Thread: URGENT advice needed - Used Car Problems

Hi,

I bought a used car from a dealer in Scotland in march (53 plate Diesel Nissan Micra) for £3100, for the first 3-4 months it was fine and I had no problems, then in May it broke down on the M4, it took a week for a garage to work out what the problem was (taking it to the dealer wasn't possible, I was on a trip to Bristol, dealer in Edinburgh). It turned out the car had a faulty exhaust release gauge which needed replaced (cost £300), I figured it was just bad luck, put it down to experience and carried on. Then in August the alternator broke (cost to get fixed £330), but having looked on the internet, I found out that this is a fault that can occur at anytime, and that they have a tendancy to just wear out, so again, foolishly, I paid and carried on assuming that it was just one of those things. Now I've found out the cam shaft sensor is broken, and according to the garage even after its been replaced, its still showing a fault (cost so far £138 and rising...). I am deeply concerned that this is going to turn out to be an even more costly problem and having already spent the best part of £1000 on repairs in a little over 8 months I am unsure what my options are, I have to have a car to get to work, but I can't afford to keep throwing good money after bad and I can't afford to write off the money I've already spent on this car. After the first problem I contacted the dealer, who told me I'd only had a 3 month warrenty so it was effectively tough luck.

Aonghais

Sorry to hear of your troubles Gus. I take it you didn't get "Promises Delivered". Story makes me wonder about genuine milage (you don't say milage), so try http:// motinfo.gov.uk. This site may be able to give you MOT history by which you can check milage over the years.
I'm sure someone will reply with consumer rights in detail, but i think you are entitled to six months cover which would at least have paid some of your expenses.