Carcraft

[shopaholic2]

Hi, unsure if this is in the right place, but it covers a few areas and I NEED HELP,LOL.

Hubby bought an alfa romeo car from car craft in september, it came serviced and with a 2 yr guarantee. He bought it on finance.
It went for its first service today since he bought it, and there is a problem with the cylinder head, which is covered by the guarantee, BUT, the guy who owns the garage said "this is the tip of the iceberg".
We have only had the car 6 months and its, it seems, already knackered.
I am gutted, and very scared, as I just done know what to do. I am guessing we have zero redress with carcraft, so we are gonna end up with a debt for a car thats sitting in a scrap yard (possibly, eventually).

I know I'm panicking a bit, and looking on the bleak side, but I am terrified, does anyone have any help, or advice?

I would be grateful for any words of wisdom!!

[LandyAndy]

Can you give us a bit of detail?

Model, Age, Mileage, What the guy at the garage says is also wrong with it and, if you're prepared to, what you paid and how much you owe.

Advice for others.

1. Don't buy from Carcraft. See other threads on here about them.
2. Don't buy an Alfa, particularly a used one, if you want a reliable vehicle.

[Pew Pew Pew Lasers!]

Theres nothing wrong with buying an Alfa, they're excellent cars.

Shopaholic, get the mechanic to give a full list of the problems. And stop panicking.

[LandyAndy]

Theres nothing wrong with buying an Alfa, they're excellent cars.

Shopaholic, get the mechanic to give a full list of the problems. And stop panicking.

Alfas have many excellent qualities. Unfortunately a reputation for reliability isn't among them.;)

[shopaholic2]

Hi, its a 51 reg, with 47000 miles, not sure of the model, but its a 2 door hatchback (!!).

I will get a comprehensive list if poss, but another freind who is a mechanic just laughed when he came round a few days after he had bought the car and said, and I quote, "nice car, looks good, and thats the best i can say about it" So even then I was scared!!!

He said parts can be expensive,and hard to get,
Thanks for your comments and help, and I have stopped panicking!! For now!!

[shopaholic2]

Oh by the way, he paid about 5 grand for it, and has paid about £1000 since buying it.
Not sure of exact amounts and apr as paper work is somewhere in a locked cupboard, but will get it later if i need to.

[LandyAndy]

Sounds like it might be a 147.

A quick look on Auto trader shows them selling at between £3,000 and £3,500 for 'y' reg to '52' reg at traders.

Looks like Carcraft's price was a little OTT. Not really a surprise.

I fear there has been, as dear old Quentin Wilson would have said, a 'taking down of the trousers'.

[Inactive]

Theres nothing wrong with buying an Alfa, they're excellent cars.
.


They are excellent cars for out of work mechanics, for Joe Public they are a nightmare, head gaskets blowing are commonplace, along with numerous other common and regular faults.


The Italians should stick to making pasta and ice cream.;)

[iolanthe07]

My son in law had an Alpha. He loved it when it worked, but he had no end of electrical problems with it and had to sell it in the end.

[mrsyorkie]

My advice is to check the paperwork and see what's covered in the guarantee. Then get a full list of faults with the car and call Carcraft. You may have a fight on your hands, especially if they put the faults down to 'wear and tear' (I had this with Motor Car Credit, but got there in the end after a huge fight).

I know it's easier said than done, but please try not to worry - worrying won't make it all go away will it? You may have a long fight on your hands, but you should get there in the end (especially if you mention the words 'media' 'solicitor' 'trading standards' 'watchdog'. But see if you can sort it out with them before this.

Just get all your facts straight before calling them and when you do call them, do it in a calm manner. Shouting and screaming at them and calling them cowboys etc won't help matters.

Good luck :)

[bartman]

I fear there has been, as dear old Quentin Wilson would have said, a 'taking down of the trousers'.

You make it sound as though Count Quentula (as Clarkson used to call him) is no longer with us!
As far as I know, he's still very much undead.

