[hendry]

Sorry to be a pain guys, however for the first time since owning my car I noticed my dash is very poorly fitted, not sure how ive not noticed it sooner, basically where the edge of the dash meets the front screen the drivers side is tight against the screen and the "black bit on the bottom of the screen is visible, but on the passenger side I can get a finger on the gap between the edge of the dash and the screen, the black bit of the bottom of the screen is much more visible and also there a bit of black foam type stuff visible stuck/glued to the base of the screen between it and the dash, just wondered if anyone else has the same thing?

Ive included pics to show what I mean,its like the dash sits higher up at one edge than the other:















As you can see the drivers side fits much better, no foam visible between dash and screen and the black bit around the bottom of the screen whilst visible is much less visible at the drivers than it is the passengers side.

 

[hendry]

Nobody?

This is driving me mental, I checked every car in work earlier, even non Vauxhalls, and none have a dash that sits higher up at one side than the other, nor a bit of foam stuck between the dash and the windscreen at one side. I need to know if it's unique to my car or if other Corsa Es are like this before I can go to Vauxhall and demand something's done about it.

 

[mud4fun]

Sorry Hendry, not had a chance to look. I'll check tomorrow on my way to work. I'm less inclined to worry about such things as I've not had a new car yet that hasn't had at least something wrong and that is alot of new cars if you include the company cars. As long as the car is mechanically sound I'll accept a few bits of misaligned trim, the odd mark etc as long as it is not too obvious or detracting.

Think yourself lucky, on a brand new Mitsubishi I leased the fan belt started squealing immediately after delivery. I investigated and found that one of the alternator mounting bolts had not been fitted. On a Rover the engine died on the way back from dealer because they had not bolted the condenser in place at the factory and it fell off. An MG leaked because the seal had not been fitted on the sunroof. The worst was a brand new Land Rover freelander that the electric windows wound down and then wouldn't go back up again, the ECU had a fault which caused the engine to redline whenever you slowed for a junction and the vehicle would automatically unlock itself when left, all faults within the first few days of ownership. A Peugeots calipers fell off on the motorway under braking because factory had not fitted the correct bolts and its alloy wheel centre trims kept falling out from new. I could go on.

My Corsa has been the most reliable new car I've had, 5K fault free miles so far. Fingers crossed it stays that way.

 

[Delboy_Lee]

Hi Hendry sorry you got a problem with you dash board fitting, have you spoken to your dealer about this. Have no noticeable problems with mine ?

 

[hendry]

Sorry Hendry, not had a chance to look. I'll check tomorrow on my way to work. I'm less inclined to worry about such things as I've not had a new car yet that hasn't had at least something wrong and that is alot of new cars if you include the company cars. As long as the car is mechanically sound I'll accept a few bits of misaligned trim, the odd mark etc as long as it is not too obvious or detracting.

Think yourself lucky, on a brand new Mitsubishi I leased the fan belt started squealing immediately after delivery. I investigated and found that one of the alternator mounting bolts had not been fitted. On a Rover the engine died on the way back from dealer because they had not bolted the condenser in place at the factory and it fell off. An MG leaked because the seal had not been fitted on the sunroof. The worst was a brand new Land Rover freelander that the electric windows wound down and then wouldn't go back up again, the ECU had a fault which caused the engine to redline whenever you slowed for a junction and the vehicle would automatically unlock itself when left, all faults within the first few days of ownership. A Peugeots calipers fell off on the motorway under braking because factory had not fitted the correct bolts and its alloy wheel centre trims kept falling out from new. I could go on.

My Corsa has been the most reliable new car I've had, 5K fault free miles so far. Fingers crossed it stays that way.

I have always been anal about this sort of thing, it won't bother me if I can't see it because I forget it, but I see this everytime i drive the car now, I have called Vauxhall Customer Care who gave me a case ref and said it sounds like a manufacturing defect and to book it into Vauxhall dealer and see what they say. I am also planning to visit the dealer tonight when it is closed where I can have a look round other Es on their forecourt and see if they are the same, its the foam bit between the windscreen and dash which is bugging me more than anything as its so obvious, the fitment not bothering me as much, oddly though the lady at Vauxhall said it should be a warranty job to do whatever is necessary to fix it and that as long as I haven't caused damage or for example left a dog in the car which has chewed it etc it will be fixed, which makes me think they don't understand my issue as ive no idea how they think you could damage that part of the dash through abuse or a dog chewing it as its right in at the windscreen.

