Orange ABS light on dash

baza52

Hi everyone, after your opinions,


Bought a cheapish (1k) car from a dealer on Tuesday paying with a CC.
Dealer says the car is fine and mechanically sound.
On the drive home of less than 2 miles I notice the Orange ABS light on the dash.
Took the car out the next day and the fault is still showing.


Rang the dealer today and he says he forgot to mention the warning light.
Asked him if he would fix it and he refuses saying it is just a warning and the car is ok and that I could pay to have it fixed.


Its a 53 plate and I appreciate its old but need the car to last me a few months until I get a much newer car.


Is it ok to drive? Should the dealer fix it or am I being over cautious.


Thanks

Daz2009

If it's on it means the abs system has a fault and needs fixing.
It's an MOT failure

mcjordi

i think sale of goods act will apply here.. iirc he has to either refund/replace/repair his choice as to which.

it will need plugging in to diagnostics machine to see which part of the abs system is at fault.

baza52

Dealer is saying as it is Orange and not red its ok as its just a warning.


Im aware I can do a chargeback if needed but needed to know whether the dealer is at fault for refusing to fix it.


Thanks for all your replies.

mcjordi

Yes he is wrong for refusing to fix it..

jcb208

The ABS light is always orange when lit and means there is a fault and the system is disabled.You need to get the dealer to fix this and make sure he does not just remove the bulb.

wiltsguy_2

the ABS light never used to be an issue but it is now an MOT failure and means your ABS is not working, also your traction control(if it has it) will probably not work as well.

ABS faults can be expensive to fix, it will need to be plugged into a diagnostic machine(about £45) and have the fault read, it may just be the case that it needs resetting, or it could be a sensor/module, depending on the make/model will vary the price-but never usually cheap to fix if you cannot do it yourself.

He is a trader that knew the car had a fault, whether he forgot or not he never told you of a known fault.

You have to give him the chance to rectify the fault under the sale of goods act.

Call him, explain this and be polite, hopefully he will agree, if not come back here and update this thread, there are plenty of people on here who can advise you with a way forward if the dealer refuses to help.

baza52

Thanks wiltsguy, I will give him a call tomorrow and see what he says.

Paradigm

A common reason for the ABS warning is the electrics to the seatbelt pre-tensioners (if your car has them)

The wiring generally runs under the seats, corrosion or a bad connection will cause this fault.

tedted

different system,never known seat belt connections trigger abs warning

baza52

its a 53 plate Astra if anyone's interested.