Bought a used car, is the fault a fault!?

stinky985

Hi,
i bought a car from an independant dealer that had (what i think is a fault, buit the garage dont),that should not occur in a 4 yr old car.
Basically within 24 hours of collecting the vehicle, i noticed (or confirmed i wasnt mad) that the Glow Plug, engine Management and ESP warning lights were not coming on when i turned on the ignition.I noticed it on test drive but though i must have missed it messing around inside the car. I told the dealer (within the 24 hours) and agreed for them to repair it. After 4 trips to the mechanic,an attempted fix, no courtesy car, time out of work and major inconvenience, the fault is still there.
The owner/Md of the garage has said that he will not spend any more time or money on attempting to fix a light that doesnt come on. My thinking is that it forms part of the cars engine management system and is therefore important so i will be made aware that there is a fault. Obviously this wont happen as the lights do not work at all. The dealer is basically saying "its a used car what do you expect?" He has also told me i am looking for faults which i am not - i cant miss it! He was also accusing me of being an idiot but not so obviously!
What do you guys think? are these lights important or am i fretting over nothing? Am over-reacting?!
I have sought consumer direct advice and they say to claim against them under sale of goods act and also against my credit card company as i put 0£500 deposit on it.By the way the delaer said 'if you take me to court i will take you to court' and 'you wont get a penny from me'.
A tad worried now!

Help?!

maninthestreet

I wonder what the dealer could take you to court for?
What sort of car is it? How many miles has it done? Have you searched on google to see if this is a common fault with this type of car?

1jim

cant imagine what the car dealer could take you to court for, I would write him a formal letter rejecting the car due to the fault, ask for a full refund + costs within 7/14days and if no refund offered inthat time you will pursue action in small claims court, also copy the letter to the credit card company and hold them jointly liable, consumderdirect website has template letters for this
good luck
Jim

wobbley

I would take it to the main dealer for that make and ask their advice. I'm sure the first check they do will be to see if the bulbs have been removed from the warning systems to hide current faults.
It is certainly NOT a minor issue and you shouldn't let it drop. A faulty engine management warning light could end up very costly indeed if a fault goes undetected.

Older_but_not_wiser_2

Sounds like a Vauxhall to me.