bought a second hand car from a garage and now it has problems

lavandergirl_2

Hi! Im wondering how much to repair small end bearings in the engine of the car

I bought my first car (1997 P reg Ford Fiesta) car from a local garage (garage 1) 6/7/07 weeks ago and had a new MOT on it which was on 4/7/07. No advisory notice issued.

However I started to notice a rattling noise at the engine and took the car to an independent garage (garage 2) and found a list of fault but the serious one was noise on the engine which they suspect a problem on the small end bearing. Though it is a 10 year old car, garage 2 said that it should not have passed MOT and the condition of the car should not be in such a state even if it is 10 years old.

Friend and I took it back to the garage 1 and they said they cannot fix the car and told us to make a claim as it is under warranty. They even said that I cant take my money back coz I already took the car and even if I complain to Trading Standard they would say the same thing. They weren't helpful at first but after a few "amicable" talk with my friend, he started being helpful.

We went to the MOT centre (which is just beside garage 1) which passed the car. Good thing the MOT was helpful and they said they're gonna fix the problems except the small end bearings because I could make a claim on it under my warranty. Guys at MOT centre and garage 1 told me that it shouldnt cost much.

I called up Warranty management Service and said I could take it to any garage I want to have the end bearings fix but he said "bear in mind, your claim is only £200. It is going to cost more than that to repair the bearings."

Now really. how much does it cost to repair small end bearing cost?

LandyAndy

You might be better sourcing a second hand or reconditioned engine.

The current one will have to be stripped down to a considerable extent and other worn items may emerge.

A worn engine wouldn't cause an MOT failure unless it affected emissions.

Conor_3

Yes it is going to cost more than £200 to repair the small end bearings. It'll cost more than that in labour alone.

A small bearing is the part that holds the piston onto the conrod.

Basically it involves taking the engine out, removing the sump, removing the crankshaft then removing the piston/conrod assembly and pressing new small bearings in. Usually you find the crankshaft main and big end bearings ideally need replacing by that point anyway so you're going into recon engine territory. It is usually cheaper to buy a reconditioned engine and have it fitted.

jmc160

They even said that I cant take my money back coz I already took the car and even if I complain to Trading Standard they would say the same thing.

Sorry, how does that work? Is he trying to say that once you take it off the forecourt, the warranty's void???
And how does this guy know what Trading Standards will or won't say?

You've had the car 11 days. As far as I can see, you have EVERY right to your money back!

If I were you, I'd subscribe to the Consumer Action Group, go to their vehicle retailers & manufacturers section and post this there too. That way, you can double up on your knowledge base and get all the options. Someone may be able to help you write some letters too.

dnc1781

lavandergirl wrote: »

I bought my first car (1997 P reg Ford Fiesta) car from a local garage (garage 1) 6/7/07 weeks ago and had a new MOT on it which was on 4/7/07. No advisory notice issued.

However I started to notice a rattling noise at the engine and took the car to an independent garage (garage 2) and found a list of fault but the serious one was noise on the engine which they suspect a problem on the small end bearing. Though it is a 10 year old car, garage 2 said that it should not have passed MOT and the condition of the car should not be in such a state even if it is 10 years old.

Read this:
http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/faq/faq.htm?id=43

MrsTinks

I'd agree that it should certainly not be breaking within 11 days of purchase... Now just out of interest - how much did you pay and what is the milage on the car? PM me if you don't want to post it here
The link DNC has posted is a good one - and NEVER take someone elses word for what trading standards "will say"... They will always be trying to keep you well away from trading standards because it will place them under the spotlight. It will cost you nothing to contact them so go for it!
Also make sure you document clearly when you contacted the dealership and highlighted the fault on the car. And read the "warrenty" - I am assuming that as the car was sold by them it has a dealership warrenty of some sort? Certainly should have... although it's a 10 year old car... hmmm
Also... if it has VERY low milage it might be worth trying to get someone to investigate if it's been clocked... or look the engine and other parts that will show wear and tear like joins, suspension and so on to see if the milage is matching up with what the car it self is telling you from wear and tear... If the car says 20,000k on the clock but is showing wear and tear all over then it's fairly clear it's been clocked - just a thought

As for the cost of replacing the small end bearings... (make sure this IS the problem... do you trust the mechanic that told you?) then yeah it ain't cheap... as others have said... it's not so much the part as the cost of the labour most of the time. As for MOT... again it shoudl only fail here if the emeissions were too high, a rattle etc on the small end or big end wouldn't necessarily mean a fail. That said then some garages WILL be naughty and pass a car they shouldn't - especially if there isn't a goverment inspector looking over their shoulders and they have a good deal going with the garage that sent it to be MOT'd...

Good luck!