Sold car with dangerously underinflated tyres

fivetide

Dan47 wrote: »

Yeh cheers, I have this planned for tonight .

Check what was offered at the time or purchase. Did they say they'd service the car and more specifically by the book?

Check what should have been done, the air filter will be the easiest to look at. If they were meant to replace it and it is filthy then you might well have a case. Some cars can soot their oil up pretty fast so that's not always a reliable indicator.

agrinnall

My brand new car came from the dealer with all 4 tyres at the same (wrong) pressure, so the fronts were too low and the rears too high. Luckily it wasn't a lot out and I checked and corrected it before I'd gone very far, but I did complain about it along with a few other teething problems.

eschaton

Dan47 wrote: »

The tyres are low profile and therefore at a quick glance are not noticeably flat. I had gone round all tyre prior to purchase to check tread depths, tyre condition etc so otherwise would have noticed.

You can't miss at 15psi.

Mines are low profile / 19" and for a little while, I had a slow puncture in the driver side front. Recommended is 32psi and at 23psi it was very easy to notice, and I mean very easy. 15psi would be very obvious.

Wig

The thing to look out for - for future reference- is a jelly like wobble when you change lanes or turn the car. Once you have noticed it and then diagnosed what it was, you will never forget it. But for people who don't know what to look for it isn't so obvious. Steering the car should feel solid.

1jim

To be fair to op, I wouldn't have thought to check tyre pressures on a 3 day old car, nor would I check them after a service....that's what I paid the service fee for.

prowla

Well, the Highway Code advises to check tyres, oil & water before going on the motorway.

(But most of us don't do it!)

londonTiger

you should have checked the tyres and asked to get it inflated before driving off. people need to be more responsible and street smart than to fall back on the law all the time.

what would have happned if you were on a normal road and the tyre burst and you ran over a pedestrian and killed them? someone would have died for your stupidity.

there are far too many idiot drivers out there. God knows why you bought a vehicle without giving it a good inspection, with the assumed psi the tyres would have looked very underinflated.

Dan47

Just an update:

I am fully aware that I was responsible for the maintenance of the vehicle but was a little disappointed that it was sold in a dangerous state yet it was declared 'ready to drive away' (spoken by salesman, not written).

However, I rang the guy who sold the car, he was apologetic and has offered to pay the cost of the new tyre once he has priced it up.

We shall see what happens - but thanks to all who have contributed. :T

Sgt_Pepper_2

Dan47 wrote: »

Just an update:

I am fully aware that I was responsible for the maintenance of the vehicle but was a little disappointed that it was sold in a dangerous state yet it was declared 'ready to drive away' (spoken by salesman, not written).

However, I rang the guy who sold the car, he was apologetic and has offered to pay the cost of the new tyre once he has priced it up.

We shall see what happens - but thanks to all who have contributed. :T

No doubt the cheapest he can find and not what you paid.

JimmyTheWig

Sgt_Pepper wrote: »

No doubt the cheapest he can find and not what you paid.

Which would still be more than he had to pay.