Purchased car 2nd hand with full mot but.........

stef240377

As title, purchased an X reg Chrysler PT cruiser 2 weeks ago which came with full mot and service history, some repair receipts too.

Over the past week have been gleaming about the 'bargain' we picked up - 37,700 genuine miles on clock backed up by full service history, past mots with receipts for work carried out. All looks good to someone who knows nothing about cars...... till - you sit back and look at the mots that are present that span back to 2007. All these show the car needed some suspension brushes replacing on the front of car, advisory in 2012 for front indicator bulbs to be replaced due to corrosion, number plate shattered and needing replacement and play on linkage arms (all from top of the head as paperwork currently at garage with car).
We also then spotted the recent mot carried out a week before car purchased was done at a local garage with a reputation for passing failures providing they do pass the emissions test for back handers.

Well my lovely car is sat in a different garage this morning as my husband wasn't sure about work being carried out properly or the previous advisories being missed on this recent one. Suspicions became fact within the last hour when garage rang back stating the suspension arms and linkage one side had snapped off and no longer attached to the body, the other side not far behind it. Any other work that would have been a previous advisory has not been carried out and the advisory on the newest MOT was not correct - states secondary breaking system grabbing, it is in fact brakes haven't been assembled correctly so need cleaning off and reassembling, no wear or tear on them. Mechanic said we were extremely lucky to have not needed to break sharply in wet weather as he said he would hate to think of the outcome. He is concerned that the matter should be raised with the Ministry or trading standards but it would become a battle to prove the deterioration of the failures. He said in his honest opinion if the car was taken to him for the initial mot 3 weeks ago it would definitely failed.

Anyone have any suggestions or help/advice where to go from here? I appreciate i have no recourse from the seller of the car as it was 'sold as spares/reapirs' despite having all the mot/service history etc, but would there be any point in contacting trading standards or other appropriate organisations? Would this be taken seriously?

Foxy-Stoat_3

Private or trade seller?

OddballJamie

Is the garage it's currently at part of a large chain?

fivetide

An advisory isn't a fail though sadly. If you wanted, you could report the MOT station to VOSA but unless it came from a trade seller you will likely have to shoulder the cost.

If you could prove it was significantly not as described in the advert, you could go after a private seller but it would be a drawn out process.

Horizon81

An X-reg PT cruiser? Didn't they pay you to take it away? Can't have cost more than a couple hundred did it. Are the repairs on it not going to cost a lot more than you pait for the car itself? It was cheap and 'sold as spares' for a reason.

Joe_Horner

Horizon81 wrote: »

It was cheap and 'sold as spares' for a reason.

(1) Assuming it was a trade sale, they're not allowed to do that. Doesn't matter if you think they should be able to, THEY CAN'T (sorry for shouting btw, but people do seem to have trouble hearing that nit!)

(2) Regardless of the above, if it has a new MOT within the past couple of weeks but there are faults (such as broken away suspension components) that should have failed, then that's a matter that really does need to be raised with VOSA because the garage that passed it isn't testing to the required standard.

Horizon81

Joe Joe Joe, why don't YOU read thread #1 properly and then get off your high horse.

fivetide

Joe_Horner wrote: »

(1) The OP doesn't say anywhere that it was "sold as spares"
.

cough cough

as it was 'sold as spares/reapirs'

(sic)

Hence the questions about whether it was a dealer and thus an illegal reciept or something and the point about speaking to VOSA about the MOT quality.

OddballJamie

By any chance is this it?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2000-CHRYSLER-PT-CRUISER-2-0-CLASSIC-FULL-MOT-TAXED-/271249969415

facade

If the MOT is less than 28 days old (3 months for corrosion issues), you could have got VOSA involved, but now it has been repaired they won't want to know.

They would have given you a report on the condition listing any defects and put a black mark against the test centre*, but offer no help to get your money back or anything.

*This moves them higher up the list for a surprise inspection.

Joe_Horner

Yep, saw that on a re-read and corrected. Doesn't alter the other points though.

Assuming a trade seller, sold as seen / spares etc is NOT allowed unless it's clearly not in a condition to drive away (putting a new MOT on it rules that out straight away). Quite why people have so much trouble hearing and understanding that is beyond me!

A car that's just passed an MOT hasn't been tested properly if serious MOT faults show up that quickly (detatched suspension components are a serious fault btw)

There's also the matter of selling an unroadworthy vehicle. It doesn't matter whether the car has an MOT, or whether the (assuing trade) seller knew about the suspension faults, it's an offence to sell a car in an unroadworthy conditon unless you have good reason to believe it won't be used on the road until it's repaired. Taking the money and handing the keys to someone who doesn't have a car trailer with them doesn't give good reason to think it won't be driven!