Car on finance and engine failure

tiruliru99

Hi everyone,

My husband and I recently purchased a car on finance (6 months ago). However a month and a half ago engine failure started showing up however the car was driving fine. We took it to dealership and they agreed to try and fix it by cleaning valves however that did not remove the error and over the phone they told us how they will offer to buy it back from us. We went to the dealership to find out more about options as well as talking to the finance company and the dealership said they will contact us today which they did. They said how they are going to hire a private engineer to determine wether the fault was there at the time of purchase. I know this is the process according to the Consumer Rights Law 2015 but I am wondering how can they prove that engine was alright at the time of purchase? As far as I am concerned MOT would not suffice to prove this or? The car is Peugeot 308, has 65k miles and is a 64 plate. Thanks!

AdrianC

They can't prove the state six months ago - but the engineer should be able to determine the cause of the failure, and whether the cause was progressive (= there at time) or sudden (= not there).

If they're offering to buy it back, just take that.

tiruliru99

Thanks for your reply. They were buying it over the phone however when we went there they switched to this and we have not got any written proof of this and also they try and send us information through our finance company. Now we don’t know how long we will have to wait and we still pay for something we don’t use and it’s broken.

tacpot12

You have to allow the dealer the chance to determine whether the fault was present when the car was sold. If the engineer reports a progressive problem that was likely to have been present when the car was sold, they should re-offer to purchase the car back from you. They are allowed to make a deduction for the use you have made of the car, and you can use the money to clear the finance.

If the problem occurred after you bought the car, then they are not obliged to refund any money or to repair the car. The best option in this case will be to negotiate with the dealer on the cost of replacing the engine. As a good-will gesture, they may be prepared to agree a price that only covers the minimum of their costs. You may need to borrow the money to cover the cost of the work, or pay for it on a credit card. You could look for a credit card offering an interest-free percent interest period, and aim to pay off the cost of the work during this period.

tiruliru99

Thank you all for your answers. They are currently inspecting engine. If we somehow caused it to fail, we will take responsability but what are the ways we could have done it? We service car regulary, it is never low on fuel and use it to go to and back from work? I am not good with cars at all, so any replies would help me better understand issue. Thanks

AdrianC

tiruliru99 wrote: »

If we somehow caused it to fail, we will take responsability but what are the ways we could have done it?

Minor oil leak, level dropped because it wasn't checked regularly.
Road debris causing a major and sudden leak.

foxy-stoat

tiruliru99 wrote: »

Thank you all for your answers. They are currently inspecting engine. If we somehow caused it to fail, we will take responsability but what are the ways we could have done it? We service car regulary, it is never low on fuel and use it to go to and back from work? I am not good with cars at all, so any replies would help me better understand issue. Thanks

How have you managed to have it serviced regularly when you have only had it for 6 months?

If you drove it with very low oil pressure or very low oil level the engine would be toast very quickly, or if you drove it with no coolant and it overheated and you rushed home and tipped lots of cold water in the coolant filler cap then you could warp the head. Put the wrong fuel in it.

What is the actual issue? You say that engine failure started to show up - this doesn't make any sense - its either failed or error lights come on.

Mutton_Geoff

tiruliru99 wrote: »

Thank you all for your answers. They are currently inspecting engine. If we somehow caused it to fail, we will take responsability but what are the ways we could have done it? We service car regulary, it is never low on fuel and use it to go to and back from work? I am not good with cars at all, so any replies would help me better understand issue. Thanks

Not checking the oil/water levels, poor driving technique leading to over-revving or engine labouring in too high a gear, hard acceleration whilst engine still cold, lots of short journeys, incorrect fuelling. Plenty of things a driver can do to damage a car.

DUTR

Mutton_Geoff wrote: »

Not checking the oil/water levels, poor driving technique leading to over-revving or engine labouring in too high a gear, hard acceleration whilst engine still cold, lots of short journeys, incorrect fuelling. Plenty of things a driver can do to damage a car.

From the opening post, engine fault that wasn't present until all of a sudden, the Op and the garage may have just been unfortunate, as low oil level or pressure , low coolant and many other things are shown up on a car , drastic things turn the car into a limp get you home mode.

tiruliru99

Sorry if I was not clear. The warning light came on but it kept driving. And by servicing I meant we regularly checked oil and water levels. And also it was checked by our mechanic there was no leaks.

Mercdriver

tiruliru99 wrote: »

Sorry if I was not clear. The warning light came on but it kept driving. And by servicing I meant we regularly checked oil and water levels. And also it was checked by our mechanic there was no leaks.

How long did you drive it with the warning light on?

How long after did you notify the dealer?