Car bought 2 days ago faulty and need advice please

takman

But like I said my car where I use it regularly hasn't had a regass ever ( as I was told). But I know that it definitely hasn't had one it at least 4 years. The Air Con works extremely well and I've never been in a car that I've noticed has better Air Con.

I have seen an expert talk on this subject and he said if Air Con is used regularly all year then it shouldn't leak and it is unlikely to develop any problems. My car it is always on and in use all year.

Do any of you who have to regularly regas it to make it work again use it regularly every week of the year?, or does it go off completely in the winter for months on end?.

khcomp

I'm a little confused - usually, a car dealer has very specific obligations regarding vehicles - any obvious braking system fault should render the car either unsafe, or certainly 'unfit for purpose' under consumer regs. - it doesn't matter if there was a discount given, unless the car was sold for 'spares or repairs' or as a 'trade' sale, and this is shown on the receipt (you do have a receipt, I assume!).
Either way, I can't understand anyone accepting £100 as a discount on a braking system fault - that's a hell of a gamble unless you know what you're doing, or have a very good mechanic and access to very cheap parts. Likewise, £50 is fine for a regas, but surely if that was the issue, the dealer or previous owner would have had it done....
My opinion is that the seller is 'dodgy' - return the car (although you've now spent money on repairs that you won't get back). The remote not working is probably just a flat battery in the fob. If you're otherwise happy with the car, it may just be worth taking it on the chin & forking out for the repairs.

foxy-stoat

Charlottechantelle wrote: »

However I have had the brakes done but the garage says it needs a new air compressor and re gas which is close to £480

If the brakes are working now then well done.
;
As for a/c - what car is it? Doubt it needs a NEW compressor - maybe a repair or secondhand one of ebay - theres plently out there. Could be a wiring fault or leaky pipe but the garage are trying to rip you off.....hope its not kwikfault !

EdGasket

takman wrote: »

I have seen an expert talk on this subject and he said if Air Con is used regularly all year then it shouldn't leak and it is unlikely to develop any problems. My car it is always on and in use all year.

Do any of you who have to regularly regas it to make it work again use it regularly every week of the year?, or does it go off completely in the winter for months on end?.

So how come there is an Air-Con recharge industry out there if it 'Shouldn't leak or develop any problems'?

See:

http://www.delany-motors.co.uk/air-conditioning-servicing/

"Your air conditioning is charged up with R134a gas, which over time dissipates from the system. Around 10% of the gas is lost each year preventing the air conditioning from performing to its full potential. It is advised that the air conditioning system is checked in your vehicle a minimum of every 2 years. The A/C service is not included as part of your regular car service so if your car is over 2 years old, it may be due a re-charge."

I don't use it in winter except for the odd 10 mins to keep the seals lubricated. It costs money to run; I can notice the extra load on the engine. On some small-engined cars it can feel like you've run into a patch of treacle when you turn the air-con on.

foxy-stoat

EdGasket wrote: »

It costs money to run; I can notice the extra load on the engine. On some small-engined cars it can feel like you've run into a patch of treacle when you turn the air-con on.

Sounds like somethings up with the compressor or engine then, as there is more load from an alternator than an air con compressor.

Tried running a 1100cc fiat punto without an alternator belt, made absolutely no difference to the way the car drove.

arcon5

khcomp wrote: »

I'm a little confused - usually, a car dealer has very specific obligations regarding vehicles - any obvious braking system fault should render the car either unsafe, or certainly 'unfit for purpose' under consumer regs. - it doesn't matter if there was a discount given, unless the car was sold for 'spares or repairs' or as a 'trade' sale, and this is shown on the receipt (you do have a receipt, I assume!).
Either way, I can't understand anyone accepting £100 as a discount on a braking system fault - that's a hell of a gamble unless you know what you're doing, or have a very good mechanic and access to very cheap parts. Likewise, £50 is fine for a regas, but surely if that was the issue, the dealer or previous owner would have had it done....
My opinion is that the seller is 'dodgy' - return the car (although you've now spent money on repairs that you won't get back). The remote not working is probably just a flat battery in the fob. If you're otherwise happy with the car, it may just be worth taking it on the chin & forking out for the repairs.

Return the car? On what grounds?

'Dodgy'? In what way?

Op bought a vehicle knowing it had a faulty braking system. Nothing wrong with a dealer selling a faulty vehicle - he didn't hide the fault, buyer and seller agreed a deal for the purchase of the vehicle and the declared faults

SomeRandomGuy

The remote not working could be something simple like a dodgy battery in the fob. You negotiated money off for the air con and brakes..... Your mistake was buying a car with known faults without the expertise to know what it would cost to fix.

Whenever the air con doesn't work on a car the seller will always claim it "just needs a re-gas", but the obvious question should be why haven't they got it re-gassed before advertising it then? It only costs £50 (less for a dealer with trade contacts) and enhances the value and saleability of the car.

You don't mention how old the car is, how much you paid or any other details. If we are talking about a nearly new car costing several thousands of pounds it might be worth taking action. But if this is an old, cheaper car I think it would be harder to argue your case to a judge really.

EdGasket

look the OP hasn't come back once to even say what car it is. It's a DM wind up; a spam post for goodness knows what reason; probably enjoys watching all the reaction or something.

dannyrst

EdGasket wrote: »

look the OP hasn't come back once to even say what car it is. It's a DM wind up; a spam post for goodness knows what reason; probably enjoys watching all the reaction or something.

Yet another thread where you jump to the conclusion of it being a wind up by DM.

Get over it. When did any of the known threads started by DM or his other incarnations have just one post from him?

takman

EdGasket wrote: »

So how come there is an Air-Con recharge industry out there if it 'Shouldn't leak or develop any problems'?

See:

http://www.delany-motors.co.uk/air-conditioning-servicing/

"Your air conditioning is charged up with R134a gas, which over time dissipates from the system. Around 10% of the gas is lost each year preventing the air conditioning from performing to its full potential. It is advised that the air conditioning system is checked in your vehicle a minimum of every 2 years. The A/C service is not included as part of your regular car service so if your car is over 2 years old, it may be due a re-charge."

I don't use it in winter except for the odd 10 mins to keep the seals lubricated. It costs money to run; I can notice the extra load on the engine. On some small-engined cars it can feel like you've run into a patch of treacle when you turn the air-con on.

The reason the Air Con recharge industry is so large is because people simply don't use their Air Con in the winter or hardly at all. Using an Air Con system often (or constantly in the case of my car) will significantly reduce the chance of any problems. Plus I can gurantee that my Air Con can't have lost much gas at all to be performing at the level that it does (extremely cold).

A garage advising a regular check should be taken with a pinch of salt because it's in their interest for people to have regular checks on theirs cars, but it's probably a sensible idea for people who neglect the system.

If you only run you Air Con for "the odd 10 minutes" for 6 months + of the year then that probably explains the deteriation of the seals and the slow loss of gas.

Finally the slight increase in fuel usage does not bother me and it is probably cheaper to run it all year like I do than to do an annual/2 yearly recharge on the system, considering that I constantly get a better MPG than what the manufacturers state.