Not sure what to do next...

laura_d

ozvaldinho wrote: »

It sounds to me that the garage have been very reasonable with you. To put it bluntly, your mechanic friend sounds like a muppet. Clutches don't usually go instantly, especially on small cars. 40 miles after being test driven, something is either wrong with your driving or your mechanic' judgement.
I'd never put £1600 into a car from a scrapyard.

And get some advice from someone a bit more knowledgeable before getting any more work done. If it's needed welding around three seatbelt points this year, after another salty winter you'll have hole in the floor.

You can forget about getting much more out of the garage. My advice? Do your research next time you want to buy a car. Ask questions on here or honestjohn.com. And leave your friend at home.

The clutch actually went after less than 2 miles and the yards' mechanic agreed that it was likely to have been in a damaged state before I got it and just not picked up by any of them driving it.

I bought the car from a used car yard/garage, not a scrapyard (although I'm starting to question that now).

The guy I brought down with me to test drive it couldn't have seen the corrosion under the vehicle without getting it up on ramps. The seller then advised that his mechanic gives all cars the once over before selling them so I [wrongly] assumed everything was ok. The seller's mechanic would have had the opportunity to see it all again when he replaced the clutch so I think theres an element of dishonesty going on really.

I certainly wont be so quick to buy a used car again. I truely thought I'd done my research and was buying a reasonable car for a reasonable price!

laura_d

ukjoel wrote: »

Several different questions raised.

Its hard to comment on whether you got a decent price as we dont know spec of the car - if it was entry level, steel wheels, no air con, ka1 then probably paid a few hundred too much but if it had air con, alloys, cd player etc then probably about right or even a bit of a bargain.

In terms of selling cars like these - many garages will MOT them before they go out to you (mainly to cover their backsides over issues like this).

The faults with the car are all things you would expect in a Ka that age and mileage.

Appreciate its not nice getting a bill like that but you cant expect an 8 year 80k car to be problem free motoring.

My view on it is that the car was a px they took in precisely because the seller knew that these issues were there. If it had gone to auction it would have gone for around £900 to £1200 and whoever bought it would have done repairs in house.

They have asked you to contribute what you feel is appropriate.
It sounds to me like they are not expecting anything.

I would probably give them a nominal payment (maybe £100) and then get on with your life. Not being funny but if they gave you a refund and you went shopping with £1600 the chances of you finding a car that needed no work doing would be slim.

Better the devil you know.

Hi Joel,

It's pretty much entry level spec, the "now" model without a/c, without elec windows, without central locking etc. It does have a CD player which I suspect was a later addition to the car! From all the Ka's I looked at, it was a little higher priced which perhpas lured me into a false sense of security.

In all honesty, like you say, I didn't expect the car to be problem free but after paying £150 to sort out the clutch I suppose I expected that to be the extent of it this year, perhaps needing a few more things sorted next year at the next service.

The whole thing has really put me off buying from a trade seller again, especially as a female who doesn't have the greatest car knowledge (give me a motorbike on the otherhand and I'll strip it and rebuild it). It's just sour to think you've bought a reasonable car in good faith then realising 3 months later that you've actually bought a pile of scrap metal and being made to feel awful about asking for your money back!

Thank you for all the replies!

tomstickland

Your mechanic friend should have taken a better look at the shell really.

However, since the selling garage claimed that all their cars were inspected before selling them then I'd be inclined to keep the car but pay nothing towards the costs of the welding.

atrixblue.-MFR-.

this garage didnt offer you a full mot on purchase then? most garages will mot their cars before their purcased, wounder why he didnt and offer to do so?

just a tip with the clutch scenario KA'a Fiesta etc most modern cars have hydrolic clutch setup that are very sensetive just resting your foot on the pedal engages the clutch even though its only slightly it will wear quicker over time (probably the habbit/drive style of the previous owner that has done this and worn it out before you bought it). before purchasing a used car from a garage/dealer i would recomend having a RAC inspection and hpi checks (you dont have to be a member and it will cost you a bit of money but could save you alot more if its dodgy/unfit and serious about buying the car) rather than a mechanic friend if you know nout about cars.

