Used Car from Dealership - Your Rights?

minnehaha_2

Posting this on behalf of a friend....

She recently purchased (about three weeks ago) a 58 Reg Vauxhall Corsa. After collecting her purchase a few days after first viewing it, she discovered it had not been serviced as promised. There were also several small marks on the body. All they appear to have done was clean it and blacken the tyres.

The car has been back to the garage and the paintwork issue resolved and the service done, but at great inconvenience to herself. However, she then discovered the CD player did not work, nor the cigarette lighter socket which she wished to use to charge sat nav and mobile. The attitude of staff has been uncooperative and downright rude on occassion - eg., "well, what do you expect from an OLD car"....far different from how her NEW car was described at the time of the sale when she was forking out £8,000!

To cap it all, she now learns that it was a hire car in a previous life - was the garage under any obligation to tell her of this at the time of sale? She's worried that as such, it has not been treated or driven with respect and that, whilst some problems have been sorted or are relatively minor, during future use more serious mechanical problems may emerge.

In a nutshell - has she grounds to return the car and get her money back?

thescouselander

Surely this car is still under manufacturer warranty - just take it to the main dealer and get them to fix the faults. If it is a main dealer who your friend is having problems with just take it to the next nearest main dealer.

Im not sure the fact the car was a hire car is grounds enough in itself to return the car.

Hammyman

minnehaha wrote: »

In a nutshell - has she grounds to return the car and get her money back?

Doubtful. The marks on the bodywork were there when she looked at it so by buying it, she has accepted them.

On a 58 plate, it is not a new car and nobody in their right mind would think so. Of course the sales person is going to promote the good points and gloss over the bad - that's their job.

The previous use is irrelevent unless the purchaser specifically asks at which point, a honest answer has to be given.

Basically, it is second hand goods. As such, they have to be fit for purpose and work as "reasonably expected" for the price paid. The garage doesn't have to tell her anything UNLESS SHE ASKS except whether or not it has been a previous write off. The only requirements the garage have to comply with is "fit for use" (a non working CD player or cig lighter socket do not count as not fit), that it works as described (if she didn't ask about the functionality of the CD player or cig lighter then not telling her they don't work isn't misdescribing) and that it is safe. They don't even have to make sure the mileage is correct unless they state it as fact.

The only thing she does have issue with is it not having a service if one was promised as part of the deal HOWEVER a service can be anything from an oil change and a quick check of fluids, lights and tyres upwards.

funkycoldribena

minnehaha wrote: »

she then discovered the CD player did not work, nor the cigarette lighter socket which she wished to use to charge sat nav and mobile

I bet at least one of these is the fuse gone.

thescouselander

Hammyman wrote: »

Doubtful. The marks on the bodywork were there when she looked at it so by buying it, she has accepted them.

On a 58 plate, it is not a new car and nobody in their right mind would think so. Of course the sales person is going to promote the good points and gloss over the bad - that's their job.

The previous use is irrelevent unless the purchaser specifically asks at which point, a honest answer has to be given.

Basically, it is second hand goods. As such, they have to be fit for purpose and work as "reasonably expected" for the price paid. The garage doesn't have to tell her anything UNLESS SHE ASKS except whether or not it has been a previous write off. The only requirements the garage have to comply with is "fit for use" (a non working CD player or cig lighter socket do not count as not fit), that it works as described (if she didn't ask about the functionality of the CD player or cig lighter then not telling her they don't work isn't misdescribing) and that it is safe. They don't even have to make sure the mileage is correct unless they state it as fact.

The only thing she does have issue with is it not having a service if one was promised as part of the deal HOWEVER a service can be anything from an oil change and a quick check of fluids, lights and tyres upwards.

I disagree. A 58 plate car is only about 18 months old and as such one could reasonably expect everything to work especially as the car is probably still under the manufacturer warranty.

The problems need to be sorted out by the dealer end of story.

harveybobbles

funkycoldribena wrote: »

I bet at least one of these is the fuse gone.

Its normally the sat nav chargers that are a bit wider and push the cmetal contacts further apart and thus causing the sicket to stop working.