Arnold Clark

[Deleted User]

Hi, I'll just get right into It and hopefully someone can share their knowledge. Sorry for the novel.

So my girlfriend bought her first car from AC around four months ago, a Corsa. There was a delay in her being allowed to collect it due to a snapped cambelt, which they sorted.

No problems until this weekend just gone, she was pulling onto our street when the temperature warning light started flashing. She pulled up and rang me about it.

I'm not a mechanic but I manage with the basics... checked under the bonnet, she had no coolant at all. This was checked about a month ago by her dad, and it was fine.

Assuming there was a leak, I stuck my head under the car to find just that. Only it wasn't coolant dripping on the floor, it was oil coming from the sump area.

A quick Google of coolant loss, overheating, and oil leak, came up with the possibility of a warped head gasket. Knowing that wasn't good news and beyond me, I rang a local reputable garage, also a Subaru dealership/outlet place and booked the car in for an inspection.

They said that while they couldn't find a coolant leak, there was an oil leak from a cracked seal around the sump area, which had been poorly repaired with silicone sealant, and that the car needed to be inspected by an engine specialist elsewhere.

We contacted the Arnold Clark dealership and drove the car to them, where the original salesman said he didn't know there was anything wrong with the car, he wouldn't have sold it like that, et cetera. We were promised an inspection would be carried out the following morning, and we left the keys there.

Now the day after, she's been ringing all day and getting fobbed off by a lady on the switchboard, because he'll call back later or he's busy with clients. I rang up and was a little less polite though I couldn't help it, and asked to be called before the day was over.

He did call and said that someone had checked out the car, that it could "possibly" be some kind of oil sensor and that they wouldn't have the part until Monday, though a more thorough inspection would be carried out.

Like I said I'm no mechanic, but a sensor doesn't cause oil to leak out when the engine is running.

I'm a very understanding person and I get that maybe it's been a long day for the salesman, he hasn't actually had a chance to take it over the yard to the servicing centre, he doesn't want to hear my girlfriend complaining down the phone, so he's put it off until two minutes before he goes home and thinks "I'll have to give her something, I'll say the technician said it might be this small thing but I don't know yet" when really no one's looked at it yet.

I'm not implying that AC knew about the awfully repaired leak, as far as I'm aware they don't check that thoroughly when acquiring new stock. Maybe it's been part-ex'd and the original owner had it patched up so AC would take it. MOTs don't cover the sump area either is that right? Also I know the cambelt is kinda near it, but again they probably wouldn't have noticed the sump problem.

So I'm aware of the 6 month rule with regards to the Sale of Goods Act etc, I've read and re-read that.

Does anyone have any experience like this?
If so, how did it go?
Anyone care to take an educated guess at what their next move will be?
What stance should we take with them?
How much time is reasonable?
Can we reject the car if they mess us around?
She needs to get to work, ask them to refund taxi charges or ask for a courtesy car?

Thank you in advance!

mrmechanic

All corsas that i am aware of are chain driven so I doubt that a timing belt has been replaced recently so more information of engine size, cc and year are needed to get any sort of advice.

There is a known fault of the oil pressure sensor/switch leaking on most corsas, so your guessing of a leaking sensor not causing the issue of an oil leak is also wrong.

Arnold Clark don't get the best reviews but without the correct info on the vehicle you are unlikely to get any reliable answers

[Deleted User]

Oh, the cambelt is what he said they needed to replace before she bought it.

I didn't know that, but regardless someone's botched it whatever it is 😄

It's a 2010 ecotec 1 litre.

Thanks 🙃

societys_child

Oh dear. Coolant checked a month earlier.
No coolant causes overheating causes a warped head/blown casket.

wgl2014

Snapped cambelt can cause all sorts of engine damage, could it have been the fan or auxiliary belt that was changed? Do you have a receipt for the work?

mrmechanic

SpecialKelloggs wrote: »

Oh, the cambelt is what he said they needed to replace before she bought it.

I didn't know that, but regardless someone's botched it whatever it is 😄

It's a 2010 ecotec 1 litre.

Thanks 🙃

A one ltr ecotec is the three cylinder engine that is chain driven.
They are prone for stretching the cam chain, usually down to insufficient oil changes or fitting the wrong grade of oil.
These engines are very dependent on regular oil changes and using the correct oil grade.
Your oil leak could be from the oil pressure switch, front left hand side on the engine at the top when looking from front of car.
Usually leaks and runs down the front of the engine and also tracks up the wiring loom until it contaminates the ecu causing the engine management light to continually flag codes.
This engine is also prone to water leaks from the water pump, l/h side of engine near top and usually drips of bottom of crankshaft pulley.

System

SpecialKelloggs wrote: »

Like I said I'm no mechanic, but a sensor doesn't cause oil to leak out when the engine is running

Actually they do. An oil pressure sensor absolutely can do when it fails.

Anyone care to take an educated guess at what their next move will be?
What stance should we take with them?

Given your girlfriend quite clearly has never checked the oil and water other than when her dad did it a month ago then they could argue that she has been negligent if the damage is quite major so the stance you should take should be a non-aggressive one.

[Deleted User]

Cheers for the replies ��

I asked if she had a record of the work they had done, but no, just thinks there'll be a report with the logbook in the car ��

No coolant but plenty of oil, even if they do swing it around onto her, doesn't the original problem lie with them having sold it with a botched repair job?

If she'd have kept an eye on the coolant (can all the coolant be used up in a month?) then it might not have leaked for another year or something, but it was still kinda knackered when they sold it.

I filled up the coolant before she drove it over, so other than the dripping oil it was okay for a 30 minute drive.

So after AC fix it, should I have an independent mechanic inspect it, maybe someone from Vauxhall? (The manufacturer not the place) ��

Ta ��