Used car has died - help!

27col

You cannot be seriously expecting to get anything done!! A £500 car with an mot and you are complaining that there is a mechanical problem after driving it for several weeks. A dose of realism is required here I think. You must have appreciated the risk when you bought the car/banger.

arcon5

Sales of Goods Act covers faulty goods - not good that have failed due to 14 years of wear and tear. And it's very highly unlikely whatever has failed has failed prematurely rather than just worn out.

When you buy a banger you do so in the hope it at the very least out lives with MOT - but at the £500 range you expect nothing special. With a scrap value of say £130, i'd be planning for a £500 car to last me 5 months+, anything else is a bonus. Some will not make it, some will go way past. A lot of pot luck with bangeromics.

arcon5

lovinituk wrote: »

Even under the Sale Of Goods Act it appears the reasonable time to reject it is possibly considered to be around 3 - 4 weeks....

"Returning a second hand car
If there's a problem with a second hand car soon after you've bought it, for example, the car develops a problem you wouldn't expect for the car's age and mileage, or it turns out not to be what you’d been led to expect, you may have the right to reject and return the car and get your money back.
But you only have a reasonable time to reject a second hand car. While there's no clear definition of what a reasonable time is – it probably needs to be within three to four weeks – less if it's an obvious problem.
And if you reject a second hand car you must stop using it."

Source: http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/problem/the-second-hand--car-i-bought-has-a-problem-what-are-my-rights

You say you also do a lot of driving so high usage and high mileage probably give you even less rights even if its been only 2 months in your possession.

Key words:

develops a problem you wouldn't expect for the car's age and mileage,

A reasonable person would expect anything can happen at any time on a £500 car.

benham3160

Daz2009 wrote: »

I'd seriously consider using a different garage.Replacing parts at random in the hope that it fixes the problem is a recipe for an empty wallet.

My biggest bug-bear with the motor industry.

I am sick and tired of hearing from friends and relatives "garage have changed x,y,z and the fault remains."

The advent of computer guided diagnostics has compounded this situation, it is a very useful tool but it has limits that are easily reached, it gives an indication of an input that falls outside the range that the ECU is expecting, that doesn't mean that the part mentioned is faulty.

One time served mechanic I know recently admitted to me he hasn't got a clue how to use a multimeter or a 'scope He's a diagnostics expert though.....

Get the car to a proper mechanic who will take the time and effort to test components and find the fault rather than just guessing or going for a "computer says no" diagnosis.

Failed injectors on petrol engines are vanishingly rare, a fuel pump is more likely but again easily tested, as is an injector.

Tahlullah

I agree. Fully qualified auto electricians and diagnostic technicians should have as a minimum C&G qualifications.

Without these, they are probably claiming they are because this is their role at work, unless they have gone through the equivalent of BMW Masters training and testing.

Ask to see the proof if anyone is claiming to be a specialist technician.

colino

OP if you re-read your own post #3, and that really is what your, "very reliable garage" has recounted to you, you have three problems.
You bought a banger.
You bought a banger from a driveway dealer.
Your "garage" are a raving bunch of lunatics who shouldn't be anywhere near a car.
If you take a 14 year old (tough as old boots) 306 and then start throwing dubious parts at it and inventing ridiculous, non-existent, potential faults, you have no right to be in the game.
Basic fault finding procedures would have targeted the fault and if a significant one was found, work stopped and the owner advised that the car wasn't a sensible repair operation.
Find yourself a local, personally recommended trader/garage and let them sort this one or source you a more durable, next car.

force_ten

sounds like an awesome garage you took it to for repair, repair by trial and error

you said they have changed two parts and it hasnt fixed the problem, how can they quote and expected cost of repairs when they clearly dont have a clue what is wrong with it