Bought car from garage 3 month warranty query

[cogsy_neil]

HI all,

I recently purchased a used car from a garage on finance its 5 years old,

when I collected the car I was told it had 3 months warranty (ive owned it for 6 weeks now)

 

I have just discovered that the timing belt should be changed every 5 years  (the 5 years came up about a month after I purchased it) 

Im pretty sure it hasnt on this car and when I did my research I thought it was every 6 years,

I also needed the car quickly otherwise I would of ensured it was done prior to me picking it up. 

 

Im not in a position to pay to have this done as yet as ive recently split with my wife and money is a bit tight,

where do I stand if it breaks within the 3 month period. 

 

I would just also like to say that I wasnt given a warranty policy or anything as I know most of these dont cover these things anyway so my warranty is with the original garage.

 

Any advice greatly appreciated, if I have to pay to get it done myself then thats fair enough I was just after some advice. 

I have emailed the garage and surprise surprise they havent responded, and all I asked them was how much they would charge to get it replaced,

I wasnt asking them to do it free of charge, so Im a bit like if thats how they are then maybe they know it should of been changed prior to purchase.

 

Any advice greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[BankFodder]

The three month warranty is not massively relevant – and as you have already suggested, a timing belt may not be covered.

 

However, you should be more than adequately covered under the Consumer Rights Act which requires that the vehicle is in satisfactory condition and remains that way for a reasonable period of time.

You haven't said how many miles the vehicle has done. Also, who's the dealer?

You have introduced a complication and that is that you have identified a particular problem but yet you are continuing to drive the vehicle without dealing with it. I'm afraid that this puts you in a position where although if the belt snapped you could reasonably expect it to be repaired at the expense of the dealer – under your rights contained in the CRA, if the bill starts and it causes damage then I would say that you are probably liable for the damage repairs because having spotted a problem I would say that you are under your own duty to act responsibly and to take reasonable steps to prevent that damage occurring.

Now that you have alerted the garage to the fact that you believe that the timing belt has not been changed, if later on it snaps and it causes damage the dealer would probably quite justified in saying to you that although they will cover the cost of a timing belt replacement, they do not consider that they are responsible for any damage which has occurred as a consequence of it breaking.

[cogsy_neil]

Thank you that’s really helpful, car has done 48k and the dealer is autocapizolli who specialise in Italian cars (it’s an Abarth 500) tbh i can afford it in about 6 weeks time so think I will just wait until then. Do you think I would be justified in asking the garage to pay for a replacement or go half’s on it? 

[BankFodder]

If there is anything in the description of the car which suggests that it has been properly serviced or that it should have had the timing belt replaced then you would be entitled to ask them to pay for that work . If there is nothing then it's a bit more tricky. Certainly if the vehicle manufacturer recommends that a car of that age has had a belt replaced – and it hasn't been done, then I would say that the vehicle is probably not of satisfactory quality but of course the issue will be much more difficult to take up with the dealer. It's not exactly a defect but it certainly is a factor to be taken into consideration considering the overall condition of the car.

There's no reason why you shouldn't ask them

[CraigMcK]

On the fiat it should be around 4-5 years so certainly due. It could already have been done and if offered with a full service history it should be noted. 

I would get it done if there is no evidence. Expect about £500 from a dealer or £300 from an indi 

check the service book. They normally show when it need to be done mileage/time

[king12345]

14 hours ago, cogsy_neil said:

I have just discovered that the timing belt should be changed every 5 years  (the 5 years came up about a month after I purchased it) 

So it wasn't due when you purchased the car, why would they do something ahead of time?

IMO the garage will rightly tell you to have it done yourself at your expenses,  unless they really like pleasing customers (don't think so)

[stinky-pants]

On 16/06/2019 at 22:49, king12345 said:

So it wasn't due when you purchased the car, why would they do something ahead of time?

IMO the garage will rightly tell you to have it done yourself at your expenses,  unless they really like pleasing customers (don't think so)

This.

 

OP. You are an adult and you should have done your research thoroughly prior to purchasing the car and negotiated respectively. It's your choice and your responsibility solely as to whether you service it within the manufacturers recommendations. 

 

Unless of course, the retailer stated the belt had been changed..... that would be a different ball game.