RAC warranty recommended garages - are they in league?

[jessegee]

We bought a Rav4 for 5.2 k from a garage in Honiton, stating we needed it to be reliable for 500 miles per month.

We bought RAC silver warranty, but after nearly 3 months problems have occurred, a mechanic friend diagnosed possible sock absorbers, ecu, gearbox vibration, suspension, solanoid, and fluid type leak from somewhere underneath etc.

I called into the garage we bought it from, and politely asked if they could take a look. They test drove it, and said possible probs but to take it to their rac approved garage near our home. I asked very politely that because the car was less than 3 months if it was covered by them under the sale of goods act. They became very hostile, and said no it was nothing to do with them, and they had been generous enough to throw in half price warranty ( on the full price of the car which they wouldn't budge on )

 

When I arrived at the recommended garage , they were also very hostile and said I'd done the wrong thing to mention sale of goods act, which I was taken aback about, I'd been so polite and was asking about it not demanding anything, I'm a nice person not given to "knowing my rights " so it felt a bit intimidating!

They said they would look at it but it would cost to diagnose. They kept my warranty ppwk When I told my husband he went down there, also politely but firmly and they have agreed to look at it for free. They have diagnosed a few problems but not the knocking noise I can hear in the passenger side, and the uncomfortable bumping. Now we have to argue the cost of repairs with the RAC, the job will be 800 at least. They make it sound like its our fault for doing 5k since we have owned it, as if we should expect expensive work when doing that sort of mileage, even though most of it is pootling on the motorway.

We've had old cars for years and they have never given this much trouble. Last year we bought a freelander for 3k, which after 3 months needed 1500 worth of work on it, we figured its the mileage , so we sold it back to the garage for half the price we bought it for, and decided to buy something younger , and more reliable from a " proper garage " so we'd be covered in the event of problems like this again. Despite the RAC warranty it seems not.

 

What we'd like to do is sell it back to the garage , get most of our money back, and buy an old banger thats more reliable, at least we can work on that ourselves. We've had an mx5 for 15 years used every day which hasnt let us down.

 

Do you think the rac recommended garage are in co hoots with the garage we bought the car from ?

Is it in their best interests to do as little work as possible via RAC warranties?

And most importantly , if they did agree to take the car back, how much could we reasonably expect to receive from a purchase price of 5k when we have done 5k miles?

 

any thoughts would be much appreciated

 

Jessegee