Second hand car probs!!

[money]

Afetr much umming and arghing we bought a 2nd hand zafira, we collected it on Good Friday. Before we bought it we were told thatt he cam belt should be changed after 100,000 miles, which in actual fact (according to Vauxhall) it is 40,000 miles I told the seller when I found out the facts after we got the car and he said it's our responsibility which I guess I have to accept. When the car was collected he told us the ABS light had come on but this isn't a problem as he had taken it to a Vauxhall garage to look at it, I found out last night that this is a MOT failure. The exhaust is sounding, we noticed it the day after purchase and for 3 days now it has smelled of petrol every now and again. The battery was dead when we bought it too so had to shell out for a new one. Whenever I speak to them they say your warranty doesn't cover it (grrrrrrrrr).

 

What can I do?

 

I want my husband to take the car there and get them to give him a quote for any work that they think needs doing and then before we get them to do the work I want them to agree to pay for some of it/all of it. We weren't aware of any of these faults (apart from ABS light).

 

It is a zafira 1.8 comfort, X reg, paid 4500 for it, if this is any help!!!!!!!

[Guest Lueeze]

Id take it back and demand a refund...

 

I dont know where you stand legally tho! Im sure someone can give you advice!

 

Good Luck!

[Loula]

Hi

 

I am not really sure about this either, but £4500 sounds an awful lot for an X reg Zafira.

 

Was it a motor trader you were dealing with?

 

Were there any terms and conditions on the back of anything you signed and were given copies of?

 

LOULA

[Maxie]

This is totally unacceptable. You have 2 options: 1) Take the car back and demand you money as you were sold fault goods or 2) take the car back to the garange and demand they repair the faults as under the sale of goods act (2002) (as amended) you are entitled to a complete, lasting and effective reapir.

 

You are totally on the right and are being ripped off royally! If you want me to write you a letter feel free to PM - I promise you they won't ignore it!

[money]

Thankyou for your help.

 

I did call them, very politely aked if I could book the car in so they can look a the work that needs doing. I spoke to someone else this time. All I have to pay for is the cam belt and everytjhing else will be paid for and i will get a courtesy car.

 

£4,500 isn't expensive for the car, 1.6 are dirt cheap but more expensive to run, we got the 1.8. My brother got the same model a year ago, 15 thousand less miles on the clock, but 1 year newer and he paid nearly 8 for his.

 

If they try and tell me i have to pay when it comes to it, I will take you up on the offer of letter writing, thanks!!

[Maxie]

You shouldn't and don't have to pay for cam belt either!

[money]

Why? It is 'optional' to have it changed really. Vauxhall 'suggest' 40,000 miles but this garage are adamant that it is 80.

[Maxie]

The point is at the time of sale you (and the seller) knew the cam belt needed changing yet he refused to do it, or said it was for you to pay for.

 

You were supplied with a fault car and under the law he must 'make it good'

[money]

So, do i write a letter when they do the work or before or after? I am so worried incase I put their back up before they do the work.

 

What do I say and how do i retaliate if they still insist that it is 80,000 miles? i did have the intelligence to call Vauxhall and have them send me some papers which state that 'is it best practice to change the cam belt at 40,00 miles'

 

I am such a wimp!

[Guest Lueeze]

C'mon you can be brave!

 

GRRRRR!!! Lol (Lou's tiger lesson!)

 

If they are being underhanded (and they are im sure) then you should try to get them to fix EVERYTHING...

 

Why should you be out of pocket? They must have made profit from that car in the 1st place so dont think your doing them a favour!

 

Remember GRRRRR!

[Maxie]

Better still, give your local trading standard a call, explain the situation to them and get there advice.

[money]

I just know that their response will be, well it is optional to have it changed.

 

I wish i could be a tiger, I am more like a tabby.

 

The car doesn't go in til the 8th of may so i have plenty of time to figure out what to do/say.

 

Bar stewards that they are!!

[money]

Hi, I just called Trading Standards and they have said that the only way the cam belt would be covered is if it was faulty. She said that i could try and get my money back for the battery but i got that trade price anyway and disposed of the old battery so can't do much there anyway!!

 

Thanks so much for your help. I will be a tiger one day, maybe just a cub now but will grow!

[Guest Lueeze]

Awww shame they couldnt help more!

 

SCOUNDRELS I TELL YA!

 

At least you tried eh! Better to try and to fail than not to try at all!

[Maxie]

Ask for the cam belt they take out. Regardless of what they say, its your property, but make sure you ask before they do the work so they can not say 'we didn't know and the rubbish has gone'.

 

If its faulty, such as worn or in anyway damaged it not your problem.

[money]

good thinking!! But the Trading standards woman said that cam belt comes under wear and tear. It's not a problem unless it breaks, even if this one is on the verge of snapping I don't think i would be covered but i will keep it anyway, just in case! they might not even change it but say that they have done so!

