Haulier threatens court over faults
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• Renault VI is facing court action from an owner-driver who bought a Magnum AE520 last year which developed a "catalogue of catastrophes".
South Glamorgan haulier Kurt Hutchinson bought his Renault Magnum from Cardiff main dealer England's Truck Care in January 1996 and, he says, soon encountered a string of faults. These included a broken driver's seat; handbrake release problems; computer malfunctions; the continual blowing of the exhaust brake fuse; a faulty oil pressure gauge; a sticking throttle; air pipes worn through under the catwalk; and a cab air suspension leak.
Hutchinson says the most serious fault occurred after a second footbrake delay valve was mistakenly fitted to cure an annual test failure. Soon afterwards, he claims, he lost his brakes completely on the M42 and had to slow the vehicle on the hard shoulder.
Hutchinson has handed the Magnum back to England's and says he is on the dole as he cannot afford another vehicle. He has stopped payments on the vehicle and is determined to sue Renault for money already paid and loss of earnings.
A spokesman for Renault VI says: "One can sympathise with an owner-driver when his only vehicle breaks down and cannot be fixed. But we'd rather have sat around a table to resolve this matter than see it go to court."
Another Renault source says the true story is yet to emerge. "Renault bent over backwards to help him," he says. "There's got to be some give and take on both sides."