 

[mud4fun]

Hendry, I have checked mine today and the passenger side of the dash is lower than the drivers side! Not really obvious until it was pointed out. Doesn't bother me so I'll leave it. My car is currently reliable with no electrical faults, that might not be the case after the dealer has one of their monkeys* rip the dash out to replace it so it is the lesser of two evils for me

*having seen several comments on FB from vauxhall technicians I'd sooner trust my 8 year old daughter to fix the car!

 

[hendry]

Hendry, I have checked mine today and the passenger side of the dash is lower than the drivers side! Not really obvious until it was pointed out. Doesn't bother me so I'll leave it. My car is currently reliable with no electrical faults, that might not be the case after the dealer has one of their monkeys* rip the dash out to replace it so it is the lesser of two evils for me

*having seen several comments on FB from vauxhall technicians I'd sooner trust my 8 year old daughter to fix the car!

But is there a gap between the dash and screen at one side and not the other, and is there a piece of foam visible like in my pictures?

I went to the dealers earlier and looked at every E they had, only 1 other out of about 20 Es had the foam visible between the screen and the passenger side of the dash.

I'm going to go in tomorrow and speak to service reception and see if they can spare a mechanic for a quick look and oif needs be book it in, it needs to go on anyway as the surround round the rear view mirror which covers the sensors for the auto lights, wipers and self dimming mirror etc is loose and rattling.

 

[mud4fun]

No foam visible on mine but dash sits about 10mm lower on the passenger side.

 

[hendry]

Just an update to this on the off chance any one is interested, took the car in this morning at 8am before work, got a call at 10am saying they agreed dash not fitted right, they had checked cars in the showroom which were OK, so they need to find out what the issue is, to do so they need to strip the dash out to find out what the issue is, they think it could be the dash bracket, and then they'd need to order parts, said I could either have the car back and bring it back in whenever it was convenient to be without the car for a couple of days, or I could leave it in with them while it was in just now, but I'd likely not see it this side of the weekend, they will contact me with regular updates, they also agree the cover over the auto light and wiper sensors at the rear view mirror is loose and rattling, so they will replace it too.

So I agreed it was pointless to take it back then have to bring it back in again and I'd leave it with them since it was already in, 5mins later I called back to ask for a courtesy car to be told none available until Tuesday, so as I was working I got my Mrs to call Vauxhall Customer Care, after 45mins on hold she got through, they called the dealer to confirm the issue with my car and that there are no courtesy cars, they then agreed to authorise the dealer to source a car from a rental company, as it was Arnold Clark Vauxhall who have my car they sent me to their in house Car and Van Rental depot who sorted out a car FOC, and best of all the hire car is another Corsa E in Shiny Rock, unfortunately a 1.2 but it goes OK and is far better than the D 1.2, also its SE spec so its a nice car.

 

[mud4fun]

Glad they are sorting it out for you Hendry, you are braver than me!! ;-)

Will be interesting to hear how you find the 1.2 and what mpg is like. Sounds like you may have it for a good few 'test drive'

 

[Delboy_Lee]

Hi Hendry thanks for update & hope you get it sorted out ok. Good news that VX approved the Courtesy car for you & as Ian has said " Make the most of a good Test Drive. Enjoy the SE Spec ?

 

[hendry]

Thanks guys, the SE spec feels much more upmarket than my SRi despite not having a huge amount of extra spec, the SRi is fairly well kitted out and feels quality and well built but the SE just feels more premium. I really like the full colour door mirrors (the SRi only has colour coded caps, the housings and base plates are black) and the chrome window sill trim, chrome door handles and door sill plates and the gloss black gear lever surround to match the gloss black centre console and dash inserts, the SRi gear lever surround is just black plastic, it also feels smoother to drive as the SRi is smooth but a bit sportier. I couldn't tell it was a 1.2 until I checked the docs, despite only having 70bhp I thought initially it could be the 90bhp 1 litre turbo or the 1.4 n/a 90bhp. The car has done 3000 miles but both computers are showing similar mpg to my 1.4, 40mpg for the past 1600 miles (about what my car has done in 1700 miles) on 1st trip and 45mpg since last reset (about 250 miles, same again as my car) on 2nd trip, it has a full tank and the computer says the range is about 415miles.

