Rights when asking dealer to address faulty car

[Leetommy14]

Hi all,

Fresh off the back of a month long battle sorting my partner's car with a underhand dealer (which we won thanks to you lot!) my own car has developed a drivetrain fault, leading me back to my dealer as the purchase was under six months ago. He immediately tried to fob me off saying it was beyond the three months warranty, that he needed to look at the sales agreement, terms and conditions etc. I've copied the wording of the consumer rights act and sent it to him regarding me rights under six months since purchase.

Here's my question - he's asked that I bring it to his trusted mechanic as they have a good relationship and cheaper labour rates. He's about a forty minute drive away so I asked if he'd be open to me using a closer garage given the nature of the fault, explaining that driving further may exacerbate the issue and increase the cost of a repair. He agreed to this under the condition that I pay for the diagnostics. Does this seem fair? Can the dealer insist on choosing the location, and realistically who is responsible for the cost of diagnosing the fault when it's not immediately obvious?

Thanks all

[Pezza54]

Under CRA, within 6 months from purchase/delivery the dealer must be given one chance to repair the car's fault at no cost to the consumer.
The dealer is right, he can agree to a diagnostic report at a local garage, provided you pay for the report.
If the fault is serious and expensive to repair, the dealer will probably want the car returned so he can carry out his own diagnosis and repair. If the dealer returns the car to you and the fault still exists or reoccurs within the 6 months plus waiting time, you are legally entitled to reject the car