Car on finance broken down...

livetoclimb

Resolved - thanks everyone!

nidO

Did your car come with an actual warranty, or are you just going on the standard SoGA requirements that your post implies?

If the latter, you undoubtedly have absolutely no recourse at all - If indeed the head gasket has blown the fact that the fault didn't exist at the time of the sale is proven simply by your 5 months of driving it, you can hide blown head gaskets for very brief periods of time but absolutely nothing remotely like 5 months.

You bought a 9 year old car, they break sometimes. Sorry.

motorguy

nidO wrote: »

Did your car come with an actual warranty, or are you just going on the standard SoGA requirements that your post implies?

If the latter, you undoubtedly have absolutely no recourse at all - If indeed the head gasket has blown the fact that the fault didn't exist at the time of the sale is proven simply by your 5 months of driving it, you can hide blown head gaskets for very brief periods of time but absolutely nothing remotely like 5 months.

You bought a 9 year old car, they break sometimes. Sorry.

+1

Totally

And invariably a blown head gasket is the result of a problem, not the cause. The engine will most likely have overheated, usually because of lack of water, caused moreoften by a split hose, leaking radiator or leaking water pump.

EDIT: just noticed from the original post - it spat coolant out over the m4? Thus, invariably a burst pipe or radiator. Therefore the head gasket failure was a result of the problem. Not noticing the temperature rise and stopping the car immediately is what caused the head gasket failure - cant see how a dealer would be responsible for that?

patman99

Cheaper option would be to look on ebay or autotrader or a carspares site for a 2nd hand engine to drop in. As long as you get the same engine, it will be a straight swap.

Probable costs would be around £500 all-in.

OddballJamie

Clear the finance and scrap the car or sell for spares.

You're paying interest on a 10 year old car you're not using.

gilbert_and_sullivan

Lesson to be learned, you should not be financing an old run of the mill car like this.

Scrap is on its back side, probably get £50 from the scrappy, so either ebay the thing as it is under needs attention, or as suggested drop a good known engine in and flog it on.

livetoclimb

Thanks for the advice guys - it is as I suspected. I think a new engine should do the job.

I think the moral of the story is not to get an old car on finance!

forgotmyname

No finance and when something doesnt seem right with the car stop and get it checked and dont push it to breaking point.

Keep an eye on the gauges, It must have been stinking hot.