Used car faulty but garage refusing responsibilty

KyKyM

diesel_dog wrote: »

Officially reject the car as it's not fit for the purpose it was bought for.
Take it back to them and inform them what you are doing and why.

How can I do that though if they refuse?

Citizens Advice have said to write a letter stating faults and asking for repairs, but the problem is I have to wait 14 days for a response, the whole time I'm driving round in a car with bad brakes that I can't get fixed myself. Also, if I take it back for repairs what am I supposed to do as the garage is quite a way from my house and in the middle of no where.

arcon5

So basically it needs a service and time for regular maintenance to brakes. Doesn't seem like a biggie to me.

Why mileague is it?

KyKyM

arcon5 wrote: »

So basically it needs a service and time for regular maintenance to brakes. Doesn't seem like a biggie to me.

Why mileague is it?

Not a biggie to who? It needs 4 new brake pads and discs, and a full service to stop the smoke and jumping. It would cost £900 for us to get them done ourself and they are saying it's our problem not theirs.

Depends who you ask - we were told 50000, the clock says 29000 and the MOT is saying 65000

Joe_Horner

harveybobbles wrote: »

If your mechanic has said it shouldnt have passed an MOT then phone VOSA and tell them. They will inspect the car for you. You wil have to pay a small fee, but this is refunded should the car not be road worthy.

^^^ Do this.

There is NO fee for an appeal against a pass if you think the car should have failed, but you must contact VOSA within 28 days of the MOT being done:

https://www.gov.uk/getting-an-mot/problems-with-your-test-result

Call them on 0300 123 9000 and tell them clearly that you think the car has passed incorrectly and want to appeal. As long as the MOT is less than 28 days old they'll take it from there.

Do NOT waste more time trying to talk to the garage because if you go outside the 28 days then you've lost the chance.

If VOSA re-inspect and agree that it shouldn't have passed then your MOT is still valid (it doesn't invalidate the pass result) but you'll have to get the repairs (including anything else they might find) done.

You'll be in a very good position to claim the full costs of the repairs off the garage if that happens, or to reject the car (if you prefer) because it was sold in an unroadworthy condition.

jobdone1

Its called a service. Brakes o.k might swing it but check your mot history with direct gov. You might have an advisory from the latest M.O.T that has not been given to you regarding the brakes when you was given the mot pass receipt. As for the wipers yes they should try to assist you. But i think it is unfair to ask to pay for your service such as filters.

Tilt

KyKyM wrote: »

Not a biggie to who? It needs 4 new brake pads and discs, and a full service to stop the smoke and jumping. It would cost £900 for us to get them done ourself and they are saying it's our problem not theirs.

Depends who you ask - we were told 50000, the clock says 29000 and the MOT is saying 65000

Can you clarify the mileage as advertised? Are you also saying that the actual reading is significantly less that what the MOT history says? If so, why did you not query this?

arcon5

KyKyM wrote: »

Not a biggie to who? It needs 4 new brake pads and discs, and a full service to stop the smoke and jumping. It would cost £900 for us to get them done ourself and they are saying it's our problem not theirs.

Depends who you ask - we were told 50000, the clock says 29000 and the MOT is saying 65000

£900 is an outrageous price. If I was to service and do brakes on both axles it would cost be less than £200 in parts. Yours may be different but nothing significant. Plus labour, still shouldn't come to any where close to that price.

Actually thinking about it, £175 parts for mine. Probably 3 hours labour.


Brakes don't last forever, they are maintainable items, like tyres etc.
Same with the service.

It's not a biggie as in we're not talking about major failures like a turbo or clutch, but general components that do wear down- especially at 50k miles.

Did you not inspect the car first?
Most discs can be seen through even a steel wheel if you remove the trim with the aid of a torch.

arcon5

Quick look on eBay and the discs/pads can be bought for about £80 per axle. Service kit (air, oil, fuel) £18 = £178 + 4 hours labour MAX (being very generous here since the service will take about 30 minutes and brakes probably about 45 minutes per axle) @ £40/hour + VAT = £160 + £32

Total about £370.
Even if you used their service package (say £150), looking at about £430.

Time to find a different garage me thinks.

paddedjohn

A trusted garage charged you £50 to tell you you need to spend £900 on your car?

KyKyM

paddedjohn wrote: »

A trusted garage charged you £50 to tell you you need to spend £900 on your car?

It was for diagnostics as they would not be getting anything for repairs so couldn't be expected to do it for free.