Buying used car with known fault

kateandpete

Just as we seemed to be doing so well with our buying/selling car adventures.... We have sold our car privately now and it is due to be picked up today at 2pm. We also found a used car at a dealers which we paid a £500 deposit on around 10 days ago and agreed to pick up today.

When we inspected/drove the "new" car we felt the a/c was underperforming. From what we have read this is a common and potentially expensive problem on the car we are buying (seat alhambra) so we stipulated that in agreeing to buy it we wanted it to bew working properly. Dealer agreed and said it probably just needed a re-gas.

Got a call from them a couple of days ago to say that the car had been for its re-gas but they had found a leaking pipe which needed replacing but would do it yesterday. Then another call last night to say the pipe had not arrived but they would try and do it this morning so we could still get the car today. However he said it may well arrive too late to get it done in which case we could either pick up the car today as planned and take it back to get the work done or leave it and pick up on Monday.

Big problem is that I have a family meet up planned for tomorrow which will be impossible to get to on public transport on a Sunday. Getting to work on Monday if it's still not done by then will also be expensive and time consuming.

How much of a risk is it to take the car as is and agree to drop it back next week to be fixed. We're both reluctant to hand over tha cash when we know there is a problem. Could this be seen as us accepting the car in this condition? If we leave the car I miss out on a rare lunch out with family and have the cost of getting to work on Monday via train/taxi.

As ever, thanks for any advice.

mikey72

If the dealer is genuine, tell him you are holding back the cost of the repair, say £300, and you'll pay it him when it's fixed. Or you need a courtesy car for the weekend.

Wh05apk

I seem to remember reading that a/c problems on these are a complete dash out job, and potentially about £1500? I would be reluctant to take the car as is, could the dealer lend you a car? may even be worth hiring a car for a couple of days, rather than risk taking the car and the dealer not repairing it properly?

kateandpete

Yes - I've read that the average cost of ac repairs to them is £1200 hence our checking of the system and request that it be sorted before we buy. Not sure that a courtesy car is going to be possible as it's a small used car dealership. Also concerned that the cost of hiring a car over the weekend might overstretch us as things are going to be alittle tight with road tax and insurance changeover to pay for.

If they don't have it ready we might just have to cancel the trip tomorrow. Annoying really as we thought we'd given them plenty of time to get the car ready.

Hey ho - they may manage to have it ready today although I got the feeling yesterday that I was being prepared for bad news.

Thanks again

colino

Hope they get it done for you on time, but if they don't, leave it with them. All too easy to get to the bottom of things to do list when the car is paid for and off the lot.

funkycoldribena

Wh05apk wrote: »

I seem to remember reading that a/c problems on these are a complete dash out job, and potentially about £1500? I would be reluctant to take the car as is, could the dealer lend you a car? may even be worth hiring a car for a couple of days, rather than risk taking the car and the dealer not repairing it properly?

I agree,not worth it.Plenty of threads on here about dealers not fixing things,I wouldnt pay a penny until its fixed.You'd end up back here in a couple of weeks with a certain poster telling you to fork out yourself as it isnt up to the dealer to fix it.

kateandpete

Yep - it really doesn't seem to be worth the risk. fingers crossed they get on with it although I've no heard anything yet today. I did get a quote of £60 for a hire car from tomorrow am until Tues which may be feasible. Would it be cheeky for me to ask them to drop £60 from the cost of the car we are buying to cover this as we had told them we needed it today at the latest?

harveybobbles

Could be the pipes as they say as they are fitted infront of one of the front wheel arches - christ knows why! Very easily get damaged in that area.

We used to do lots of pipe work on the Shalhambraxy's. Only once have we had a dash out though.

If it was us selling the car we'd ask if you wanted to delay collecting the car. Or take the car and call back when the part is in stock.

You could ask if there is a loan car available. Or like someone suggested above, take the car, but keep a few quid back.

mikey72

funkycoldribena wrote: »

I agree,not worth it.Plenty of threads on here about dealers not fixing things,I wouldnt pay a penny until its fixed.You'd end up back here in a couple of weeks with a certain poster telling you to fork out yourself as it isnt up to the dealer to fix it.

Just one?
:rotfl:

Hammyman

harveybobbles wrote: »

Could be the pipes as they say as they are fitted infront of one of the front wheel arches - christ knows why! Very easily get damaged in that area.

I would have thought they would have been on the back side of the wheelarch liner so completely protected.

kateandpete

Many thanks for all the advice. They did manage to get it sorted in the nick of time so all plans back on!