[Guest Lueeze]

You could frame it...

[money]

Or sell it on Ebay, sure someone would buy it for pleasure purposes!

[Guest Lueeze]

Good idea you can buy anything on Fleabay

[pixxy]

Vauxhall says timing belt needs to be changed every 40k miles. It used to be 80k. If the car has been serviced each year and had its oil changed each year, i can't see why the cambelt would not be good for 100k. I had the cambelt on my Mondeo changed at 130k. The guy in the garage said he'd never seen a belt snap on a mondeo, and said they rarely go on other cars.

 

I don't believe the car went to a garage about its ABS lights. Not in a million years. Sounds like classic salesman sh*te. If it did go in, the light wouldn't still be on! I don't know what the problem is but the ABS brakes (and related systems) can be very expensive to fix.

 

Was the ABS light on when you test drove it? If you can't remember, do you think you'd have spotted it (big red dash light saying 'ABS')? I've seen a few dodgy garages disable the ABS system to get it through an MOT. I've also test-driven many cars that have had their ABS system disabled so they 'look' better.

 

I dont know about the legalities here. Did he point out the fault on the ABS *before* or *after* you'd paid for the car? When did you put down the deposit? i think you may have an option the Sale of Goods Act but you'd need to speak to someone more knowlegable than me.

 

Are there any other problems present on the car? Are your air bags OK? Is there mayonnaise under your oil cap? Does it 'drift' to the side if you take your hand off the wheel?

 

I'm concerned about the car and the ABS, and have suspicions about this garage. Despite its good price, I'd try and get rid of it. Sharpish.

[money]

To be honest (I didn't find out til husband got in from work), the ABS light hasn't come on since we had the new battery put in last week. It wasn't on during the test drive and husband didn't notice it at all til we got it home, the bloke at the garage mentioned it had come on but they had taken it to get it reset. I am going to take it to a vauxhall garage and ask them to check it over and give me a quote on any work that they think needs doing, then i will know what they think needs doing before I take it to the other garage on 8th may. The brakes seem fine, actually really sharp. The garage doesn't have a bad reputation, my dad worked in the same town and knows these people through his job, and my husband bought a car from them a few years ago too. So I went through word of mouth.

[pixxy]

Good idea on taking it to a Vauxhall garage. Specifically mention the ABS problems. It's pretty easy to see if it works: brake sharply on gravel. If you hear a quick bang bang bang noise and feel a vibration throughout the car, then it's fine (ABS works by applying the brakes many times a second). If you don't, it's not.

 

Let us know how you get on!

[martinwhite]

Cam belts can and indeed do break, with very expensive engine damage usually the result as the valves hit the piston heads.

 

I have always considered them a wearing item, requiring replacement every 40k (ish). 1.8 Zafira is PRONE to them breaking and chuffing the engine.

 

I have managed to convince a salesman to change one as a condition of sale. Otherwise, I'd sayyou have to suck it up and pay for it to be changed. It's a false economy not to. Better to have it changed now and KNOW it's been done than to assume that it has (or that someone else did it) and for it to break next week.

[horace4831]

I agree with Martinwhite. Autodata,one of the motor trade's leading "bibles"

covering virtually all makes & models,also state that the cam belt renewal interval

is 40,000 miles for this model. Newer engine designs dictate that the cam belt

drives more pulleys, therefore the belts now tend to make more "twists & turns"

than they used to, meaning replacement is more frequent. Cost and blame aside for the moment, renew the belt AND THE TENSIONER, AND THE GUIDE ROLLERS AND THE WATER PUMP. If any of these items fail, the consequences are the same as breaking a belt! I can't quote parts prices, but Autodata give repair times of:

 

Remove & Install Cam Belt: 1.3 hours

Remove & Install tensioner: 1.0 hour

Water pump remove & install times can depend on whether the pump is easy or difficult to remove.Guide rollers usually straightforward & quick.The garage are required by law to make YOUR old parts available to you for inspection or to keep.

 

Hope this helps you.

[mechs]

May I just add this to the thread.

 

Vauxhall originaly quoted 80000 miles before cambelt replacement for this engine unfortunately for them the cambelts or the rollers didnt last that long and they were loosing a lot of money no doubt on replacing cylinder heads etc.

 

My wifes Tigra suffered a roller problem @ 69000 miles and as it was under a secondhand warranty and after threatening the garage with my solicitor and a letter to Vauxhall and the numpty behind the desk with a thump if he ever spoke to my wife the way he did in trying to prise 1600 pounds out of her they agreed it was under warranty .

 

I would have thought the garage concerned should have done the cambelt before you bought the car as it was a condition that the cambelt was changed @ 40000 miles dont quote me but I think you would stand a fair chance under the term faulty goods act for this ..defenately for the abs light ..as if it is a problem with the pump it will cost you a lot of money.

 

I hope this has helped