advice - problems with a car purchased from a garage

lauram25 · 14 December 2017 at 11:49AM

hi

I purchased a nissan note 2008 in Jan 2017 for £3000 from a car garage called used car network in chigwell.

Ive had some issues with it but no idea where i stand legally so am looking for some advice.

I had some issues with it a few weeks after purchasing it, so i took it back to the garage. They said it was a lambda sensor so replaced it free of charge.

In september 2017, I was having a few issues with it, some noises etc so i took it to my local garage as it had been 8months since i purchased it. They gave the throttle a clean up and did an inspection. They discovered that the engine warning light on the dashboard didnt light up when the engine was started. They took the dashboard off and discovered some kind of gunk had been put there to stop the warning light working. I paid them to clean it up.

I emailed used car network and told them about it, they just said they had no idea and it wasnt them. that was it.

Soon after my local garage fixed the warning light problem, the light came on. After a diagnostics test they told me my rear lambda sensor needed replacing - i paid for this.

In novemeber the light came on once again and now ive been told its a catalyst convertor issue and very expensive to fix.

Ive looked through the paperwork i was given when i purchased the car and can see from its history that the warning light was on and noted on the MOT for 2015 so it obviously wasnt gunked up then.

It seems that whoever gunked up the warning light knew there was an expensive issue and has masked it. its taken me this long to get to the bottom of it.

Everywhere ive read says that after 6 months theres nothing i can do, but is this really the case? should the garage have checked the warning light to make sure it was working?

Ive deffo been duped by someone, but as its 11months after i purchased the car, im guessing theres nothing i can do?

ess0two · 14 December 2017 at 12:07PM

Someone could have PX the car and covered the EML themselves?

lauram25 · 14 December 2017 at 12:23PM

ess0two wrote: »

Someone could have PX the car and covered the EML themselves?

Yes i by no means am implying it was the garage, just thought it would be a requirement of selling the car to ensure the light was working and not tampered with?

If these problems had arisen within 6 months of purchasing the car then i could of returned the car, however, due to the light being tampered with, this was impossible as it wasnt until 7 months after purchase that i found out the engine light was faulty.

ess0two · 14 December 2017 at 12:28PM

lauram25 wrote: »

Yes i by no means am implying it was the garage, just thought it would be a requirement of selling the car to ensure the light was working and not tampered with?

If these problems had arisen within 6 months of purchasing the car then i could of returned the car, however, due to the light being tampered with, this was impossible as it wasnt until 7 months after purchase that i found out the engine light was faulty.

Certain dash lights on are a straight MOT fail now, tricky one this.

IanMSpencer · 14 December 2017 at 12:44PM

In retrospect, the warning light not self-testing is an indication that there is a problem. The fact that someone had the dashboard off to cover up the fault is pretty damning. I can understand why you wouldn't spot it, but if you'd had an independent inspection you could have gone after them as they should have spotted it.

I would approach the garage and point out that you'd had problems and as experts you would have expected them to be aware that the engine management light was faulty, regardless of whether they or the previous seller had done it.

I think I would have a chat with some real solicitors about this. Why not arrange for a free consultation or try Pepipoo.com where there are a number of practising lawyers.

lauram25 · 14 December 2017 at 12:58PM

Thank you for the replies.

I have sent out an email to the garage and they have replied stating that they did not tamper with the light and as ive had the car for 11 months there is nothing i can do.

The problem is, i couldnt of possibly gone back to them sooner as i wasnt aware until after 7 months that the light was tampered with.
As soon as i had this fixed, its been on 3 times in 3 months

arcon5 · 14 December 2017 at 1:14PM

New cat on a nissan note cant surely be that expensive

lauram25 · 14 December 2017 at 1:37PM

Been quoted £350 for the part, some other bits to do with it, 2 hours labour and VAT

AdrianC · 14 December 2017 at 2:18PM

lauram25 wrote: »

I had some issues with it a few weeks after purchasing it, so i took it back to the garage. They said it was a lambda sensor so replaced it free of charge.

And that resolved the issue?

They discovered that the engine warning light on the dashboard didnt light up when the engine was started.

You'd not noticed that in nine months?

Soon after my local garage fixed the warning light problem, the light came on.

So when the light was first fixed, the light was correctly self-testing, and there were no faults indicated?

After a diagnostics test they told me my rear lambda sensor needed replacing - i paid for this.

And that resolved it?

In novemeber the light came on once again and now ive been told its a catalyst convertor issue and very expensive to fix.

A new cat on a decade-old car is hardly unreasonable.

Everywhere ive read says that after 6 months theres nothing i can do, but is this really the case?

After six months, you need to prove the fault was pre-existing. It clearly wasn't, as the fault has only just come up. You've been driving since at least September with no faults indicated, except for the rear lambda (resolved) and the cat (now needed).

The front lambda tells the engine management what to do with the fuelling - more or less fuel to get the right amount of oxygen in the exhaust. The rear lambda tells the engine management whether the cat's working or not.
Look at your timeline...
The front lambda was faulty - resolved.
There were no faults.
The rear lambda flagged a fault with itself - resolved.
There were no faults.
The rear lambda flagged a cat fault.

should the garage have checked the warning light to make sure it was working?

Yes, they should. Equally, you could easily have noticed in the first nine months of ownership...

Ive deffo been duped by someone

It's a near-on decade-old car, and you're surprised that there's been a couple of lambda sensors (one covered by the vendor) and a cat needed? That's par for the course...

Now, if it was being driven around extensively with the front lambda duff, that MIGHT have contributed to the cat's demise, but... you found that front lambda issue developed after purchase, and it was quickly changed. Once the light was fixed, there were no faults showing - the cat was fine at that stage, and for most of the time since the light's been fixed. A decade is not an unreasonably short life for a cat.

lauram25 · 14 December 2017 at 2:30PM

Thank you for the reply. Will get it fixed when i can afford it.

AdrianC wrote: »

And that resolved the issue?

You'd not noticed that in nine months?

So when the light was first fixed, the light was correctly self-testing, and there were no faults indicated?

And that resolved it?

A new cat on a decade-old car is hardly unreasonable.

After six months, you need to prove the fault was pre-existing. It clearly wasn't, as the fault has only just come up. You've been driving since at least September with no faults indicated, except for the rear lambda (resolved) and the cat (now needed).

The front lambda tells the engine management what to do with the fuelling - more or less fuel to get the right amount of oxygen in the exhaust. The rear lambda tells the engine management whether the cat's working or not.
Look at your timeline...
The front lambda was faulty - resolved.
There were no faults.
The rear lambda flagged a fault with itself - resolved.
There were no faults.
The rear lambda flagged a cat fault.

Yes, they should. Equally, you could easily have noticed in the first nine months of ownership...

It's a near-on decade-old car, and you're surprised that there's been a couple of lambda sensors (one covered by the vendor) and a cat needed? That's par for the course...

Now, if it was being driven around extensively with the front lambda duff, that MIGHT have contributed to the cat's demise, but... you found that front lambda issue developed after purchase, and it was quickly changed. Once the light was fixed, there were no faults showing - the cat was fine at that stage, and for most of the time since the light's been fixed. A decade is not an unreasonably short life for a cat.

lauram25 · 14 December 2017 at 2:35PM

When my garage discovered that the light had been tampered with, they fixed it. It was about 1-2 days after that that it came on highlighting a fault.

So yes the light being off was masking an existing issue.

AdrianC wrote: »

advice - problems with a car purchased from a garage

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