Used car rights

Sparx0701

I have recently bought a used car from a garage forecourt/small dealer. The car is a 2008 mondeo which is in good condition and drives well. I collected the car and on that evening took it for a long drive. During the drive the check engine light came on. The car still drove fine so I drove home and contacted the dealer. They told me to fetch ot down the next day to have a look. The next day they plugged in their computer and told me the fault was something to do with the cruise control but would not cause any problems. They cleared the fault and i was on my way. Next day the light was on again. Back to the dealer. Same fault displayed. Mechanic tells me its not cost effective for them to investigate and potentially repair the fault. I was told when i bought the car and asked about warranty that I would be fully covered for anything the car needs for 28 days after purchase. I want the car to be right and i dont feel satisfied with having to keep having the fault cleared. Where do I stand?

DUTR

Does the cruise control work?
quote from elsewhere....
According to most the only way to cure it is either clean connections or replace switches which involves removal of steering wheel and airbag etc etc. I didn't fancy all that hassle so I looked down the sides of the switches and could see 4 very small square holes. These holes are just big enough to get the end of a small straw down so I sprayed down each one with contact/switch cleaner. This I did a week ago and normal operation was resumed instantly and has worked fine ever since at all speeds... Worth a try for a 5-minute fix!

AdrianC

It's an 11yo car, with an apparently trivial issue with a minor feature that doesn't affect the basic functionality or roadworthiness. I really wouldn't be relying too heavily on any statutory rights...

What does the paperwork for this "blanket" 28 day warranty state?

PDC

Is the check engine light not an MOT fail now though?
If so then the OP will need to deal with it somehow.

foxy-stoat

Reject it and get your money back, when they re-advertise it offer them £500 less than whatever you paid for it with the fault - get it repaired.

Its probably not the cruise control as if you didn't switch it on it wouldn't of thrown a fault code, its more than likely something else that they don't want to fix.

System

The Cruise Control will NOT turn on the check engine light. I know this because my own has fault codes for the CC when I read it with Forscan and it has the switch issue DUTR mentioned (whose fix I'm going to try on my own car - thanks mate).


My advice to you is to get an OBD-II reader that does both speeds. I got this Bluetooth one from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B06XPLSQRS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


Download the FREE Forscan software either for your Windows PC or for your Android or Apple phone/tablet and read the fault codes yourself. Forscan is an extremely in depth scanner for Ford and Mazda cars and goes way beyond just reading OBDII codes - you can even program options in, recode fuel injectors etc, watch live data and its a must for anyone who owns a Ford or Mazda.



If it is a diesel and comes up with one for the DPF filter don't panic. There is a common fault on the Mondeo where the rubber pipes that go from the DPF filter to the DPF filter pressure sensors split. The sensors then read nothing and throw up a fault code. The rubber pipes can be replaced by normal braided rubber fuel line rather than paying the extortionate £80 odd quid per pipe that Ford want. My local garage did them on mine (its a sod to do on axle stands) and only charged 30 mins labour to replace them both and didn't even bother to charge for the pipe as its basically just over a couple of feet.

Arklight

Yeah I was going to say get your own reader and find out what the fault actually says. A check engine light but it's something trivial and just to do with the cruise control which is actually just fine, on an 11 year old Ford... yeahhhhh

Sparx0701

I understand that the fault is not a massive issue in itself. What is concerning is that I believe the car will fail an mot if the check engine light is lit. If this was not the case I would be quite happy to just run the car as it is

m0bov

Your being fobbed off. Get your money back.

Geodark

Sparx0701 wrote: »

I understand that the fault is not a massive issue in itself. What is concerning is that I believe the car will fail an mot if the check engine light is lit. If this was not the case I would be quite happy to just run the car as it is

yes an engine warning light is now an MOT fail

EdGasketTheSecond

Exactly a car with engine check light on is only scrap value if the problem can't be fixed by the next MoT or is not cost-efective to fix.