Hi folks, I purchased a car on finance in December 2016. I viewed the car and agreed that I was wanted to go ahead and make the purchase as I already had the finance sorted. The only thing that I noticed was a whine coming from the engine, but not being a mechanic I never really bothered about it as I had always wanted this make and model. I contacted the finance company and gave them all the details of the trader and the car, and then signed all the paperwork at the showroom. I was told the car was going to go into the workshop to be be checked over I told them I would collect the following weekend to give them some time. I physically collected the car a week after signing the documents, which was the 10th December 2016. A couple of days after driving it the whine got pretty bad, I swung by my local garage and asked them to be told me that the turbo was on it's way out, and it's a potential expensive fix, I contacted the dealer and he asked me to bring it back to assess it. That same week I got in my car in the city centre to drive home from work and the front spring snapped when i shut the driver's door. I eventually managed to have it recovered to the dealer and get a lift home. The dealer told me they would replace the spring and the turbo at the same time. Excellent. With the turbo playing on my mind the slight popping from the front driver's wheel wasn't a priority, but now the car was driving much quieter I could hear it every time I went over a bump or turned the steering to the right. was now over my 30 day warranty had the front suspension mount replaced. No dice. After 5 months of annoying knocking, in May my local garage took the car in again and replaced the drop link, since the car was giving poor MPG I had it checked out, to find it was running cold, and the thermostat had stuck open, had the EGR and main thermostat replaced at my expense. When it was in my local garage the mechanic noticed a slight oil leak and asked me if I wanted him to check it out, I said yes. He removed the skid plates from under the car to find a leak from the oil sump, there was some sort of epoxy putty covering the source of the leak but it was still seeping from the sides. the oil leak was gradual. He quoted me over £400 to replace the oil sump and replace the oil. This was just the last straw. contacted the trader and after 4 weeks they had not replied, contacted my finance company who told me I was 3 days over the 6 months and I would need to pay to have the car inspected to prove the faults were there when I got the car. I paid and had an inspection done, to be told the car has 21 FAULTS!! One of which deemed the car dangerous to drive! I needed the car for work again, I paid to have the cracked front hub replaced so I could get some use of the car safely. the other 20 faults involve leaking suspension all round, a bent front drop link (possibly when the spring snapped as it's the same side), suspension bars which have completely rusted away and loads more. The total cost to repair these faults is £3'141.00!! Hopefully there isn't a judge in this land who could try and say that a suspension rod could rust completely rust away and crumble in the space of 6 months, neither could an oil sump which is covered by a strong skid plate be punctured and repair itself with putty. I passed the report on to the finance company they have spoken to the garage who did the inspection who verified most of the issues they found were more than likely over 6 months old, now I am waiting to hear back as to what the next step would be. The thing is, if they are going by the date I signed the finance agreement then they are correct, however I never took collection of the car until a week AFTER I signed the paperwork I would never had 6 months opportunity to highlight any faults. 21 faults found on a car in the first 6 months ownership is ridiculous, and I am looking to find out the best and worst case scenario, given the costs to put it right. Sorry for the long winded explanation but I wanted to give a clear explanation as to the history of problems with my 2006 BMW 320d.

