faulty parts on second hand car

[louise198]

hi

i purchased a vauxhall astra at the end of September 2016 ,it only had 37000 miles on the clock ,when this was sold to me i was told it was in perfect condition ,was advised had the best tyres on the car ,engine is in great condition and from what i could see did look great condition but for nearly £6000 i should think so. In December i received a call saying the car was due what they call a health check and booked it in for the middle of January( this just out of any 3 month warrant).

I got the report back from this and these thing was listed as urgently needing to be replaced:

Timing chain and water pump
all 4 tyres
all for brakes and brake discs
Brake fluid
and steering tracking

ok now tyres fair enough this is normal wear and tear

but i have only had car just over 3 months and only done 4000 miles, so for the water pump and timing chain to be that badly worn, would suggest it was already really worn when i purchased the car ,yet this wasn't mentioned when car was sold to me ,also for brake disc to be that worn would suggest the brake pads was also already very worn. they now want over £600 to get it all fixed.

The lady at the service centre was very shocked when i told her i had only had the car 3 months ,with how worn the parts was. her answer was to take it up with the sales team.

i have emailed them but had no answer! where do i stand? can i ask them to at least pay for the timing belt and water pump? surely they should have advised of these defects when selling me the car?

thanks for any info you can provide.

[des8]

Re: faulty parts on second hand car

Hi and welcome.

What you do is write (signed for ) to the dealer pointing out all the problems (even the tyres!) and tell him the car was of unsatisfactory quality and not as described.
Therefore you are rejecting it under rights bestowed by the Consumer Rights Act 2016.
Remind him he has one opportunity to repair the vehicle and bring it to a satisfactory standard.
If he fails you can reject the car, and obtain a refund

How did you purchase the car cash/credit/debit card or finance?

[ostell]

Re: faulty parts on second hand car

I would think timing chain and water pump are the only thigs in dispute, and even fhen if it was a timing belt it could be up for renewal. It's possibly about the age and mileage that these needed replacement anyway. I hate to say it but this could just be a bad bargain.

[louise198]

Re: faulty parts on second hand car

Hi des8

It was purchased on debit card.

[louise198]

Re: faulty parts on second hand car

Hi Ostell

It's the timing belt and water pump I'm the most concerned about , the service centre said it was very worn and urgently needs attention , so the dealer must have know at point of sale the condition of this, but failed to say anything , didn't even say when it was due to be replaced , my partner even asked about the timing belt and his reply was it's only done 37000 miles so will be fine.(but that will be our word against his)

Tyres ok wear and tear i will take that on the chin.

i will send a recorded letter and see what happens

Thanks everyone for your advise, very much appreciate it.

[ostell]

Re: faulty parts on second hand car

If the timing belt is worn then it needs seeing to as soon as possible as if it breaks then it probably means a new engine, Timing belts also have a time schedule as well as mileage for replacement. Sounds like the salesman was ignorant on that point.

Brake fluid is recommended to be changed every so often
Brake pads and discs do wear, consumable items.
tracking can be out, knock on a kerb perhaps?

[des8]

Re: faulty parts on second hand car

You were told the car was in perfect condition.
It was not as is indicated by the report youhad.
It was mis described.

Also, if you reject a vehicle 30 days after purchase, but before the end of 6 months, it is for the dealer to prove that any faults were not in existence at the time of purchase.


As you used a debit card you have the possibility of making a charge back, but don't leave it too long as there is probably a 120 day time limit (http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-righ...use-chargeback)

[louise198]

Re: faulty parts on second hand car

Thought I give you an up date , when I called dealership and spoke to manager he had been given a copy of the report , he basically said the report was wrong and I had been misinformed those items don't need replacing, as you can imagine I wasn't happy and said so basically you either lied when selling the car or you lied when doing the health check to get more money from me . He asked me to bring car back in for another health check and he wil over look it being done . So now all they have done is down graded the urgency of when these items need replacing and still refusing to repair any. Will be taking this further as I don't believe a word they say now.

[des8]

Re: faulty parts on second hand car

You do need to give them one chance to bring the car to a satisfactory condition.
You can tell them (in writing, sent signed for), that the 6 month clock stops until such time as the vehicle is returned.
Dragging their feet will not exhaust your rights, but actually will strengthen your arguments as they have to repair the car in a reasonable time.