Thread: second hand car from dealer 2 weeks ago - exhaust fell off

Hi
I have just found your forum and hope that you can help me.
Just over two weeks ago on 3rd June (if memory serves me correctly), I put a deposit down on a second hand car from a second hand car dealer that has a service centre attached to it. They said the car would have to go through some checks, and they would put a new mot on it, as well as change the cambelt. I went to collect the car on 5th June, and paid the rest of the money. I had to take the car back on 12th June as the driver side electric mirror was not fuctioning correctly, and some attention was needed to the door, which they fixed without any complaint.
On 21 June, yesterday evening, there was a terrible noise. I called out the RAC and they discovered that the exhaust, (the part right at the front of the car, not the tail end) had come apart. From what the RAC said, it looks like I will have to replace the complete exhaust, which is a costly business.
The second hand car dealer gave me a three month warranty with an independent company, but I notice that this does not cover the exhaust.
In the advert, the car had been described as "in immaculate condition". Would the second hand car dealer be liable to replace the exhaust at their cost?
They are in southampton, and I am in London.
Please advise of what action, if any, that I can take, and the approach I should take, as I am upset at the moment and do not want to say anything or do anything that would jeopardise any rightful claim that I may have.
Thank you

It is unreasonable that an exhaust system would deteriorate so much in 2 weeks that it collapsed. It is also unreasonable that the exhaust was MoT standard 2 weeks ago and fell appart today. So, I would suggest the likely thing here is that the exhaust was up to standard but worked its way loose during driving. That is unnaceptable and would suggest poor workmanship or faulty components or componenat failure.

Although exhausts are normally not included in any warranty claims, an exhaust falling off 2 weeks after purchasing a car described as immaculate condition by a dealer and having just passed an moT test is not acceptable.

I would be asking the dealer to foot the bill for the repair or reject the car under the sale of goods act as unfit for the purpose it was intended for - ie safe transportation. An exhaust falling off at speed can cause a car to crash.

And the dealer would have to foot the bill or collect the car - as it would be illegal to drive it with a failed exhaust from London to Southampton to be repaired.

Hi
Thanks for your reply. I spoke to the dealer, but he refused to pay the cost of repair to the exhaust, and is adamant that the exhaust was up to standard during the mot, and says, therefore that it is my responsibility to pay the bill. How can i make him pay.....i dont have money to go to solicitors, etc....

hi all
i just spoke to my mechanic, and he has had a look at the exhuast, and i asked him whether he reckoned that it would have been ok at the time of purchase. His opinion is that the exhuast was ok, but probably came off my by hitting an effing road bump. On account of that he reckons that the dealer i bought it off is not liable. So according to him, im going to have to fork out for cat converter part of the exhaust. Peugeot told me a grand, but mechanic says he can get a no name for 350..... Looks like im left with the bill then.

I find the title of the thread interesting under the circumstances: ......exhaust FELL off.

perhaps before people brand the dealers as a rogues in future, they will consider whether something is now off the car because if fell of, or because they smashed it off by hitting somnething - like a speed bump as in this case.