Car battery issue

macman

OP is making a big mistake in declining the refund. Even if it comes through the MOT intact, the odds are it's got other mechanical or electrical issues, which (OP please note) are not covered by the MOT test.  The fact that the dealer didn't even bother to pump the tyres up does not exactly fill me with confidence.

Jumblebumble

Grumpy_chap said:

chrisw said:

Put it in for the MOT on Monday as it's already booked in. If it all checks out and you're happy with the car, I would let it go for the sake of the cost of a battery. Any 10 year old car could show up similar issues or worse. 

I would not go ahead with the MOT as it could go either way.

• If the car is all fine, then happy days
• BUT, if the car fails the MOT and the test centre says the car is dangerous (major fault), they may not allow you to have the car back and the OP is lumbered with a large bill to get the car repaired and released.  This leaves the OP with few options, digging themselves deeper, and reducing the likelihood of a refund still being possible and, in any event, the seller's liability is probably limited to the purchase price.

I am trying to understand what is so special about this car.  I have read this in the context of the car being a fairly regular diesel Renault family car, but don't then understand how the OP came to choose this car over any of the many other diesel Renault family cars available.  Perhaps, this car is one of the quirky models such as the Renault Wind, which are in shorter supply?

Can the OP let us know what model this car is, price paid, mileage and number of previous keepers?  Even better, if it is still available, post a link to the online ad?

My understanding is that MOT garages have no right to stop one driving away even if the car fails on a dangerous fault , but only the police or the DVSA  can concern themselves with this
No doubt the OP could have the car recovered if it did have such a dangerous fault which in any case I think is incredibly unlikely only a few  days after a previous MOT

Grumpy_chap

My understanding is that the OP does not have any faith in the previous MOT, hence why they are getting another one done.

Also, the .gov.uk website says you can take your vehicle away after a failed MOT if no "dangerous" problems were listed in the MOT otherwise you'll need to get it repaired before you can drive.  You can be fined up to £2,500, be banned from driving and get 3 penalty points for driving a vehicle that has failed its MOT because of a ‘dangerous’ problem.

My understanding of the above is that the garage would not release the car back to you.

Hopefully the OP will update today as it was today they said they had the MOT booked in for, so either they went and all OK, or went and more to tell, or decided not to go.

ElephantBoy57

cazandco1 said:

He thinks my husband is a doctor as we work for the NHS and told my husband he can afford to lose a few hundred pounds. We have spent the last 2 months trying to get a car and really like the car. 
Its a 10 plate car and we didn't expect it to be perfect but we expected to drive it.

They seem like minor issues, but if you can believe what Halfords told you, the dealer? does not sound to have a good customer services attitude.

Car batteries are not measured in watts, you said Halfords said it was 800w. The main measure of a battery is Ah, batteries will be 40-65Ah. Choosing a good car miles and miles away is always fraught with problems, you should have tried to choose a reliable car, instead of going on the shape/colour, perhaps you were just unlucky.

macman

If I was seeking a second opinion on a dodgy car, then I wouldn't be taking it to Halfords in the first place.

Mistral001

Buying a car with a battery which was at the end of its life, is not unusual I should have thought.    The lower wattage battery is not illegal as has been said, but it will not last as long.

I would be more concerned about the windscreen crack.  That will devalue the car. 

As others have said, I would accept the offer of a refund - if that offer is still open.  learn from the experience and move on.

molerat

ElephantBoy57 said:

cazandco1 said:

He thinks my husband is a doctor as we work for the NHS and told my husband he can afford to lose a few hundred pounds. We have spent the last 2 months trying to get a car and really like the car. 
Its a 10 plate car and we didn't expect it to be perfect but we expected to drive it.

They seem like minor issues, but if you can believe what Halfords told you, the dealer? does not sound to have a good customer services attitude.

Car batteries are not measured in watts, you said Halfords said it was 800w. The main measure of a battery is Ah, batteries will be 40-65Ah. Choosing a good car miles and miles away is always fraught with problems, you should have tried to choose a reliable car, instead of going on the shape/colour, perhaps you were just unlucky.

The read out from the battery tester would have been the CCA rating which would also been on the battery and the 400 / 800 figures are about right. In the real world the Ah rating is pretty much irrelevant, CCA is far more important.

ElephantBoy57

molerat said:

The read out from the battery tester would have been the CCA rating which would also been on the battery and the 400 / 800 figures are about right. In the real world the Ah rating is pretty much irrelevant, CCA is far more important.

The issue was that it was the wrong battery for the car.

AdrianC

ElephantBoy57 said:

molerat said:

The read out from the battery tester would have been the CCA rating which would also been on the battery and the 400 / 800 figures are about right. In the real world the Ah rating is pretty much irrelevant, CCA is far more important.

The issue was that it was the wrong battery for the car.

It physically fitted and was secure.
It was 12v.
It didn't short out.
The car started.

Sure, it might not have been optimal, but it worked... right up until it was shagged, at which point it's irrelevant what size it may or may not have been, because it's shagged and needs replacing. So, obvs, you buy the right one, no matter what was there before.

CCA = Cold Cranking Amps. The maximum current the battery can deliver from cold. That's not the same as the maximum the starter will take... So long as CCA is above the starter's draw, it's sufficient. If it's below, the starter will turn more slowly, and voltage drop may cause the injection/ECUs not to play properly.

Ah = Amp-hours. The battery's capacity. Think of it as the size of the tank of water. You pull some water off with the lights/starter/etc. You put some back in with the alternator. It's only an issue if the tank's too small so runs out/goes flat. Until that point, it's big enough.

Grumpy_chap

Wonder if the OP will report back how they got on with the MOT or not?