Hi I was wondering if I had any recourse to reclaim some costs from a 2nd hand car dealer. I bought a Mercedes C180 with a 57 reg last week 13th January. When I bought the car I noticed that it was flashing a message that it was 266 days overdue for a service. When I pointed this out to the dealer he said that the reason for this was that it had been sitting since it’s last service and this was just an automatic countdown from the cars computer, whereby in reality it did not really need a service. Stupidly I believed him. Had I checked the service history I would have seen that the last service was in fact 10,000 miles previously at 52,230 miles and the car was now at 61.700 miles. Anyway I bought the car as it had everything I wanted on it and although a bit more than I wanted to pay, I was desperate to get a car as my old car had literally given up the ghost. I booked it in for a service with a reliable Garage that specialise in Mercs that I have been using for nearly 20 years. The car was due a B service which costs about £225 anyway and I would have been happy to pay for this. On inspection the Garage owner told me that there were a few things that were needed to make it road worthy. 1. It needed two new rear tyres as that on had a few miles left in them 2. It needed one rear brake pad 3. It desperately needed two new Rear Brake Discs as the old ones were badly corroded. Total Cost for these including VAT was £306 over and above the normal Service charge. There were a few other things that needed replacing over and above what is normally included in a B service such as Oil and Air Filters, but I am prepared to swallow that and in all fairness the Garage said that they could probably last until the next MOT due in November, but I said that I would prefer to get it all sorted in one go. So in all the service cost me £766. I would have thought that the 3 items above were essential and have been checked prior to selling the car to make the car roadworthy In the SoGA it reads Roadworthiness 5.17 You should ensure that you have procedures in place to check that vehicles you supply, offer to supply or expose for sale are safe and roadworthy. It is not sufficient to rely on MOT or service histories. This will usually mean arranging for a suitably qualified or competent person to carry out pre-sale mechanical inspections of vehicles and any problems that make them unroadworthy must be rectified. On another note, the dealer also sold me an extended Car Parts Warranty which I have since found out is next to useless. I asked the dealer to cancel that and to refund the money two days after taking it out. He told me that it was not refundable, which I know is an outright lie as I asked to cancel within the 14 day cooling off period and have since requested this to both him and the insurance company in writing. He has emailed back stating that it is not refundable, I am waiting to hear from the Insurance company (WMS) but am confident I will get that money back, but it was his outright lie that got my back up, and him thinking I did not know my statuary rights. If he lied about that what else did he lie about. Because my back was up about that I thought I might investigate the possibility of getting some money out of him for the tyres and brakes. Any thoughts whether I have a leg to stand on or not?

Hi, I sold my ten year old Citroen privately to a buyer. The car had cosmetic damages on the passenger door side i have taken photos of all these damages and listed on autotrader, it had 5 months MOT let and Full service history, recently changed cam timing belt and fitted new battery. The seller come down checks the car for 2 hours and take it away after signing a sale receipt which mentions "sold as seen". 18 days on he calls me and says he got an independent check and there is a list of fault with a major fault with gearbox which he claims has been there for a while now and the car is now not road worthy. He says he can give me 3 options, 1 i take back he car and give him his money back, 2 I pay for the repair costs or 3 we fight it out in court. He is quite stern and I'm so stressed since this was my first car and i do not know anything about buying or selling. He claims i have sold him a non road worthy car and I am breaching some buyer seller act or trading standard act. He also claims that the independent check does prove the problem has been there for quite a bit and the car was in fact non road worthy at the time of sale and i have sold him an unsafe car which is a criminal offence? I honestly dont know much about cars and i have been using it without problems. I have asked him to send me the report by email its been 6 days an no news. Today he has rung me twice and i haven't answered. Can anyone please advice? Should I get legal help? And also I just cannot answer his calls, its too stressful. What should i do next? Am i in the wrong? I have always kept MOT tax up to date, changed battery and cam belt at 69k even though recommendation is to change at 70k. I would never have sold knowing it had problems and may even consider chipping in to cost of repair if that's what i am supposed to. I just don't want it to be a case of him taking advantage of my lack of knowledge. Thanks R

