Car purchase question....

ladymisswolfe

Hoping someone could help here!
I put a deposit on a renault clio at the weekend and will collect sometime this week. I have since discovered it may need a cam belt change as I wasn't aware of the intervals when I purchased, although I'd researched different vehicles before I went in I missed the cam belt interval info. It's 10 years old, and having checked with Renault it needs changing at 72k or 5 years whichever is first. Its only on 45k but obviously should have been done. I emailed the independant garage and he said he'd do it at cost for £170 for me. I've asked him to double check if it had been done as there was a fair amoutn of paperwork with it, and am waiting to hear. However, if it hasn't been done, it's 5 years over the time it should have been done. Despite his very reasonable offer to do it for me, should I insist that he should do it free of charge- as otherwise he'd be selling a car which could lose the cambelt any moment and destroy the engine? I am unsure of my rights in this case, and hoping you guys may have some advice for me.

Strider590

To be honest, when you buy a car you should always get the cambelt done as a precaution for your own piece of mind.

And I would never trust the person selling me a car to actually do ANY work on it, they're only interested in selling you a car.

"why yes sir we'll have it MOT'd and serviced for you before collection"

Next year it fails it's MOT on major parts AND turn out to have an oil filter with a 6 year old date code, oil as black as it comes and spark plugs practically welded to the engine.

Hammyman

You have no automatic right to have the cambelt changed for free. £170 is a good offer and as Strider said, you should always get them done when you buy a car thats near being done just for peace of mind if there's nothing to state it has been done.

forgotmyname

You dont NEED to pay £170 or get the belt done, You could put that £170 into a savings
account and put it towards the cost of a new engine if the belt breaks.

Somehow i doubt the £170 + insterest will be anywhere close to the cost od repairing the
engine if the belt did break.

For peace of mind i have always replaced belts when buying cars.

Bit like all the £££ you pay in insurance every year, If i had a choice i wouldnt bother, But
we dont get that option if you want to stay legal.