Used Car - Misrepresented by dealer

[101_North]

Hi folks,

Just registered in the hopes that some kind soul could lend a bit of advice.

My wife recently bought a used car from a well known dealer. We were happy with the quality and we were assured it was in excellent condition, had recently undergone it's MOT and would be good to go. I asked about the MOT and was told there were no problems and the car was sound.

When we got home I discovered that we'd not been given a copy of the MOT certificate - this is where the fun begins.

I phoned first thing the next day and eventually the salesman accepted that it was missing and agreed to send out a copy. I waited over a week and nothing arrived. I phoned him again and he claimed he couldn't remember our previous conversation. Again we argued over whether it was missing or not and he kept assuring me that everything was OK but that he would send out a copy. Over a week later it still hadn't arrived! Not wanting to speak to this moron again I contacted the service manager who posted out a copy which received it the next day.

The problem is that there was an advisory notice issued with the MOT. They haven't sent me a copy of this so I have no idea what the advisory was for. I have spoken to them and they claim that they can't find the notice. I'm not prepared to accept this and have told them that I should have been made aware of any potential advisory notices before we bought the car. I have no idea which part/parts were considered suspect at the time and how soon remedial action should be taken.

As it stands I consider the car to not be in the condition it was described as being in when my wife bought it. I'm not prepared to pay for a test to see what the issues are and I'm not prepared to pay for any new parts.

As far as I'm concerned the problems should have been fixed by the garage before sale or at the very least I should have been made aware of the advisory notices so that we could make an informed decision as to the quality of the car. As it is I think the car was mis represented.

The length of time it took to give us even an MOT certificate suggests to me that they were hoping to get away with it.

What are our rights? Can I force that garage to fix the issues because the car is not as sound as it was described by the salesman? Failing that do I have any right to reject the car under the Sales Of Goods Act?

Thanks for any help

101

[old_andrew2007]

Hi 101
I am no expert however I advise you to immediately contact your local trading standards department, ask them to investigate, don't inform the garage of this action.

Andy

[101_North]

Thanks for your reply. I've just phoned VOSA and it would appear that the garage is not breaking it's MOT contract by not giving me a copy of the advisory. This would suggest that I'm wasting my time chasing them about it.
Still doesn't hide the fact that thy mislead me about the condition of the car but I'm now unsure if I've a leg to stand on if, as VOSA state, the garage has done nothing wrong.

101

[gwc1000]

Hi, 101. If it will put your mind at ease, it is quite simple to check what the advisory notice said. Go to MOT Information - Introduction click on Continue, and then on the left hand side click on Request history. You will need the reg no of the car and the MoT test no. (found on your MoT). This will then tell you what you want.