Purchased car from private seller. Seeking damages

TuppenceWorth

OP...

If you sold a car privately, would you foot the bill for future repairs? Don't need to answer that....

This is why private sales are cheaper. It's a risk/reward strategy. Did you check previous MOT advisories? Any mention of oil leaks?

I like the 'gravity' remark. Yes, oil drips downwards.
Whose fault was it that you viewed at night?
Like I said before. Check that it's not a trader pretending to sell privately.

Scrapit

I would say no chance but last time i did I got an infaction. Seriously?

DoaM

I seriously doubt that was why you got the infraction. It will have been HOW you said it (plus an accumulation of other posts in a similar vein, and/or someone reported you and MSE Towers simply applied an infraction rather than actually investigating).

motorguy

Gmrides wrote: »

Car was manufactured in 2003.

Upon viewing the car in the dark I peered into the top of the engine but didn't climb beneath. I'm not a mechanic so relied on the ebay statement and his verbal assurances upon viewing. Can a major oil leak coming from beneath the engine be clearly spotted from above a Mini engine?

I believe the false statement in his ebay advert - "NO oil leaks" - at worse falls under the "Negligent Misrepresentation" of the Misrepresentation Act 1967.

Thanks for your input.

Now that we know the year of the car

(a) not a pups chance of winning in court
(b) stay away from BMW main dealers, they will take £,£££'s off you
(c) learn to live with it

Old cars leak oil. I wouldnt be spending money on it unless, as Adrian has said its a very cheap fix.

motorguy

AdrianC wrote: »

So we're talking about a fifteen year old car...


Give it up. Nothing is happening.

Before i threw the towel in at motor trading a few years ago, i was selling an old but decent Saxo. It had been a trade in and i was selling it on at cost just to get the whole deal bottomed out. I think it was maybe £400 and had a long MOT and drove well.

A family came out, looked round it, seemed happy so i let them out on a test drive - all four of them piled in and away they went.

10 mins later they came back and they all jumped out with such vigour that i genuinely thought they'd found a dead body in the boot.

I asked what was wrong and they said - theres an OIL LEAK! :eek: - we then had the drama of them pulling the bonnet, gathering round and showing me this horrible, terrifying leak - and it was the rocker cover gasket seeping a little oil. :rolleyes:

They declared "we cant possibly buy a car with an OIL LEAK", jumped in their car and drove off. :rotfl:

I think i had a lucky escape. :cool:

Scrapit

DoaM wrote: »

I seriously doubt that was why you got the infraction. It will have been HOW you said it (plus an accumulation of other posts in a similar vein, and/or someone reported you and MSE Towers simply applied an infraction rather than actually investigating).

I'm seriously not interested on your take on it. It is was it is and matters not.;)

DoaM

So in other words, your post #23 was pointless?

Gmrides

I do understand that it's an older can and is more likely to leak oil.

But the seller used "NO oil leaks" as a selling strategy for this aging vehicle, then upon inspection it turned out that there were two major leaks (according to the Mini mechanics), which should mean by law that it's a contractual breach.

Had the seller not mentioned anything about oil leaks then I wouldn't be pursuing this.

Tomorrow I'm dropping the car at another garage for a repair quote, which I'll post to the seller to review.

AdrianC

How much time, effort and blood pressure are you going to spend on this?
Are you intending to take it all the way to court?

owen_money

motorguy wrote: »

I asked what was wrong and they said - theres an OIL LEAK! :eek: - we then had the drama of them pulling the bonnet, gathering round and showing me this horrible, terrifying leak - and it was the rocker cover gasket seeping a little oil. :rolleyes:

Yes they always leaked, the TU engine I think? The rubber gasket perished and leaked oil, change the gasket and it was of for while, then leaked. The rocker cover and gasket combination was the same (same engine?) as on the AX I had in 1988. Ah it was brand new, a Citroen AX 'en vogue', limited edition of 1000. Tinted electric windows, velour seats, alloy wheels, central locking, the lot, all for £6200. At 21 years old I was like a dog with two tails