Rejecting a second hand car

YORKSHIRELASS

Hi

We bought our son, who is a learner driver, a second hand Fiat Punto from a small dealership 3 weeks ago for £1500. Just been out for the second drive in it and as we turned a corner the power steering failed and a warning light came on. My son struggled to get the car around the corner and I grabbed the steering wheel - luckily there was nothing coming. I drove the car home and the power steering has clearly failed.

At home after switching the engine off and on again the fault seems to have cleared. The car was sold with a 3 month warranty, maximum cost of parts £200, but having done some research it seems that is a common fault with these cars and can be expensive to fix.

I am going to ring the dealership on Monday, they are closed for the weekend now. My question is, where do we stand if this is an intermittent fault? I am worried that if we take it back for a repair and the problem reappears in 3 or 4 months we may be stuck with it.

I have also read that I can reject the car and demand a full refund if it is not fit for purpose, which I think would be a better option. Anyone know if this is correct or has experience of doing this?

DoaM

A car dealership closed on a Saturday? Really?

You have a Short-term right to reject within 30 days of purchase. However you may be required to prove that the fault was inherent. (This is the one exception to the 6 months burden of proof rule). If the fault is proven (or accepted) you're entitled to a full refund, perhaps less a small amount to account for time of ownership/miles added. Otherwise you can require the seller to provide a remedy (repair, replace, refund) ... if they opt for a repair then they have ONE opportunity - any further fault (whether the same one or different) then gives you a Final right to reject for a refund (again less an amount to account for time of ownership/miles added).

For further details see the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

YORKSHIRELASS

DoaM wrote: »

A car dealership closed on a Saturday? Really?

Very small dealership, they close at lunchtime on a Saturday, have rung the mobile number they gave me and it asks me to ring back Monday.

AdrianC

Electric power steering - it may well simply be related to low battery, if the car's not been used for the three weeks since it was bought.

You also need to show that the fault was both present at the time of sale and is not reasonable to expect from goods of that age/price/apparent quality. For a £1,500 car...

YORKSHIRELASS

Thanks, if its just a low battery then that's different, but what if it is something serious? We have only driven it about 30 miles since we bought it so I think we can argue that the fault was there when we purchased it.

Yes, I agree it's only a £1500 car but this is potentially a fault that could have caused an accident as when the power steering fails the car suddenly becomes very hard to steer.

Lets say the dealer agrees to a new battery, what happens if the fault reappears in 3 months time?

spira9

Take it to halfords and get a free battery check. You may still be able to book a spot today or just go down there. Then you can ask for a print out to take to the dealer if there is a problem

AdrianC

YORKSHIRELASS wrote: »

Thanks, if its just a low battery then that's different, but what if it is something serious? We have only driven it about 30 miles since we bought it so I think we can argue that the fault was there when we purchased it.

If it IS low battery charge, then only doing 30 miles in three weeks is going to have contributed heavily to that. If it started at all after three weeks virtually unused, it's a good sign that there's nothing wrong with the battery. Remember, there's electricity being used all the time - remote locking, alarm, clock, stereo memory etc.

Yes, I agree it's only a £1500 car but this is potentially a fault that could have caused an accident as when the power steering fails the car suddenly becomes very hard to steer.

It becomes a bit heavier to turn. No more than that.

natlol

We had a Punto once with a similar issue. The power steering used to just stop running on the motorway or when you were doing low speed manoeuvres. The steering does go heavy but we managed to put up with it for a while. If I remember correctly it needed a new column and was a common issue. There are companies out there that supply refurbished ones. If it is that, and you change it yourself, remember that the ECU for the steering is coded to the car (or used to be) so it may need to go to a dealer to be coded.

I am sure the garage you purchased from will take a look and sort it.

agrinnall

spira9 wrote: »

Take it to halfords and get a free battery check. You may still be able to book a spot today or just go down there. Then you can ask for a print out to take to the dealer if there is a problem

Alternatively they'll use it as an opportunity to sell you a new battery even if you don't need one - go to a proper garage, not Halfrauds.

YORKSHIRELASS

Thanks all. We are 25 miles away from the nearest Halfords in any case, but yes, getting the battery checked is a good idea.

I suppose that if it is the steering column, and the dealer replaces it, then all is fine. My worry is where I stand if they tell us the problem is fixed and then 3 months later the problem occurs again. From what I have read online this could be a £500 plus repair.

macman

You bought a presumably high mileage and elderly car at a price that indicates that the dealer probably paid no more than £1K for it. It’s a banger. You cannot expect such a vehicle to be maintenance free, now or in the future.
Your expectations are unrealistic for what you have paid for it.
These type of warranties are essentially worthless, as almost everything that can fail will be excluded as a wear and tear item.