clause in mechanic receipt?

jase1

It would look as if the mechanic suspected the HG. I would be surprised if he went ahead with the repair without consulting the customer about his concerns first.

As for the Nissan comment -- this is a British-made car (I thought you were behind British manufacturing Wig?), and not expensive to keep on the road (I know, I ran one to 265,000 miles). Besides, HG failures are rare on Nissan engines. That's probably what alarmed the mechanic in the first place -- Nissan engine+HG failure=something not quite right.

fatstuff76

Whether you buy a car from a Private person or a Dealer, the vehicle must still be (hate this term) 'fit for purpose'. The words 'sold as seen' have no real meaning in car sales. If the car breaks down shortly after being bought then the purchaser has the right to return to the seller.

I am sure this is something that I heard on Radio 2 while Martin Lewis was doing his money saving slot.

jase1

I don't think that's true on a private sale. If you buy a car from an individual and the engine falls out 100 yards down the road -- tough -- you bought it, you deal with it.

The only onus on the seller is to answer straight questions truthfully -- and even then it's almost impossible to prove.

Inactive

fatstuff76 wrote: »

Whether you buy a car from a Private person or a Dealer, the vehicle must still be (hate this term) 'fit for purpose'. The words 'sold as seen' have no real meaning in car sales. If the car breaks down shortly after being bought then the purchaser has the right to return to the seller.

I am sure this is something that I heard on Radio 2 while Martin Lewis was doing his money saving slot.

Private sale, as long as the seller has described the vehicle honestly, no come backs.

Flyboy152

thebettingbride wrote: »

colnio - it's the full story as far as I know it, it's my partner who's been relating to me what's been happening. I doubt the mechanic would have been asked to "investigate" the fault as much as he'd have been asked to find out what it was and fix it since this person depends on his car to get to work and would've wanted it fixed asap (especially since he'd only had it a week before needing to take it for repairs).

Sorry, but I have to agree with Colnio on this. It sounds like your friend was advised that the work carried out might affect the head gasket, or that in the technician's opinion it was not of satisfactory quality and that it should be replaced, so he wanted a waiver to absolve him of any consequential loss.

Flyboy152

fatstuff76 wrote: »

Whether you buy a car from a Private person or a Dealer, the vehicle must still be (hate this term) 'fit for purpose'. The words 'sold as seen' have no real meaning in car sales. If the car breaks down shortly after being bought then the purchaser has the right to return to the seller.

I am sure this is something that I heard on Radio 2 while Martin Lewis was doing his money saving slot.

Then you heard incorrectly, or Martin was talking out the back of his neck (I can guess which is the most likely ).

Flyboy152

jase1 wrote: »

I don't think that's true on a private sale. If you buy a car from an individual and the engine falls out 100 yards down the road -- tough -- you bought it, you deal with it.

The only onus on the seller is to answer straight questions truthfully -- and even then it's almost impossible to prove.

If the seller knew about any faults before selling the car and didn't point them out, then he is liable for any losses. Repairers records, MOT failures and insurance databases, even credit card receipts can all be used to prove that a seller know of a fault, but the problem lies with proving they didn't point it out at the time, unless there are witnesses. This is why I always advice my clients to have an independent inspection before buying.

Hammyman

thebettingbride wrote: »

So we'd like to know whether he would have any legal standing for demanding his money back for the subsequent repairs (and going to court if he had to)?

No. Why? Because the car was overheating and even you admit that. It could also be that when the head gasket was replaced, the job wasn't done properly - i.e the head wasn't checked to ensure it wasn't warped and that it hadn't cracked.

Any mechanic or any garage with any sense would have put the same disclaimer on the receipt.

cyclonebri1

Yep it's not a get out by the mechanic, any decent mech would suspect potential and even probable head gasket failure after serious overheating and would probably have advised the owner. If he wasn't taken ip re the advice he has every right to protect himself with a disclaimer. He is not being unreasonable under those circumstances.

OP, you said the radiator was repaired?. I would only question if it was repaired or replaced as it really should have been,