claim against 2nd hand car dealer

arcon5

It's a £1k car... Bushes will be worn, doesn't mean they need replacing at this point.

Brake pipes crucial but without dealer involvement for work done you have no chance. Move on lesson learnt.

These independent inspections aren't all they are cracked up to be either... They can easily start making a reasonable condition £1k car look like a lemon simply because you don't know what is normal and what is not.

Fat_Walt

Check the status of the mot here. https://www.gov.uk/check-mot-history

See if there was any mention of the suspension and brakes on the mot.

shaun_from_Africa

Kg1310 wrote: »

I have been told it shouldn't have passed its MOT if it was leaking break fluid

But there is no way to prove that it was leaking at the time of the MOT and this would still be true if the car hadn't been repaired.
An MOT certificate states that it covers the condition of certain items "at the time of the test".
If the seller or MOT inspector later stated that the brakes were fine when the test was carried out and the leak must have started afterwards, unless this leak was stated as an advisory on an earlier test and hadn't been repaired then it would be next to impossible to prove when the leak actually occurred.