Used car from dealer, injector leak

[hollal]

Hi. 

 

I bought a used mk4 Mondeo the other day for the going price in my area, slightly under, on the grounds of the scuffs on the bodywork which I'll deal with later. 

 

There's an injector cover which was ripped and I could shine a light inside and see what looked like wet and very slight steam/vapour looking particles escaping.  He said it could be oil because one of the injectors had been replaced.  Took it for a ride anyway and then.. completely forgot about that issue.

 

The next day, after having bought the car, I looked under the bonnet and remembered.  I removed the cover and instead of being wet it's actually more of a lacquer. Apparently, it's a buildup of residue from exhaust gases escaping from around the copper washer under the injector. Easy fix. 

 

Except all four injectors and the surrounding connectors, everything, is covered in this lacquer.  Without the cover I can hear the repeated "tss tss tss" sound of the leak and I can see which injector is leaking, coming up from all the crud. 

 

I've tried a few things and will be trying oven cleaner later.  I may well be clutching at straws but is there anything I can do to make this the dealer's issue as well as mine, or is it just my issue because it was something a more savvy person would be noticed?  The dealer said there was a 28 day warranty on engine and gearbox.

 

[dx100uk]

what date did you purchase the car and was this by cash or finance or how did you pay? 

not by bank transfer i hope?

 

name and shame too.

 

dx

 

[hollal]

It was towards the end of last week.  And it was indeed by bank transfer.

 

I feel like I've let my side down a bit to be honest, what with forgetting about the issue in the first place, and then not paying via a credit card for added protection.  I'm normally a bit better than this, lol.

[dx100uk]

and the dealer is? why do you want to protect them?

 

forget any warranty, not worth the paper its written on.

 

under your consumer laws, you are within 14 days, you could reject the vehicle and get a full refund with no reason at all. you have the added bonus of the car is not fit for purpose within 30 days.. the same outcome in law.

 

if you want to keep it, then let the dealer repair it at their cost, but they only get one go!! if you then are not satisfied, you can still reject it totally. you should not have to pay a penny

 

dx

 

 

[hollal]

OK, and this sort of thing doesn't fall under some sort of caveat of normal wear and tear, right?

 

I am not protecting the dealer so much as, possibly foolishly, trying not to show my hand prior to anything kicking off, in the unlikely event they decide to Google themselves or certain keywords. 

 

Even now that I've typed it out, it sounds kinda silly.  I'll still feel happier disclosing the dealer when I know the way forward, which is, by the sounds of it, asking him to fix it.

[dx100uk]

how can it be wear and tear upon YOUR behalf when you have only owned the vehicle a few days...!!!

you dont ASK you DEMAND under your consumer laws else you will reject it under such laws...there is NO QUIBBLE.

 

[hollal]

I called him up earlier today, and armed with the power of your conviction, I addressed the issue with him.  He's asked me to get a quote for the work to be done locally to me, and he'll ask his mechanic what it would cost for him to do it and he'll take care of it.

 

I'll post back with an update when there is some.  Many thanks for you help.

[hollal]

My usual mechanic quoted me £140 to clean it up, remove and clean the injector, and pop in a new copper washer.  I texted the garage who said they would reimburse £80 for the work.  I told them it wouldn't cover the cost and I could also bring it back and they can take it to their chosen garage and have it done for free.  They said get it done locally and sent me the £140 a few minutes later.

 

Thank you for your advice with this.  The dealer is Shmmotors in Wakefield.

Edited January 30, 2023 by hollal
Added dealer info

[dx100uk]

hope it works out

 

lets us know