Wrong Brakes Fitted

[tim-spam]

I've just sent this email to Seat Customer Services - it's fairly self-explanatory, and I'll let you know their response:

 

Dear Sir / Madam,

 

The rear brake pads have recently been changed on the above vehicle, and the following problems were encountered:

 

1) The local Seat dealership supplied the rear brake pads according to the chassis number, but these were not compatible with the vehicle.

 

2)The Parts Department closed early on the day that the pads were being fitted, and so were not able to help.

 

The local VW agent was consulted, and they were able to confirm that the correct parts had been supplied according to the chassis number. However, by comparing their stock with the old parts, they were able to supply brake pads to fit the vehicle, and the brake pad change was completed.

 

The chassis number of the vehicle shows (correctly) that 16" wheels are fitted, and the first set of brake pads supplied were for a vehicle with 16" wheels + wear indicators.

 

However, it appears that the vehicle is fitted with calipers and discs for a vehicle equipped with 15" wheels, which is why the above problems were experienced.

 

The implications of all of the above are very serious, and I would raise the following issues:

 

1) As things stand at present, Seat is unable to supply the correct parts for the braking system from the chassis number of the vehicle.

 

2) The car has been built to a lower specification than it should have been. Think about the insurance implications - I now know that my vehicle is not to the manufacturer's standard specification on safety critical components!!

 

3) The specification of the front brakes is as yet unclear - if these are correct to chassis number, there will be a serious imbalance between the front and rear braking.

 

I am sure that you will agree that the above situation is totally unacceptable, and it is encumbent upon yourselves to take sufficient, timely and appropriate action to fully resolve all of the above concerns.

 

It will NOT be sufficient to simply refer me to the local dealership. I look forward to your response later today.

[tim-spam]

Their response was:

 

Thank you for your further e-mail and for providing the details, as requested.

 

I have investigated your comments with our Parts Department and it has been confirmed that the correct part number for the rear brake pads of your SEAT Alhambra is different from the one you have been provided. I have contacted Gary at Premier Garage in Stoke and he has advised that the parts originally supplied to you were incorrect and that you have since been refunded for costs incurred. He has apologised profusely for this mistake, as in fact he sourced the parts under the wheel size of your vehicle instead of using the relevant engine code, he hopes you were not too inconvenienced by this error. In order to avoid any future misunderstanding, we will make sure to remind our dealership network of the correct procedure for identifying these parts, by using the engine code of the vehicle.

 

Following on your comments, I have also contacted our Warranty and Technical Departments, and they have confirmed that at time of manufacture your Alhambra was fitted with 16" steel wheel and matching callipers and discs, therefore, it was built within manufacturer's specifications. I hope this will put your mind at rest regarding the safety aspects of your vehicle.

 

I appreciate that this whole ordeal has been disappointing for you and would like to apologise once again for the inconvenience you incurred. Thank you for taking the time to write to us with your concerns, I hope that the information provided will be of use to you.

 

 

My response to the above was:

 

Thank you for your email concerning the problems experienced with obtaining the correct brake pads for my vehicle. The only thing I would add is that the VW dealership made exactly the same error, which leads me to suspect that there is an anomaly between the chassis number and brake specification. I would have thought that the engine code should have been identifiable from the chassis number and not really necessary to order the correct brake parts.

 

However, I now know that brake parts for my Alhambra need to be specified for a vehicle with 15" wheels, even though it was supplied with 16" wheels. I do not consider that the Parts Department at Premier Stoke to be principally to blame in this matter, and I would suggest that your parts supply system should be updated so that the correct parts can in future be supplied against the chassis number.

[seatkid]

"They're the wrong trousers, Gromit!"