My last job today was to deliver a 63 plate D 1.4 SXi out to a customer and I just cannot believe how different the E is despite being the same chassis/floorpan/shell and almost the same car. The D really does feel like a heap of junk by comparison.

I'm actually going to enjoy driving it without worrying about stone chips, road wear damage and thrashing/ragging the car like I do when driving my own which stops me enjoying it.

 

[hendry]

Well I was at Asda earlier and the Vauxhall dealer my car is at is in the same retail park so curiosity got the better of me and i decided to see if I could see my car, and yep its sitting in the service car park with the glovebox lying on the passenger seat, all associated trim lying on passenger floor and the cream pillar trim which runs up the side of the windscreen and the trim round the small triangle window infront of the front door lying across the back seat, poor baby car

To top it all off, they have washed it and hung a leaflet from the rear view mirror saying "Arnold Clark Completely Satisfied" thats a joke, why wash it when it isn't finished and is going to lie there gathering dust, secondly I most certainly am not completely satisfied, my less than 3 month old car is lying in a garage in bits and its the 4th time its been in for something since new already, and none of them daft wee issues, in fairness to Arnold Clark, as bad as they usually are its not them who are the problem this time, they are actually being fairly good, its Vauxhalls rubbish build quality.

 

[LimeyUK]

its Vauxhalls rubbish build quality.

Wouldn't go far as to say that, you've just been unlucky. It happens to all manufacturers, and with the amount of cars that are made, you can't blame them really.

Its a shame you didn't notice some of the stuff earlier, you may have been able to just get it replaced.

You could also see if there is anything Arnold Clark would be willing to do in order to compensate the amount of issues you've had already.

 

[mud4fun]

Yeah, I think you've been really unlucky Hendry considering the number of faults you've had. :-(

In comparison I would struggle to find any faults with mine other than intellilink. Sure I could go around car with a micrometer and probably find some minor ill fitting things but generally Dafny seems to have been screwed together well. Now done 5.5K miles without fault as have several of us. So the design is not wrong and quality is fine for us which suggests you may have been unfortunate to get an 'end of shift' car.

I've owned about 200 cars (including company cars) and most were brand new and I suspect I've just got a different level of tolerance for 'issues'. I would only take a car back to the dealer if the fault was safety related or serious. The danger with taking it back for minor trim alignment issues is that it will come back with worse faults than it started with especially a dashboard replacement. I had a similar aesthetic issue with my Mazda and it required a new dash but I refused to allow dealer to strip it so lived with fault for 10 years.

I don't think I've ever had a completely fault free new car, you can always find some minor thing wrong. Dafny's squeaking clutch for example. I fixed that myself though, 30 second fix is hardly worth worrying about.

 

[hendry]

I'm going to call Vauxhall once I've got the car back and see what I can take them for as compensation (I once called Renault customer services when at 3.5 years old my Clios fan stopped working on speed 2 and it turns out the resistor and wiring had melted, then less than a month later the wiper linkage seized and the part was on back order from France meaning I was without a car for 3 days, they sent me a £150 voucher to spend on anything from a dealer, tyres, repairs, servicing, etc. I went and spent it on some additions to the car. So who knows what I'll get for all these issues on a less than 3 months old car)

So far it's had:
- handbrake needed adjustment as it wasn't holding on a slight incline.
- loose/faulty wiring connection to near side front side light
- near side rear alloy wheel replaced due to dust/dirt under the paint
- drivers seat base and height adjuster mechanism replaced
- surround/cover round auto wiper and light sensor at rear view mirror as its loose and rattling about
- now the dash issue which could be brackets or the dash itself, even the dealer doesn't know yet.

In all honesty I could just live with most of these faults but it's a brand new car and they shouldn't exist so why should I, that's what a warranty is for.

 

[skywhite]

Checked my dash and no gaps on the passenger side.