Hi I purchased a car in august, after 3 days faults were apparent, i contacted the dealer advised him of these and he took the vehicle back for repair returning it 5 days later. On the way back one of the car faults were apparent again. I contacted him and agreed that i could take it to a garage more local (as he is 52 miles away). I told him that i wasn't happy with the car being faulty after he had just had it to do the repairs and asked for a refund under the sale of goods act. He told me they didn't do refunds. I wrote a letter that day rejecting the vehicle under the sale of goods act. I never got a reply back. The car went ot a local garage to have that particular fault repaired. When i got the vehicle back, the other faults with the car that had been wit the car were back again, so I contacted the dealer again, who refused ( very rudely ) to have another more to do with the car. I contacted citizens advice who advised me to reject the vehicle again in writing, which i did. he came back to me calling me a liar but offering to take the vehicle back for a repair or refund after he'd had the vehicle inspected. Due to one of the faults on the car I took it to an independent garage for a diagnosis, It came back that the original faults were still there and also what i thought was the power steering fluid leak cause a noise turned out to be a faulty driveshaft, it is excessively worn and has been deemed dangerous to drive by the independent garage. I wrote to the dealer again with a copy of the report and asked him to make arrangements to collect the vehicle as it is unsafe to drive and i am not prepared to put my life or anyone's else's life at risk driving it the 52 miles back to him. He has now come back by letter received today saying it is my responsibility to get the vehicle back to him and if i don't his offer of a refund will be withdrawn !! he is also claiming that he has spoken to an MOT station who has advised him that the car is fit to drive as it has a valid mot and that the drive shaft would not have been checked on an MOT so the car is therefore still roadworthy !! Also stating that they have a baby and a ill parent an no facilities to come and collect it so i have to get the car back to them!! he is asking me also not to send him any more letters and call him. I don't want to call him as of how rude he was the last time, also I feel intimidated by him. I've sent letters so i have proof of what i have said etc and because i was advised by citizen advice to do so. Trading standards contacted me on friday afternoon have had a copy of the report are now looking into it. I am concerned if i don't get the car back to him that i am never going to get my money back, i am concerned that he'll try and sell the car to someone else in the state that it is in, I am still without a car to use and i need a car as a necessity not a luxury. I hired one for a week but am running out of money now and can not afford to hire one again ( i have been told to claim these expenses back from him as consquencial losses ) Can he force me into returning the car, he is saying it is my responsibility to return it not his to collect ?? It an expense i really can not afford to get it back to him, then i am going to have the added pressures of taking him to court to recover the costs.

Hi, Can anyone help me? I bought a car from a private seller 2 weeks ago from a classified ad on ebay. My partner and I went to the seller's house after messaging on ebay and agreeing a price and asking questions about the car etc. The registered keepers boyfriend took care of the sale and took us for a test drive and answered all the questions we asked about the car and its condition. She turned up before we left to sign the paperwork and take the money. We had driven over 200 miles to buy the car and he constantly reassured us that the car was in perfect working order and had just passed its MOT with "flying colours" 12 days prior to the sale. He said they had never had a problem with the car whilst it had been in their possession. The car had also had numerous modifications to the turbo and body etc which he informed us had been declared and that when we insure the car they would have the details of all modifications (I have never had a modified car before so thought that was ok). On arriving home the engine management light came on and by the time we got it to the garage the next day steam was coming out from under the bonnet and we were told the turbo pipe had split and it had been heavily taped to conseal it. They also told us that it should not have passed its MOT due to various problems such as loose 12volt wiring etc. I have now opened a complaint with VOSA with regards to the MOT and they informed me that the car did fail but passed on the retest. The bottom line is the vehicle is not roadworthy and is uninsurable due to me not being able to inform them what modifications it has had. Is it possible for me to get my money back or take them to court? I know I have been very stupid in not doing my research first but as a layman as far as cars are concerned I thought they seemed genuine, trustworthy people. Thank you in advance for any advice you can give.

