1 Month to get Car fixed

davetza

I brought a 2nd hand car from a Peugeot main dealer in April. This morning it displayed an engine fault light and it looks like there is a gearbox issue so it cannot be driven. I phoned the dealer to get it looked at and they cannot get it booked in until the 2nd week of October and they also don't have any loan cars till then. Can anyone provide any advice on what options I have to get a car I can actually drive before then? 

The RAC is coming sometime today and if they cannot fix the problem which I doubt I am thinking of getting the car transported to the dealer as I can't drive it there myself and then putting as much pressure as I can to get the issue escalated.

Jenni_D

First things first - you've reported the fault to the seller so the 6 months "burden of proof" clock has stopped, thus the fault is assumed to be inherent (present at the time of sale) unless the seller can prove otherwise.

Secondly, the seller is obliged to provide a remedy (repair, replace, refund) without causing undue inconvenience to the consumer. IMHO 3 weeks before they even look at it is unreasonable; if they don't have a courtesy car then you should look at options to cover your travel requirements (hire a car, get taxis to/from bus or train stations etc.), taking care to mitigate your costs (e.g. don't hire a Mercedes AMG car as that would be unreasonable) and then present your schedule of costs to the seller for them to review, and make it clear that you'd be presenting them with your actual schedule of costs (supported by receipts) once the car is repaired and returned, for them to reimburse.

This might kick them into action - either bringing the assessment forward, or offering you a refund. (Technically they're allowed to reduce the refund to account for your time of ownership - vehicles are an exception to the full refund before 6 months rule - but given the increase in 2nd hand car prices recently I'd be arguing for a full refund: they could fix the car and then sell it for probably a lot more than they originally sold it to you).

davetza

Thanks for the feedback. Fair play to Peugeot they emailed 5 min after I sent the email and said the guy I spoke to gave me the wrong info and the car is now booked in for Wednesday. Also had a really good experience with the RAC guy who came out so sometimes things work as they should.