 

[hendry]

Well I got my car back "temporarily" and its a mixed bag, good/positive things and bad, firstly the dealership fitted a full brand new dashboard, and it fits much better, they have put it in really well and put everything else back in really good, HOWEVER, got in the car at the dealers and the radio wasn't picking up any stations, tried retuning and nothing, checked the car and they had snapped the aerial! Turns out they put the car through their automated car wash with the aerial attached. However, I was still only picking up AM and FM stations with the new aerial fitted, all my preset DAB stations were either coming up searching constantly, no signal or picking up the FM version of the station so went back in again and the mechanic who fitted the dash etc came out for a look, he did a factory reset, disconnected battery, then eventually plugged in the Tech2 (Vauxhall onboard diagnostics machine, basically a laptop in a hard shell casing) and it was showing an open circuit on the DAB which the guy said meant it was either loose wire or some wire or connection not plugged in but he had checked them all and they were all connected, so its to go back in yet again next Thursday (earliest they have a courtesy car)

I called Vauxhall customer care on the way home (was planning to anyway but this issue added more fuel to the fire) and explained I wasn't happy with the quality of the car the amount of issues ive had, my concerns over build quality, how I thought it was poor how a 3 month old car has had so many faults, how I bought a new car for trouble free motoring and the inconvenience of arranging for it to get repaired, taking it in and so on, the guy I got remembered me from the oissue with the engine codes and immediately asked if I wanted to starting proceedings to reject the car, I said I was getting to that point but not quite there yet, I want some form of compensation for all the hassle, stress and issues ive had before I consider rejecting the car, he took details of all faults, who did the repairs each time (2 different Arnold Clark branches who to be fair have been spot on) and so on, he is going to contact the dealers to confirm the faults and what was done to fix them, also going to speak to his manager and get back to me by close of play Monday latest to see what they are proposing to do to pacify me. Really at my wits end.

 

[mud4fun]

Sadly this is a common problem and why you have to way up quite how critical the dash issue is before having a dash replaced. With my last truck I refused point blank to allow a dealer anywhere near the dash as they always F*ck something up when installing.

Been there, done that and have several T-shirts.

I would never get a dash replaced for minor fit issues. I agree it should not be like that but you have to take a pragmatic approach, all new cars have faults from very trivial to very serious. The trick is to know where the tipping point is between a minor inconvenience and something that has to be rectified. Having the dealer fix anything is always running the risk that they break something even more serious and potentially break something that takes a while to surface so you are out of warranty (as happened to me).

I don't trust the teenage monkeys that these dealers often employ. I've had satellite trackers and telematics in many of my vehicles and the audit trail always shows serious abuse in the hands of main dealers eg. Redlining my car while in for a service, doing 100mph on a 'test drive' etc, etc. Far better and more trustworthy service from our local independent who has older staff. Sorry for you younger folk reading this but it is very true. Give a higher performance car to an 18 year old and they rag it with no thought for the damage they are doing to long term engine life.

If they don't give two hoots about screwing your engine up, they certainly won't care less about doing a good job of fitting trim etc.

Sorry just my personal opinion based on 30 years motoring experience. :-(

 

[hendry]

Sadly this is a common problem and why you have to way up quite how critical the dash issue is before having a dash replaced. With my last truck I refused point blank to allow a dealer anywhere near the dash as they always F*ck something up when installing.

Been there, done that and have several T-shirts.

I would never get a dash replaced for minor fit issues. I agree it should not be like that but you have to take a pragmatic approach, all new cars have faults from very trivial to very serious. The trick is to know where the tipping point is between a minor inconvenience and something that has to be rectified. Having the dealer fix anything is always running the risk that they break something even more serious and potentially break something that takes a while to surface so you are out of warranty (as happened to me).

I don't trust the teenage monkeys that these dealers often employ. I've had satellite trackers and telematics in many of my vehicles and the audit trail always shows serious abuse in the hands of main dealers eg. Redlining my car while in for a service, doing 100mph on a 'test drive' etc, etc. Far better and more trustworthy service from our local independent who has older staff. Sorry for you younger folk reading this but it is very true. Give a higher performance car to an 18 year old and they rag it with no thought for the damage they are doing to long term engine life.

If they don't give two hoots about screwing your engine up, they certainly won't care less about doing a good job of fitting trim etc.

Sorry just my personal opinion based on 30 years motoring experience. :-(

The mechanic who did my car was, fair play to him, a seemingly decent guy, a bit older, maybe in his late thirties at least, no younger, knew what he was talking about, knew a fair bit about Vauxhall cars (as in interested in them, not just knew about the mechanicals etc) owns an Astra diesel, mentioned he likes to go fishing etc not a young spotty wee oik type. Very apologetic that he hadn't tried the DAB when he rebuilt my dash, he just made sure the unit was working and as it was on FM and playing the FM stations fine he just assumed it was OK, can't fault him tbh.