If selling a car privately, can the buyer come back to you after it is sold?

forgotmyname

mattyprice4004 wrote: »

It's not all about how you treat them - some cars are prone to certain issues, regardless of maintenance or pampering.

Madza 6 DPF issues
Mazda RX8 hot start issues
Mondeo TDCi injectors and DMF issues
etc etc

Some do last forever with no bother - but if a car is known for a certain issue, no amount of maintenance will prevent the possibility of it happening.

Known for certain issues IF NEGLECTED?

My TDCI doesnt have DMF or injector issues even at 170,000 miles. Several for sale on the autrader site with over 400,000 miles when i looked the other day.

If they sell 100 cars and they ALL get the same problem thats one thing, But sell a million cars and get a 100 with a problem thats another.
The Mondeo injector issue is in the latter category.

Mates got a Rover 75 with the supposedly ultra reliable BMW diesel engine, yet thats on its 2nd set of injectors which had to be hydraulically pulled from the engine.
His mate had one and had to replace the engine in that because the crank pulley a dual mass item also fell apart on a long run and destroyed the engine.

You dont hear about all these that often because they sold in tiny numbers compared to the Mondeo or Vectra etc.

Find mentions of common faults and you will likely find a common car where not that many actually fail.

pinkteapot

ratrace wrote: »

If you have had it hooked up to a diagnostic machine and no faults are stored in the ecu's memory then it sounds mechanical worth getting it checked out at a ford specialist they might know better about them

I wouldn't count on it. We went to our local Ford main service place due to three different minor intermittent faults. They couldn't find anything wrong or replicate any of them.

I've given up going in for intermittent faults on any car unless they're serious. Garages never seem to be able to do anything until the fault is constant. My cars have a bad habit of being on their best behaviour at the garage and not showing their faults. I'm sure they do it on purpose to make me look like a stupid woman.

forgotmyname

I get the same at the Doctors. Serious pain in my hand, Cant put a sock on without pain shooting up from the fingers right upto the wrist.

Get an appointment and when the doc'c checking it nothing. No pain at all.

Been fine now for 2 months. Odd one.

Would you put that down as a common problem?

ratrace

pinkteapot wrote: »

I wouldn't count on it. We went to our local Ford main service place due to three different minor intermittent faults. They couldn't find anything wrong or replicate any of them.

I've given up going in for intermittent faults on any car unless they're serious. Garages never seem to be able to do anything until the fault is constant. My cars have a bad habit of being on their best behaviour at the garage and not showing their faults. I'm sure they do it on purpose to make me look like a stupid woman.

Again the problem is that if its not electrical related then there will be no trace of it in the memory unfortunately

Intermittent faults can be mechanical as well as electrical but mechanical faults are much more difficult to diagnose if the fault is not there when you are at the garage, some faults require some deep digging to find and rectify them

agrinnall

ratrace wrote: »

Been in the trade for a while so no my opinion is not based on sweeping decision its based on actual hands on experience

In that case perhaps you could share your expertise with us and tell us why you think Fords are so sh1te and what particular problems we should look out for.

Richard53

pinkteapot wrote: »

I've given up going in for intermittent faults on any car unless they're serious. Garages never seem to be able to do anything until the fault is constant. My cars have a bad habit of being on their best behaviour at the garage and not showing their faults. I'm sure they do it on purpose to make me look like a stupid woman.

You need to do what we did when we had a dog that was frightened of the vet. Talk a lot about having a fun day out, set off from home as if going to the seaside (or your local equivalent) and at the last moment, hang a swift left into the dealership's forecourt. By the time it realises what's happened, you're done.


Cars are people too.

Strider590

A specialist independent would be able to fix the fault, dealership technicians are low pay and inexperienced, they know how to turn on a diagnostics machine, how to do a basic service and that's about it.

If a fault doesn't show up on diagnostics or the common faults list from the manufacturer, then there's not a lot they can do.

albionrovers

Aretnap wrote: »

Legally speaking as a private seller caveat emptor applies - the car has to be as you described it, and you have to be honest when answering the prospective buyer's questions, but you have no duty to volunteer information, and the buyer has no comeback simply because you didn't disclose a fault that he didn't ask about.

That said, from a moral rather than a legal standpoint, I'd suggest that the honest thing to do is to disclose it.

==

If I was buying a car privately, I would look the seller in the eye and ask "What's wrong with it?" Does that put any obligation on the seller, legally?

warwicktiger

Yes, read the early replies. The seller cannot tell porkies and expect to get away with it

colino

It is largely caveat emptor (as few private sellers will let you film the entire selling process, you probably don't have a QC to witness every question and answer and few give a worthwhile, detailed receipt),
Therefore in a private sale:
They have to be able to sell it.
Should be as described.
Can't lie about their (truthful) knowledge of the cars condition or history.


They are not professionals so the cars quality or fitness for purpose aren't actionable.