Rejecting vehicle

Guest101

Ok I know it can be very difficult to reject a car but here goes:

The facts:
Bought car end of May, from a trader, with a 3 month warranty.
Within two weeks it went back to have some work done
The problem was 'fixed' for about a week/ ten days before being returned again ( engine kept cutting out- he said it was a valve) seemed to have been fixed ( still cuts out but very rarely - so hard to tell if I've just stalled it or not, I suspect not but difficult to replicate the problem )
In July the Cambelt went, so dropped it in, replaced the next day, which was handy as it was my day off. ( 3rd or 4th time it's been in )
However Sunday just gone I had quite a long trip 300 miles one way. And back yesterday. On the way back the Cambelt went again, car lost all power, radio, windows, power steering, and then actual propulsion. Ended up on the hard shoulder. Recovery, train home etc. out of pocket to £300.

I've texted the chap I got it from and told him I am sick and tired of the constant problems. There's something wrong with the car that just isn't getting fixed. ( Cambelt should last longer than a couple weeks)

I've given him 4 opportunities to look at the car. It was inconvenient, now it's dangerous. I know it didn't happen like this, but easily I could've been stuck on the hard shoulder with 3 young kids in hot weather.

Highways agency chap was saying (when I explained I'd only had the belt changed recently) that I should get a refund get him to pay for recovery and the new tyre ( on since Saturday).

To make matters slightly more complicated I need to get a car for Monday to pick them up again, not quite as far though. But I doubt he's be responsible for this cost.

I've lost faith in their ability to repair the vehicle and will be telling him this today when I drop the keys off. The car has done literally 1000-1200 in 2.5months. Which is not unreasonable.

Happy to go to court but looking for advice from anyone who's been through similar and I know I have to make reasonable efforts to allow for repair, I think I have, but others opinions welcome.

Thanks

macman

Make and model, mileage, what did you pay for it?
Sounds like the cambelt was improperly fitted-has engine damage resulted?
Dealer warranty won't cover roadside recovery-that's what you have breakdown insurance for,

Guest101

macman wrote: »

Make and model, mileage, what did you pay for it?
Sounds like the cambelt was improperly fitted-has engine damage resulted?
Dealer warranty won't cover roadside recovery-that's what you have breakdown insurance for,

Renault scenic, 05, approx 65000 miles.

Yes sounds like it. The dealer carried out all the repairs, including Cambelt. Don't know about engine damage, but I imagine so as I lost all power ( I admit I'm not mechanically minded about these things ).

I know dealer warranty won't cover breakdown, but if the work was not fit for purpose, I think ( and both highways agency and recovery agreed) he would be liable for it

societys_child

On the way back the Cambelt went again, car lost all power, radio, windows, power steering, and then actual propulsion.

Would have thought it would have lost "actual propulsion" immediately if cam belt had gone?

Guest101

societys_child wrote: »

Would have thought it would have lost "actual propulsion" immediately if cam belt had gone?

Thank u. He's saying it's the fan belt now, but last time it was the Cambelt ( sorry I'm not minded this indepth) but the symptoms were the same.

Are you saying if the Cambelt snapped the car would immediately not drive, and certainly not for 3-4 miles, with stops in between?

marc7

if cam belt snapped the engine stops instantly and will not restart at all

Gavin83

Why did you end up paying £300, surely your breakdown cover should have paid all costs and made sure you arrived home.

Also if the cambelt went the car would instantly stop, although the electrics should still work.

Sounds like you have a dodgy battery, alternator or something electrical to me. However the recovery guy should have had a rough idea as to what the problem was, what did he say?

Hintza

If the cambelt went the engine would in most cars (with a few exceptions) would need re-built ie bent valves etc.

BeenThroughItAll

Guest101 wrote: »

I know dealer warranty won't cover breakdown, but if the work was not fit for purpose, I think ( and both highways agency and recovery agreed) he would be liable for it

Unfortunately, they can agree what they like, they're not lawyers.

Geodark

Guest101 wrote: »

Ok I know it can be very difficult to reject a car but here goes:

The facts:
Bought car end of May, from a trader, with a 3 month warranty.
Within two weeks it went back to have some work done
The problem was 'fixed' for about a week/ ten days before being returned again ( engine kept cutting out- he said it was a valve) seemed to have been fixed ( still cuts out but very rarely - so hard to tell if I've just stalled it or not, I suspect not but difficult to replicate the problem )
In July the Cambelt went, so dropped it in, replaced the next day, which was handy as it was my day off. ( 3rd or 4th time it's been in )
However Sunday just gone I had quite a long trip 300 miles one way. And back yesterday. On the way back the Cambelt went again, car lost all power, radio, windows, power steering, and then actual propulsion. Ended up on the hard shoulder. Recovery, train home etc. out of pocket to £300.

I've texted the chap I got it from and told him I am sick and tired of the constant problems. There's something wrong with the car that just isn't getting fixed. ( Cambelt should last longer than a couple weeks)

I've given him 4 opportunities to look at the car. It was inconvenient, now it's dangerous. I know it didn't happen like this, but easily I could've been stuck on the hard shoulder with 3 young kids in hot weather.

Highways agency chap was saying (when I explained I'd only had the belt changed recently) that I should get a refund get him to pay for recovery and the new tyre ( on since Saturday).

To make matters slightly more complicated I need to get a car for Monday to pick them up again, not quite as far though. But I doubt he's be responsible for this cost.

I've lost faith in their ability to repair the vehicle and will be telling him this today when I drop the keys off. The car has done literally 1000-1200 in 2.5months. Which is not unreasonable.

Happy to go to court but looking for advice from anyone who's been through similar and I know I have to make reasonable efforts to allow for repair, I think I have, but others opinions welcome.

Thanks

Can I just ask how you dropped the car in if the cambelt had gone? If the cambelt had gone you would not have been able to drive the car and the least it would have needed is the head stripped. If they have told you it was the cambelt I think they have been telling porkies.

teffers

Definitely do everything you can to reject this car and get your money back.

We had a renault Scenic 55 plate and once you hit a certain point it becomes a continual path of expensive repairs, one after the other.

Research appears to show we weren't alone.