[Iamthesmartestmanalive]

Until the OP clarifies 1) the exact fault/s, 2) the cost paid 3) the finance terms 4) the cost to repair 5) the cost of the warranty 6) what is covered 7) carcrafts response they really dont have a case or inclination something is amiss

They bought a notoriously unreliable make

Also given their clear lack of knowledge it could equally be a mechanic on the buck make

They need to get all the facts

[shopaholic2]

Until the OP clarifies 1) the exact fault/s, 2) the cost paid 3) the finance terms 4) the cost to repair 5) the cost of the warranty 6) what is covered 7) carcrafts response they really dont have a case or inclination something is amiss

They bought a notoriously unreliable make

Also given their clear lack of knowledge it could equally be a mechanic on the buck make

They need to get all the facts

What the hell does that mean????
"my clear lack of knowledge"? Its my hubbys car, and all i know is what he told me today on the phone,i don't claim to be utterly knowledgable on cars and carcraft and finance.
The problem is something to do with the head gasket, and apparently isn't covered by the guarantee (although it says it is in the guarantee, but they are saying its wear and tear etc= cop out)

Thankyou all for your help x

[mrsyorkie]

I think what Iamthesmartestmanalive meant, is that given the lack of knowledge in knowing about cars when it's in the garage, the mechanic could be trying to rip you off, especially if he knows that you don't know a lot about cars (if that makes sense).

Don't stand for Carcraft saying it's wear and tear - You have only had the car 6 months and 6 months 'wear and tear' does not cause the head gasket to blow - unless of course you or your DH have been screaming the life out of the car.

It might be helpful to you if you read up about head gaskets for alpha romeo's and what causes them to blow - that way when you speak to Carcraft you will know what you are on about and tell them that it isn't caused by wear and tear over 6 months (If you get my meaning).

As for people on here wanting to know the cost paid for the car and the finance terms, I struggle to understand how knowing this could help. The fact is that the car is 6 months old (to Shopaholic2 and her DH anyways), it has a 2 year guarantee and Carcraft are trying to use the old cop-out of wear and tear.

Perhaps you could get your mechanic friend to take a look at it and list all the faults and put on a letter whether it is wear and tear and whether it could have been caused within the last 6 months of you owning the car? It might go some way in getting Carcraft to fix your car?

[Pew Pew Pew Lasers!]

Alfas have many excellent qualities. Unfortunately a reputation for reliability isn't among them.;)


Usually such things are prolonged by people who've never owned one.

I used to own a TVR and had no end of comments about their reliability. Not one person who told me how bad they were had ever owned, driven, or even sat in one.

Modern Alfas are much removed from their 80's and 90's predecessors.

[Inactive]

Modern Alfas are much removed from their 80's and 90's predecessors.


If you say so.. :rolleyes:

They certainly couldn't possibly get any worse.. ( or could they ? ):rotfl:

[LandyAndy]

I think what Iamthesmartestmanalive meant, is that given the lack of knowledge in knowing about cars when it's in the garage, the mechanic could be trying to rip you off, especially if he knows that you don't know a lot about cars (if that makes sense).

Don't stand for Carcraft saying it's wear and tear - You have only had the car 6 months and 6 months 'wear and tear' does not cause the head gasket to blow - unless of course you or your DH have been screaming the life out of the car.



And that, of course, is where all the difficulty lies. The car is six years old not six months old and could have been the subject of all manner of abuse before and after the OP's OH bought it. There may have been no sign of a blown head gasket at the point of purchase and proving it was fatally flawed at that time is impossible.

[LandyAndy]

My son in law had an Alpha. He loved it when it worked, but he had no end of electrical problems with it and had to sell it in the end.

I was going to point out the spelling mistake but as you are on my side in the reliability debate I won't bother;) .

[LandyAndy]

Usually such things are prolonged by people who've never owned one.

