car dealer problem

MEMBER02

My son was bought a 2nd hand car from a car dealer buisness,it was £2500,he has had the car for about 2 months and the other week he noticed oil was nearly empty,he topped it up and kept a eye on it,today he went to see the dealer has oil is getting low again(he has since topped up)and dealer was no help at all,in fact he said what do you expect from a £2500 BANGER,since he had car it has needed a new timing belt (which dealer did do)fact is car is only 2 months since he bought it,and it is burning oil,does my son have a claim against the dealer?

Sgt_Pepper_2

What sort of car is it?

withabix

Impossible to say without more information.

What make/model/year?

Mileage? When bought and now.

'oil was nearly empty' or at the bottom of the range on the dipstick?

MEMBER02

its a vauxhall corsa 2003

MEMBER02

1st noticed the oil was down one day after the timing chain was replaced at the dealers garage(around a month ago),refilled the oil and thought dealer hadnt refilled the oil properly,but 2 weeks later oil was at bottom of dipstick again,and now every time its refilled 2 weeks later it needs more.car had 56500 when bought,now it has around 60000

withabix

Piston rings or valve stem oil seals.

Common on Corsas.

You've also trebled it's average monthly mileage. That's bound to have some effect.

From what you say, it has used approx 1.5 litres of oil in 2 months. Or about £3 worth if you put cheap oil in.

£2500 for a 9 year old Corsa???? Blimey.

MEMBER02

withabix wrote: »

Piston rings or valve stem oil seals.

Common on Corsas.

You've also trebled it's average monthly mileage. That's bound to have some effect.

From what you say, it has used approx 1.5 litres of oil in 2 months. Or about £3 worth if you put cheap oil in.

£2500 for a 9 year old Corsa???? Blimey.[/QUOTE
Yea it was bought for him by his grandad,the question is do you think he has a claim as surely this shouldnt have happened after only this short a time?i know the mileage is high but has he got a claim.thanks

Robisere

Collect the facts and documentation, including seller's original receipt. Write down/type out facts, such as how often you fill oil. Look up your local Trading Standards, but before contacting them contact the seller again and tell him what you are going to do. If no result, contact T.S and explain your case.

Things to do: Stand a few feet behind your son's car when the engine is cold. Tell him to start it. If it is burning oil, you will see blue smoke (and taste it!)

Park the car on a level surface if you can, overnight. Find a large piece of cardboard or old carpet and slide it under the engine. Any leaks will be evident in the morning. No leaks? - It is definitely burning oil through serious wear. Check the end of the exhaust pipe when engine is warm. There will probably be asooty, slightly oily deposit in the end of the pipe.

Note the results and use it in connection with Trading Standards.

As a retired workshop foreman, I hate to hear about these cowboys. You definitely have a case, but do everything the right way. As has been said, the price paid was far too high. Young lads seem to have a thing for these Corsas, and many of them do not have the knowledge or experience to tell a good deal from a bad one. Not the lad's fault or yours; neither of you is in the wrong here, it is the lowlife who ripped you off who is most definitely in the wrong. Good luck!

Joe_Horner

Any sign of leaks underneath? If this seened to start after the chain change then it's well worth checking that you're not dropping it onto the ground. If it was burning you'd probably (though not always) see smoke if you follow behind him for a bit - especially if he opens the throttle after coasting downhill.

Also, why the chain change in the first place? 60k should be nothing for a chain drive!

Finally, if he's doing 1700+ miles a month then he's likely to use some oil - that's why it should still be a weekly check (not now and then when he remembers or the light comes on!)


eta: as others have said, at the price paid the dealer can well afford to do something about it IF it's not a leak cause by the chain change!