Consumer Rights Act - Used car - cost to tow car to garage

rich3245

Hi,

I'm sure the Consumer Rights Act for used car is a common area of questions so sorry if there are other threads with the answer - please point me to them if so. 
About 3 weeks ago, I bought a used car from a dealer about 70 miles away, after 2 weeks it developed a noise - I've taken it to a nearby garage to have it checked and it needs a new wheel bearing and some work on the brakes. Meanwhile it is not safe to drive. I've asked the seller to sort the issue, either pay for repair in my local garage or retrieve the vehicle and repair themselves. They have come back and offered to repair the vehicle, but that I need to get it to them. To do that I would need to get it towed 70 miles and then once it is repaired, either get back over there to pick it up myself (pretty inconvenient with a young family and a busy period of life) or get it towed back. 

I see various references to the Consumer Rights Act saying that I should 'ask the seller to collect the vehicle' but it doesn't say what I should do if they say 'no' and insist that I get the vehicle to them. So my questions are; 1. is the seller obliged to arrange collection of the car or not?  2. After repair, is the seller obliged to return the car back to me? 

I can't see any reference in the purchase paper work to any get out clauses from the seller related to this. 

I would be really grateful if you could point me to the wording that confirms this, either in the Consumer Rights Act or in some official interpretation of this - I want to be rock solid on this as so far the seller has not been as helpful as I had hoped. 

Thanks very much for any help, really appreciated. 

macman

You are responsible for getting the car back to the dealer: in effect any warranty is on a 'return to base' basis. It was your choice to buy from a dealer 70 miles away.The dealer has agreed to do the repair, and elected to do it himself, as is his right: he is not responsible for collection or delivery.
What if the car were purchased in John o' Groats and you happened to live in Lands End? Would you still expect the dealer to pick up the tab for the transport? An absurd scenario obviously, but it makes the point.

AdrianC

rich3245 said:

I'm sure the Consumer Rights Act for used car is a common area of questions so sorry if there are other threads with the answer - please point me to them if so. 
About 3 weeks ago, I bought a used car from a dealer about 70 miles away, after 2 weeks it developed a noise - I've taken it to a nearby garage to have it checked and it needs a new wheel bearing and some work on the brakes. Meanwhile it is not safe to drive. I've asked the seller to sort the issue, either pay for repair in my local garage or retrieve the vehicle and repair themselves. They have come back and offered to repair the vehicle, but that I need to get it to them. To do that I would need to get it towed 70 miles and then once it is repaired, either get back over there to pick it up myself (pretty inconvenient with a young family and a busy period of life) or get it towed back. 

I see various references to the Consumer Rights Act saying that I should 'ask the seller to collect the vehicle' but it doesn't say what I should do if they say 'no' and insist that I get the vehicle to them. So my questions are; 1. is the seller obliged to arrange collection of the car or not?  2. After repair, is the seller obliged to return the car back to me? 

I can't see any reference in the purchase paper work to any get out clauses from the seller related to this. 

Unless the supplier delivered the vehicle to you as an integral part of the sale, then there is no obligation on them to collect or deliver.

You chose to buy from that distance. This is one of the factors you need to take into account in that decision.

Robbo66

Given you have been driving it for the last 2 weeks and its driven fine apart from the noise what issue now makes it unsafe.
You can still use a vehicle with a noisy wheel bearing and unless the brakes don't work at all it can still be driven provided its driven with in the braking capabilities currently on offer

Herzlos

It's your responsibility to get the car back to where you collected it (normally the dealership you picked it up from, or where they delivered it to).

With an immobile car from 70 miles away, that sucks. That's why everyone recommends avoiding dealers that aren't local.

Is it actually unsafe to drive or do you just not want to drive it back? If it's driveable, then the correct thing to do is to drive it back.
Realistically, if it's a small job you're probably cheaper and quicker just getting it fixed locally and notching it up to one of those things.