This is a re-post, as I'm having no response from the forum I first posted into. Apologies. I'm gutted. I bought a Disco 2 from a trader 6 weeks ago. Last week I started hearing a loud clicking from the engine and I took it into a reputable Landy garage. They've told me that "someone" has recently worked on the engine to "fix it up" and my crankshaft is completely knackered. They say a new engine is required. This is the advertisement which OFT have obtained from Autotrader: -->13th June: Car advertised in Autotrader as the following: 2001 LAND ROVER DISCOVERY 2.5 Td5 S 5 Seat 5dr Diesel Sw 95,000 miles, excellent condition one owner since new, full service history long mot till may 2012 immaculate bonatti metallic, 1st genuine caller will buy for only £3995, a series 2 landrover discovery td5 for only £3995, this is giveaway price, some old mark 1 discoverys are still comanding £3000, this is a 51 plate series 2 td5 for only £3995, grab this bargain, was £4995, must go this week, be prepared for this winter, be quick, no offers. £3,995 No offers. Tel: 07842 XXXX Telephone Number: 0784XXXXXX When I bought the car, the trader had me sign the usual disclaimer "I understand that this is a used car and accept that it may have faults" etc. Here are the terms printed on the sales invoice: 1. I have been given full opportunity to inspect the vehicle and accept its condition. 2. I am fully aware that this is a used vehicle therefore may have faults. 3. I am fully aware and agree that this vehicle is being sold on the condition that there is no warranty/guarantee been implied or given to me. 4. I agree to purchase this vehicle on the condition that it is to be used for any spares or repairs required to make it roadworthy. 5. I am fully aware that this vehicle should not be used on a public road until it has been made roadworthy and complies with all current road traffic acts and that the responsibility for making the vehicle roadworthy rests with myself. 6. By signing I agree to the above conditions. Point 4 above doesn't even make grammatical sense?? The following is my own document of what has happened so far: 16th June: Car purchased, cash for £3,995 after test drive and drive by seller. Inspection made by me - found welds in chassis at rear and medium rust on chassis throughout. 19th July: Loud clattering noise heard while driving (all speeds) Oil noticed on tarmac under car. Immediately took car to a reputable 4x4 specialist in Larbert. Car now not driven since. 25th July: 2pm Contacted Consumer Direct to inform them of my situation. CD advise to have an independent report made by specialist to clarify fault/s and send letter to Mr XXXXX asking for refund or repair (include copy of report) 25th July: 4x4 specialist verbally reports major faults with crankshaft and cylinders. Not repairable and recommends a new engine is required. Say engine has been "worked on" recently. I am awaiting the written report from them. Cost circa £2,000+ 25th July: 11.00am Contact Dealer Billy Findlay via phone to explain that I didn't think the car was "fit for purpose" and he responded by saying that he is covered by the clause (that I signed) saying the vehicle was sold as "spares and repairs" My next move is to get the written report and send it recorded delivery to the seller asking for Repair or Refund and if it is ignored, try the Small Claims court... Do I have any comeback at all? I'm wondering if the Sale of Goods act applies here, as not fit for purpose? Or misleading advertising? I have had many people offering differing advice, varying from "you don't have a chance" to "you have a good case for redress" Many thanks in advance. D

Hi All, I'm new to this forum thingyi so please bear with me. I just bought a Citroen Picasso from a secondhand dealer for 2.6k. He mentions a couple of minor issues with the car and says airbag light is lit cos of some wire connection problem and would be easily sorted. He gives a discount of 290 (supposedly) so we can have that put right. He lets my husband test drive it in a tiny residential area where there are cars parked on both sides which means he hardly gets to test the brakes and the gears. The car looks all right so we buy it there and then - this is our first car-purchase so we were a little exited and extremely stupid to buy into everything he said. He tells us the warranty is for 6 months but when we check later it states 5. And on the warranty card he gets the address wrong by putting his address in the first line. But the worse problems lie with the car itself. As we drove home, my husband in the Citroen and I in another car trailer behind him, I notice to my horror that the brake lights weren't working. As we turn into a shopping area to pick up grocery on our way home, I watch as the rear view mirror falls off and hit my husband. As a result of the shock, he veers to the right and scrapes the back door on the driver's side against those black pole-like things on the edge of the curb causing a dent and a nasty scratch. We book the car in at our local garage for a check and manage to get a slot only more than a week after the purchase, and the verdict came back that 1. there was no airbag or module in the driver's seat - hence the light 2. the driver's seat had been stripped and it appears the original cover put over the replacement seat 3.No. 3 injector was leaking hence the diesel smell in the car 4. Inner antiroll bar brushes were rattling about 5. Brake light switch wasn't working needed replacing 6. Rear view mirror wasn't securely attached - fell off as mechanic was test-driving the car So what I've done now is book the car in with an official Citroen garage for an MOT (even though it's due only in May) and a more thorough check on top of the MOT afterwards at the same Citroen garage (as I think during the MOT only certain things are checked), and have asked them to replace the brake switch. Can someone tell me if I have a case against the dealer who isn't too approachable after the sale and can someone also tell me, objectively, if he sold us a car that wasn't road worthy? I'm really stressed over this and would appreciate any help/ideas. Thanks in advance. Rowen