I used to own a TVR and had no end of comments about their reliability. Not one person who told me how bad they were had ever owned, driven, or even sat in one.

Modern Alfas are much removed from their 80's and 90's predecessors.

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

I notice you don't say whether it was reliable or not:rolleyes: .

I have never sat in a TVR, nor would I want to (in case someone saw me)

[Pew Pew Pew Lasers!]

It was extremely reliable. It completed 13,000 miles in about 10 months. The only recurring problem I had was a £6 fuel pump relay.

I'd never owned a car before that caused people to stop me in petrol stations and ask questions about it. Or a car that caused other drivers to wind their windows down to listen to the engine note as I passed them..

If you don't like TVRs thats fine, just don't try and perpetuate myths surrounding their reliability.

[Inactive]

It was extremely reliable. It completed 13,000 miles in about 10 months. The only recurring problem I had was a £6 fuel pump relay.

.


You must be unique, I have never come across anyone that ever owned a reliable TVR....:rolleyes:


Nor a reliable Alfa for that matter..

[Pew Pew Pew Lasers!]

Go to Pistonheads, you'll find thousands who have.

[LandyAndy]

It was extremely reliable. It completed 13,000 miles in about 10 months. The only recurring problem I had was a £6 fuel pump relay.

I'd never owned a car before that caused people to stop me in petrol stations and ask questions about it How many of them were over ten?. Or a car that caused other drivers to wind their windows down to listen to the engine note as I passed them..

If you don't like TVRs thats fine, just don't try and perpetuate myths surrounding their reliability.

Nowhere in my posts have I made any comment positive or negative regarding the reliability of TVRs.

I see you appear to have kept it just ten months. Was that because it kept breaking down due to the repeated electrical failure?

[Pew Pew Pew Lasers!]

Nowhere in my posts have I made any comment positive or negative regarding the reliability of TVRs.

I see you appear to have kept it just ten months. Was that because it kept breaking down due to the repeated electrical failure?


I notice you don't say whether it was reliable or not:rolleyes:

I think we can beg to differ on the correct interpretation of that.

I kept it for just ten months because I change my cars regularly, and because as a main car it was expensive to run. I will be buying another one just as soon as I'm able, as a second car - which in the long run will be a cheaper option for me.

If I had a regular job involving a commute, a TVR would be the first car on my list without a doubt, but considering I regularly have jobs where I drive 500-600 miles in a day I'd rather use a nice wallowy Mercedes.

[stumpjumper]

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

I notice you don't say whether it was reliable or not:rolleyes: .

I have never sat in a TVR, nor would I want to (in case someone saw me)

why not... all that lovely leather... comfy seats... and that V8 burble.
(i notice off all those i know who had TVRs - the ones that had the most trouble was those who treated their cars as garage queens - only taking them out on dry summer days.)

to the OP. We bought a Saab from an independant garage on HP, which shut up shop about 2 months after we bought it. about 6 months later the gear box packed up. the workshop that changed the gearbox for us said it was due to the oil level plug not being fitted at the last service. Since we had not serviced the car since buying it (it was serviced before purchase) then we had the help of Trading Standards (and Citizens Advice) who gave us standard letters to pursue the finance company (as they are jointly liable apparently... and since the seller was out of business) it took a couple of letters, but we recieved a letter from the Finance Company to say they accept our claim and have refunded the cost of repaire.

[nicb2710]

i am urging anyone who has problems with u can or carcraft to email me with there problems they have experienced as i to have had a car for only 11months from them and the head gasket gone and no i havent raced my lil 1.4 pug 307
anyway i am gnna take them on cos ive had enough of these companies not wanting to take responsibility
cos when they sold me the car they told me i had a 12 month warranty now its buggared they say it was only ever 3 months please email me no one has to be involved directly but it wud help if i had evidence they are conning most customers

esc_gti@yahoo.co.uk

many thanks
nicola