked for me and a new seatbelt will be fitted and MOT done. :D:D Miraculously the seatbelt which COULDN'T get to them before Saturday is now arriving on Wednesday/Thursday. :D:D

 

I don't care about the whys and wherefores, but I'm thrilled to be getting my car back sooner than expected!

 

Well done DH! :D :D

 

I wonder how much a seatbelt costs? I'm guessing it's going to be £250 :evil:

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We have found the fray now Clare. And it is there, though I agree it shouldn't be when the car is only 3 years old.

 

I know exactly what you mean about dealers and I agree, but with a newer car I have stuck with them. Having a good service history helps when I sell the car. And they are usually very good and straightforward - I've never needed an MOT before though.

 

Thank you all for your support which really turned me around. I had sunk completely to the bottom, but you all made me see there was a way of dealing with them. Thank you! - and DH :D:D

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Great news Ginette!

 

Really pleased that you have a solution and it wont intrude on your life too much now.

 

Is the car still under warranty? :?

 

3 years doesnt seem a long time for a seatbelt to go - we've got a car that we have used every day for the last 10 years and the seatbelts are fine.

I would ask them to show you the 'damage' so to speak.

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:D YAY! :D Glad you eventually managed to get everything sorted!

 

For a seatbelt to fray so quickly it's likely that there is something in the mechanism or in the pillar where the seatbelt is 'hidden' that is causing it to fray. Get the garage to have a look, so that the problem won't happen again. If there is a flaw in it, and the car came with a 3 year guarantee, it should also be paid for by the garage, although getting garages to admit fault can be like getting blood out of a stone!

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