if he advertises that all cars are inspected by their mechanic before selling then ask how something like rust patches and struts were overlooked? i would reccomend you go to trading standards and get more advice, 3 months youve owned the car and your about to pay out £££ to fix it to make roadworthy on top of what youve alwready paid out i would say he has sold you a car not fit for purpose. rust and wear doesnt apear in three months my suspicion he knew what needed doing to it and the cost of doing so and chose not to repair it.

here are some interesting FACTS that traders have to stick to.
if he says he inspected the car before selling then he knew about the problems.

even if he says it still had mot that proves it was roadworthy read this its interesting!!http://www.warrington.gov.uk/Adviceandbenefits/Tradingstandards/guidance/Guidance_URWV.aspx

laura_d

The used car garage just called to say the work has been finished. He was charged mates rates for the welding which has come to about £300 in total. He said he doesn’t expect any payment from me as on reflection the corrosion and worn struts should have been noticed before he sold it (like a few of you have said) and that it wouldn’t be fair to ask me to cough up for the repair.

I’ll give him £100 towards the cost of the work anyway to keep things civil.

In the new year I’ll take the car for a service and then consider selling it on and putting the money towards buying a younger car in much better condition (which I will have fully inspected before parting with my cash).

Thank you to everyone who offered advice – a weight has been lifted!

Premier_2

laura_d wrote: »

...if my mechanic who test drove the car was any good, he'd have spotted the corrosion even without getting it up on the ramps. I thought that was a tad unfair ...

Unfair you may feel, but a mechanic who also failed to spot a failing clutch within the week as well as numerous MOT failing items 2 months/40 miles later does indeed seem to be boxing above his weight.

Next time, get a proper Vehicle Engineer to inspect the vehicle you are interested in buying ... then you'll have some comeback in the unlikely event of them giving you duff advice.

ukjoel

If he doesnt expect any payment - dont give them any. IF you feel you should give them a token take a crate of beer down. That will cost you a tenner and thats £90 in your pocket.

Save the £100 for the person who sells you a 2k car which is still running faultlessly 5 years later - they are far more worthy.

atrixblue.-MFR-.

laura_d wrote: »

The used car garage just called to say the work has been finished. He was charged mates rates for the welding which has come to about £300 in total. He said he doesn’t expect any payment from me as on reflection the corrosion and worn struts should have been noticed before he sold it (like a few of you have said) and that it wouldn’t be fair to ask me to cough up for the repair.

I’ll give him £100 towards the cost of the work anyway to keep things civil.

In the new year I’ll take the car for a service and then consider selling it on and putting the money towards buying a younger car in much better condition (which I will have fully inspected before parting with my cash).

Thank you to everyone who offered advice – a weight has been lifted!

no harm in keeping things civil but look at it this way you wouldnt be in this situation if he properly checked the cars roadworthiness before he put it up for sale!

put £20.00 on an asda card and tell him thanks for the for sorting it out without too much hassle.

rev_henry

All secondhand car places will say they've given the car the once over etc. Some do some don't. I think its a fair conclusion really. KAs are known to rust. I'd keep the car, as now its had the work done you should have a good car for a couple of years at least. And its now got 12 months MOT. You could go and trade it in for a 5 year old lemon tomorrow which needs even more work, from a less reasonable garage.

Sounds to me like the garage originally thought you were being unreasonable, but then on closer inspection realised they'd missed a few things when they'd sold the car.

laura_d

Thanks to everyone who has replied, I feel a LOT better about the situation now!

I'll certainly be a lot more cautious buying a 2nd hand car again and ensure I have a mechanic there who is able to check and verify the roadworthyness of the car before I drive off with it.

Thank you all again!