Used Car - Problems after a few days

[eyeballs]

Hi All,

Was wondering if i explained the problem i was having if i could get some help with what to do now to get the problems sorted.
portacabin type of place.

Ok, i went with my dad to a car sales place - the typical portacabin, brill creamed hair guys place. Not a small comapny, about 200 cars over 2 sites. So the car iw anted was a 2000 VW Polo, 1.4 TDI. took it out for a test drive, i fell in love with it so we spoke about buying it. We agreed to trade my ka in (for 800), put a deposit down in cash for 200 and pay the remainder (2495) next week when i went to pick it up after it had an MOT - they sed they do it to all vehicles. there was a bit of paint missing on the front of the car so my dad said he wanted that fixed too.

All Happy, i call the guy during the week to say we will pick it up sat morning the following week and he sed it was ready from weds, so as i ahd the day off work fri i went to pick it up then with my mum. we got there, paid the money, gave him my ka, to in the poo and the drivers window wudnt come down (blistering hotweather too!) so i kept fiddling with it an u could hear a motor or something moving. the guy came out and sods law, first time he tired it worked. so we pull out of the place, get 3 miles up the road and then the handbreak warning light comes on witha loud beep followed by the abs warning light. naturally, i slowed down, pull off the road and turned the car off. then i tried to turn it on and it just wouldnt go. so we called the bloke, he came to look at it - had no idea abuot it so took us back to the saesyard and we came home in the ka.

a few days later he calls to say its all fixed - was the starter motor that ceased up. so my dad went to get it that night after work and it was fine. still though the electirc window wudnt come down at various times - often not for the first few but then it would. so i start driving it about and still find the window not working properly so we called the guy and he sed get it fixed locally (he is 40miles away) and he'll pay - very fair. now the window wont move or make any noise...but this is not the most worrying of the problems.

i parked the car and walked away from it looking back and saw a bit of covering rusty over the exhaust wa hanging off under the car. and the back screen water wont come out of the nossle-must be a break or something in the pipe. then when i was driving home yesterday - driving nicely, i started ot break at the roundabout and there was a "clunk" noise which i also felt on the break peddle and the abs light came on. had a look in the book and it sed the normal breaks still worked so i came home, parked it in the drive and cried. why's it all gone wrong.

the whole point to this mamouth post is, what shall i do now? if got a feeling if i call the guy and tell him the problems of the water pipe, haning rust and abs light he will jsut say i caused it and he wont repair it (came with a 3 month warenty with a lot of exclusions like electrics!) where do i stand, does the sale of goods act cover me? how do i make him pay to repair it?

Any advice greatly received! Thanks. Sarah

[patdavies]

Originally Posted by eyeballs

a 2000 VW Polo, 1.4 TDI.

i parked the car and walked away from it looking back and saw a bit of covering rusty over the exhaust wa hanging off under the car.

Exhausts have a finite life. They live in all the muck and crud off the road and all the fumes and water coming down the exhaust pipe. As the car passed it MoT test (presumably) then the exhaust isn't leaking and this rust is merely cosmetic. You cannot expect it to be perfect on a 7 year-old car.

and the back screen water wont come out of the nossle-must be a break or something in the pipe.

I presume that the washer bottle has water in it?. Can you hear the pump running when you try to use the washer? If so, it could be a loose hose or blocked nozzles. The windscreen washer is an MoT item, so it should have been tested an working when the MoT was done.

then when i was driving home yesterday - driving nicely, i started ot break at the roundabout and there was a "clunk" noise which i also felt on the break peddle and the abs light came on. had a look in the book and it sed the normal breaks still worked so i came home, parked it in the drive and cried. why's it all gone wrong.

Has the ABS light gone off once you restarted the car. If so, it may simply have been the ABS reacting when it perhaps shouldn't. You need to get the ABS rotors and sensors checked by a garage. The ABS should be covered by the warranty anyway.

the whole point to this mamouth post is, what shall i do now? if got a feeling if i call the guy and tell him the problems of the water pipe, haning rust and abs light he will jsut say i caused it and he wont repair it (came with a 3 month warenty with a lot of exclusions like electrics!) where do i stand, does the sale of goods act cover me? how do i make him pay to repair it?

So far he has seemed quite reasonable - he has agreed to getting someone else to repair the window at his expense - either go back to him or get the car checked by a VW dealer first to see what else they find wrong.

[Parva]

Just as an aside, the windscreen washers are a testable item but not the rear-screen washers. It matters not if the rear-screen washers (or wiper) don't work at MOT time. Usually an easy fix though.

[patdavies]

Originally Posted by Parva

Just as an aside, the windscreen washers are a testable item but not the rear-screen washers. It matters not if the rear-screen washers (or wiper) don't work at MOT time. Usually an easy fix though.

Apologies. I hadn't picked that it was the rear screen washer - I just saw windscreen and assumed front

[eyeballs]

Thanks for your posts, I've booked my car into a local garage, they said they will look at the problems and give a quote on what needs doing. then i will call the guy and see what he says. I've never bought a car myself before, or even ahd it registered to me. Always Dads job! I dont wana fluff up taking responsiblity!

Poor little pretty car