Car advertised with FSH but no SH

gazfocus

mikey72 wrote: »

If it's the 1.6, get the waterpump and thermostat done along with the full belt kit. If it's the 1.8, have the waterpump done as well. (worth paying for if the garage won't do it foc, but ask them)

Hintza wrote: »

The belt is the least of your worries. It's all the associated bits I have covered in my previous post!!!

Thanks. I'll have another word with them and see what they say. If they won't do them, I'll settle for the cam belt and will take the car to another garage for an independant opinion. At the end of the day, I will be getting the car in the same condition (but with a new belt) so if it needs all the other bits replacing, it will have needed them whether the SH was there or not.

nullogik

gazfocus wrote: »

They seem like a reasonable garage and are a smallish local garage so wouldn't expect them to fob me off.

I knew someone who was going to see a car (flew to the other side of the country to see it) which was described as in "very good condition" and totally original. When he got there the car had evidently been rear ended in the past and badly repaired and the dash was full of holes (clearly been used as a minicab). The garage was a "small family run business" out in the sticks that had been "in the area for 20+ years". That means nothing. An airfare wasted evidently.

As for arranging for the cambelt change to be done by the dealer's garage. I wouldn't trust them. How do you know they are going to do a proper job with quality parts and not some kind of rushed, bodge job with the cheapest parts available (after all they are "paying" for it).

Don't fall for the old "showing you the old part/box" routine. Make sure you have a good look in the engine bay to see if the belt has been changed. Again, I've known people to be told parts have been fitted only to have the car up on a ramp later on and discover nothing has been replaced and the old parts have simply been removed, cleaned and refitted.

gazfocus

How about if I get them to write on the receipt that they changed the cam belt? Then if I get it checked and they hadn't done it, I have some kind of recourse.

rev_henry

mikey72 wrote: »

If it's the 1.6, get the waterpump and thermostat done along with the full belt kit. If it's the 1.8, have the waterpump done as well. (worth paying for if the garage won't do it foc, but ask them)

I guess the best thing to do is get a couple of quotes from local garages for all the appropriate above, then ask the garage to knock this off the price. However they may not be willing to given that they've offered to do it themselves. They may be totally trustworthy they may not.

If allowing them to do the work then take it to another garage after for them to check its all been done.
Used car dealers seem to be very lax with service history sometimes. I recently bought a similar age car to that one, had about 2 stamps covering up to 2001 or something in the book. So I looked up the MOT details online and found that the same garage had done the MOTs for several years, so I gave this garage a ring. They said 'Oh yes, we've looked after it for a while, and were more than happy to tell me when the cambelt and clutch were last done.' I was lucky I guess.
There's someone on here who recently bought a Laguna at auction, I forget who, which was also advertised without any history, yet it had FSH and bills for very recent, major and expensive work done in the glovebox!
You pays your money you takes your chance I guess.
You probably can change your mind and get your deposit back though, as its not as described.