Used car just out of warranty, major issue has appaeared.

jmc160

m0bov wrote: »

They will follow a diag routine from Renault, most likely they will charge for the diags, maybe open up engine etc... This will most likely cost more than the car. You would be expected to mitigate your losses, the seller might/will dispute their findings leaving you with a huge bill (maybe). They will want to use their own garage.

Have you gone down to the dealer and sat in their sales office and made yourself known?

I'm confused, the garage where the car sat over the weekend is not a main dealer? Why move it to another garage? Incurring more costs.

the quote they gave me for diag was £108. I'm not sure at this stage what that actually entails but got the impression it would give me actual information on what the problem was. I may need to revisit this.

I haven't gone to the dealer yet as unfortunately I can't get there. I also don't see it benefiting me in any way as the dealer is out in the middle of nowhere and is basically just a basic lot with a load of cars in it and a little office above what I assume is a workshop although it was empty when we were there. I've called them twice and got nowhere, couldn't even get the name of who I should be talking to. I've sent a letter off today.

The garage it's at now is not a main dealer. It's an independent garage we've always used but I'm starting to think they maybe don't have all the tools to deal with Renaults as the cost of their diagnosis was only £30 which is 30 mins labour.

jmc160

burlington6 wrote: »

Ok, I'll say it slightly differently.

Renault will not give you a true diagnostic of the actual fault and just that.

They will build many other issues into the diagnostic and also tell you that you'll need a couple of tyres too.

Taking an old car that is probably worth the same as a decent mountain bike to a Renault main dealer is madness.

Find a good independent Renault specialist

OK, thanks, I'm with you now. I did look around for an independent specialist before calling the main dealer and struggled to find one that I'd be able to get the car to.

I've sent a letter to the dealer I bought the car from today so I may just recover the car home for now and see what they reply with, if they reply. I don't know... is it worth having something concrete from a specialist just in case?

Retrogamer

I would ask the garage what the results of the compression check were. If they're suggesting the piston rings are worn and causing blow by then they should have done a compression check to confirm that diagnosis.

It could also be caused by a blocked breather pipe.

When the oil pressure light came on, how far and how long did you drive before stopping?

arcon5

deannatrois wrote: »

Too late now, but you paid £1.5k for a 10 year old car and didn't even have a mechanic look it over beforehand. I don't know about most people on here, and I could be being completely unjust, but I will trust a dealer only half way and only after a car has been looked at by a mechanic (having seen a clocked car that had also had a wing replaced off insurance).

And I am really sorry, after living with a mechanic, I realised garages can't always be trusted either. So many cars came to him after repeated repair attempts (expensive) and he'd find out it was something different. Meanwhile all that previous money was just money down the drain.

Find a mechanic or garage that others have used and find to be trustworthy. The engine may need replacement, it may just need the pistons reborred. It depends how much damage has been done to the engine because of the piston problem.

I'd also try googling what the symptoms are, find a forum for the make of car and start asking questions. There are usually some really good knowledgeable people on them. I like to check what a garage says.

Even if op did have a mechanic look at it, it's unlikely they would have performed a leakdown test to check how much compression was being lost. And just as unlikely they would have checked the PCV system

arcon5

PCV valve could fix it - or replace it with a straight through rubber hose - the latter a botch solution to relief pressure and sell it on.

m0bov

arcon5 wrote: »

PCV valve could fix it - or replace it with a straight through rubber hose - the latter a botch solution to relief pressure and sell it on.

Maybe its already been done and that's the pipe that keeps blowing off!! :beer:

arcon5

m0bov wrote: »

Maybe its already been done and that's the pipe that keeps blowing off!! :beer:

highly doubt it

jmc160

Hi folks,

So I sent the dealer a letter detailing what the garage has told me about the engine faults and what it'll take to put it right, and explaining the a brief bit about Consumer Rights Act. I've received a response from the dealer basically saying it's not on them because a "full inspection" was made by us on the day of purchase, to their knowledge the car was in good condition, and the 3 month warranty had expired.

They've also gone on to say the issues we mentioned are not covered by their warranty anyway, and as the vehicle was manufactured a long time ago, they "cannot guarantee something may happen" to it. They state that they performed a "standard vehicle inspection" and it has a "full valid MOT".

I'm not sure what my next step should be at this point. Do I send them another letter arguing their points and suggesting a full diagnosis at their expense? (I wasn't able to get the car to the main dealer unfortunately but my garage is providing me with something in writing detailing their findings)
Or do I go straight to small claims court at this stage?

Any help (including wording for the next letter) greatly appreciated!

s_b

the rac man who refitted the pipe and filled with oil is the person at fault here
this car should have returned to selling dealer at this point prior to any fix
if selling dealer sees this thread and the fact you drove it to the car park with light on on dash then its fait accompli for him as its clear you drove on knowing there was a fault

jmc160

s_b wrote: »

the rac man who refitted the pipe and filled with oil is the person at fault here
this car should have returned to selling dealer at this point prior to any fix
if selling dealer sees this thread and the fact you drove it to the car park with light on on dash then its fait accompli for him as its clear you drove on knowing there was a fault

I think I was about 20 yards from the car park when the light came on. There was nowhere else sensible to stop.