Use car problems need to know my options.

[jaffa75]

I bought a second hand car from a car dealer on the 5th of march 2007. its a renault laguna RT sport (R reg)..I paid £800 and traded in my old mazda 626-lx. All of a sudden i have been having a few problems with it when driving long distances (30mins plus) the engine fan kicks in and im getting a clanking noise from it as if its hitting against something also i have now started to experiance a problem when putting the gear in to first it seems as if it is slipping as the car keeps jumping and also i have noticed tonight that the heating gauge is up full but when the heating is on it is cold...its now 7th march 2007 and i want to know if i am in the right to take the car back to the dealer to get the problem sorted as my knowledge of cars is nil and im unsure of the time frame of how long you got to take it back...I havent taken out any warrenty on the car with the dealer as i never even new this was possible so i am unsure of my rights...
Your help would be mostly appreciated thankyou.

[Gallen]

ok, dont worry too much just yet

...The engine fan could well be hitting against something, or simply not working - simple fix.

When the car is cold and not been running, check that the radiator and the water header tank have water in. If you need to add water, check if there is a bleed screw on the radiator that needs to be unscrewed so it can let the air out when the water goes in - to avoid an air lock. These reasons could be a reason for hot engine running, and no interior heat.

Another simple problem could simply be the Engine Thermostat which is another simple fix.

On a more serious note, check the colour of the oil via the dipstick - if it's creamy coffee colour, there is water/oil mixing which indicates possibly a head gasket failure.

Check the colour of the water too, and if theres oil in it, possibly cream or froth, indicates the same. Also excessive steam from the exaust when hot can mean water getting into the cylinders via head gasket. Symptoms can be one or the other, or all.

Now back to the dealer issue - When you buy a used car from a dealer, I think by law you have to be provided with a basic 3 month warantee - but maybe someone can confirm this.